Lake Pleasant's Old China Dam: A Scenic Tour
- segurooffroad
- Feb 15, 2022
- 1 min read
Updated: Mar 22
Old China Dam is located on the north side of Lake Pleasant, in Cow Creek. Depending on local sources, the creek may be called Humbug, Sand, or Cottonwood Creek. For the purposes of this writing, we will use Google Maps as our standardized source. The dam was built by Chinese migrant workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The area around Lake Pleasant has a rich mining history, and it is believed that the dam was used to aid hydraulic mining in the region. Hydraulic mining is a method of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment.
Along our journey, we will have the pleasure of viewing a Crested Saguaro cactus. Saguaro cacti are exclusively found in the Sonoran Desert. This region stretches from Arizona to Western Sonora, Mexico. The Crested Saguaro is a rare mutation, characterized by its unique fan-like shape, and at one point, only 200 were believed to exist. More than 2,050 mutations have since been discovered. The 2020 Saguaro Census counted 23,000 Saguaros! Although the Crested Saguaro is not as rare as originally believed, they are still a remarkable sight to encounter!
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