Lieutenant Ives and the Colorado River Exploring Expedition

In the1850s the Mormons, lead by Brigham Young, were moving toward establishing an independent state or even their own country in Utah.  The U.S. government was concerned that war could break out between the U.S. and the Mormons so they began looking for ways to transport troops and supplies into the area.  It was hoped that the Colorado River would provide an easy water route to southern Utah.  To determine if this was true, Lieutenant Joseph Christmas Ives was chosen to command the Colorado River Exploring Expedition.  His assignment was to determine the head of navigation of the river and to explore the river farther upstream by land.

Lieutenant Ives was not new to western exploration - he had been a member of the Whipple expedition in 1853-4.  Ives had a special steamboat built and transported in pieces by ship to the mouth of the Colorado River.  By December 31, 1857, the steamer, named "The Explorer," was assembled and launched.  The party first traveled upstream to Yuma, where they regrouped.  Ives, with 23 men, steamed upriver to find the head of navigation, which they determined to be in Black Canyon, north of the Mojave Villages.  Three of them paddled further upstream in a skiff,  eventually reaching Las Vegas wash, which they thought was the Virgin River.  They then traveled back downstream to the Mojave Villages where they were joined by two other details, equipped with a pack train and fresh supplies.