Havasu Palms and Road's End Camp History

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            Many years ago, my mother, Caroline Johnson, received old photographs from one of the first settlers to Road’s End Camp. His name was Bob Orchard, and he also gave my mother information on those early setters to the area. The following information from his oral history, as was given to my mother, and then to me.
            Before World War One two brothers came into the area, one was named Lincoln Bailey. They had mining claims along the river. One of these claims was located at what would become Road’s End Camp. They leased this claim to J. Flemings in the 1920’s. According to Orchard, Flemings would be the first owner of Road’s End Camp.
            In the early 1930’s Bob Orchard became the new owner of Road’s End Camp and by 1934 Parker Dam Construction was underway. When the dam was completed in 1938, the mine at Road’s End was under the water of the new Lake Havasu. The one time mining claim was now a fishing camp. Many of those early photographs of the camp are located in this month’s exhibit.
            According to Orchard, leases were on a year to year permit, until the late 1940’s, when he obtained a long term lease. I just recently learned that he incorporated under the name Road’s End Camp, Inc. around 1949, and attempted to sell shares to finance development of the camp.
            Bob Orchard built the first store on the site around 1940, and he and his son in law built the dirt airstrip at the site, around 1945.
            For those of you who are unfamiliar with Road’s End Camp, you need to understand how remote it was…..and still is. It is 12 miles north of Parker Dam, and even today, the last 8 miles into the park is a rugged dirt road that runs through Whipple Wash, vulnerable to flash floods.
            I hope you have a look at Orchard’s photos. My favorite is one of the old store, with a pair of pants hanging on a flagpole. Apparently it started out as a practical joke, yet became the official open sign. Fishermen knew if the pants were hanging up, the store was open.
            The Road’s End mine was not the only thing under water, after the completion of the dam. Shoreline along the onetime Colorado River was submerged, making room for the wider lake. Because of this, the tribes that were occupying the area lost some of their land. In 1949 the Department of Interior specified payment for the Mohave and Chemehuevi Tribes, to be paid by Metropolitan Water. A copy of this correspondence is contained in the exhibit.
            By 1963 – the same year Robert McCulloch purchased the land that would become Lake Havasu City, a new corporation emerged, Havasu Palms, Inc. The next year Havasu Palms signed a 20 year lease with the Federal Fish and Wildlife for what was once Road’s End Camp. The owners included Noel Keefer Jr., Noel Keefer Sr., Homer Willis, Melvin Wooley, and Everette Sickles.
            That same year, in 1964, according to Stephen Beckham, professor of history at Lewis and Clark College, the Chemehuevi Tribe received a second payment for the land along the Colorado River.

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