Did you know that TAPCO (The Arizona Power Company) was considered a town?  According to a small announcement in the February, 1917 issue of Yavapai Magazine, TAPCO was home to several hundred employees.

Their main customer? William Andrews Clark's United Verde Copper Company. California crude oil was brought by rail where it was burned in four boilers and a 4,600 ft. concrete gravity flume brought water from the Verde River to cool the condenser.  Eventually a 450 ft. pedestrian swinging suspension was built across the Verde to help deal with occasional flooding. Senator Clark had quickly realized the advantage of cheaper hydroelectric power over the coal and oil he was having to import 1,500 miles over harsh terrain and signed a contract for more than a third of the generating capacity of distant Fossil Creek. By the end of 1909, of the 2,700 horsepower produced, 1,600 of that was delivered to the United Verde Copper Company still located in Jerome.  With both the Irving and Childs (Fossil Creek) plants producing power, it was evident once again that additional power would be needed. Construction was started on a modern steam plant called TAPCO in 1917, about three miles north of Clarkdale on a large bend in the river. The new plant created another 10,000 horsepower, more than doubling Childs and Irving hydro plants. In 1920, a transmission line was extended south and supplied 70% of the power needs of the Phoenix area. By 1932, it had expanded to provide power to the mines and towns of Wickenburg, Seligman, Ashfork, and Flagstaff. After the closures of the United Verde Extension mine in 1938 and the United Verde Copper Company in 1953, the TAPCO steam plant was at the end of its production life by June 1950 and was finally retired in September 1958.

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Submitted by Cindy Emmett from "How Water Changed the Face of Power in Central Arizona", by Tim Coons, Presented at The Arizona Centennial Conference at The Pointe Hilton Cliffs Tapatio Resort, Phoenix, Arizona; April 20, 2012.

A little-known episode in the Apache era took place very close to Clarkdale in Sycamore Canyon in 1867.  A party of railroad surveyors, accompanied by a cavalry escort, was making its way down the bed of the canyon toward the Verde Valley when it was attacked by Yavapai-Apache warriors.

For several hours, arrows, bullets and boulders rained down on the men from both canyon rims.  The soldiers and surveyors climbed the steep walls and took cover in the brush, but large boulders were rolled down on them forcing them to keep moving. The Indians began to fire from the east rim.  "How we got up, God knows; I only remember hearing shots from above and below. Tumbling boulders and Indian yells as the boulders crashed around us," said General Palmer. Then all was quiet as death, the Indians had disappeared. Both sides suffered injuries, but the troopers continued toward the mouth of the canyon, following the Verde River to Chino Valley and on to Ft. Whipple.  In 1862, Congress had authorized construction of the first transcontinental railroad from Omaha to Sacramento. While it was being built, promoters began to envision a second railroad through the southwestern states to southern California to be named the Kansas Pacific Railway. By the summer of 1867, topographical engineers along with 2 generals went into the field to survey possible routes from western Kansas through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to the Pacific Ocean. The men assembled at Salina, Kansas, then marched west to Ft. Wallace where a fierce battle ensued with the Cheyenne. With fear guiding the party, they headed to Ft. Lyon in eastern Colorado. Twenty-five African American soldiers joined them. The crews regrouped in southern Colorado and headed to Santa Fe and on to Albuquerque.  One group insisted on following the 35th Parallel which brought them through the rugged mountains of northern Arizona and the San Francisco Peaks.  A second challenge facing the survey party was the constant threat of Indian attack.  Exploring the canyons south of the San Francisco Peaks descending into Sycamore Canyon, their sense of danger increased. Even so, the surveyors were determined to push on to the mouth of it as it emptied into the Verde River. Reaching it, the party joined another general and his escort and traveled on to FT. Whipple and safety. Surprisingly a meeting was held which resulted in the unanimous passage of a resolution urging Congress to grant a charter and money to build the Kansas Pacific. However, the project did not gain the support and was not built. Still, the survey produced valuable information about the topography, natural resources and inhabitants of post Civil War northern Arizona and gave the American public a glimpse of life in the frontier Southwest.

Submitted by Cindy Emmett  contact info@clarkdalemuseum.org with questions or comments

From "Skirmish in Sycamore Canyon: Notes on a Battle Between the Yavapai-Apache and the U. S. Cavalry" written by James E. Babbitt, 

Presented at the Arizona History Convention, Prescott, Arizona; April 23-26, 2009

Can anyone identify this historic Clarkdale building? It was the first hospital in our town and centrally located.

It soon became too small for the growing town's needs. According to one of Clarkdale's past residents, it then became a "maternity only" hospital for a very short time until another hospital was built in Jerome.

This building eventually became the Smelter Superintendent's residence. Dr. Jim Byrkit's parents moved to Clarkdale in 1924 where his father was Smelter Superintendent. Jim was born in 1931 and was raised in this home, was born in the United Verde Copper Company hospital in Jerome, grew up in Clarkdale and graduated from Clarkdale High School in 1949. He joined the US Army and served during the Korean War. He earned his Ph.D. and became a Professor Emeritus of Interdisciplinary Studies at Northern Arizona University from 1973 to 1996.He was one of the Verde River's staunchest advocates, a consummate historian and frequent teller of its tales. For Byrkit, the Verde River was his sweetheart, his lifelong passion and his playground. He was self taught in many respects and had a brilliant mind. He wrote extensively about the Verde but also about the state's mining history. Long before it was fashionable to advocate for sensible growth and protection of its flow, Byrkit was there lecturing at length to anyone who might listen or not. The body of work Byrkit leavesbehind is currently housed at the Cline LIbrary at NAU.

CHSM has many of his articles in our reference collection. He wrote the widely respected "Forging the Copper Collar" in 1982, and a comprehensive account of the Bisbee Deportation, the illegal kidnapping and deportation of about 1,300 striking mine workers, their supporters, and citizen bystanders by 2,000 members of a deputized posse ordered by Phelps Dodge in 1917.

Have you guessed the identity of the building in the photograph? Please send your guess to: info@clarkdalemuseum.org

submitted by Cindy Emmett 

for questions and comments contact info@clarkdalemuseum.org

From "Voice of the Verde Historical Society", Volume 22, Issue 1 and theobituary of James Ward Byrkit, "Verde Independent," 'Byrkit Passes;The Verde Sheds A Tear,' by Steve Ayers October 2, 2011.

Perkinsville is named for Marion Alexander Perkins, who established a cattle ranch there in 1900. It is located 16 miles northwest of Jerome, 20 miles east of Chino Valley, and 33 miles south of Williams.

Today it is an abandoned train station on the Arizona Central Railroad. On November 1, 1900, Marion and his wife Annie and their six children set eyes on the countryside that was to bear their family name.  Marion had traveled by train to Williams from Holbrook, then by horseback to the Campbell 76 Ranch, today known as Perkinsville. At first, the Perkins ranch sold beef to feed the miners and smelter workers in Jerome and later would send cattle to Ash Fork or Del Rio Springs for transportation.  The ranch consists of 214.39 acres of deeded land, which according to the owner, approximately 45 acres are historically irrigated, and 60 acres of riparian lands, with the remainder in native rangeland.  Perkinsville was the site of the filming of "Santa Fe" in 1951 starring Randolph Scott. In 1964, Perkinsville played the role of Gold City in "How The West Was Won." Indian ruins on the deeded land give evidence the Perkins were not the first inhabitants. In 1936, the Perkinsville Bridge was built with the help of the New Deal. At that time, Perkinsville was the site of a quarry that shipped lime to the cement plant in Clarkdale. The bridge was built by the Arizona Highways Department using relief workers from homeless camps along the Verde River. 

True to his pioneer progressive spirit, Marion Perkins was one of the original founders of the Arizona Cattle Growers in 1903, in Tucson. In 1904, he was elected to the Territorial Legislature of Arizona. He also served twice as a Representative in the Arizona State Legislature. On June 30, 1927, Marion passed away, but he left a family devoted to the ideals he had pursued. The ranch on the Verde River has remained in possession of some of the Perkins family since the days of 1900. The children and grandchildren have been continuously in the cattle business for the past 125 years. 

submitted by Cindy Emmett from ECHOES OF THE PAST-TALES OF OLD YAVAPAI IN ARIZONA, published by Yavapai CowBelles, copyrighted in 1955 and reprinted in 1996 with permission by Reliable Productions, Tempe, Az.

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Another building still present in the smelter yard is the smelter superintendent's house, built in 1915. The photo shows the residence in 1916.

In 1949, when a survey was completed by Phelps-Dodge, "the former Smelter Superintendent's House No. 50...has no sale value for occupancy unless the smelter plant is disposed of for industrial purposes."  The two-story residence was originally built at a cost of $7,416 to house the smelter superintendent and his family.  Later improvements of $10,000 were added. With occupancy, it is listed as having a value of $1500. (1949).  It sat adjacent to the smelter which comprised 196 acres all fenced. The slag pile covered  32 acres. 

The story of the United Verde Smelters would be incomplete without mention of Thomas Taylor, who is credited with the great success of United Verde Copper Company [UVCC]. In 1930 he was the general smelter superintendent, having worked his way from furnace foreman to general smelter superintendent over a career of 33 years.  Early photos of Wm. A. Clark, inspecting the proposed smelter site in 1910, identify him as one of the 5 men accompanying Clark. In 1935, United Verde Copper Company was purchased by Phelps Dodge [PD] Corporation at a cost of $20.8 million including assets of the local utilities and the Verde Tunnel and Smelter Railroad. It is estimated PD made about $40 million in profits between 1935 and 1953. PD brought some of their own executives in as managers:  William Saben 1935-1940, Charles R. Kuzell 1940-1944, Morris G. Fowler 1942-1943, John Pullen 1943-1948, and Carl Mills 1948-1950.  The current Clarkdale Police Station (originally a hospital) was numbered as House No. 49. It was built in 1921 and at  some point became the new Smelter Superintendent's House until the smelter closed in 1953. Then it became a private residence.

submitted by Cindy Emmett

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The Hopewell Townsite was a neighborhood built around a tunnel which provided a critical part of the ore transportation to the smelter. Very little is left of this early townsite today located approximately 1.25 miles north of Jerome and 1/5-mile northeast of the open pit in Jerome. 

The term "townsite" was used by United Verde Copper Company [UVCC] to designate company neighborhoods at Hopewell, the 500 ft. level, the 300 ft. level, and Sunshine Hill.  A vital link in the mining operation of UVCC during the first half of the 20th century was Hopewell. Its importance was derived from the fact that it served as a transfer point for the shipment of ore from mine to smelter from 1915 to 1953, replacing the early cumbersome ore wagons. It began when the company started excavating a drain tunnel to remove water from underground mining in December 1906. Tunnel construction began at the 1,000 ft. level to extend more than a mile in an easterly direction, terminating on a hillside overlooking the Verde River. The termination point would eventually become Hopewell. Excavation began from each end of the tunnel. Crews met at the junction to complete the tunnel in September 1908. The mining engineer, Septembere Hopkins took satisfaction in the fact that the junction was near perfect, varying by only 3/8 of an inch, and no one had been seriously injured during the project. Census records do not indicate anyone living there in 1910, but by 1920, census taker Edith Whitaker recorded 122 persons living in the Hopewell Tunnel District.

Eighty-nine of them resided in 29 households (1-10 persons). The other 33 individuals resided at the bunkhouse (also called the providing house). Twenty-eight of the 29 households rented their homes, with one owner-occupied. The Hopewell bunkhouse was predominantly Hispanic when the census was taken in 1920. Two men oversaw the bunkhouse.  All but three adult males were employed in a wide variety of occupations in 1920.  The little community suffered a setback in 1923 when UVCC closed the ore-crushing mill where many Hopewell residents were employed. The Hopewell crusher could not keep pace with the Clarkdale Smelter. However, Hopewell continued to be an important site for ore haulage, storage, and transfer; low-grade ore leaching, and mine waste disposal. Jobs associated with these provided a means to sustain the community.  By 1925, Hopewell had experienced a revival. There was now a commissary/store and the original bunkhouse. After a general cleanup, the Verde Copper News in March 1925 agreed it was now "quite a nice place to live".

This information was found in the manuscript entitled "United Verde Mine (2008-050-001) written by Pat Stein of the Arizona Preservation Consultants. Reprinted in the "Jerome Chronicle" by the The Jerome Historical Society, September 2008, Ron Roope, Editor.

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Part 2

In 1914 workmen widened the tunnel to 13 feet and added height to 9 feet and lengthened it another 600 feet. A bunkhouse, a half dozen cottages for families, a store, two corrals, company buildings and even a school completed the settlement.  Children at an early age were cautious of runaway ore cars when crossing a spur.  The ore cars were brought to Hopewell by electric locomotives. The Verde Tunnel and Smelter railroad took it to the smelter. It was sometimes known as the "Clarkdale & Jerome Elevator" because of the steep grade. It was also referred to as the "Very Tired and Slow (Sleepy)” railroad. The VT&S had nearly 186 curves in 10.87 miles. The trip took 45 minutes including a stop at MacDonald (another mine close by). The sharp curvature and steep (4% grades) seemed to invite accidents, despite the meticulous operating practices, which in turn disrupted the flow of copper ore to the smelter.  Heavy rains in 1916 derailed one of the locomotives. With other unplanned events happening, only one locomotive was available.  In 1917, five cars jumped the rails. One locomotive took it upon itself to roll unstoppably down the hill. One time a dump car (filled with rock debris) overturned on a curve and covered a small boy with gravel while playing in his own yard. He recovered from his injuries but was badly frightened. The population of Hopewell declined markedly during the Great Depression. By the end of 1931, of the 11 company-built houses built at Hopewell, only 2 remained occupied.  By 1939, only three houses received electricity services.  A foreman at the United Verde, Elmer E. Axford, stayed until 1942. When he retired, a new foreman took over. He stayed until 1946. One resident stayed at Hopewell in the 1950's and earned a living hauling groceries from Clarkdale to Jerome. This family, the Giustis may have been the last family to live at Hopewell. 

Information used for this article was taken from RAILROADS OF ARIZONA, Volume 6 JEROME and the NORTHERN ROADS, by David F. Myrick, 2010, and THE JEROME CHRONICLE, published by the Jerome Historical Society, March 2009.

article submitted by Cindy Emmett

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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.   

submitted by Cindy Emmett

for questions or comments contact info@clarkdalemuseum.org

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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