In the 1860's, prospector Pauline Weaver discovered gold on the east side of the Colorado River, setting off a mining rush in the area. Ore from nearby mines in the Buckskin Hills was transported by wagon down the washes to the Colorado River, which soon became an important transportation route for the new mining districts. Commercial steamboats and ferryboats carried gold and copper ore to distant smelters and delivered mail and supplies to the developing mining districts. Empire Flat was established as an ideal landing site, with a gradual beachfront entrance for mooring and easy accessibility for handling cargo. It operated into the 1930's until Headgate Rock Dam to the south and Parker Dam to the north effectively ended the use of the Colorado River as a transportation route for the mines. Empire Flat is remembered as a significant historical site within an established transportation corridor in the opening of the Arizona Territory.