Mohave County, at the time of its creation
by Arizona's first Territorial Assembly in 1864,
actually included portions of present day Nevada.
In 1865, the northern portion of Mohave County was
split off as Pah-Ute County. And in 1867, parts of
both counties including the present site of Las Vegas
were attached to Nevada, which had become a state in 1864.
The much reduced Pah-Ute County was merged with Mohave County
in 1871, and is remembered as "Arizona's Lost County."

The area that is now Mohave County began to attract settlers
shortly after it was brought into the United States by the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The 1860's saw an influx
of miners after gold was discovered and Mormons who were sent
south from Utah by their church.

Mohave County is the second largest county in the state. Most
of it is classified as desert, but of its 13,479 square miles,
186 square miles are water. The county boasts 1,000 miles of
shoreline and is a great water sports recreation center. The
Colorado River and man-made lakes play an important role in
the growth of Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City.