Arizona and California, its neighbor to the west, have an ongoing, mostly friendly rivalry. In 1934, though, a dispute over water rights led to a heated showdown between the states — and the creation of one of the most unusual “navies” in American history.
The conflict started years earlier, in 1922, with the drafting of the Colorado River Compact, which allocated river water to seven Southwestern states based on what turned out to be a faulty estimate of the Colorado’s annual flow. Six of the states quickly ratified the compact; the exception was Arizona, where lawmakers felt the agreement was unfair to their state.
Nevertheless, by 1934, California had been given federal permission to dam the Colorado to collect its share of water. Thus, that state began building Parker Dam, which ultimately created Lake Havasu. But building a dam meant working on the Arizona side of the river. That didn’t sit well with Governor Benjamin Moeur, who sent six members of the state’s National Guard to confirm that construction had begun without Arizona’s approval.
Further incensed, Moeur declared martial law and sent 100 more Guard troops. And to enable the troops to inspect work that had already been done, Moeur authorized the use of two river ferries, the Nellie Jo and the Julia B., operated by Nellie T. Bush and her family. Thus, the “Arizona Navy” — a term used proudly in Arizona and derisively in California — was born, and Bush herself was dubbed “admiral” of the force.
The troop movement and quasi-maritime activity didn’t amount to much, and by some accounts, the boats became tangled in dam construction cables and had to be freed by workers at the site. And while Moeur’s actions did persuade the secretary of the interior to halt the dam project, construction resumed in 1935 when the federal government reauthorized the work.
Parker Dam was completed in 1938. The dispute over water rights, though, was far from over — and, in fact, continues today. Numerous court cases, some of which reached the U.S. Supreme Court, have shaped the allocation of river water among California, Arizona and other states. Arizona draws its share of water from Lake Havasu via the Central Arizona Project, a 336-mile canal completed in 1993. And no naval force, from Arizona or elsewhere, patrols the Colorado River.