Shaffer Springs

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Shaffer Springs
Cool Springs Station (15592676437).jpg
'55 Chevy, Route 66 at Shaffer Springs
Shaffer Springs
Coordinates 35°02′19″N114°21′24″W / 35.0386°N 114.35662°W / 35.0386; -114.35662

Shaffer Springs, sometimes called Shaffer's Fish Bowl, is a natural seep and minor roadside attraction in the Black Mountains of Arizona, United States. Located in Mohave County, alongside the old alignment of Route 66 that runs between Kingman, Arizona and Oatman, the water from the seep flows into a manmade basin stocked with domestic goldfish. Shaffer Springs serves a vital water source for wild burros.

Contents

Description and history

Shaffer's Fish Bowl is located in Mohave County, Arizona, not far from the California border. [1] The spring is on a stretch of Arizona highway known as the Goldroad because the area was once was a gold mining district. [2] [3] The Goldroad has "the steepest grade on all of Route 66". [4]

The surrounding area is marked by "creosote-dotted sand flats" [5] until the road makes a steep rise into the Black Mountains. [5] Near the spring the road is mostly hairpin turns and "steep dropoffs" but the higher elevation has the benefit of offering scenic vistas of the surrounding country. [5]

The history of the spring is as murky as the green-tinted water but most accounts credit the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps or the Works Progress Administration for building the basin, which is made of local stone and concrete, and collects water that naturally seeps out of the cliffside at this point in the mountain range. [6] [7] According to Scenic Driving Arizona, "Early drivers filled waterbags at the spring, and in the 1950s the state highway department installed a hand-pump drinking fountain, which was removed a few years later." [8] There are hand-cut stairs leading up to the basin; human visitors should be conscious that animal droppings left by wildlife can make the steps slippery and treacherous. [9] The red flowers growing along the edge of the water are a native species known as crimson monkeyflower ( Erythranthe verbenacea ). [10] The bowl is "stocked with goldfish" and/or snails in order to prevent algae growth and keep the water clean. [5] [11] The water is used by a population of naturalized burros that live in and around Oatman. [12] [6]

Other than the fishies, the main attraction of the stop is the view and the relative solitude. Arizona writer Roger Naylor comments of the site that "The stillness seems palpable. Traffic is thin, a whisper of engine noise that barely dents the expanse and is gone as soon as the vehicle rounds the next bend. I like to hunker here and—as unlikely as it seems while sitting in the Mojave Desert —watch goldfish swim." [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohave County, Arizona</span> County in Arizona, United States

Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingman, Arizona</span> City in Arizona, United States

Kingman is a city in, and the county seat of, Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is named after Lewis Kingman, an engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. It is located 105 miles (169 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 180 miles (290 km) northwest of Arizona's state capital, Phoenix. The population was 32,689 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State Route 66</span> State highway in Arizona, United States

State Route 66 is a surface road in the U.S. state of Arizona in Mohave and Coconino Counties. In 1914, the road was designated "National Old Trails Highway" but in 1926 was re-designated as U.S. Route 66. In 1985, U.S. Route 66 was dropped from the highway system. Parts of the highway were either absorbed into I-40, turned over to the state, or turned over to Yavapai County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oatman, Arizona</span> Census-designated place in Mohave County, Arizona, United States

Oatman is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona, United States, at an elevation of 2,710 feet (830 m). In 1915, it began as a small mining camp when two prospectors struck US$10 million in gold, though the vicinity had already been settled for several years. Oatman's population grew to more than 3,500 in one year. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 102.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Sandy River (Arizona)</span> River in Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yucca, Arizona</span> Community in Mohave County, Arizona

Yucca is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 96, down from 126 at the 2010 census.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentine, Arizona</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Arizona, United States

Valentine is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 39. Valentine is located on Arizona State Route 66 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Kingman. The majority of Valentine is located in a geographically isolated exclave of the Hualapai Reservation and the rest of the community is located in unincorporated Mohave County.

<i>Erythranthe gemmipara</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Erythranthe</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Phrymaceae

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<i>Erythranthe verbenacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe verbenacea, also known as crimson monkeyflower, is a species of flowering plant native to western North America. This plant usually grows near desert watering places, and has been observed in the U.S. states of Utah and Arizona, and in several Mexican states including Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and Baja California.

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Shaffer Springs
  2. ↑ Rittenhouse, Jack D. (1946). A Guide Book to Highway 66. Los Angeles. pp. 107–109. hdl:2027/mdp.39015064566014 . Retrieved 2024-03-09– via HathiTrust.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ↑ Historical Markers in Arizona. Vol. I. Phoenix: Arizona Development Board. 1958. hdl:2027/mdp.39015018021173 . Retrieved 2024-03-09– via HathiTrust.
  4. ↑ Naylor, Roger. "The secrets of Historic Route 66". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Naylor, Roger. "Arizona Route 66 road trip: Kingman to Oatman". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  6. 1 2 "Fish Bowl Spring". divergentrays.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  7. ↑ "Route 66". Arizona Republic. October 9, 2016. pp. T6. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  8. ↑ Green, Stewart M. (2023). Scenic driving Arizona: including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Sedona, and Saguaro National Park (4th ed.). Essex, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. ISBN   9781493070558. LCCN   2023004949.
  9. ↑ mavgeta2 (February 25, 2018). "Arizona Route 66". ROADTRIPPINwithBobandMark. Retrieved 2024-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Finch, Bill (October 13, 2021). "Crimson Monkeyflower (Erythranthe verbenacea)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  11. ↑ "Shaffer Fish Bowl Spring, Golden Valley". cityseeker. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  12. ↑ "The Wild Burros of Oatman, Arizona". www.amusingplanet.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
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