Page 70 - 2008 DT 12 issues

Fort Pah-ute the turnoff to Laughlin and started trav- wall a short distance away from the
eling a relatively smooth and wide dirt fort that is thought to be part of a large
by Norm Kresge road to reach the fort. About a mile west horse corral that was built after the fort

or many years, I directed my 6 th of US 95, we went underneath the Los was abandoned. Pah-ute Creek runs a
grade students to read a story Angeles Metropolitan Water District short walk from the fort and continues
Fabout camels that were drafted power lines that use power generated toward the valley below.
into service at Fort Pah-ute in the at Hoover Dam to run the pumps that Fort Pah-ute, never an official fort,
Mojave Desert under the direction of bring water along the Colorado River was one of several redoubts or camps
Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale. When I Aqueduct to the Los Angeles area. that spanned the Mojave Desert about
moved to Las Vegas and learned how The ride on the Mojave Road to a day’s ride apart. The camps were all
close Fort Pah-ute was, I had to go and Fort Pah-ute was only going to be strategically situated near sources of
see where the men and camels in the about six miles. Nine miles later, and water. During the Civil War, the posts
story had worked. with four-wheel drive engaged for a were manned by members of the Cali-
Lt. Beale was responsible for number of miles, we neared a summit in fornia Volunteers and evacuated at the
establishing a wagon road from Fort the Pah-ute Mountain Range. Soon we end of the war. But local protests, which
Defiance in New Mexico, west to came upon an old corral and the starting stressed the critical need for the travel
point of our hike to the fort. We had route and increasing mining activity in
been on the wrong segment western Arizona, forced the reoccupa-
of the Mojave Road for sev- tion of the posts in 1866. At that time,
eral miles and had missed the post was renamed Fort Pah-ute
the “easy” way to the fort. or Fort Pah-ute Hill, and was usually
We hadn’t been lost—rather garrisoned by troops from Camp Cady,
we just weren’t quite certain California. Fort Pah-ute was eventu-
of where we were until we ally abandoned sometime in 1868. The
reached the corral. main occupation of the fort was from
We parked on a ridge November 1867 to May 1868.
overlooking Pah-ute Gorge. Retracing our steps through Pah-
Descending a steep path, we ute Springs, we saw some boulders
came to the base of the gorge with petroglyphs on them. We decided
and followed the wash east. to find the easy way to the fort after we
Fort Pah-ute © Norm Kresge
It’s a magnificent hike with had driven back to the Water District
some outstanding scenery. power lines. Going a short distance
the Colorado River. The road gener- There are large conglomerate boul- north brought us to a different road,
ally followed the 35 parallel and the ders and the gorge is quite deep. After and it turned west toward Jedediah
th
wagon road became the Mojave Road. hiking about a mile, we saw several Smith Butte, one of the landmarks we
Twenty-five camels, along with their cottonwood trees with their bare winter had been seeking earlier in our drive.
driver, Hadji Ali, were brought from branches. Soon we heard the sound of In a few short miles, we arrived at the
Tunisia and used in helping construct water as we made our way to Pah-ute fort again. Now we knew the correct
the wagon road. Even though the Springs. What a treat! Finding water in way, if less adventurous one, to the fort.
camels went days without water and the desert is always special. Less than a mile east of the fort, there’s
could carry much heavier loads than After making our way through an interesting place called the Irwin
mules, the experiment eventually some rather wet areas that were very Ranch. The Ranch is on higher ground
ended because the camels scared horses overgrown, we spotted a trail that led above Pah-ute Creek. The Irwins built a
and mules. up the north side of the creek. We fol- home using stones found in the region,
On a cold January morning, Chuck lowed the trail until we arrived at the including one with a petroglyph on it.
Williams and I set out to find Fort Pah- fort. The remnants of the fort consist of They stayed for about two years. They
ute. We turned west off US 95 south of a number of walls. There is a low rock tried to raise turkeys in pens that are

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