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Senator Clark, as he later became, authorized
construction of The United Verde & Pacific railroad which consisted
of three standard gauge railroad lines to carry copper from the remote
mines to other areas of the country. Clarkdale (named for him) was laid
out in 1914, accommodated a smelter, a railroad depot and homes for
7,000 employees. The smelter operated from 1914 til 1953 when operations
ceased and the two huge smokestacks were finally demolished in 1960.
The train leaves from the Clarkdale Depot and the first mile of the
railroad travels directly through the abandoned buildings of the Clarkdale
smelter. These old buildings with broken windows and the mountain of
slag, a resultant waste from the smelter, are an incongruous beginning
to this journey through the history of the Verde River Valley.
Passengers will also see Sinagua Indian cliff dwellings, hillside
ruins dating back to 1100 A.D., and amazing geographic formations of
what was once a prehistoric lake. The Verde
Canyon Railroad attracts an average of 90,000 passengers per
year. It is privately-owned and operated which benefits the Clarkdale
tax base thus ensuring the survival of the town. A variety of rates are
available including Adult/Child Coach; Senior Coach (over 65); and All-First
Class. Room & Ride packages are also available with a local Bed & Breakfast
and other B & B's and Hotels in Jerome, Sedona & Cottonwood.
In the late 19th century, the eastern slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson, Arizona, bustled with the activity of hundreds of miners. Gold had been discovered in 1874, in what became known as the Greaterville mining district. It proved to be the largest and richest placer deposit in southern Arizona. However, water was scarce in the unforgiving, arid desert. Miners had to find alternate, painstaking, ways to collect sufficient amounts of water necessary to glean the placer deposits. By 1886 most of the miners had given up this laborious task and moved on. In 1902 a California mining engineer named James Stetson thought he could solve the water problem. He gathered a group of wealthy investors and together they formed the Santa Rita Water and Mining Company. Kentucky Gulch was chosen for the company's headquarters and from 1902 to 1906, the buildings at Kentucky Camp served as the offices and residences for company employees. Tragedy struck in 1905. The day before a meeting with stockholders, Stetson mysteriously died, in a fall from a Tucson hotel window. The finances and health of the company's major investor, George B. McAneny, deteriorated and although the other partners tried to keep the operation going, it was abandoned by 1912. The buildings and land were purchased by an attorney for the McAneny family and were used as a cattle ranch until the 1960's, when it was sold to ANAMAX Mining. The Coronado National Forest acquired the site through a 1989 land exchange. Since then, the Forest and volunteers have been working together to preserve this historical site. Spend a night at the century-old mining site, located approximately an hour from Tucson, off Highway 83. Take a step back in history and recall its bustling heyday, or just enjoy the peaceful surroundings. As part of the USDA-Forest Service Rooms With A View program, a small rustic adobe cabin at Kentucky Camp is available for overnight stays, for up to 4 people. Use of the cabin is $75 per night and a reservation is required. The fees are used to continue restoration work at Kentucky Camp, and to add other Forest Service cabins in Arizona to the Rooms With A View rental program.
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