Description

United Verde Mine's smelter smoke stack, Jerome/Clarkdale, Yavapai County, Arizona, c. 1915. 

Handwriting on the back of the photograph says: "United Verde Smoke Stack, 400 foot steel stack - 300 foot diameter self supporting - brick lined." 

According to an article in the Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org: "The U.V.C.C. Clarkdale smelter was built through the vision of William A. Clark, owner of the United Verde Mine in Jerome. The Smelter was constructed between 1912-1915 to replace the outdated Jerome smelter.

On May 26, 1915 the first furnace was blown in, belching sulfur-laden smoke from the 400' steel stack. In 1922 the Cottrell Plant with a new 430' brick stack was added. For the peak year of 1929, hundreds of workers handled the 1.75 million tons of ore, producing 12 million pounds of copper bullion monthly."

The United Verde Copper Mine was located near the towns of Jerome and Clarkdale in the State of Arizona. This mining site was historically associated with the Jerome-Verde Mining District, which is now part of the Coconino National Forest. The mine was most active from 1900 to 1938, and was considered to be a medium-scale mining operation during that time. 

Operations at the United Verde Copper Mine primarily involved underground workings. There was a single known shaft that was utilized for extracting resources. The mine reached a maximum subsurface depth of 579 meters (1,900 feet).

HMdb.org: "Phelps Dodge Corp. purchased the plant in 1935. The furnaces shut down in 1950. Few buildings remain, but the true legacy of the smelter is the memories of the men who devoted their lives to the copper industry."