Polhamus Landing, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Polhamus Landing, Arizona
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 Polhamus Landing, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Polhamus Landing, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Mohave |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Abandoned | 1882 |
| Elevation | 539 ft (164 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | MST (no DST) |
Polhamus Landing, also known as Welton & Grounds Landing, was a busy steamboat stop in Mohave County, Arizona, USA. It only existed for a short time, from 1881 to 1882, before becoming a ghost town.
Contents
A Short-Lived Steamboat Stop
Polhamus Landing was created in June 1881. It was a place where steamboats could load and unload goods. This was important for moving supplies to mining towns in Arizona.
Who Started It?
The landing was started by Captain Issac Polhamus. He was in charge of the Colorado Steam Navigation Company. He teamed up with two business partners, Welton and Grounds. They were merchants from Mineral Park, a busy mining town.
Building the Landing
They built the new landing about five miles up the river from Hardyville. It had a large warehouse and other buildings. These were built on land carved out of a hill right next to the river.
They also built a new road from their landing. This road was better than the old one from Hardyville. It avoided a difficult section and saved five miles on the trip to places like Mineral Park and Cerbat.
Why It Was Important
Because of the new landing and road, Polhamus Landing quickly became very popular. Less freight was sent to Hardyville. Instead, much more freight came through Polhamus Landing.
For example, newspaper articles show how much freight arrived at each place:
- In September 1881, Hardyville received 2,794 pounds of freight. Polhamus Landing received 98,619 pounds!
- By June 1882, Hardyville received 880 pounds. Polhamus Landing still received 22,834 pounds.
Its Quick End
Polhamus Landing was only active for about a year. After June 1882, newspapers stopped mentioning it. This is because a new way to transport goods arrived.
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was building a railway. By May 1883, the railway reached Kingman. It then built a bridge over the Colorado River at Eastbridge. This connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Needles.
Trains were much faster and more efficient than steamboats. So, the new railway replaced the need for steamboat landings like Polhamus Landing. The company Welton & Grounds also broke up in November 1883.
