Transportation
6
Long ago Mohave Indians used a network of pathways to cross the Mojave Desert from their homes along the Colorado River to reach the Pacific Coast. In 1776 Francisco Garces became the first non-Indian to travel these trans-desert routes. In 1826 Jedediah Smith followed these trails and became the first white man to reach the California Coast overland from mid-America. The route became a military wagon road in 1859 when Fort Mojave on the Colorado River was established, and it remained a major link between Los Angeles and points east until a railway was completed across the desert in 1883.
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