History & Culture of Clarkdale

Clarkdale was named after William A. Clark, who was a Senator from Montana. He was the former owner of the United Verde Mines. Clark decided to purchase this land, which was previously known as Jordan Ranch. The town became a smelter town. The United Verde Copper Company built the smelter in 1911 because the United Verde mines in the town of Jerome had outgrown their smelter. Jerome had experienced cave-ins and a lack of land to build.

In 1914 the town was founded. Clarkdale was a model, planned town with beautiful homes and streets. It was a company town way ahead of its time. There were many modern facilities. The old mining and smelter sites including the clubhouse are on the list of National Register of Historic Sites. The smelter was completed in 1915 and had a monthly capacity of four million five hundred thousand pounds of ore. The smelter continued to process the ore until 1952 when it closed down. It wasn't until 1957, when the town was incorporated.