Laws Spring

Located in Kaibab National Forest, Laws Spring has a unique history connected to several aspects of the larger history of America in the mid-19th century. U.S. Army Lieutenant Beale passed through this region numerous times between 1857 and 1859 with the double task of building a road and testing the efficacy of camels in the American desert. Beale's experiment was cut short by the Civil War, but the road built by his men was used heavily over the years before eventually being paved over by Route 66. The springs are named in recognition of a member of their trailblazing effort.

In 1857, Lt. Edward Beale was tasked by the United States government to survey the area between Defiance, New Mexico (today Arizona), and the Colorado River at the border to California. Beale was given the job of building a road between the two places, but that wasn't all. To his initial frustration, he was also asked to test how effective camels were in the American desert compared to horses and mules. They gave him 25 camels, and while Beale was reluctant at first, he came to trust them, eventually commenting that he "would rather have one camel than four mules." Over the next two years, Beale, his crew, and his camels worked on the road, expanding and improving it with every trip back and forth. During one of these crossings, Beale and his nem came across this watering hole, which Beale named Laws Springs after Major W.L. Laws, one of his crew.

Work on the road was halted by the outbreak of the American Civil War, and so was Beale's camel experiment. The unfinished road was used heavily over the next 30 years, and according to some accounts it saw as much traffic as the more famous Oregon Trail. Eventually, the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad built tracks nearby running almost parallel to Beale's route, rendering it redundant.

In the twentieth century Route 66, and later Interstate 40, were built passing through this area. The more modern surveyors making arrangements for the highways found that Beale's route was so efficient they decided to build their new roads right over portions of it. As a result, much of the original route is paved over and lost, but the watering hole can still be seen and 23 miles of Beale's road still exist in Kaibab National Forest.

Laws Spring, Atlas Obscura. Accessed February 18th, 2023. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/laws-spring.

Laws Spring, Arizona Hiking. January 6th, 2009. Accessed February 18th, 2023. http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com/2009/01/laws-spring.html.

Laws Spring, Kaibab. Accessed February 18th, 2023. https://kaibab.oncell.com/en/laws-spring-historic-site-159161.html.