The History of Lake Havasu

Robert P. McCulloch created Lake Havasu, byHavasu. In the early 1800's mountain men made
some small miracle, to build a city in a small piecetheir way along that section of the river. They
of Arizona desert. The miracle is that he was ablemade their livelihood at trapping beavers in the
to do this without any major highway winding itsstreams and rivers in the area. However, the
way through the would-be city. There was nomountain men were forced out of the area in by
road connecting this area to the rest of thethe 1830's by the Mohave Indians.
country. Not only was he able to do this but alsoThe Spanish also found their way in the Lake
he was also able to transport the historic LondonHavasu region by mining up and down the river in
Bridge almost halfway around the globe andthe nearby mountains. Other prospectors followed
reconstruct it in the Arizona desert.them. Mining camps began to spring up all along
McCulloch found the site for Lake Havasu whenthe rivers in this area. These miners discouraged
he flew over the area in search of a location topeople from settling the area saying that the
test the outboard boat motors he manufactured.terrain was too rough and uninhabitable.
Lake Havasu was created with the constructionWith the construction of Parker's Dam in the mid
of Parker Dam in the 1930's. Until this dam was1930's we see the appearance of small villages
built, what is now Lake Havasu was a remoteand communities in the Lake Havasu area.
section of the Colorado River that wound its wayHowever, floods that caused the shoreline to
through the rough terrain.widen destroyed most if not all villages and
However, McCulloch was not the first person tocommunities.
ever venture into this area that is now Lake