Fort Mojave, Arizona.
Fort Mojave, Arizona, was established initially as Camp Colorado in April 1859. It sat on an eastern bluff overlooking the “Mojave Road,” or “Beale’s Road,” and the Colorado River crossing that had become popular with settlers and miners headed for California. The post was established to provide shelter for emigrants and a base of operations against the sometimes hostile Mojave Indians.
By order of Brigadier General Edwin V. Sumner, the fort buildings were burned down in May 1861 to prevent them from falling into Confederate hands. Two years later, however, the fort was rebuilt and re-garrisoned in May 1863 to protect travelers again and cultivate friendly relations with the Indians.
On September 29, 1890, the War Department turned the post over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and evacuated all troops to other posts. In the old fort buildings, a military-style boarding school educated members of various Indian tribes from Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The school continued until 1935.
Today, the site shows only a few ruins atop the bluff overlooking the Colorado River just South of Bullhead City. It is now part of the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.
By Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated September 2026.
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