Skull Valley's Heyday

Today, Skull Valley is a sleepy little burg, but there was a time when the town had several area mines, a quartz mill, a dairy, a number of saloons, and a 36-room hotel.

Was Coronado’s Gun Found in the United Verde Mine?

 

It was late autumn 1900 when a minor cave-in occurred in the giant United Verde mine in Jerome. On December 3, as workers cleared the mess, they were astonished to find a newly exposed cave that contained a mysterious gravesite falloff artifacts. “It was with wonder and awe that the workmen first entered the cave and handled the relics that must have been laid away centuries [ago],” the Jerome News described, adding that it created quite an excitement in the copper town.

The Birth of Clarkdale, Arizona

The town of Clarkdale was a pet project for Senator William A Clark, owner of the United Verde mine in Jerome. It was the first planned community in Arizona and included all the makings of a modern town. It provided telephone, telegraph, electrical, sewer, and spring water services for its residents. Situated at the bottom of Cleopatra Mountain, it would be the smelter town for the mines of Jerome and the surrounding area. “To build a perfect town [was] to be the aim and ambition of former Sen. Clark,” the Mohave County Miner wrote, “and money will be lavishly spent to make it as near [perfect] as possible.”

The Forgotten, Lost Town of Val Verde

 

The evening of September 24, 1904, was windy, and the smelter’s open building provided some relief from the heat of the furnace. Around 9pm, as part of their routine, workers wet down the furnace and began to remove, or “undrape” the liquid slag. This time, however, there was too much of the by-product, and the slag poured out of the furnace too quickly for the men to control it. 

“It spread over the floor, in front of the smelter,” the Weekly Journal-Miner explained, “and the molten slag, coming in contact with the water, caused [an] explosion, sending the hot metal all through the building; setting it on fire in a number of places.” While there was an abundance of water on hand, it was impossible to check the progress of the blaze as the strong winds fanned the flames. 

Not only was the building doomed, but so was the five-year-old town of Val Verde. 

The Mammoth Senator Tunnel

In the early prospecting days of the 19th century, the Senator and other adjacent mines were thought to be a bonanza of gold ore. They worked down until they reached water, and work was given up. However, in early 1905, a plan was announced that would completely revive the Mt. Union section of the Hassayampa mining district.

1921: A Christmas Season Bright

Christmas 1921 in Prescott would see several dances, children’s events, charitable acts, and a new set of street lights for downtown. It would prove a season bright in every way.

Story Behind the Place Name: Poland Mine, Creek & Junction

His name was Davis Robert Poland, and he was a true frontier placer miner. He came to Yavapai County early, when one could walk down a creek bed trail and find large gold veins, embedded in quartz ledges, glittering in the sun. Indeed, this happened to Poland several times.

The Rocky Road That Brought the Rough Rider Monument

As soon as news reached Prescott of William “Buckey” O’Neill’s death in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, one of his closest friends, MJ Hickey, was inspired to see that a memorial to the late sheriff and mayor be made in his hometown. This idea of a memorial would quickly grow into a monument, and its journey from conception to inception would grow monumental as well.

Road Crew Finds Giant Skeleton on Sycamore Creek

In February 1913, a road crew started digging "where the grade of the Verde railway passes" over Sycamore Creek in order to facilitate improvements. Soon, they uncovered evidence that they had found a prehistoric gravesite. What shocked them further was the enormous size of the bones located within it.

It was later calculated that this humanoid skeleton must have stood at least 8 feet tall.

23-Ton Blast Shakes Yavapai County

United Verde Mine, Jerome, Arizona

December 20th, 1925, seemed a day like any other. People were busy getting into the Christmas spirit, making final preparations.

A train, about an eighth of a mile outside of Jerome, AZ, was taking on water when one of the train's engineers noticed some smoke rising at the United Verde Mine. When he looked more closely, he noticed that the roof of the powder house was on fire!

Quickly, he climbed into the train's engine compartment and pulled on the whistle for all it was worth.

Shortly, people in the town of Jerome started coming onto the street, curious as to what the fuss was about. They, too, noticed the mine's powder house roof on fire.

Everyone realized that in a matter of a few short minutes, 23-tons of TNT would explode violently.

The Mysterious Courthouse Cornerstone

Cornerstone of the Yavapai County Courthouse was laid October 19th, 1916

After the contract to build the new courthouse was signed (story here), preparatory work began immediately.

Of special interest and care was the building's cornerstone. A date of October 19th, 1916, was set for the laying of the cornerstone to coincide with the opening of the Fourth Annual Northern Arizona Fair. (*1) The mayor declared a holiday, and all businesses closed for the festivities. (*2) Yet there are mysteries behind it.

Remembering the Mayer Smokestack

Cynics say it was a memorial to a boondoggle. Locals say it was a memorial to Mayer's mining history. Unwittingly, it was also a memorial to the end of World War I.

Whatever one wants to call it, the old smokestack celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017.

For commuters, it used to mark that one is 17 miles away from Prescott Valley. To tourists, it was an oddity. But the 129.5-foot-high tower, which sat as a silent sentry over the town of Mayer, had an interesting history.

It was meant to carry smoke into the sky from the smelting of precious metals mined around Mayer. It was never used for that. In fact, it was never even finished!