Virgin Valley

Last updated
Virgin Valley
Mesquite from Virgin Peak 1.jpg
view of Mesquite, NV from Virgin Peak,
(center of valley)
USA Arizona location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Virgin Valley
Length25 miles (40 km)
Width12 miles (19 km)
Geography
Population centers Littlefield, AZ, Mesquite, NV
Borders on Beaver Dam Mountains & Wilderness-NE
Virgin Mountains-E & S
Mormon Mesa-SW
Coordinates 36°48′9″N114°4′56″W / 36.80250°N 114.08222°W / 36.80250; -114.08222 Coordinates: 36°48′9″N114°4′56″W / 36.80250°N 114.08222°W / 36.80250; -114.08222
Rivers Virgin River

The Virgin Valley is a valley in northwest Arizona and southeast Nevada on the Virgin River. The Virgin River drains southwest Utah and southeast Nevada; parts of Arizona, especially the Arizona Strip region drain southwards into the Virgin River and Valley.

Contents

The Virgin Valley begins as the Virgin River exits the Virgin River Gorge between the Beaver Dam Mountains and Wilderness north, and the northeast of the Virgin Mountains on the south of the Gorge.

Lake Mead on the Virgin River extends slightly upstream into the Virgin Valley.

History

The HUMBOLDT COUNTY virgin valley has mines that are rich in opals. The opals were discovered in about 1913. [1] The richest mines were owned by Flora Haines Loughead who had been a writer and a farmer but bought a string of claims after being sent to do a story for the San Francisco Chronicle. [2] She became known as the "Opal Queen" owning the Rainbow, Stonetree and Bonanza mines and the "Giant Tree" Opal Claim. She sold the latter in about 1918 and concentrated on the Rainbow and Bonanza mines.

Description

The Virgin Valley is about 25 miles (40 km) long. Upstream in the valley's northeast, Littlefield, AZ is located at the exit of the Virgin River Gorge, as well as two outfalls from two washes that flow south from the Beaver Dam Mountains. Mesquite, NV is downstream, and on Interstate 15 in Nevada, about 10 miles (16 km). Mesquite is the approximate center of the valley.

The South Virgin Mountains are southeast of the Virgin Valley and Mountains, and separate the northern Overton Arm of Lake Mead from the Colorado River arm. The area north of the South Virgin Mountains is the Mormon Mesa, the southwest border of Virgin Valley. Mormon Mesa is an extension south from the Mormon Mountains which are separated east from the Meadow Valley Wash tributary to north Lake Mead.

The Virgin Valley is vertically bisected, north-south by the Nevada-Arizona border. The downstream Nevada half of the valley has the very beginnings of Lake Mead, about 20 miles (32 km) upstream, where the Virgin River used to flow.

Littlefield, AZ in the valley's northeast [3] is located at 36°54′0″N113°56′0″W / 36.90000°N 113.93333°W / 36.90000; -113.93333 . Mesquite, NV in the valley's center is located at 36°48′9″N114°4′56″W / 36.80250°N 114.08222°W / 36.80250; -114.08222 .

Related Research Articles

Clark County, Nevada County in Nevada, United States

Clark County is located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,951,269, with an estimated population of 2,266,715 in 2019. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which hold 1,771,945 people as of the 2010 Census, across 476 square miles (1,233 km2). It is by far the most populous county in Nevada, and the 11th most populous county in the United States. It covers 7% of the state's land area but holds 74% of the state's population, making Nevada one of the most centralized states in the United States.

Mesquite, Nevada City in Nevada, United States

Mesquite is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States adjacent to the Arizona state line and 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,276. The city is located in the Virgin River valley adjacent to the Virgin Mountains in the northeastern part of the Mojave Desert. It is home to a growing retirement community, as well as several casino resorts and golf courses.

Mojave River River in California, United States

The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, with the exception of the headwaters and several bedrock gorges in the lower reaches.

Lake Mead Reservoir on the Colorado River in Arizona and Nevada

Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, 24 mi (39 km) east from Las Vegas Strip. It is the largest reservoir in the United States in terms of water capacity. Formed by the Hoover Dam on September 30, 1935, the reservoir serves water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada, as well as some of Mexico, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people and large areas of farmland.

Virgin River Tributary of the Colorado River in the southwestern United States

The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about 162 miles (261 km) long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.

Mohave Valley Landform along the Colorado River in Arizona

The Mohave Valley is a valley located mostly on the east shore of the south-flowing Colorado River in northwest Arizona. The valley extends into California's San Bernardino County; the northern side of the valley extends into extreme southeast Clark County, Nevada. The main part of the valley lies in southwest Mohave County, Arizona and is at the intersection of the southeast Mojave and northwest Sonoran deserts.

Muddy River (Nevada) River in Nevada, United States

The Muddy River, formerly known as the Moapa River, is a short river located in Clark County, in southern Nevada, United States. It is in the Mojave Desert, approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of Las Vegas.

Littlefield, Arizona Census-designated place in Mohave County, Arizona, United States

Littlefield is a census-designated place in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, that is located in the Arizona Strip region. As of the 2010 census, its population was 308. It lies just south of Interstate 15, next to the Virgin River, approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Mesquite, Nevada. Littlefield is located in the 86432 zip code.

Virgin Mountains Mountain range

The Virgin Mountains are a mountain range of the northeastern Mojave Desert, located in Clark County, southeastern Nevada and Mohave County, northwestern Arizona.

Arizona Strip Part of Arizona north of the Colorado River

The Arizona Strip is the part of Arizona lying north of the Colorado River. Despite being larger in area than several U.S. states, the entire region has a population of fewer than 10,000 people. Consisting of northeastern Mohave County and northwestern Coconino County, the largest settlements in the Strip are Colorado City, Fredonia, and Beaver Dam, with smaller communities of Scenic, Littlefield and Desert Springs. The Kaibab Indian Reservation lies within the region. Lying along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon creates physical barriers to the rest of Arizona. Only three major roads traverse the region, I-15 crosses the northwestern corner while Arizona State Route 389 and U.S. Route 89A crosses the northeastern part of the strip, US 89A crosses the Colorado River via the Navajo Bridge, providing the only direct road connection between the strip and the rest of the state. The nearest metropolitan area is the St. George, Utah metro area, to which the region is more connected than to the rest of Arizona.

Beaver Dam, Arizona Census-designated place in Arizona, United States

Beaver Dam is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, that is located in the Arizona Strip region and was settled in 1863. It is located along Interstate 15 approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Mesquite, Nevada. It is located in the 86432 ZIP Code. It had a population of 1,962 as of the 2010 census.

Interstate 15 (I-15) is an Interstate Highway, running from San Diego, California, United States, to the Canada–US border, through Mohave County in northwest Arizona. Despite being isolated from the rest of Arizona, in the remote Arizona Strip, and short in length at 29.43 miles (47.36 km), it remains notable for its scenic passage through the Virgin River Gorge. The highway heads in a northeasterly direction from the Nevada border northeast of Mesquite, Nevada, to the Utah border southwest of St. George, Utah.

Riverside, Nevada Unincorporated community in Nevada, United States

Riverside is an unincorporated community in northeastern Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is located on the Virgin River near Bunkerville and Mesquite; the town is accessible via Nevada State Route 170, which connects all three towns. Riverside is the site of the highway bridge over the river.

Sacramento Wash

The Sacramento Wash is a major drainage of northwest Arizona in Mohave County. The wash is east of the Black Canyon of the Colorado and drains into the south-flowing Colorado River 45 mi south of Lake Mohave, and 90 mi south of Hoover Dam at Lake Mead. The wash outfall is in the center-south of the Havasu-Mohave Lakes Watershed. An equivalent wash drains to the west of the Colorado River and the Black Canyon, draining southeast Nevada and a small part of California, the Piute Wash of the Piute Valley. The Piute Wash outfall is upstream of the Sacramento's outfall by about 15 miles.

Scenic, Arizona CDP in Mohave County, Arizona

Scenic is a census-designated place in Mohave County in extreme northwestern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,643. Scenic is recognized as a distinct area by Mohave County planners and documents which reference its existence and is shown on official maps of Mohave County.

Course of the Colorado River

The Colorado River is a major river of the western United States and northwest Mexico in North America. Its headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains where La Poudre Pass Lake is its source. Located in north central Colorado it flows southwest through the Colorado Plateau country of western Colorado, southeastern Utah and northwestern Arizona where it flows through the Grand Canyon. It turns south near Las Vegas, Nevada, forming the Arizona–Nevada border in Lake Mead and the Arizona–California border a few miles below Davis Dam between Laughlin, Nevada and Needles, California before entering Mexico in the Colorado Desert. Most of its waters are diverted into the Imperial Valley of Southern California. In Mexico its course forms the boundary between Sonora and Baja California before entering the Gulf of California. This article describes most of the major features along the river.

Yellow Knolls Landform in Mohave County, Arizona

Yellow Knolls, of Arizona, is a prominence in the Virgin River Gorge's east end, located in Mohave County, part of the Arizona Strip of northwest Arizona. Yellow Knolls is located on the north side of Interstate 15, and is also in the south of the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness.

Callville Bay Waterway in Nevada

Callville Bay is a waterway on the northwestern side of Lake Mead in the U.S. state of Nevada. It has a marina and camping resort. Situated east of Las Vegas and upstream from Las Vegas Bay, it lies within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which was established in 1935. Its name derives from the settlement of Callville which was established in 1865 by Anson Call under a directive led by Brigham Young. Though the settlement was abandoned in 1869, and submerged under Lake Mead when the Colorado River was dammed, Callville Bay retained the name.

Stone's Ferry is a former settlement founded by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ferry crossing of the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, in Clark County, Nevada, United States.

Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail, was a seasonal wagon road first pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of Spanish explorers and the Old Spanish Trail across southwestern Utah, northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada and the Mojave Desert of California to Los Angeles in 1847. From 1855, it became a military and commercial wagon route between California and Utah, called the Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road. In later decades this route was variously called the "Old Mormon Road", the "Old Southern Road", or the "Immigrant Road" in California. In Utah, Arizona and Nevada it was known as the "California Road".

References

  1. "ABOUT DOMINION OPAL MINE". DOMINION OPAL MINES. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  2. Allan W. Eckert (2 October 1997). The World of Opals. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 401–. ISBN   978-0-471-13397-1.
  3. Arizona Road and Recreation Atlas, p. 26-27.