Verde Heritage 1918: What Mining Has Done in the Jerome District - Camp Verde Bugle

"The magic of mining has been well exemplified in the Jerome district the last two years. When Senator Clark decided to build a new smelter for his United Verde mine output, he determined at the same time upon the founding of a model mining town. Practically with the ways of the magic wand of money, Clarksdale sprang into existence. Today Clarksdale is a thriving city, but unlike camps of mushroom growth, it is built to stay as long as the big smelter is supplied with ore from the mine which has made Clark many times a millionaire. Clarksdale will grow and prosper."

"Many predicted the death of Jerome when the other town was projected, but it, too, has prospered beyond the wildest dreams of its most ardent boosters, its only handicap now being lack of space in which to expand. With the copper boom, following the graduation, over night of the United Verde Extension from the prospect class into one of the richest red metal mines in the world, Jerome found itself, despite a frenzied building program, unable to accommodate the strangers within its gates. The hotel and housing problem became acute, but despite all private enterprise could or would do, the 'standing room only' sign was out day and night."

"Before the completion of the United Verde Extension's smelter, in the early part of next year, the town of Verde, near the plant in the valley, will be under construction. Verde is not to be a moving picture city, built for a day and a night, but will be constructed of brick. A plant with a capacity of 20,000 brick a day is practically completed and the actual burning of brick will soon be under way. An architect is now engaged drawing plans for the town and one of the features of community life will be the recreational facilities, including tennis courts and a baseball diamond. Work will not begin on the company's second proposed town, Walnut Park, on the property located on the hogback, at the east edge of Jerome, before summer, and possibly not then."

"And in the meantime the town of Cottonwood, which had been slumbering placidly for many years, awoke with a start when work commenced on the U. V. Extension smelter, rubbed its eyes and began to take notice. People began to flock in and before some of the village inhabitants were aware of the fact, they were part and parcel of a thriving little city."

"This in part is what mining has done for the Jerome section in but a brief period, not to mention the great power plant of the Arizona Power company, and the town of Tapco in its wake, made necessary by the demand for current from numerous properties of the prospect class which are favorably pushing work in the hope of bringing in the fourth great producer in the district."

"In the Jerome Verde, the latest mine brought in, in the district, the northeast drift on the 1050 level, from the Columbia, is looking better than ever. It is being run on a quartz porphyry ledge that carries considerable iron, the iron content seemingly growing heavier all the time. The company has not been able to carry out its plan of shipping a carload a day to the Humboldt smelter, because of the congestion around the Edith shaft of the U. V. Extension through which the ore is raised, but already 16 carloads have been dispatched."

"Underground development at the Verde Combination during the month of October totaled 557 feet, according to the report of Superintendent Dave Morgan."

"At Calumet and Jerome the air hoist is now in place at the collar of the winze, being sunk from the 600 level about 100 feet south of the shaft. The winze is now down about 50 feet. There is no noticeable change in the formation, which is schist shot through with chalco-pyrite and white iron. The southeast crosscut is in a formation mainly of quartz which carries iron sulphide and some copper."

(Bisbee Daily Review; November 18, 1917; Mining Section; page 4.)