Lost, A Desert River and its Native Fishes - Sierra Club

MUELLER AND MARSH 15
Fig. 13. Colorado River ferry at Yuma, April 5,1909, 115-JAJ-732. Courtesy of the National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Fig. 14. Schooner and steamboat exchanging cargo near
Port Isabela in the Sea of Cortez (date unknown). Courtesy
of the KLVX Steamboats on the Colorado Collection,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Library.
Tilden, Cochan, St. Vallier, Electra, Retta, and
Searchlight were hauling freight up and down the river.
The steamboat landings of Port Famine, Gridiron, Ogden‘s
Landing, Pedrick‘s, and Arizona City sprang up between
the coast and Yuma to service and supply wood for their
hungry boilers (Fig. 15). Additional landings upstream of
Yuma soon appeared, including Laguna, Castle Dome City,
Eureka Landing, Williamsport, Rood‘s Ranch, Drift
Desert, Mineral City, Olivia, Ehrenberg, Parker‘s Landing,
Mellen, Hardyville, Camp Eldorado, and Callville.
Steamboats hauled freight from the Gulf of California
to Yuma year-round and by 1860 more than 1,200 tons of
freight had been stockpiled in Yuma awaiting shipment
further upstream. Navigation upstream of Yuma was
difficult at best and most profitable during spring runoff
when the river ran deep and steamboats could be fully
loaded. During high water, boats could navigate as far
upstream as the confluence of the Virgin River, but during
low flow most river captains seldom ventured upstream
of Hardyville (Bullhead City). Steamboats had to navigate
around sandbars, snags, rocks, and through rapids. Swift
water, especially in the canyons, made it necessary for
the boats to be winched over the rapids with pulleys.
Ring bolts were drilled and set in the canyon walls where
block and tackle could be attached. One can still be found
in Black Canyon, just downstream of Hoover Dam.
At flood stage, the river at Cottonwood (Lake
Mohave), Mohave, and the Chemehuevie Valley (Lake
Havasu) could swell to 2 miles wide. At low flows, these
broad channels would recede into shallow braided