The community of Centerville was originally not on land owned by the United Verde Copper Company. However, running water and electricity were provided by the town. In the past it has sometimes been referred to as "Romita", according to one resident, Gloria Herrera.

It was founded by Mexican miners and smelter workers before World War I and later fell within the incorporated boundaries of Clarkdale (1957). At one point many years ago, some enterprising soul put up a wooden post with a plaque on top. He placed it in a dusty wash in Centerville, declaring the spot as the exact center of Arizona. But Marshall Trimble, our long-time state historian, disagrees completely. " I think those people need to go back to math class," said Trimble. The discussion doesn't end there and this article will only hold to the fact that the exact center is somewhere in Yavapai county. But Centerville's claim to fame is no laughing matter to locals. The history of Centerville is sketchy at best. During the 1920's, a Mr. Brown, who had purchased the community, sold the land to the Orrantia family. They are shown as residents in the 1920 census. Luis Orrantia was the first to get elected in Romita and his father was responsible for getting water diverted from the overflow of a reservoir. Manuel Varela owned a store in Centerville which provided groceries to its citizens. "Don" Manuel's son Marcelino went house to house taking orders, then would deliver them.  We know a resident Vicente Tomallo owned pigs, cows, chickens and made tamales. When the smelter closed, Jesus Carillo, from Jerome declared himself "Mayor of Centerville". He also worked for the town of Clarkdale. He decided to change the original street numbers to his friends' last names. This explains the familiar names of Calle Rosas, Calle Medina, Calle Tomallo, Calle Figueroa, Avenida Macias (see photo), Calle Carillo, Calle Padilla and others. Official street signs were added during the 1980's.

Information for this article was taken from an interview with Jesus Valdez, May 2, 2018, and from a special edition of "The Arizona Republic" entitled "Arizona Daily", July 2, 2000, and "The Oral History of Mary Rosas Ontiveros", recorded on DVD by Jim Gemmill on March 1, 2014.   

In the early days of mining, the saloon was the working man's club. The opportunity for outdoor sports was limited.  Through a $100,000 bequest made by William Andrews Clark, Clarkdale has a beautiful clubhouse. Which was dedicated to the employees and their families in appreciation for long years of faithful service.

There were no dues or membership fees, with the exception of the bowling alley, soda fountain, and the pool and billiards tables. Because Clark recognized the relative isolation of the area, he wished to give his employees facilities enjoyed in larger more metropolitan areas, from which many of them came.  Clark was generous to his company town and its employees; he was the first to introduce the eight-hour day in Montana's mines and claimed to have played an important role in passing a territorial law mandating the eight-hour day in Arizona's mines. (Some might argue it was the result of a successful strike for a reduced workday at the United Verde Mine in 1907.) To many young boys born and raised in Clarkdale, such as Jerry Wombacher  "...... we would roam the alleys looking for pop or beer bottles worth 1 or 2 cents when we took them back to the cigar store. Other jobs were caddying at the golf course or swimming in Peck's Lake to retrieve golf balls, which we cleaned and sold back to the golfers.  Setting pins at the bowling alley was one of the most sought-after jobs because the pin boys like me, got to play pool for free, before the bowlers arrived each night.  On a league night, we would make about $3.00 for working 6:00 to 10:30. We thought we were rich! We got 25 cents per game!"   Jerry's dad Dan Wombacher (in photo) purchased the Texaco Station after the mine and smelter closed, where Jerry worked pumping gas on weekends going to college.

submitted by Cindy Emmett from CHSM collection of oral histories

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There was no more dangerous job during World War II than flying bombing missions over enemy territory. 185 Arizona Hispanics served as pilots, co-pilots, bombardiers, gunners, and radio operators. One such pilot was Gilbert Orrantia, born in Clarkdale in 1917 and graduated from Clarkdale High School in 1936. 

Orrantia flew 50 missions in B-25's in 1942, then returned to become a combat flight instructor.  He attended what was then known as Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe for two years. He rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant. His first mission was in Northern Africa as a co-pilot. "As we're going over the field, all this flak is bursting around us, and we're jumping all over the sky. I look over to the left, and they hit a ship, and it was one of my buddies that--we had been all the way through together, and they blew that ship apart.  But, you know, they all got out. They all got out." explained Orrantia.

One of Orrantia's most harrowing experiences came on a low-altitude bombing mission. His job was to fly 200 feet above the ocean and skip bombs on the water like a stone into an enemy ship. "I remember we were so low, that my tail gunner would say, 'Lieutenant, dip the tail and I'll get us some fish for supper.' "  There were other frightening moments for Orrantia during his 50 missions, like a belly landing when his front nose gear would not deploy, or the time his plane's windshield was shattered.  After the war Orrantia worked as a community activist and a Professor of Foreign Language at Mesa Community College. It's been over 50 years since the Hispanic Flyboys of World War II took to the skies, but like those for whom they fought, the Flyboys will not soon forget it.

Gilbert's story has been featured in news articles, books, and television including the book, ARIZONA HISPANIC FLYBOYS, and a segment on the program "Horizons" on KAET Channel 8, from which this article was taken in 2011. He was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in November of 2003. On Sunday July 8, 2012, he passed with his family by his side.

submitted by Cindy Emmett  photo from the CHSM collection  Orantia Residence in Romita (Centerville)

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One of the largest business buildings on historic Main Street, the T. F. Miller Store was ready to be occupied in 1914, after the original T. F. Miller Store burned in December. The store was located in Lower Town by the railroad tracks, along with the Bank of Arizona and the Post Office.

The photo showing the businesses in 1912-13 was generously donated to CHSM by the Miller family. T. F. Miller married Mary Margaret Clark, the sister of William Andrews Clark, in Iowa in 1870.  T. F. Miller was the founder of the two T. F. Miller stores in Jerome and Clarkdale. He left his home in Iowa to go to Los Angeles where he managed a shipping business for copper and supplies. His son Walter Clark Miller was a business manager with the United Verde Copper Company. His wife, Laura Minty, was the daughter of the auditor and passenger agent of the United Verde Railway.  Charles Miller and James Miller (brothers to Walter) operated both stores respectively. James and his wife Florence lived in Clarkdale from 1912 to 1935, originally at 619 Third North St., then at 1307 First North St, 1915 to 1935. James died in 1935 in Clarkdale from a heart condition and is buried in Valley View Cemetery. Florence moved to California and lived with her son Ted. Ted had grown up in Clarkdale, was in the Boy Scouts, and graduated from Clarkdale High School in 1922 (the school which burned in 1983). He played multiple sports and after graduation attended Stanford University where he was a noted quarter-miler in track. He married Catherine Mooney, his high school sweetheart in 1927 in Clarkdale. After their marriage, they settled in San Carlos, California, where he worked as an accountant. The family moved to Escondido, CA, in 1946, where Ted was the business manager for the Escondido School District.

contributed by Cindy Emmett

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By the 1890's, the United States focus of conquest in the West was over and the government in Washington had depleted the funding for reservations. Many established Reserves quit operating and Indian people were simply allowed to leave.

That was the case at San Carlos, which remained an official reservation, but there was no longer military authority to enforce who came and went.  When people realized that they could leave, a lot of them did just that. Families and individuals began the long walks back to their home county in Payson, Camp Verde, Red Rock Country, Flagstaff, Prescott, Wickenburg and Clarkdale. The people took years to make it home, stopping along the way to work on a road or dam project, to have a new baby, or to tend to an old person being sick. One way or another, many made it back to where they or their parents had lived before the forced Exodus. But when they came back into their old homelands, they were in for a shock. All the best land and springs were spoken for and instead of returning to their own lands, the people were pushed to the margins and treated poorly. They were forced to make the best of a bad situation, but at least they were "home". By 1905, dozens of Yavapai and Dilzhe'e families were living in the nooks and crannies. These people had no official place to go and were considered squatters, even though most were working at the smelter, on building roads, on the Fossil Creek flume, in local mines, at the dam at Roosevelt, or as maids, laundresses, or cooks. Around 1906, the government appointed a school superintendent to oversee the welfare of the "Camp Verde Apaches", which meant all the Indians in the Verde Valley, Yavapai and Dilzhe'e alike. By 1910, Indian children began to attend Indian schools. The photo shows the first Indian school in Clarkdale. In the late 1920's, Yavapai and Apache children were allowed to enter public schools everywhere except Camp Verde where Indian children were not allowed to attend the public school. They were sent to either Phoenix Indian School or a boarding school out of state. This caused legal wrangling that went on for many years until 1943. Often times, families would move to Cottonwood or Clarkdale to make sure their children could stay at home.

contributed by Cindy Emmett an exerpt from  A Short History of the Yavapi-Apache Nation by Vincent Randall, Chrostopher Coder, and Gertrude Smith.

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 It's tough to grow up in the wilderness without services of any kind or out of a phone's reach. Such was the case for the Alvarez family at the turn of the last century when the United Verde Copper Company was digging deeper and the roads weren't paved. 

Sycamore Canyon was way off the beaten path. There was no running water at the family homestead, no electricity and only outside toilets. The Alvarez family had settled along the Verde River even before the United Verde & Pacific Railroad blazed through the Prescott Forest from Drake to Clarkdale.  Little remains of the Alvarez ranch today, only vacant mud and wooden debris.  On the Verde Canyon Railroad tour, the historic Alvarez Ranch is pointed out for passengers as the train goes by.  Rosendo and Julia originally settled for a time in Clifton coming from Mexico, then moved on to Jerome. He was a miner but heard of a homesteading claim along the Verde composed of 60.5 acres.  In 1908 Rosendo petitioned to take over the homestead and they farmed the land, planted fruit trees, raised 40 heads of cattle, chickens, and turkeys, and built small buildings of mud and railroad ties. A close alliance was forged between the Alvarez Ranch and the train. Though the family mainly used mules and wagons to carry goods to and from Clarkdale, the train would stop at the ranch and 25 cents would buy passage to town.  Rosendo died of pneumonia in 1925.  The ranch remained in family hands and kept producing until after Julia's death 40 years later in 1964. Their son Domingo continued to work the land until 1997. 

submitted by Cindy Emmett

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Perhaps one of the most loved Clarkdale families, John and Bette Bell, came to Clarkdale in 1960. They joined with Bill and Lois Cameron at the Verde Independent.

John was a newspaperman.......a typographer and shop foreman most of his life. They had three children who attended Clarkdale schools and graduated from Mingus Union High School.  After leaving the newspaper in 1970, John and Bette opened a store on Main Street next to the Newstand called Bell Photo and Furniture. Thanks to him, we have a photographic library of amazing photos of Clarkdale's history after the smelter closed in 1952. They were both part of the Clarkdale Restoration Commission established in 1983.  They and others had watched the abandoned town slowly deteriorate and decided to do something about it by raising funds to restore the Clark Memorial Clubhouse. The Jerome Light Opera Company was formed to present plays and operettas in the auditorium, raising enough money to repair the roof, replacing the carpet in the Ladies Lounge by duplicating it, replacing the curtains in both the Ladies Lounge and the auditorium, and replacing the stage curtains (no small task) all duplicating the 1927 original design. Because of John's love for the area, John became an amateur historian of the Verde Valley. The last years of his life he worked at the Verde Canyon Railroad as a host and narrator.  John died in 1998, and Bette died in 2003.  The Verde Canyon Train has a boxcar named "The John Bell Museum". Upon his death, he left his entire collection to the Verde Canyon Railroad.

Submitted by Cindy Emmett

Photo courtesy of the Cranmer Collection

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 This list of rules and regulations were posted in each residence and monthly inspections of all properties were made by a representative of UVCC.  

Early planning for land acquisition and the siting of the smelter by UVCC (United Verde Copper Company) was done quietly. When William Andrews Clark visited Jerome in the early days, he went on trips to the fertile valley 1500 feet below the mines. He and his advisors then began acquiring property in the Upper Verde. Many properties near the Verde River and in the immediate foothills surrounding Jerome were to come under the control of the UVCC. In 1911 and 1912 the Company bought land and water rights from Walter Jordan, J.J. Humbert, D. J Shea, F. Petchauer, Torrizano, Ames, Fisher, and others. In 1913, the United Verde transferred almost 1200 acres of land to a subsidiary called the Clarkdale Improvement Company. This land included the townsite for Clarkdale and adjoining property. The Improvement Company continued to build and maintain all the buildings in the town and all the utilities necessary for the smelter and community. Ranches and farms bought by UVCC were controlled by the Upper Verde Farm and Orchard Company run by Walter Jordan.  A prominent resident of Jerome was hired to oversee the Upper Verde Farm and Orchard Co., the Clarkdale Improvement Co., and the Upper Verde Public Utility Co. which handled the water, sewer, light and power.  With the prospect of growth and opportunity provided by the standard gauge Verde Valley Railroad and the building of the smelter, the residents became excited. However, the negative effects of the new smelter would have some effect on the land in the valley. Clark purposely designed the 400 ft steel stack to "belch out fumes at least 1000 feet higher and will not affect the orchards." A shrewd businessman, Clark also bought up most of the farms and orchards in the immediate area as part of his plan. The UVCC eventually built a total of 560 dwellings and homes and two hotels for its employees in Clarkdale alone. A well-housed, well-maintained home, and a contented employee was an asset to the company. The program was implemented to furnish living quarters at rental rates commensurate with wages. The Company required all premises and yards be kept clean and green by providing 15,000 gallons of water per month during the summer. 

Contributed by Cindy Emmett

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Anyone who's been around Clarkdale for awhile, might remember when Peck's Lake was the centerpiece of weekends---a parklike atmosphere with swans, a golf course, boat races and families enjoying picnics. It seems difficult for newcomers to visualize what a vibrant place the lake area once was.

The lake was built out of a large meander in the Verde River. The shallow lake, for much of its existence, pulled most of its water from the Verde River through a tunnel on the northwest corner of the property downstream from the slag pile.

The lake was built to provide water for the smelter and recreation for the smelter community. It included a nine-hole golf course, a dance hall, and a clubhouse. Until 2003, the town of Clarkdale leased the lake and surrounding property from Phelps Dodge and made it available to the public for fishing and other forms of recreation.  After the lease expired, Phelps Dodge, which was acquired by Freeport-McMoran in 2007, closed the property to the public. 

In 1864 Ed. G. Peck secured the first hay contract to provide 300 tons of hay at $30 a ton, to be cut with hoes, to be taken to Ft. Whipple. In addition to the hay contract, Peck and his associates are credited with building the first wagon road into the Verde Valley from Ft. Whipple. In 1868, the Verde River was full of beaver dams and was confined to an even channel, as it is now. In 1870, the lake was about 1.2 miles long and some 300 yards in width which hosted cranes, ducks, geese, mud-hens and other waterfowl. Deer and antelope were plentiful. In 1875, M. A. "Andy" Ruffner was the first to claim land near Peck's Lake. Later that year the family of William Hawkins arrived and bought "improvements" and squatter's rights from Mr. Ruffner.  Staking mineral claims in the Black Hills, Hawkins "Eureka" and "Wade Hampton" became part of the United Verde Copper Company. The water from the Verde River which had been diverted through a dam is currently not in use since it was severely damaged by floodwaters in early 2018.  

Photo shows a large crowd at Peck's Lake. Notice the Clark Mansion in the distance.

 Peck’s Lake was often the destination for U. S. Army scouts and soldiers from 1865-1891, from Ft. Verde, originally named Camp Lincoln in honor of Abraham Lincoln, recently assassinated. One of the fort’s surgeons, Edgar Mearns and his wife Ella (on white horse) and Mearns (left to her in photo) frequently visited the lake to collect both plants and animals for study.  He was an American surgeon, ornithologist, and field naturalist. He prepared specimens of birds which were given to the Smithsonian Institution founded in 1846. From 1882 to 1899 he served in the military as a surgeon and a medical officer in several army posts. The quality of Army doctors varied, some had almost no formal training, others were medical school graduates, such as Edgar Mearns. With few medicines and being isolated, their job was a difficult one. Among the most notable were Dr. Edward Palmer, Dr. Elliot Coues, and Edgar Mearns. By 1882, the Post became less important. It was abandoned in 1891 to the Department of the Interior which sold it at a public auction. The park was established in 1970 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. 

photo from the CHSM collection

update contributed by Cindy Emmett

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In 1918, Wm Andrews Clark, owner and founder of the smelter and the Town of Clarkdale decided his workers and families needed fresh daily delivered milk.  He approached an Italian man, knowing dairy farming in Italy is a very important industry.

Clark called it the Clarkdale Dairy; the "CD" brand was one of the very first registered in Arizona.  The Clarkdale Dairy was built out by Tuzigoot National Monument, however that site was not yet established, because it wasn't excavated until 1937. After six years of operation, UVCC decided they wanted that land for their tailings and the dairy was moved north closer to Peck's Lake at Shea Ranch. They cleared the land for farming by using mules to pull up the mesquite stumps. It was operated as a dairy, a cattle ranch and a farm to raise feed. Paul Tavasci and John Tavasci, (brothers) and Mary Tavasci became partners in 1928. John and Mary raised two sons, John Jr. and Paul Jr.

Photo from the John Tavasci Sr. Collection CHSM

Many partners joined the dairy, also Italians: Emil Federighi,  Nat Rezzonico, Rusty Veretto, Joe Sfreddo, Nello Pozzabone and Guido Mariani, to name a few. The partners eventually sold out to John and Mary in 1946. Sons Paul and John were given a full partnership at that time.  The cows were milked by hand and the milk was bottled in glass and delivered door to door every day. In 1952 electric milking machines were introduced and the milk was transferred directly to the homogenizer. However, the smelter also shut down in 1952 and the dairy closed officially in 1958.  The demand for milk dropped because most workers moved to Ajo.  The Tavascis purchased a refrigerated tank truck and hauled milk to the Carnation plant in Phoenix until 1960.  They then sold all the milk cows and dairy equipment and ran it as a cattle ranch until June 1, 1991. (Information provided in an oral history by John Tavasci, Sr. in approximately 2010). 

contributed by Cindy Emmett

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