Beale Wagon Road
United States 
Arizona Beale Wagon Road
History
The Beale Wagon Road is named after the surveyor and superintendent of construction Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale,
(4 February 1822 - 22 April 1893) who was commissioned to build a wagon road from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California. The wagon road was completed in 1858 and 1859. The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, U.S. Highway 66 and Interstate 40 all generally follow the route, although the Beale Wagon Road is usually slightly north and closer to the mountains and hills. If you look at the area of the road on Google Maps Satellite View you can still see the the old wagon road across Arizona.
The complete report of the construction of the road is contained in: Beale, Edward Fitzgerald. Wagon Road, Fort Smith to Colorado River. Washington, D.C.: s.n, 1860. eBook available from the Hathi Trust WorldCat 568719332
The Beale expedition is notable in that it used camels to carry supplies.
As part of the expedition's transportation needs, Beale acquired 25 camels, imported from Tunis, as pack animals. The Army hired a camel driver named Hi Jolly to work with the camels. Hi Jolly is buried in Quartzite, Arizona. See Hi Jolly
The Beale Wagon Road is also significant as the route of early immigration to Arizona from Utah, prior to the establishment of Lee's Ferry in 1870, by the pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These pioneers settled throughout the state during subsequent migrations. United States Migration Internal Once Lee's Ferry was established, most of the settlers traveled through that route which came to be known as the Honeymoon Trail. See also Little Colorado River. See also Mormon Trail to Southern California.
References
Bibliography
- Casebier, Dennis G. Camp Beale's Springs and the Hualapai Indians. Norco, Calif: Tales of the Mojave Road Pub. Co, 1980. WorldCat 6839734
- Messersmith, Dan W. A Short History of Camp Beale's Springs. Kingman, Ariz: H & H Printers, 1991. WorldCat 35040284
- Kaibab National Forest (Ariz.). Beale Wagon Road Historic Trail. [Williams, AZ]: The Forest, 1990. WorldCat 23035335
- Smith, Jack. A Guide to the Beale Wagon Road Through Flagstaff, Arizona. Tales of the Beale Road, no. 1. Flagstaff, Ariz: Tales of the Beale Road Pub. Co, 1984.
- Smith, Jack.A Guide to the Beale Wagon Road Through the Coconino National Forest. Flagstaff, Ariz: Tales of the Beale Road, 1991.
- Smith, Jack. A Guide to the Beale Wagon Road Through the Kaibab National Forest. Flagstaff, Ariz: Tales of the Beale Road Pub. Co, 1989.
- Smith, Jack. A Guide to the Beale Wagon Road Through the Petrified Forest. Tales of the Beale Road, no. 8. Flagstaff, Ariz: Tales of the Beale Road, 2007.
- Smith, Jack. Kerlin's Well: A Unique Site on the Beale Wagon Road Near Seligman, Arizona. San Bernardino, Calif: Borgo Press, 1989.
- Smith, Jack. Tales of the Beale Road. San Bernardino, Calif: Borgo Press, 1989. <
- Baley, Charles W. Disaster at the Colorado: Beale's Wagon Road and the First Emigrant Party. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2002. WorldCat 49320369
- Beale, Edward Fitzgerald. Wagon Road, Fort Smith to Colorado River Letter of the Secretary of War Transmitting the Report of Mr. Beale Relating to the Construction of a Wagon Road from Fort Smith to the Colorado River. Washington, D.C.: War Dept.?, 1860. WorldCat 11230219