Fort Mohave is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and CDP in

Mohave County Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United St ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States. It is named for a nearby

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

that was used during the

Mohave War The Mohave War was an armed conflict between the Mohave people and the United States from 1858 to 1859. With the California Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of American settlers headed west through Mohave country and into California. The influx of m ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population of Fort Mohave was 16,190, up from 14,364 in 2010 and 8,919 in 2000. It is a suburb of

Bullhead City Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the em ...

. Its recent growth has made it the most populous unincorporated community in Mohave County. The largest single employer in Fort Mohave is Valley View Medical Center. In 2013, Fort Mohave became the home of a 200+ acre photovoltaic solar generating plant. The plant was built east of Vanderslice Road between Joy Lane and Lipan Boulevard.

History

At Fort Mojave, on the Colorado River, 1,450 miles west of Missouri River

The first known European to visit the area was Spanish explorer

Melchor Díaz Melchor Díaz (or Melchior) (died January, 1541) was an early Spanish explorer of western North America who "was a hard worker and skillful organizer and leader. He inspired confidence in his companions and followers, and always maintained the be ...

. He documented his travels in what is now northwestern Mohave County in 1540. He recounts meeting a large population of natives who referred to themselves as the ''Pipa Aha Macav'', meaning "People by the River". From "Aha Macav" came the Spanish name "Mojave", which was later passed into English, where it is also spelled "Mohave". When most people refer to Fort Mohave, they use the spelling "Mohave", while the tribe retains the traditional Spanish spelling "Mojave". During the

the fort was established as a base of

U. S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

military operations against the native

Mohave people Mohave or Mojave ( Mojave: 'Aha Makhav) are a Native American people indigenous to the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert. The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation includes territory within the borders of California, Arizona, and Nevada. The Colorad ...

, who had been living in the area for centuries prior. In April 1861, during the early part of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, the fort was abandoned, its garrison sent to secure

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

from possible secession, and then sent to the east. It was subsequently garrisoned by Company B and Company I,

4th California Infantry Regiment The 4th California Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment recruited from northern California during the American Civil War. It was organized at Sacramento, Placerville, and Auburn in September and October 1861. 4th California Regiment of In ...

, in May 1863. Company B remained for six months, but Company I remained until March 1865, when it was relieved by Company C, 7th California Infantry Regiment, until 1866 when Camp Mohave was again garrisoned by regular U.S. Army troops. The U.S. Army remained until September 29, 1890, when the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

turned it over to the Indian Service by order of President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

. It was given up by the Indian Service in 1935 and is now part of the

Fort Mojave Indian Reservation The Fort Mohave Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation along the Colorado River, currently encompassing in Arizona, in California, and in Nevada. The reservation is home to approximately 1,100 members of the federally recognized Fort Moj ...

Geography

Fort Mohave is in western Mohave County along

Arizona State Route 95 State Route 95, also known as SR 95, is a north–south state highway along the western edge of Arizona that is split into two sections. Route description The southern segment begins in Quartzsite, Arizona, Quartzsite at its junction with U ...

. It is bordered to the north by

, to the west by the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation, and to the south by unincorporated Mesquite Creek. AZ 95 leads north to the center of Bullhead City and south to

Needles, California Needles is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert region of Southern California. Situated on the western banks of the Colorado River, Needles is located near the Californian border with Arizona and Nevada. The city is a ...

, across the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

. Aztec Road leads west from the center of Fort Mohave across the Colorado into the southernmost corner of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, south of Laughlin. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Fort Mohave CDP has an area of , all of it recorded as land. Many neighborhoods in Fort Mohave are built on man-made lakes, golf courses, and mesas with majestic mountain views. The newest golf course, Los Lagos Golf Club, is a Ted Robinson, Sr. Signature Golf Course. It is home to the Mojave Crossing Event Center, the largest stadium within , serving all Mohave County for large indoor events. It has a seating capacity of 3,000 stadium style and 5,000 arena style.

Demographics

Fort Mohave is geographically between, and economically connected to,

and

Mohave Valley The Mohave Valley is a valley located mostly on the east shore of the south-flowing Colorado River in northwest Arizona. The valley extends into California's San Bernardino County; the northern side of the valley extends into extreme southeast ...

Economy

Fort Mohave has three large grocery stores, Smith's Food and Drug, Safeway, and a recently completed Wal-Mart Supercenter. It also has a CVS Pharmacy and an ACE Hardware Store. Restaurants include Great Dragon Chinese Cuisine, Bonanza Cafe, Casa Serrano Mexican Food, an ice cream parlor, and a McDonald's, along with several other fast food franchises. Residents of Fort Mohave do the majority of their shopping and dining in

, which is considered the shopping hub of the tri-state area.

Education

Fort Mohave has two public elementary schools, Fort Mojave Elementary School and Camp Mohave Elementary School, both of which are a part of the Mohave Valley Elementary School District. There is also a public charter school, Young Scholar's Academy, All Beauty College, the Academy of Building Industries, and Desert Star.

Infrastructure

Health care

Fort Mohave is the location of the Valley View Medical Center, which opened in 2005. It is a facility with state-of-the-art technology. The hospital features 38 medical/surgical beds, 10 rehabilitation beds, a six-bed labor and delivery unit, a six-bed intensive care unit, four major operating rooms and two procedure rooms. In 2010, Valley View announced a 1.2 million Emergency Room expansion.

Emergency services

Fort Mohave is served by the Fort Mojave-Mesa Fire Department.

Transportation

Vegas Airporter provides service between Lake Havasu City, Fort Mohave, and

McCarran International Airport Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

References

{{Mohave County, Arizona Arizona placenames of Native American origin Lower Colorado River Valley 1935 establishments in Arizona