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American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project
Internet Presentation
Version
011109
HARDYVILLE PIONEER CEMETERY
BULLHEAD
CITY, MOHAVE COUNTY
By:
Kathy Block
Photos
by Ed & Kathy Block
Hardyville was one of
the many Colorado River port and shipping towns, and served as Mohave County's
first seat from 1867 to 1872. At Hardy Landing, boats ferried people across the
river and the landing also served as a freight depot. At the most, Hardyville
had about 20 permanent residents, but more were there at any given time due to
people passing through. The post office was established January 17, 1865 and
discontinued Feb. 19, 1883. The town was founded by William Harrison Hardy in
1865.
During its lifetime,
Hardyville was struck by two major fires, in 1872 and 1873. In 1883 the ferry
was moved to Needles, California when the A & P Railroad was completed to
that point. The port was deemed obsolete and the town was deserted. It was
reborn as Bullhead City with the construction of Davis Dam on the Colorado
River below Hoover Dam in the 1940s.
William Harrison Hardy
William Harrison
Hardy, born in Allegany County, New York on April 25, 1823, was a pioneer
adventurer, town builder, and businessman. He went to California with a wagon
train in 1849 and became "Captain Hardy" when elected captain of the
company. Captain Hardy, as he was known for the rest of his life, was drawn to
the new frontier of the Territory of Arizona and founded the town of
Hardyville, in 1865, at the approximate site of the present day Bullhead City. He
erected a cluster of adobe buildings for a mercantile store, hotel, and saloon.
He took an active, influential role in Territorial politics. He established the
post office (and invented a riveted mail sack still in use today), ferry
crossing at Hardyville, and a stage line and mail route to Prescott on a toll
road. (Road toll rates were not cheap, ranging from 4 cents a mile for each
wagon drawn by two horses, mules or oxen. Extra charges were assessed for each
additional span of animals, each head of loose livestock, and any individual on
horseback. Ferry tolls were even more exorbitant than road tolls.) However,
Hardy was well-liked and generous and known to give complementary ferry rides
to those who were "down on their luck."
In developing his
varied business interests, he traveled frequently, especially to Prescott,
which was 165 miles from Hardyville via his Hardyville Toll Road, which cost
$35,000 to build - a great sum of money in those days. One experience that
illustrates dangers travelers faced was described in Thomas Edwin Farish, History
of Arizona, Volume 5, Phoenix, 1918. It told how on one of his trips from Hardyville to Prescott he rode one evening by mistake into a camp of Wallapais
(sic), who were at war with whites. He saw one Indian, whom he knew, and gave
him his horse to take care of, and asked for a place to sleep for the night. He
received the courtesy due to a brave man who had placed his life in their
hands. The next morning he was permitted to resume his journey without
molestation from the Indians.
In later years
Captain Hardy was a member of the first board of prison commissioners who
supervised the construction of the Arizona Territorial Prison at Yuma. He died
a man of modest means at the home of his sister in Whittier, California in June
1906.
Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery
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The only relic of
Hardyville still in existence is its cemetery. It sits on a bluff at the
northern edge of Bullhead City, facing the Colorado River and a Safeway store.
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There are estimates
of the number of burials in this cemetery ranging from 16 to more than 2 dozen.
The site www.FindaGrave.com. lists 11 burials, with 10 known and 1
unknown. Many graves are unmarked
because" the University of Arizona hauled them away and apparently does
not intend to return them, just circled the graves with stones." "And a heavy rain some years ago washed out a
few of the graves, sending the coffins and their occupants tumbling onto the
highway. They restored them to their graves and then coated the hill with
cement to avoid any further disaster.
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Capsule biographies
of these 10 known burials, from several sources, including www.ArizonaGravestones.org.,
offers a fascinating glimpse into life and death in the 1870s in a region of
Arizona that was still the frontier. Here's a list of the people and sketchy
information about them. (Note there is only one female listed.)
Adelida
Amaro. Born in California 1854, died in Mohave City 1870. She was a
married white female who died in childbirth at age 16. Believed to be buried in Hardyville Cemetery.
Charles
Atchison. Birth date unknown. Death July 1891. Documented as being
buried in Hardyville Cemetery. One of 5 people listed on memorial plaque in
cemetery.
Edwardo
Bernol. He was a blacksmith born in Mexico in 1835. He was a white male
known to be a victim of a homicide shooting, died at age 35, in 1870. Believed to
be buried in Hardyville Cemetery.
Robert
Keffin. He was born in Scotland in 1845. Died in May 1870 of accidental drowning. He
was a white male laborer age 25, believed buried in Hardyville Cemetery.
John
Killian. Some name confusion, also listed as John Gillian. Birth date
unknown. He was from Davenport, Iowa and was ambushed by Indians. He was
"buried in Oct.1866 on a high bluff overlooking the Colorado River." One
of the names on the memorial plaque in cemetery.
G.E.
Mathew. He was born in 1852 and died just short of his 15th birthday in
May 1867. His wooden grave marker was removed to the Colorado River Museum just
north of Bullhead City and is "very hard to read." One of the names
on the memorial plaque in the cemetery.
A.O.
Perkins. One of the names on the memorial plaque in the cemetery. His
wooden grave marker was moved to the Colorado River Museum and is "in very
poor shape." His obituary from the Mohave County Miner, Jan.8, 1898
reads: "A.O. Perkins, who conducted a small store at old Hardyville, was
found lying unconscious on the floor of the store, on Dec.31st, by a Mohave
Indian. The Indian immediately reported the matter at Fort Mohave. Prof. McKoin
and farmer Allison at once drove up to Hardyville, but the old gentleman only
lived a short time after their arrival. His death was due to heart disease,
from which he had been a great sufferer for many years. The deceased was about
sixty years of age and for many years past had resided in Needles. Prof. McKoin
saw that the remains had a decent burial. The deceased leaves several children
in Los Angeles and Santa Monica."
William
Taylor. He was a farmer, white male, born in Illinois in 1831,
killed by Indians in 1870. Believed to be buried in Hardyville Cemetery.
Samuel
Todd. One of the names on the
memorial plaque in the cemetery. He was a white male born in Indiana,
approximately 1820, died Feb.24, 1873. He was a resident of Hardyville and was
well known as a founder of Mohave City. When that City was closed down, he
moved to Hardyville in May, 1871, and opened a store, the largest in the
territory. When fire destroyed Hardyville in 1872, he and Hardy lost $150,000
due to lack of insurance. Todd rebuilt but died shortly thereafter. He also
owned a store in nearby Mineral Park, Arizona, as well as a house in Chloride,
Arizona, and a stake in Todd Mine in Mohave County. (Named after him?) At the
time of his death, Samuel's mother Maria Todd was alive in Alameda County,
California. The father is not mentioned in the probate records and was most
likely dead at this time.
William
J. Tuttle. One of the names on the memorial plaque in the
cemetery. His birth date is unknown, died May 1867. William was a stagecoach
driver. When he arrived across the river from Hardyville, he was supposed to fire
a shot to summon the ferry. Instead, a passenger fired a shot, hitting the back
of his head and killing him!
These are the short
notes about people who may be interred in Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery. Some of
the information was found by researchers on the web sites from death records
and census records for Mohave County for 1870. What a lot of data these records
can yield!
Miscellaneous
Comments Relating to Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery
Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery is listed on
the National Registry of Historical Places, site #01000905, listed Aug. 30,
2001.
Historic significance: event/settlement
Area of significance:
exploration/settlement
Period of significance: 1850-1874,
1875-1899.
Owner: local government
Historical function: domestic
Historical sub function: single dwelling
Current function: domestic
Current sub function: single dwelling
On a web page,(www.johnnyjet.com)
for February 2007, Laughlin, Nevada, "Carly's Corner" gives this
description of a "Haunted Laughlin Tour."
"Our leader shared stories of
friendly and not so friendly ghosts in the area, participants had the
opportunity to use dousing rods - L-shaped pieces of metal that locate
electromagnetic energy and which spin when spirits are sensed. Even non-believers
had a difficult time not getting a little freaked out when their dousing rods
mysteriously spun out of control as we walked thru the Hardyville
Cemetery."
Summary
The author, Kathy
Block, visited the Hardyville Cemetery on January 10, 2009 and she and husband
Ed took photos for this article. It was a very windy day, making it difficult
to hold the camera steady. The cemetery is very small, maybe 100 feet square,
but would make an interesting side trip if you are in the Laughlin, Nevada
area.
Location
GPS Coordinates: (D/S.
WGS84) LAT., N35.120839, LONG., W114.587333
Street address: 1776
Arizona 95, at Dorado Drive, off corner of Highway 95 and Plata Drive, on bluff
top facing west towards Safeway Store across highway 95, in Bullhead City,
Arizona, in the north end of old town, just south of the bridge to Laughlin,
Nevada. Watch for brown "historic site" sign on east side of Hwy. 95
and arrows will direct you to the cemetery. The site is surrounded by homes and
the shopping center across the highway from the bluff.
Map
by: Neal Du Shane 01/11/09
American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project
Internet Presentation
Version
011109
WebMaster:
Neal Du Shane
Copyright © 2009 Neal Du Shane
All rights reserved. Information contained within this website may be
used
for personal family history purposes, but not for financial profit.
All contents of this website are willed to the American Pioneer &
Cemetery Research Project (APCRP).
HOME | BOOSTER | CEMETERIES | EDUCATION | GHOST TOWNS | HEADSTONE
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