The history of Road's End Camp and Havasu Palms

from a speech given by Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes to the Lake Havasu City Historical Society in 2005

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            Before continuing with negotiations, the Tribe specified that Havasu Palms needed to sign a release form, stating Havasu Palms would not contest the land transfer, in exchange the Tribe would negotiate in good faith with Havasu Palms for a long term lease. Havasu Palms signed the release.
            Negotiations proved to be as frustrating with the Tribe as it had been with the BLM. Initially, a 50 year lease was offered. Although it was half the term originally discussed with the BLM, my father realized it was a more realistic lease term for a Tribe.
            Each year, as a new tribal council moved into place, Havasu Palms moved back to square one. It seemed that each new council felt honor bound to come up with a lease that offered more for the Tribe and less to Havasu Palms. I remember one year I attended a tribal meeting with my father, to discuss the lease, and I was shocked that the council members seemed to know nothing about Havasu Palms or their existing lease. Dad had already been working with them for several years on the lease, yet this new group was starting from scratch.
            Ultimately it took 10 years, to obtain a 10 year lease with a 5 year option, a term that was one year less than our original lease with the Fish and Wildlife.
In spite of all of this, my parents continued to develop Havasu Palms, By 1978 a new store and marina was completed. And in 1980 my father began construction on Roads End Restaurant.   He’d been collecting used restaurant equipment, and purchased red roof tile from a demolished school house, which eventually roofed our restaurant. After winning a liquor license in the California liquor lottery he was pressured to finish the restaurant within the timeframe specified by the lottery rules. The restaurant opened in 1981. 10 years to the day, after the London Bridge officially opened, in October 10, 1971.
            My parents always preferred the original name of the park, which is why they named the restaurant the Road’s End Restaurant and Bar.
            Just as they had become hands on with the clean up and construction, they fully participated in running the restaurant. My father served time as chef and bartender, and my mother waited tables and did what she did best, cleaned. The restaurant was not an easy business to maintain.   No food distributor would deliver supplies, and so my father built a large cargo boat, that would travel to Lake Havasu City each week to pick up supplies. It was too difficult for employees to travel back and forth to work, and so my parents provided employee housing when the restaurant was opened.
            Over the years, the Road’s End Restaurant and bar became a very popular local establishment. The party size was commonly 10 – 12 a group. Its house drink, nicknamed the Green Thing sold over 9000 drinks each season.

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