History of the Cholla Bay Sportsmen's Club
In the fall of 1955, Al Scott lead a founding effort of seventeen people to form a sportsmen’s club in the fishing camp of Cholla Bay just outside Puerto Penasco, Mexico. The purpose of the Club was to organize the sportsmen in the area, to promote fellowship, and to help one another in any way possible, should any questions arise in regards to investments in their cabins and boat house in the Cholla Bay area. As an organized group, it was felt more could be accomplished than individually. Of importance was the rough road into Cholla, and improvements in the area for the fishermen. The original group felt having meetings from time to time, perhaps a fish fry, and other get-togethers to discuss such matters as they arose and to pass on available information to one another. On October 12th, 1955 the seventeen charter members felt that a President and Secretary at least would be needed for this new organization and elected the first slate of officers to the Club as listed below.
President: Al Scott
Secretary/Treasurer: George Gehan
Vice President: Oakley Jordan
Directors: M.J. Olsen, George Beeler, Louis Lugo, Pryor Sanborn
A constitution and bi-laws were drawn up and adopted by the membership. Within a short time, membership and activities grew. The annual Fishing Derby was started in February of 1956 as well as an awards ceremony membership had grown to 170 members. The Fishing Derby held in conjunction with the Puerto Penasco Lions Club as a fund raiser was also a huge success, and proceeds helped provide polio immunizations for many of the school children of Puerto Penasco. The Club by now was holding regular meetings in the phoenix area at Edison School on 18th Street and Roosevelt. In the Spring of 1958, a monthly Club newsletter “Cholla Chatter” was started with Bill Valentine as Editor. He reported on the weekly grading of the road to Cholla, improvements to the parking lot and boat ramps, as well as activities planned and meeting dates. The Cholla Chatter, by the next year also had a simple tide chart, with the dates and times of the upper and lower lunar transit. Membership was $3.00/year and included the monthly newsletter mailed to members’ homes.
The CBSC, also was living up to its fellowship with the Mexican people, as a clothing drive for the flood victims of the State of Sinaloa, brought in 4 ½ tons of clothing and bedding in February of 1960. That years Fishing Derby was attended by more than 800 anglers and guests and the Big Fish Prize was won by Carl Stodghill, with a 240 lb. Black Sea Bass. Plans for a permanent marine band radio base station for boater’s safety was well underway, and later that year was installed at Nacho’s store. Also, in the fall of 1960, the Tucson Chapter was started with Wayne DeVore, as President. Membership in the Club by now had grown to over 600 total members in just 5 years. Numerous committees had been formed to coordinate all the Clubs activities, from the Fishing Derby to Search and Rescue, to Membership, Cholla Chatter and advertising. The Club was fulfilling its Founders dreams! They built a children’s play ground for the youth of Puerto Penasco, secured polio vaccine shots for them, brought down desks for the school, organized clothing drives, and helped purchase and equip an ambulance for the city. The next several years for the CBSC were true building years, as everything that seemed possible came to fruition. Club membership continued to grow and so did the number of Cabins in Cholla Bay. The Radio Room was updated with new equipment for marine band, CB, and even ground to air for Search and Rescue of missing boats. A permanent radio permit was issued from Mexico City. This Radio Room in the northern part of the Sea of Cortez, could reach throughout that region and even back to the highway department and sheriffs office in Arizona to relay emergency messages. A full-time radio operator was always on duty and all this paid for completely by donations and Club membership dues.
By the late sixties more activities were taken on by the Club. An annual Christmas Party for the Mexican children of Cholla Bay included toys and candy and food and fruit boxes for their families. An Easter egg hunt with lots of candy for the little ones, and for the community, a continued caravan of much needed medical supplies, such as antibiotics, sterile bandages, syringes, sutures, I.V. units, oxygen masks, surgical gloves and even an X-ray and cardiograph machine, plus many hospital beds and a portable oxygen unit were donated to the Red Cross and hospitals of Puerto Penasco. Club activities expanded to include a carnival parade during Lent, representation at the Puerto Penasco Black and White Debutante Ball at Thanksgiving, Chili cook-offs, and sand buggy excursions all over the region. For the fishermen, several other Fishing Derbies during the year, with prizes always for the first Sailfish and Dorado caught. A Big Ten Contest was started for all the Clubs anglers on an on-going basis and included the following: The first four were required fish and any six of the others. Sailfish (any size), Grouper – 30 lb., Dolphin – 15 lb., Pinto – 15 lb., Sea Trout – 5 lb., Mackerel – 6 lb., Shark – 50 lb., Pargo – 15 lb., Cotchi – 5 lb., Skipjack – 6 lb., Ladyfish – 2 lb., Black Bass – 50 lb., and Sardinero – 10 lb. Upon completion, a plaque and an embroidered patch for the members jacket was awarded.
As Cholla Bay grew, so was Puerto Penasco as a city and two memorable events from the late sixties and early seventies come to mind. On May 4th, 1969 Cholla almost ceased to exist as hurricane force winds blew through and destroyed many buildings and turned over many trailers. The next morning found a total community effort in boarding up and securing what was left by the remaining Americans and all of the Mexicans in the area. Miraculously no one was killed. A year later, five of the U.S. Astronauts from NASA were exploring the craters around Pinacate mountain in preparation of future moon walks. A plaque with their names on it remains at Crater Elegante.
The Club, as always, continued with more and more members and more activities and charity fund raisers. These included pot-luck picnics in Phoenix and support of the Orphanage at Sonoyta and a school bus for the children of Cholla to get them into Puerto Penasco.
In the Spring of 1972, Gus Brown Sr. offered a lot located in the middle of Cholla Bay not far from the baseball field, to the Club to build a permanent structure to hold the kitchen with its deep fryers, used for the Annual Fishing Derby Fish Fish Frys. A plan was drawn up and approved, so the Club built the building, including public restrooms. This agreement between Gus Brown Sr and the Club created even more harmony and goodwill between the Club and the Mexican people of Cholla Bay. In appreciation, the Fry Shack, it was affectionately called, eventually expanded with covered and open patios and was named Gus Brown Sr Plaza. Today, the Plaza is called the “Cholla Bay Community Club House” and it is the center of most of the Clubs social activities and has at times accommodated as many as 2,000 people for the Derby Fish Fry. The Club has always been a family-oriented group and by the 80’s was entering the start of the third generation of Americans to enjoy the beauty of the Sea of Cortez and the Sonoran Desert. For the children of the members there was always the family aspect of Cholla Bay, from swimming to snorkeling at Tucson Beach, to clam digging and explorations on the tidal flats of Cholla Bay with their grandparents, surf casting from shore and maybe just playing side by side with the Mexican children at the play ground by the ball field. There was never a barrier for the children of both cultures, as childhood innocence would bond them together, and like their parents and grandparents before them, a mutual trust and friendship developed with the Americans and Mexicans. Just as the sorrow of the passing of each of the Club Founders was felt, so the sorrow felt for the hard-working Mexican parents as they passed on.
The community still continued to grow to over 800 cabins just in Cholla Bay itself, but as the other communities grew (Las Conchas, Playa Encanto, Espinosa’s, and the various trailer parks) some of these people also became members because of the activities and of course the radio safety network and the Cholla Chatter monthly newsletter of up coming events. By the late 80’s the Club membership was over 1,600 members from all over Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, many other states and Mexico. Some retirees, still belong just to receive the newsletter, even though their health prohibits them from frequent visits to the Bay. The activities continue and have become more diverse, as road trips further into Mexico and off-road trips along the beaches, both north and south of Puerto Penasco. There have been many organized trips to Caborca, Desemboque, Puerto Lobos, El Golfo and San Carlos. Many members have also enjoyed fishing and exploring Baja together. Years ago, there was an off-road trip that the Club organized along the Devil’s Highway. This is the trail that the first pioneers took some 150 years ago. It runs roughly along the Mexico/Arizona border, from Lukeville to Yuma. These exploratory trips have become exciting, and are starting to reach out further. These past few years have seen larger and longer-range boats coming into Cholla Bay. For some, especially during the excitement of the Fishing Derby, a trip of 50 or 60 miles out to some new reef or fishing hole with big fish is now becoming more and more common. The Radio Room with VHF marine band still remains the backbone of the Club. This vital equipment is designed for boater’s safety! Membership to the CBSC will keep the Radio operating!
The Cholla Bay Sportsmen’s Club is open to everyone, dues are $ 40.00 a year for either single or family membership.