Prosperous farmers, when the Spaniards encountered them, the Mojaves had established villages. They also had developed trade routes that stretched to the Pacific Ocean. One hundred years later, as the American frontier was opened, the Pipe Aha Macav resisted the military wagon trains and American migrants who crossed the Colorado River on the California Trail. They defended their rugged homeland, the Basin and Range southern deserts. The intruders responded by establishing Fort Mojave as a military outpost in 1859, locating it on the east bank of the Colorado River.
Today ruins of the fort and old boarding school, which was built sometime later, are visible.
They have not been restored because a new town for 40,000 residents is planned for the site. The major attraction is the Colorado River which flows for 17 miles through the Reservation Tamed by Davis Dam above Laughlin, it presents no threat of flooding and runs narrow and deep between channeled banks from the dam to below Needles, California. Along the way, the river supports a plethora of water-based activities such as fishing, water skiing, jetboarding and water sports. East of the Reservation, the Black Mountain Range provides more outdoor opportunities including off-roading, hiking, photography, rock hounding and exploring ghost towns. Hunters enjoy the big horn sheep, mule deer, quail and dove which live in the nearby mountains.