Aubrey Landing, Aubrey City or Aubrey is a ghost town at the mouth of the Bill Williams River in southern Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The town was founded before 1865 and was abandoned sometime after 1886.[2] Aubrey Landing was inundated when Lake Havasu was formed.[1]
Aubrey Landing, Arizona | |
|---|---|
  Aubrey Landing  Aubrey Landing | |
| Coordinates: 34°18′00″N 114°04′39″W / 34.30000°N 114.07750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Mohave |
| Founded: | circa 1860 |
| Abandoned: | circa 1886 |
| Named for | Francois Xavier Aubrey |
| Elevation | 646 ft (197 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| Post Office Opened: | October 2, 1866 |
| Post Office Closed: | November 3, 1886 |
History
editThe site of Aubrey Landing was passed over by the 1854 expedition of Captain Whipple for the Railroad Survey near the 35th Parallel, and was the location of Camp #33 for the 1858 expedition of 1st Lieutenant Ives, to explore the Colorado River of West in the steamboat Explorer.[3]: Part 1, 20, 58–59 [4]
Aubrey Landing was the first construction that became the town of Aubrey City sometime before 1865 during the Civil War in Arizona. The unknown founder named the river settlement after Francois Xavier Aubrey, a famous American pioneer from a decade earlier. The town was ideally located on the east bank of the Colorado River at its confluence with the Bill Williams River, on the north bank of the Bill Williams River. It served the mines of the Bill Williams Mining District. It was 12.5 miles from the Planet Company copper mines, 11.2 miles from the Mineral Hill mines and 9.6 miles from the Empire Flat mines.[5]
In 1865, a break in copper prices left the town almost deserted. However, enough people stayed in Aubrey City and the nearby mines, prompting the establishment of the Aubrey post office in 1866. Little had changed though by 1878, the town never grew to the size anticipated by the owners. The town consisted of the usual mining camp structures, as well as a hotel, saloon, and a general store. The town supported a small population for almost ten years more. In 1886, the post office closed and the town soon after.[2]
The site today
editThe site of this old river landing and mining town is lost below Lake Havasu.
GNIS location of site in error
editThe Official GNIS location of 34°18′00″N 114°04′38″W / 34.30000°N 114.07722°W,[1] is obviously incorrect, not being located at the confluence of the Colorado and Bill Williams Rivers or even under Lake Havasu. Given the evidence of the 1866 Edward Fairman map and drawing it should be located at 34°18′15″N 114°08′17″W / 34.30417°N 114.13806°W directly north of Parker Dam.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Aubrey Landing (historical)
- ^ a b Sherman, James E; Barbara H. Sherman (1969). Ghost Towns of Arizona. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-0843-6.
- ^ Joseph C. Ives, REPORT UPON THE COLORADO RIVER OF THE WEST, EXPLORED IN 1857 AND 1858 BY LIEUTENANT JOSEPH C. IVES, CORPS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS, UNDER THE DIRECTION OP THE OFFICE OF EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS, A. A. HUMPHREYS, CAPTAIN TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS, IN CHARGE. BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, 1861; PART I. GENERAL REPORT.
- ^ Geological Map No. 1. Prepared by J.S. Newberry, M.D. Geologist to the Expedition. Explorations and Surveys. War Department. Map No. 1. Rio Colorado of the West, explored by 1st Lieut. Joseph C. Ives, Topl. Engrs. under the direction of the Office of Explorations and Surveys. A.A. Humphreys, Capt. Topl. Engrs. in Charge, by order of the Hon. John B. Floyd, Secretary of War. 1858. Drawn by Frhr. F.W.v. Egloffstein. Topographer to the Expedition. Topography by Frhr. F.W.v. Egloffstein. Ruling by Samuel Sartain. Lettering by F. Courtenay. from davidrumsey.com, accessed June 12, 2015.
- ^ Map of confluence of Williams Fork and Colorado River, Arizona Terr[itor]y..., by Edward Fairman, artist. Date: 1866. From: Robert B. Honeyman, Jr. Collection of Early Californian and Western American Pictorial Material, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library, accessed April 19/2015.
- ^ Aubrey City, Williams Fork, Arizona Territory, by Edward Fairman, artist Date: 1866. Drawing on paper: pen and ink 48.4 x 64.6 cm. Bancroft Library.
External links
edit- Official Map Of The Territory Of Arizona, With All The Recent Explorations. Compiled by Richard Gird C.E. Commissioner. Approved By John N. Goodwin, Governor. In Accordance With An Act Of The Legislature, Approved Oct. 23d. 1864. We hereby certify that this is the Official Map of the Territory of Arizona, and approve the same. Prescott October 12th 1865. (with signed seal dated 1863). Published By A. Gensoul, Pacific Map Depot. No. 511 Montgomery St. San Francisco. Lith. Britton & Co. San Francisco. Accessed from www.davidrumsey.com, December 1, 2014. Shows location of Aubrey City and other landings, settlements and the mining districts along the Colorado River and the interior of the territory in 1865.