[8][9] Father Francisco Garces, a Franciscan missionary and explorer, crossed the Colorado River in the Bullhead City area in 1774.

From 1864 to 1883, steamboats made regular trips up the Colorado River from Port Isabel in Mexico and, after the arrival of the railroad from Yuma, Arizona, stopping at Hardyville regularly to deliver supplies to the mines of the surrounding mining districts and those to the east in the interior of Arizona and carry out their ore for processing and sale.

These stern-wheeler riverboats played an important part in the early development of the areas bordering the Colorado River, and Hardyville was considered the low water limit of navigation for the steamboats.

Steamboat travel above that point to places in like El Dorado Canyon, Callville and later Rioville was possible only during the few months of the late spring to early summer flood caused by snowmelt in the upper Colorado River watershed.

In April 1866, Brevet Brigadier General James Fowler Rusling visited the settlement and described it: Hardyville itself was then more of a name than place, consisting chiefly of a warehouse and quartz-mill, with a few adobe shanties.

Near Hardyville, some ten or twenty miles away in the outlying mountains, there were several mines—gold, silver and copper—of more or less richness, and the mill was located here to take advantage of the two great essentials, wood and water.

It bought out Johnson's Colorado Steam Navigation Company, and by 1878 had built rails into Maricopaville, resulting in wagon traffic moving to that railhead that was closer to the mines in the northern interior than Hardyville.

[13]: 84  Hardyville still appears with that name on a September 1911 reprint of a U.S. Geological Survey Reconnaissance Map, Arizona, Nevada, California, Camp Mohave Sheet, Edition of March 1892.

As the nearby Lake Mohave developed into a major tourism destination, and as the casino and resort town of Laughlin, Nevada, sprouted up across the river, Bullhead City grew rapidly.

Bullhead City is in western Mohave County on the east side of the Colorado River, which forms the Arizona–Nevada state line.

Ken Fovargue Park features lighted basketball courts, a bike trail, ball fields, a playground, and a public swimming pool with a water slide.

[35] In March 2022, in an incident described internationally as “criminalizing kindness”,[36][37][38] 78-year-old local resident Norma Thornton was arrested and accused of violating an ordinance against sharing food for "charitable purposes" at public parks.

On the weekend of August 13, 2016, the 10th annual Bullhead City River Regatta, with a Pirates of the Colorado theme, attracted 30,158 registered participants.

Just a few miles south of the city limits, in Fort Mohave, is the Mojave Crossing Event Center, an arena with a seating capacity of 5,000.

As the largest stadium/arena in Mohave County,[43] it is frequently used for large events such as graduation ceremonies, circuses, indoor extreme motocross, monster truck rallies, and concerts.

Recently, MCC Bullhead City received a donation of $1.8 million from the BHHS Legacy Foundation to build a 14,000 sq.

Its innovative design, which features energy saving technologies and special skylights that take advantage of the desert sun, comes from architect Will Bruder.

In the past, the association has brought such artists as John Davidson, The Celtic Tenors, Presidio Brass, Alpin Hong, the Montana Mandolin Society, and QuatroCelli.

[62] Located in Bullhead City, just north of the Laughlin Bridge, the Colorado River Museum includes replicas of area landmarks, Native American artifacts and displays of historical items, from early settlers to the first slot machines.

Several private shuttle companies connect Bullhead City with Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

The advent of internet streaming and online newspaper publishing has made it much easier for residents in the Colorado River valley, often called the Tri-state area due to its inclusion of parts of Nevada, California, and Arizona, to access news broadcasts and publications from Las Vegas, which is the closest large metropolitan area.

Based in neighboring Laughlin, Nevada, cable TV station TV2/KLBC, has been in business since 1989, and has provided local television programming to Bullhead City and adjoining communities in Arizona.

Bullhead City, Mohave County and for many years, Arizona officials were routine guests on the popular TV2/KLBC-produced program The Morning Show, hosted by the television station's general manager, Bruce Clark.

The Bullhead City Police Department also has been prominently featured on the locally produced show Tri-State on Patrol, which is exclusively broadcast on tv2/KLBC.

The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation covers almost 42,000 acres (170 km2) in the tri-state area, and the local history is rich with Native American Culture.

[82] In 2005, the decades-old Mohave Generating Station Coal Slurry Power Plant was closed to reduce air pollution and excessive river water use.

[83] The Bullhead City Elementary School District has accepted a federal grant to convert a portion of their electricity to solar power.

[84] The stretch of the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Lake Mohave is mostly tame but offers a few white water rafting opportunities.

If you decide not to hire a guide, permits are required to launch below Hoover Dam and can be obtained through the United States Bureau of Reclamation.

There are sporting goods stores, scuba diving instructors, guided kayaking tours, and watercraft rentals available throughout Bullhead City.