Clarkdale Chamber Of Commerce

History

Founded in 1912, Clarkdale is a unique example of a company mining town. Unlike Jerome, which grew up around a hodgepodge of mining camps, Clarkdale was planned, owned and developed by William A. Clark of Montana, owner of the United Verde Copper Company on Cleopatra Hill in Jerome.

Clark made technological improvements ahead of his time and created his own railroad line (The United Verde and Pacific) that eventually turned his company into the richest privately owned copper mine in the world.

In 1911, Clark decided to change the extraction process to an "open pit" method. Because of their position at the top of the mine, both the smelter and the railroad terminus had to be relocated. The search for a new smelter site two thousand feet down the mountain led to the founding of Clarkdale. The problem of providing dwellings for 7,000 employees was confronted by the UV Copper Company.

Clark's approach to his business interest - the fact that he insisted on full control - repeated itself in the development of Clarkdale. He built Clarkdale as a monument to himself. He supervised and prescribed every detail of construction from copper pipes for the modern sewer system to hardwood maple floors in all houses. Such amenities did not appear in company towns of the time, but Clark used the finest and most modern construction materials and equipment in all his industrial projects, and directed the same careful attention to this project.

Once the smelter site had been chosen, the commercial and residential areas were designed around the remaining two sections of flat land divided by a sloping hill, known respectively as the upper town and the lower town. The range of housing and the locations of neighborhoods reflected the social prejudices of a mining community of that time. As a "company town", everything remained the property of the United Verde Copper Company. Employees paid rent and were expected to abide by the rules whether they were on or off duty.

The smelter was under construction from 1912 to 1915. Clark personally financed the standard gauge Verde Valley Railroad which by-passed his old line and connected to the new smelter. With a rated capacity of 4.5 million pounds of copper per month, by 1920 the Clarkdale smelter was one of the largest in the world. Many of the farms and fruit orchards were bought up in order to avoid conflicts over the harsh effects of the sulfur smoke on the vegetation; so there were few trees or living plants in town when the smelter was operating.