William D. Bradshaw

William D. "Bill" Bradshaw (1826–1864) was a United States western pioneer and prospector. He is best remembered for forging the Bradshaw Trail in 1862 from San Bernardino, California, to La Paz in the New Mexico Territory. Initially this gave the populated areas of California's west coast a more direct route to the Colorado River Gold Rush fields, but more importantly the trail opened up the Southern California Colorado Desert region, and beyond, to settlement and development.

As part of the trail, and in partnership with William Warringer, on June 16, 1862, Bradshaw set up a ferry service to cross the Colorado River. The ferry transported travelers across the river from a location called Providence Point in California, to La Paz in the New Mexico territory.

Bradshaw died in Mineral City on December 2, 1864, after his throat was slashed with a drawknife. Newspaper reports at the time stated Bradshaw had committed suicide. Given the nature of his death, and lack of known witnesses, historians, such as Francis J. Johnston, think he was likely murdered.