History

• Before the area was flooded by the Parker Dam's completion in 1938, Lake Havasu was home to the Mojave tribe. Its name is derived from their native language and means "blue water." Built 155 miles downstream from the better-known Hoover Dam, the Parker was styled after the former as a concrete arch spanning the lower Colorado River 17 miles northeast of Parker, Arizona. Like other dams along the mighty Colorado, the Parker and the resulting Lake Havasu were commissioned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as a means to provide an additional reservoir for the Mohave desert and the expanding populations of the western U.S.
  
  

Size

• Lake Havasu is 45 miles long, covering more than 20,000 acres and having a capacity of 211 billion gallons of water.
  
  

Geography

• On the border of Colorado and Arizona, Lake Havasu sits as an anomaly against a desert and canyon landscape, a blue oasis encased in ancient red rock. Buried beneath its waters are the once-upon-a-time livelihoods of the tribes and the western world of the day, including at least one defunct mine.
  
  

Benefits

• Maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, the lake houses the pumping plants for the Metropolitan Water District and the Central Arizona Project, which distribute water to several aqueducts serving communities throughout California and Arizona.
  
  

Features

• Lake Havasu isn't merely a giant water supply in the desert; it has become a tourist mecca for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. Hikers, bikers, birders, boaters and fishers flock to its banks. Among the many species of fish found in the lake are bass, trout, catfish and bluegill; birders come from across the nation to spy rare and exotic species, and geologists revel in the strata of rock that speaks to the origins of the earth. Thriving along its shores are resorts that boast golf courses, tennis courts and spas. Tourists can rent boats and jet skis, canoes and kayaks. The Dixie Belle, a paddleboat, is a popular and leisurely means to view the land from the lake. The International World Jet Ski Final Races take place on Lake Havasu, as do fishing competitions and festivals.
  
  

Identification

• For some 140 years, the London Bridge spanned the Thames in its glorious majesty. Then, in 1968, it was sold at auction to the founder of Lake Havasu City, Robert P. McCulloch, who had it disassembled, transported and rebuilt over Lake Havasu. Rededicated in October of 1971, London Bridge spawned the birth of a replica English village at its base, and she and her bridge continue to draw tourists to this day.
  
  

Expert Insight

• The Parker Dam, which formed Lake Havasu, is the deepest dam in the world. Most of its construction exists below the original riverbed.