After two weeks in Tucson, we headed north to the west-central town of Parker, located on the Colorado River right across from California at the south end of Lake Havasu. It became our home base for the next two months, enabling us to visit places of special historical or cultural significance, in addition to the usual tourist destinations such as the Grand Canyon and Sedona.
Lake Havasu
This man-made lake, about forty-five by three miles in size, was formed by building the world’s deepest dam on the Colorado River at Parker. Its main purpose is to provide water through an enormous pipeline to Los Angeles and other cities along the way, but it has also become a major centre for fishing and water sports around the planned community of Lake Havasu City.
Not content to just build a beautiful model town, the city’s founder wanted a world-class monument, something on a par with the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty, to attract visitors. Believe me, he got one! Knowing that the famous London Bridge really was in danger of falling down, he arranged to buy it, dismantle it block by block, transport it across the Atlantic and re-assemble it across a channel which was dredged out of the desert beside the Lake at his new city. A tourist complex resembling a Tudor-style English village was then built nearby. The beautiful and now structurally sound bridge was officially dedicated by the Governor of Arizona and the Lord Mayor of London in 1971, and since then it has become one of the state’s main attractions. It reminded me of London’s Westminster Bridge, but to my mind it is even more graceful.
Quartzite
About 60 miles straight south of Lake Havasu is the tiny and at first glance insignificant village of Quartzite, with a few hundred inhabitants. As one often finds in Arizona, appearances are deceiving. In winter, the desert for miles around becomes one enormous inexpensive RV campground for tens of thousands of northerners. From the air their roofs look like so many mayflies on a pond, except that there’s no pond. Then, in early February the "Pow Wow", one of the world’s foremost rock, gemstone and handicraft sales, draws over half a million visitors from the US and abroad. We attended, and were amazed at the variety, quality, and reasonable prices of the offerings.
One of Quartzite’s early residents occupies a unique niche in American history. Who would have ever thought that in the mid-1800s the US Army would import some 70 camels to Arizona as an experiment in alternative transportation? Well, they did, and with them came their very personable Syrian driver Hadji Ali, whose name soon became Americanized into "Hi Jolly". The experiment was interrupted by the Civil War, and the animals were eventually turned loose to fend for themselves. Hi Jolly became a much-loved resident, and a model pyramid topped with a golden camel was eventually erected in Quartzite to commemorate his life and work.
Oatman & Route 66
There’s not much left of storied Route 66, the highway walked by so many desperate folks seeking a better life in California during hard times. The main town along what does remain is Kingman, notable as the home of actor Andy Devine.
Much more interesting is the nearby ghost town of Oatman, situated on an offshoot of 66. There are only a few inhabitants left, and a sign in front of the old mine informs you in a matter-of-fact way that trespassers will be shot. Wild donkeys roam the only street, scrounging for whatever tourists will hand out. By far the most interesting story, though, involves two famous movie stars.
In 1939 Clark Gable married actress Carole Lombard. They wanted a place to honeymoon where nobody would find them – and Oatman, as far off the beaten path as one could get, provided the privacy they sought. The hotel where they stayed still keeps their room just as it was, and you can look through a glass window. She was later killed in a plane crash, and he went on to serve as a decorated Major in the Army Air Corps before resuming his acting career.
We visited many other cities, historical sites, natural phenomena and ghost towns, and of course spent time in Sedona and at the Grand Canyon. (These two places are so well-known that I see no point in adding to what has already been written). We regret not making it to Monument Valley or to Zane Grey’s beloved Mogollon Rim, but we’ll save them for the next time. I hope you have enjoyed this short series about interesting people, places and events which might otherwise have remained unknown to you. We would cheerfully recommend Arizona to everyone!
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