# Port at the mouth of the Colorado, 1800's **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314 "2005-05-24T19:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/1 "2005-05-24T19:34:20Z")
I watch a Time Life video, years ago, which said that in the 1800’s there was a port at the mouth of the Colorado River, called Thomson’s (or Thompson’s) Landing. Apparently there was a regular traffic of steamboats and other watercraft on the lower reaches of the river, even though groundings in the shallow water were commonplace. This activity pretty much came to an end with the advent of various dams and other water diversion projects which dried up the flow at the river’s mouth. Until not so long ago there were archaeological remains of Thomson’s Landing that could still be seen, although I suspect that floods over the past 10 years or so may have obliterated them by now. Does anyone know of a good site on the web that gives some history and pictures of Thomson’s Landing? I’ve googled quite extensively, but find nothing beyong dry USGS survey data. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/2 "2005-05-24T21:44:59Z")
Where is the “mouth” of the Colorado, in terms of present-day geography? Are we talking California, Nevada . . . ? I do know that because of the recent drought in the western states, the water levels at Lake Mead have dropped so much that a formerly submerged town named [St Thomas](http://www.archaeology.org/0311/newsbriefs/mead.html) is now visible above the water. I also know that there are several other submerged settlements under Lake Mead, as well as the other lakes formed by the various Colorado River dam projects. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/3 "2005-05-24T21:48:24Z")
The mouth of the Colorado is in the Sea of Cortez between mainland Mexco and the Baja Peninsula. The north of the US border the river forms the border between Arizona and California. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/4 "2005-05-25T01:48:52Z")
I thought I read once that the Colorado has virtually no “mouth” anymore, that so much of the water is used up along the way, hardly any makes it to the ocean. But, sorry, even IIRC, that doesn’t answer the question posed in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/5 "2005-05-25T11:52:21Z")
A fair bit of interesting info on [History Net](http://historynet.com/we/blpaddlewheelers/) but a quick scan doesn’t mention an actual port… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/6 "2005-05-25T12:02:12Z")
There’s another Colorado River in Texas, theu “mouth” of which is near Matagorda, TX. The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway intersects it there. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-at-the-mouth-of-the-colorado-1800s/305314/7 "2005-05-25T13:02:47Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > I thought I read once that the Colorado has virtually no “mouth” anymore, that so much of the water is used up along the way, hardly any makes it to the ocean. > > But, sorry, even IIRC, that doesn’t answer the question posed in the OP. Nah, don’t sweat it (as far as I have the authority to say so, being the OP). It’s a narrow enough topic to begin with. You’re correct the river usually doesn’t reach the ocean, but before all the dams were built the situation was quite different.