William Harrison Hardy

American mayor and inventor

Not to be confused with the Alabama born William H. Hardy.

William Harrison Hardy

Captain Hardy (circa. 1866)

Born| (1823-04-15)April 15, 1823

Watertown, New York

Died| June 1, 1906(1906-06-01) (aged 83)

Whittier, California

Occupation(s)| Postmaster, inventor, founder of Hardyville
Known for| Founder of Hardyville, operator of an Colorado River Ferry, store owner

William Harrison Hardy (April 15, 1823 − June 1906) was an American politician and entrepreneur who founded the city of Hardyville, which has been replaced by Bullhead City, Arizona.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

William H. Hardy was born in Watertown, New York. He lived in New York for 26 or so years, where then he ventured to California on a wagon train, being labelled as Captain Hardy. He had an fortune from his earlier ventures before he arrived in California, and he purchased a Colorado River Ferry. From the help of George Alonzo Johnson's Colorado Steam Navigation Co.,[2] He began to run a ferry company, which he would occasionally give rides for free for those that were unfortunate.[3]

## Hardyville

[edit]

Hardyville, which is now known as Bullhead City, was a town that was named after William H. Hardy himself.[4] Hardy was the first postmaster of the city from 1865, and was as well the inventor of the riveted mail sack, being credited for his invention.[5] Hardyville is memorialized by Street art beside the Hardyville Cemetery, the only surviving piece of Hardyville to this day.[6] The mural provides a illustration of William Hardy, standing beside a River filled with ferries. It was common for steamboats arriving at Hardyville to deliver supplies to the recently discovered gold mines. The town was given a seat in Mohave County in 1867, and later on, it increased in population, and there was new buildings built up, such as general stores, blacksmiths, and a city hall. The introduction of the railroad, and multiple fires, brought down Hardyville, and in the 1890s, with the mills no longer running, slowly became a ghost town.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "William Harrison Hardy". Arizona Mining History. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
2. ^ "The Story of Hardyville" (PDF). Colorado River Historical Society. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
3. ^ "William Harrison Hardy". Arizona Mining History. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
4. ^ "Bullhead City Area History". Around the River. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
5. ^ "The Story of Hardyville" (PDF). Color River Historical Society. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
6. ^ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM". National Park Service. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
7. ^ "The Story of Hardyville" (PDF). Color River Historical Society. Retrieved 9 September 2023.

This article needs additional or more specific categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. (August 2024)

|