Probably one of the most southern historical sites in Nevada, Beale’s Crossing was the Colorado River crossing used by Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale during his 1857-58 expedition to establish a wagon road along the 35th parallel from New Mexico to California. Beale and his party, accompanied by a herd of U.S. Army camels, reached the river near the Mojave villages and crossed to the west bank, where the route continued along the ancient Mojave Indian Trail toward California. The crossing subsequently became an important transportation point and, in 1859, the Army established Fort Mohave on the Arizona side of the river to protect the route and travelers. Although Fort Mohave and the site traditionally called Beale’s Crossing are generally identified with Arizona, the western landing and the continuation of the historic road lay in what is now southern Nevada, making the crossing an important—if often overlooked—part of Nevada’s history.
It probably should be noted that at the time of Beale's first crossing, there was no Nevada. In 1858, of course, these weren't the modern states in their present configuration. The area was part of New Mexico Territory on the east side and California on the west. Nevada Territory did not yet exist—it was created in 1861.
Saturday, January 23 , 1858.- We reached the Colorado river early in the morning, having encamped in a rain- storm the night previous a few miles from it. Shortly after leaving camp , my clerk, F. E. Kerlin , who with two of my party had been dispatched the day previous in order to have my boat ready for crossing , was seen returning . Various surmises were immediately started as to the cause, and as soon as he was within speaking distance he was questioned eagerly for the news. He gave us a joyful surprise by the information that the steamer "General Jesup" was at the crossing waiting to convey us to the opposite side. It is difficult to conceive the varied emotions with which this news was received . Here , in a wild , almost unknown country , inhabited only by savages , the great river of the west , hitherto declared unnavigable , had , for the first time , borne upon its bosom that emblem of civilization , a steamer . The enterprise of a private citizen had been rewarded by success , for the future was to lend its aid in the settlement of our vast western territory . But alas ! for the poor Indians living on its banks and rich meadow lands . The rapid current which washes it shores will hardly pass more rapidly away . The steam whistle of the "General Jesup ' sounded the death knell of the river race.
-Wagon road from Fort Defiance to the Colorado river. Letter from the secretary of war, transmitting the report of the superintendant of the wagon road from Fort Defiance to the Colorado river, Beale, Edward Fitzgerald, 1858
Fitzgerald was noted for his use of camels as pack animals, and his admiration for same.
My admiration for the camels increases daily with my experience of them . The harder the test they are put to the more fully they seem to justify all that can be said of them . They pack water for others four days under a hot sun and never get a drop ; they pack heavy burdens of corn and oats for months and never get a grain ; and on the bitter greasewood and other worthless shrubs not only subsist but keep fat ; withal , they are so perfeetly docile and so admirably contented with whatever fate befalls them. No one could do justice to their merits or value in expeditions of this kind , and I look forward to the day when every mail route across the continent will be conducted and worked altogether with this economical and noble brute .
-Wagon road from Fort Defiance to the Colorado river. Letter from the secretary of war, transmitting the report of the superintendant of the wagon road from Fort Defiance to the Colorado river, Beale, Edward Fitzgerald, 1858
Crossing the rive at Beale's Crossing wasn't always uneventful.
Pah Utah Creek, Cal., March 24, '59.
To Col. Hoffman, or Capt. Barton, or the Commanding Officer present at the Cuchana Valley:
Gentlemen:—On my way to meet Lieut. E. Beale, with supplies, agreeable to his official directions, and to assist him in working the road, I met, at or near the Colorado River, about six or seven hundred Indians, claiming to be Mohaves, Pah Utahs, and Yumas, armed with bows, arrows, and a club in their hands, who forbid our further advance. I gave my rifle and pistol to one of my men, and made signs to one of the chiefs to lay aside his arms and meet me, as I wished to have a talk with him, which he did. In as few words as possible I explained to him the object of my expedition and that I wished to pass peaceably through his country. He then gave his consent that I might do so, but wanted me to give his people some tobacco. I ordered about one hundred pounds of tobacco which I had intended to give them to be brought out and divided amongst them. I also gave a shirt to each of the chiefs. We then drove to the lake and encamped for the night. Being acquainted with the treachery of these Indians, I was not fully satisfied that all was right.
Early in the morning of the 24th we hitched up our teams, and finding an Indian that offered to conduct us to Beale’s Crossing, we started to cross the river without further delay. After marching to the river, we launched our boat, and stretched a rope from one shore to the other, and as we were in the act of crossing I was told that it was the order of the chief that I should not cross the river unless I gave a shirt to every man in the tribe, as well as to each Indian there assembled. This was impossible, even if we had given up those of every man in the company, had our disposition been to comply with the demand. I told them that as I had not given anything with this view, and would submit to nothing wrong.
As there was assembled at least four hundred Indians on the opposite bank of the river to prevent our crossing, unless the demand for the shirts was complied with, I gave instructions to have the rope cast loose from the other bank of the river. Messrs. Akerd and Pool were sent to the ot her side for that purpose, and while in the act of untying the rope, the Indians began shooting at them with arrows. They escaped unharmed; but the India rubber boat was shot in many places, and nearly filled with water, before they reached this side of the river.
At the time they commenced shooting on the opposite side of the river, by means of a signal made by the Indians to communicate the intelligence to those on this side, the arrows commenced pouring forth from the willows in the rear of the train. Knowing full well that we must fight, I repaired to an open place where we could better contend with such a superior force. On reaching the lake where we had encamped two days previous, and while in the act of corralling the wagons, we were greeted with showers of arrows. I then gave orders to the men to kill and scalp every one that could be seen. It was a warm time for about three hours, my men killing at least two Indians for every three shots fired, and taking some of their hair. This has deterred them from further molesting us to the present time, although they are collected in large numbers on the opposite side of the river, and dare us to cross.
I have forty men, and as I believe we have whipped them on this side of the river, I think could do the same on the other, were it possible to cross the river with all my men. But as I should be under the necessity of dividing my company, as well as having the river, which is one-fourth of a mile in width, to obstruct my movements, I think it would be dangerous to attempt it without assistance. I therefore, if you can with propriety, and in accordance with your duties, or without transcending your official power, you will send to my assistance a detachment of men.
Respectfully, &c. S. A. Bishop.
In the 1860s–1880s, the crossing saw heavy use by livestock drives, mining supply outfits, civilian emigrants, and government freighters travelling along Beale's Wagon Road and the Mojave Road. By the 1883–1890s, traffic across Beale's Crossing dropped significantly following the completion of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad across the Colorado River downstream at Needles, California. Additionally, Fort Mohave was decommissioned as a military post in 1890. Despite the decline of overland wagon traffic, local ferry operations at the site continued serving regional travelers, miners, and local ranchers. The ferry at Beale's Crossing was still actively documented on official U.S. Geological Survey topomaps as late as 1911. By the 1920s, automobile traffic had shifted to newer bridges along designated highways (such as Route 66 at Topock/Needles), effectively bringing an end to the historic crossing site.
The site is now wholly within the Fort Mojave Reservation.