You’ll find La Laguna submerged beneath Arizona’s Mittry Lake, a ghost town that existed briefly from 1860-1862. This Colorado River settlement served gold miners until richer strikes at La Paz lured them away. The camp thrived on steamboat deliveries and ferry service, establishing itself as an essential commercial hub before being abandoned. Unlike accessible ghost towns like Jerome, La Laguna’s foundations remain preserved underwater, their stories waiting silently in the depths.
Key Takeaways
- La Laguna existed from 1860-1862 in New Mexico Territory before being abandoned when miners left for richer strikes elsewhere.
- The settlement was positioned along the Colorado River, providing essential water transportation and ferry service for gold prospectors.
- Miners were attracted to La Laguna following Captain Pauline Weaver’s 1861 gold discovery, which ultimately produced an estimated 100,000 ounces.
- The ghost town’s remnants now lie submerged beneath Mittry Lake due to Colorado River flooding.
- La Laguna’s brief existence ended when miners moved to La Paz, causing economic collapse as merchants and services followed the population shift.
The Brief Life of La Laguna Mining Camp (1860-1862)
While many prominent Arizona mining settlements lingered for decades, La Laguna‘s existence proved remarkably ephemeral, spanning only from 1860 to 1862 in what was then New Mexico Territory.
You would have witnessed rudimentary mining techniques as placer miners worked alluvial deposits, sifting Colorado River sands for gold flakes and nuggets.
The community dynamics centered around crucial services—a few merchants and a essential ferry operation that connected miners to claims on both riverbanks. Unlike the subtropical maritime climate of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in Tenerife, Arizona’s La Laguna suffered from harsh desert conditions that made settlement difficult. The miners endured extreme temperatures similar to those experienced by soldiers at Camp Laguna during WWII, where thermometers often exceeded 120 degrees.
When richer strikes were discovered at La Paz and Castle Dome Mountains, La Laguna’s population swiftly abandoned their claims.
The settlement briefly persisted as a store and ranch under José Redondo before fading entirely.
Today, you can’t visit these pioneering grounds—they lie submerged beneath Mittry Lake, a watery grave for this forgotten chapter in Arizona’s mining heritage.
Gold Rush Fever: Why Miners Settled at La Laguna
You’d have found La Laguna uniquely positioned for gold prospectors, offering critical river access along the Colorado that facilitated supply transport and served as a gateway to the rich placers discovered upstream around 1862.
The settlement attracted miners through both its strategic location and reports of substantial gold yields, with nuggets exceeding 20 ounces fueling migration patterns that brought some 1,500 fortune-seekers to the region. Captain Pauline Weaver’s initial gold discovery in 1861 while beaver trapping near Yuma sparked the rush to this area. The region saw an estimated 100,000 ounces of placer gold production through 1959, making it one of the most productive districts in Yuma County.
La Laguna’s emergence as a supply hub and transit point strengthened its appeal, allowing miners to establish operations in nearby gold-bearing arroyos while maintaining connections to larger markets via the river.
Gold Rush Migration Patterns
Four major factors drove the rapid migration to La Laguna during the gold rush of the late 1850s and early 1860s.
First, the remarkable yields—hundreds of dollars daily with nuggets sometimes exceeding 20 ounces—created powerful economic incentives that attracted diverse cultural exchanges between Mexican, indigenous, and American miners. Stories of abundant gold along the Colorado River circulated widely following the gold rush in the 1850s, fueling prospector excitement.
Second, La Laguna’s strategic position as a hub connecting Yuma, San Bernardino, and Colorado River settlements facilitated vital supply chains. La Laguna was part of the historically productive Yuma County district, which included other notable areas like Kofa, Castle Dome, and Gila City.
Third, the migration influences extended through stage and freight drivers who spread news of strikes, accelerating the influx that swelled to approximately 1,500 prospectors by 1863.
Finally, pre-existing mining knowledge from Native American and Mexican miners provided operational foundations.
This demographic convergence created seasonal population fluctuations, with many departing during extreme summer heat or when placers depleted in 1864.
River Access Advantages
The strategic positioning of La Laguna along the Colorado River formed the settlement’s foundational advantage during the gold rush, offering miners critical access to water transportation that revolutionized supply chains in an otherwise harsh desert environment.
You’d have found steamboats traversing 20 miles above Yuma, delivering essential mining equipment and provisions directly to this frontier outpost.
This river transit created economic sustainability impossible at inland locations, as the waterway provided not only transportation but also the lifeblood for placer mining operations that required substantial water volumes.
Similar to how Fairbank served as the closest railroad stop to Tombstone, La Laguna’s ferry service established a crucial transportation link in the region.
The ferry service established at La Laguna further enhanced its value, connecting miners to gold-bearing areas across the river while transforming the settlement into a commercial hub where merchants established stores and services catering to the influx of prospectors seeking fortune in this challenging landscape.
The area initially attracted Herman Ehrenberg who camped at the site while seeking gold, which ultimately led to the formation of the town that would bear his name.
Daily Life in an Arizona Desert Mining Camp
Life in Arizona’s desert mining camps was characterized by a complex mixture of harsh conditions and communal resilience. You’d spend exhausting days drilling with sledgehammers, carefully placing dynamite, and “mucking” debris after explosions. Your survival depended on proper shoring techniques to prevent tunnel collapses. Mine lighting progressed from rudimentary candles to more effective oil lamps by the late 1800s.
Camp facilities reflected remarkable self-sufficiency despite isolation. You’d find multipurpose buildings housing diners, blacksmith shops, and even dentist offices. Your living quarters were rudimentary—often just tents on prepared pads.
In the punishing desert heat, you’d gather with fellow miners in shaded areas, sharing meals of simple staples with limited fresh produce. Evidence of these historic communities can still be found today, with old mining equipment and tramway remnants visible throughout towns like Chloride. These social interactions weren’t merely recreational; they formed essential support networks where you exchanged vital information and relied on each other for safety in an environment where danger was constant.
The La Paz Discovery and La Laguna’s Sudden Abandonment
You’d never guess that a single gold discovery would wipe a town off the map so rapidly.
When La Paz’s rich gold deposits were uncovered in 1862, La Laguna’s population fled en masse, abandoning their homes and businesses for the promise of greater wealth just miles away.
This economic migration exemplifies how resource extraction communities could dissolve overnight when better opportunities emerged elsewhere, highlighting the fragility of frontier settlements built entirely on mineral speculation.
Gold Rush Exodus
When Captain Pauline Weaver discovered the rich La Paz placers in January 1862, he unwittingly triggered a rapid migration that would seal La Laguna’s fate as a future ghost town.
The exodus from La Laguna occurred swiftly as miners abandoned their claims just 20 miles upstream from Yuma. By spring 1864, you’d have witnessed a dramatic population decline as gold mining operations ceased.
Three factors converged to doom La Laguna: depletion of accessible placers, the crushing summer heat, and prohibitively expensive provisions. Miners followed the promise of larger nuggets—some weighing 26-47 ounces—at La Paz, where drywashing and sluicing techniques yielded better returns.
This migration pattern wasn’t unprecedented; the region’s cultural heritage included centuries of indigenous and Spanish mining activities, with seasonal movements dictated by environmental conditions and resource availability.
Economic Ripple Effects
The dramatic discovery of gold near La Paz in early 1862 reverberated throughout the region’s economic landscape, instantly transforming established patterns of settlement and commerce.
You’ll find that La Laguna’s story exemplifies the fragility of frontier mining communities—abandoned virtually overnight as miners rushed to La Paz’s promising goldfields. This economic transformation redirected crucial riverboat traffic, commercial investment, and human capital away from established settlements.
Infrastructure quickly realigned toward La Paz as it developed into a trading hub with adobe buildings and port facilities.
Meanwhile, La Laguna’s modest economy collapsed without its miners, merchants, and ferry service. The region’s commercial nervous system fundamentally rewired itself, demonstrating how swiftly resource discoveries could redraw the economic map of the territory, leaving ghost towns in their wake.
Beneath the Waters: How Mittry Lake Submerged History
Despite its brief existence as a thriving mining community, La Laguna‘s physical remnants now lie permanently entombed beneath Mittry Lake‘s waters. The Colorado River’s recurring floods gradually inundated the abandoned settlement, with the creation of Mittry Lake reservoir completing the submersion process.
This underwater transformation has inadvertently preserved La Laguna’s archaeological record, protecting foundations and artifacts from surface deterioration that typically affects ghost towns.
Today, you’ll find no conventional ruins to explore—the site requires scuba equipment for underwater archaeology investigations. This submerged history creates a unique preservation scenario where the town’s brief two-year existence (1860-1862) remains frozen in time beneath the reservoir.
The waters that once sustained the mining operations ultimately became the town’s permanent shroud, with only fish as current residents.
Comparing La Laguna to Surviving Arizona Ghost Towns
While La Laguna rests beneath Mittry Lake’s waters as an inaccessible relic, Jerome stands as a striking counterpoint in Arizona’s ghost town landscape.
Unlike La Laguna’s brief two-year existence as a placer mining camp before complete abandonment, Jerome evolved through a full life cycle—from copper discovery in 1890 to boom-town prosperity with 15,000 residents, then gradual post-WWII decline.
Jerome’s century-long transformation—from copper boomtown to abandoned shell to preserved attraction—represents the complete lifecycle of a mining settlement.
Historical preservation efforts transformed Jerome into a vibrant tourist destination featuring original structures, mining equipment, and interpretive exhibits for $10 admission.
The contrast in accessibility couldn’t be starker. You’ll need scuba gear to glimpse La Laguna’s submerged remains, while Jerome welcomes visitors to explore its well-documented past through self-guided tours.
This fundamental difference highlights how natural forces and preservation choices determine which ghost towns remain in Arizona’s collective memory.
The Lost Economy: La Laguna’s Commercial and Transport Systems
During its brief existence from 1860 to 1862, La Laguna’s economy operated as a rudimentary but functional system centered around placer mining operations and their supporting commercial infrastructure.
You’ll find the settlement’s merchant dynamics were characterized by minimal permanent investment, with only a handful of businesses providing essential supplies to the mainly independent miners who comprised the workforce.
Transportation challenges were addressed through strategic positioning along the Colorado River, where a ferry service and steamboat landing 20 miles north of Yuma facilitated movement of people, equipment, and extracted materials.
This river-dependent commerce proved vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations, yet temporarily established La Laguna as a regional transportation hub.
When the La Paz gold rush redirected mining activity northward, the settlement’s economic structure collapsed rapidly, with only Jose Redondo’s store remaining operational.
Preserving the Memory of a Submerged Settlement
Beneath the placid waters of present-day Mittry Lake lies what remains of La Laguna, a settlement whose physical traces have been completely submerged yet whose historical significance endures through careful documentation and archival preservation.
The ghost town presents unique archaeological challenges that conventional excavation methods can’t overcome.
You’ll find La Laguna’s legacy preserved primarily through historical records rather than physical artifacts. Without visible structures remaining at this “barren site,” researchers rely on digital archives, historical databases, and academic institutions to maintain the settlement’s story.
These preservation efforts capture La Laguna’s brief but important role in Arizona’s mining history—a waypoint that flourished briefly before the 1862 La Paz gold strike drew its entire population away, leaving it to eventually disappear beneath the waters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were Any Artifacts Recovered Before La Laguna Was Submerged?
While evidence remains scarce, you’ll find no definitive records of artifacts recovered from La Laguna before submergence. Recovery methods weren’t documented, despite potential archaeological significance for preserving Arizona’s mining heritage.
What Indigenous Peoples Inhabited the La Laguna Area Before Mining?
Before mining operations, you’ll find the area’s Native tribes included O’odham and possibly Yavapai or Apache peoples who maintained rich cultural heritage connections to these lands for countless generations.
Did Any Famous Historical Figures Visit La Laguna?
You’ll find no documented evidence of famous visitors to this site. Historical significance of La Laguna wasn’t marked by notable figures, given the limited records from its brief mining existence.
Can Divers Explore the Underwater Remains Today?
Potentially, you could conduct underwater exploration at La Laguna’s submerged site in Mittry Lake, though ghost town diving there presents considerable challenges due to limited visibility and minimal structural remains.
How Did Miners Communicate With Distant Family While at La Laguna?
You’d primarily send handwritten letters via steamboat mail, stagecoaches, or merchant traders. Without telegraph systems reaching this remote area, you’d rely on these irregular delivery methods to maintain family connections across vast distances.
References
- https://www.islands.com/1897773/longest-working-mining-town-arizona-abandoned-mountain-ghost-castle-dome-landing/
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/itineraries/these-8-arizona-ghost-towns-will-transport-you-to-the-wild-west
- https://usghostadventures.com/uncategorized/the-top-10-haunted-places-in-jerome/
- https://kids.kiddle.co/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Arizona
- https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/lalaguna.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Arizona
- https://kjzz.org/content/601204/untold-arizona
- https://south32hermosa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Patagonia-Mining-History.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Laguna
- https://www.asrs.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/0044-McBride.pdf
