A week or so ago in the post I made about the camel parade in Quartzsite, I made a short reference to Hi Jolly and his involvement as lead camel driver on an experimental use of camels to replace burros as pack animals. This program did not work out in the end as the camels and horses did not get along with each other. The horses were constantly nagging because the camels were spitting at everything.
When we passed through Cool Springs Station on our trip up to Oatman I noticed a plaque that mentioned Ned Beale and his use of the station to water his horses and camels as he passed through on the development of what became known as the Beale Wagon Road. Although this plaque does not specifically talk about the road and his efforts it led me to some research.
Among other things, Edward “Ned” Beale was an experienced military man, explorer and frontiersman who was tasked with finding a viable route from Eastern Arizona to the California border. The route he surveyed eventually took him to a known watering hole used by local native tribes. This stop became a popular one for anyone travelling West on what eventually became part of Route 66 and Interstate 40.
I find it fascinating when you read stories about individuals like this who had storied lives in a period when things were far more difficult than today. This particular task he had was to find an effective and efficient way to go from Fort Defiance, Arizona to the California border. Fort Defiance is right on the border separating Arizona from New Mexico. Based on what we saw when we went up to Oatman and knowing he passed through there on his way West, I presume he ended around Needles, California. If that is true, then his travels were roughly 400-450 miles based on google maps and today’s highways. As a lot of Interstate 40 is along the old Route 66 and his route became Route 66 I would expect his survey was about that long.
He took three years to compete this task and you can only imagine what hardships they had to endure to make this trek. When you are standing at the top of the mountain pass between Oatman and Kingman you can clearly see some of the challenges they faced.
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| Looking West From Sitgreaves Pass |
There is also a monument in Kingman that I wasn’t aware of when we were there that commemorates his actions.
Thank you for reading.
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