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Bill
Williams River
In 1851
Lorenzo Sitgreaves was told by his guide, Antoine Leroux, that
there was a stream called the "Bill Williams Fork"
which flows from west of Bill Williams mountain all the way to
the Colorado River. Lt. Whipple hoped this stream would
provide an easy railroad grade to the river. The
Williams Fork turned out to be many miles west of where
Sitgreaves expected it. They finally reached the fork (now
the Big Sandy River) through Cactus Pass, where Interstate
40 now slices through the mountains on its way toward Kingman.
Cactus Pass was later used by the Prescott to Mojave Toll Road
which is still visible from the highway.
Whipple
on the Big Sandy:
February 1 [1854]. --It
was with much difficulty that the train made its way through
Cactus Pass, notwithstanding the wagon loads were
lightened. But from the foot of the ridge we travelled
rapidly, passed the Yampais springs, and encamped on White Cliff
Creek [probably Knight Creek] where we left it a few days since,
eight miles from the pass...Moving southwest along the dry bed
of the creek to its junction with a large sandy arroyo, supposed
to be what Walker named "Big Sandy," we then travelled
south, through the centre of a wide valley, and, after a march
of six miles, encamped without having found water.
Whipple's
survey expedition followed the Big Sandy and the Bill Williams River to
the Colorado River and then crossed into California.
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