Clifton Townsite, Confluence of Chase Creek & San Francisco River, Clifton

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,6-CLIFT,36-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Confluence of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River Clifton, Greenlee County, Arizona Clifton Quadrangle, Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: Point Zone Easting Northing A 12 B 12 C 12 D 12 E 12 F 12 G 12 H 12 I 12 J 12

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,6-CLIFT,36-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Town of Clifton, Arizona, is significant as one of the premier copper mining towns of the southwest during the period starting in and continuing until the strike and flood of During this period Clifton reigned as the king of Arizona copper camps. Started as a copper smelting town, Clifton grew into the center of transportation and commerce for Southeastern Arizona. It achieved status as the county seat of Greenlee County in and drew recognition as a center of government operations as well. Copper mining, a key facet of Arizona's economy, lured large numbers of workers, business owners, and government employees to Clifton. As such, Clifton is associated with the theme of copper mining in Arizona. It is also associated with the themes of transportation, commerce, and government.

Copper mining is a cyclical industry, dependent on the world market and international demand. During several periods of low copper prices, Clifton residents looked to capitalize on the area's climate and scenery to draw visitors to the region as a means to diversify their economy. For this reason, Clifton is also associated with the theme of tourism in Arizona. As home to a diverse collection of individuals from many lands, Clifton has associations with the theme of ethnic history in Arizona. Architecturally, Clifton is significant for its examples of commercial, residential, and public architecture that are representative of Arizona's early mining towns.

This architecture reflects the cyclical nature of Clifton's economy, with small vernacular buildings of inexpensive materials that mirror the impermanent nature of the mining enterprise contrasted with imposing "showpieces" that testify to the desire of Clifton residents to convey an image of wealth and respectability. Styles include significant examples of Neoclassical, Mission Revival, and Prairie, and Craftsman styles.

Clifton Townsite Hass

No. AZ-165 (Page 2) PARTI:

Historical Information

Chapter 1 Introduction: Physical Setting and Historical Context of Clifton Generations of Arizona schoolchildren have been taught that the economic history of the state can be summarized by the "five of Climate, Cattle, Citrus, Cotton, and Copper. The copper smelting town of Clifton, Arizona, is representative of the boom and bust cycle of the copper industry in the state and illustrative of the economic impact copper mining had, and continues to have, on Arizona. In tons of copper were extracted from mines in Arizona with a value of billion. The combined direct and indirect impact on the Arizona economy of copper mining in that year was estimated at billion. Clearly, copper is very much a part of Arizona's present and future. It was also an important part of her past.

Changes in the Arizona economy have left the copper mining camps of Bisbee and Jerome as veritable ghost towns, now seeing new life as artists colonies, but these towns were once bustling centers of raucous miners. The copper smelting towns of Clifton and Douglas, now clinging to life in the wake of new technology, were once commercial and transportation centers for the vital copper industry. Although the history of Clifton must be understood in terms of copper, its role as a commercial and transportation center expand the depths of its history. In addition, Clifton's ethnic heritage forms a significant facet of Arizona history, as does Clifton's quest to capitalize on its climate and location to lure tourists to Greenlee County.

1 As with many aspects of mining history, location proved to be the key factor in the establishment of Clifton. It is an unusual physical setting for a town, nestled tightly along the banks of the San Francisco River at its confluence with Chase Creek, hemmed in on the east and west by steep mountain cliffs tall enough to delay the arrival of dawn and hasten the advent of dusk. It was the easy access to water from the San Francisco River and Chase Creek for smelting that allowed Clifton to flourish. Tragically, that same intimacy with the precious liquid periodically re-arranged the cultural geography of Clifton.

The first smelter in the Clifton area was located along Chase Creek, where Eugene Goulding constructed a small cow hide bellows-stoked furnace in In Henry Lesinsky moved the smelter two miles down Chase Creek to its confluence with the San Francisco River. Here Lesinsky supervised construction of a smelter which utilized power from a water wheel to turn mechanical blowers. Water diverted from the San Francisco River as a new source of power increased the efficiency of the smelting operation and ensured its success. A camp to house the many smelter workers and ore freighters quickly developed. 2 Behind the specific physical setting of a power site at the confluence of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River is the broader setting of a highly mineralized district in eastern Arizona.

Here, millions of years in the past, geologic forces concentrated massive amounts of precious minerals in varying degrees of strength. Some of the minerals were tightly localized and easy for the early miners to discover. Other minerals were dispersed in small percentages over large areas and required careful study and experimentation to find and exploit them. These deposits were large lenses of ore, formed in limestone, often containing high grade concentrations of ore. These same geologic forces concentrated minerals in other areas of Arizona as well, in addition to Clifton, at Globe, Bisbee, Aja, and Jerome, making the state the largest copper producer in the nation.

The discovery of these deposits between and came at a time when the development of electricity and telephones created an insatiable demand for copper. 3 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 3) Although Clifton had the advantageous combination of minerals and water, it did not have easy access to transportation. For much of its history Clifton has been isolated from the rest of the state and the nation. For this reason the theme of transportation looms large in Clifton history. Tremendous efforts were made to bring the men and materials to the mines and to return the ore to the smelter. From the smelter the refined product had to be shipped to market.

The isolation which plagued the copper industry in Clifton proved particularly troublesome when Clifton residents tried to diversify their economy during the many periods of depressed copper prices. Several historical contexts have developed within the physical setting of Clifton. Predominant among these is copper mining. Copper mining in Clifton has passed through several different eras, each of which has left a unique mark on the town. The first era corresponds to the early efforts of the Lesinsky brothers, Henry and Charles, to wrest a profit from the wilderness of Arizona. Starting in the Lesinsky brothers established the smelter at Clifton and with it the early form of the town.

The Lesinsky holdings were acquired by the Arizona Copper Company, a Scottish corporation in This ushered in a long era of Arizona Copper Company dominance for Clifton. Up until the turn of the century the Arizona Copper Company struggled to make a profit, but for the first two decades of the twentieth century Clifton boomed as the Arizona Copper Company hit its stride. Much of the built environment of Clifton is a product of the Arizona Copper Company during this period. Hard times descended after World War I and the Phelps. Dodge Corporation acquired the Arizona Copper Company holdings in Phelps Dodge continued to distill profits from the mine and smelter up until the start of World War II by utilizing hardrock underground mining.

During this period Clifton residents began to seek alternate sources of income to buffer themselves from the up and down cycles of mining. Starting in Phelps Dodge began a massive undertaking to open the copper ore to open pit mining, starting a new era of profits and activity. Since much of this work took place at Morenci, Clifton residents prospered from associated activity. Properties connected with the copper mining context in Clifton include those constructed by the mining entities. The earliest of these is La Casa Grande, which started as a residence and store for Henry Lesinsky in 1874(HABS No. AZ-183). Other mining context properties in Clifton include the smelter Blower House (HABS No. AZ-174) and smelter Power House (HABS No. AZ-185), the Arizona Copper Company Library (HABS No.

AZ-177) and Arizona Copper Company Offices (HABS No. AZ-178), the Arizona Copper Company Manager's House (HABS No. AZ-195) and its Chief Engineer's House (HABS No. AZ-194), and the Shannon Copper Co. General Store (HABS No. AZ- A historic context closely associated with mining is that of transportation. Mining and smelting involves the transportation of massive amounts of heavy machinery and ore to and from the smelter. The development of an effective transportation system was a key to the profitability of the mining enterprise at Clifton. The Lesinsky brothers constructed a "baby gauge" railroad to get the ore to the smelter, then shipped out the refined product by wagon.

In the Arizona Copper Company built a narrow gauge line, the Arizona and New Mexico Railway, to get material in and out of Clifton. In the Arizona Copper Company constructed a standard gauge line. Located on both sides of the San Francisco River and along Chase Creek, transportation within Clifton also necessitated the construction of facilities to expedite travel. Transportation related properties include the Park Avenue Bridge (HABS No. AZ-179), the Arizona and New Mexico Railway Passenger Station (HABS No. AZ-180), and the railroad bridge across Chase Creek (HABS No. AZ-176). Another closely related context for Clifton is commerce. Mining and smelting required a large labor force and those men and their families needed many comforts of home.

As Clifton was primarily a "company town" the Arizona Copper Company provided most of their needs through the company CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 4) store. The Shannon Copper Company did the same at its store. Nonetheless, the Arizona Copper Company did allow the development of other types of businesses on company-leased lands in east Clifton. Businesses that competed with the Company could, of course, locate outside the company- owned core of Clifton. Some did, such as the Becker-Franz Store (HABS No. AZ-171) in North Clifton and those that located in the Chase Creek district. Properties associated with the commerce context in East Clifton include the Clifton Water Company building (HABS No. AZ-184), the Clifton Tailor Shop (HABS No. AZ-185), the Hampton Block (HABS No.

AZ-188), Pascoe Undertaking (HABS No. AZ-187), the Central Hotel (HABS No. AZ-188), the Commercial Saloon (HABS No. AZ- the Bath House (HABS No. AZ-191), and the Milk Depot (HABS No. AZ-192). As the commercial and transportation center of an important mining region, Clifton needed the amenities of government and of religion. Clifton, the county seat of Greenlee County, constructed an impressive Town Hall in (HABS No. AZ-190) to complement the Greenlee County Courthouse completed in Clifton's political leaders participated in the construction of the Park Avenue Bridge, although it is more closely associated with the context of transportation. Although Clifton was often described as a "rough and ready" town dominated by saloons, it had a spiritual side as well.

The context of religion is represented by the Presbyterian Church (HABS No. AZ-193). Clifton had other churches, but only this property is represented in the project area. Jewish residents worshipped in a Synagogue located out of the project area and Clifton's Catholic residents had their own church. However, the Presbyterian Church was closely associated with the natives of Scotland who came to call Clifton home after they arrived with the Arizona Copper Company. Company officials supported the church. A final important historical context for Clifton is the ethnic diversity that the town represents. The copper smelter was founded by Jewish merchants who utilized Mexican and Chinese workers.

For forty years the economic life of Clifton was dominated by a Scottish corporation which imported sturdy Scottish workers to Clifton. Clifton was home to many other immigrants as well, such as Italians and Irish. Some of this ethnic diversity is represented in the residences of Clifton's citizens. These include the Archie Morrison house (HABS No. AZ-170), the Sam Abraham house (HABS No. AZ-181), the Adam Smith house (HABS No. AZ-182), the Gatti house (HABS No. AZ-196), and the Henry Hill house (HABS No. AZ-199). Morrison and Smith hailed from Scotland, part of the Arizona Copper Company contingent. Abraham was part of Clifton's Jewish community. Gatti headed the Italian community and helped to found an Italian colony near Duncan, Arizona. Hill came to Clifton from Ireland.

The historic contexts of mining, transportation, commerce, government, religion, and ethnicity are not intended to be a complete list of the historic contexts for Clifton, although they are considered representative. These contexts are those that have been identified as being associated with the properties within the area of the Clifton Flood Control Project (see Part IV for project information). Table 1 lists the contexts associated with each property. Additional contextual information, not found in this summary, is contained within the individual property descriptions. Chapter 2 Discovery and Early Growth of Clifton and the Clifton-Morenci Copper District, The creation of Arizona Territory was a result of mineral discoveries during the Civil War.

Strapped for cash and anxious to exploit the resources of Arizona, Congress created the Territory of Arizona CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 5) in The recognition of Arizona as a separate Territory spurred discovery of mineral resources and led to an influx of miners into the area. The initial discovery of mineral resources in Clifton is veiled by time and by the secrecy of the miners themselves, but there is no question that the initial identification came during the Civil War era when the first prospectors began to fan out across Arizona.

Gold lured these early miners, one of which was Henry Clifton who explored the San Francisco River for gold in After the end of the War in Mace Greenlee spent several years prospecting for gold in along the San Francisco River.4 In a Civil War veteran named Bob Metcalf set out from Silver City, New Mexico, with a large party of men to placer mine gold from the San Francisco River. Another prominent member of this party, also a Civil War veteran, was Issac N. Stevens who had made his way to Silver City. The party encountered little water in the San Francisco River that summer, making the placer mining difficult. Bob Metcalf found himself wandering the cliffs above the river and in so doing discovered the rich color and mineralization that indicated the presence of copper in the area.

Over the next two years other parties of miners set out from Silver City to explore the region, most noteworthy being those led by Charles and Baylor Shannon. The miners received some assistance from the Mining Act of May 10, which set up guidelines for filing claims on unsurveyed Federal lands in the West. In August of under the terms of the Mining Act, these men organized the Copper Mountain Mining District to facilitate the recording of claims. Among those located in included the Shannon, Metcalf, Detroit, and Longfellow mines, all of which would produce tremendous amounts of copper in the years to come. 5 Bob Metcalf found that copper mining was substantially different from gold mining, where the yellow metal could be grubbed from the ground with a few rudimentary tools.

It took a greater effort to wrest the red metal from the earth and Metcalf found that he lacked the capital to develop his copper mine. He sought out a backer who would put up the money which would place the mines in an operating condition. He found such a person in Silver City, where he turned to merchant Charles Lesinsky. Charles, along with his uncle Jules Freudenthal, had established a successful mercantile business in Silver City. The Silver City store was a branch operation of a business first started by Charles' brother Henry Lesinsky and Uncle Jules Freudenthal in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Henry, experienced in mining from a stint prospecting in Australia, persuaded Charles to join him in backing Metcalf's venture.

They organized the venture as the Longfellow Mining Company after the Longfellow mine. 6 The Lesinskys enlisted the help of Eugene Goulding, who also had a mercantile business in Silver City but was experienced in smelting. In Goulding constructed the first copper smelter in the Copper Mountain Mining District on Chase Creek, about two miles up from its confluence with the San Francisco River. Known as the stone House smelter, this crude facility utilized cow hide bellows to stoke the fire and reduced about one ton of rich copper ore per day into ingots totaling a few hundred pounds of refined copper. This first effort proved that it was possible to put the mines on a paying basis, and in a small camp began to grow at the junction of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River.

The miners selected the name of Clifton for the location, after the sheer cliffs which rose above the River. In Henry Lesinsky determined to move the smelter to Clifton in order to take advantage of water power available from the San Francisco River. By April of eight small Mexican style furnaces were completed, allowing four to be in operation while the other four were being repaired. Henry Lesinsky then imported an experienced furnace man from Baltimore and expended a considerable sum to construct a ten-ton reverberatory furnace. Completed in June of this massive undertaking burnt to a heap of bricks on its first run. Henry went back to the old style Mexican furnace. 7 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 6) This experience soured Bob Metcalf on the venture and in he sold his interest in the mine to the Lesinskys. Meanwhile, Henry continued to experiment with ways to make his furnaces last longer and produce more copper. By the summer of the Lesinskys were producing about pounds of copper per day. Then, in Luis Smadbeck arrived in Clifton and solved the smelter problem. Smadbeck discovered that copper itself was the best material to resist the heat of the smelting process and protect the smelter from melting. Smadbeck started with copper plates, kept cool on the outside by a spray of water. This method was soon replaced with copper water jackets which were cast in sections and bolted together.

With these refinements in place, by the Lesinskys were producing pounds of refined copper per day at the smelter. With a successful smelting process now established, Henry Lesinsky then ran into a problem with his fuel source. He had been using charcoal from mesquite trees on the surrounding mountains, and, when these were all cut, from the groves along the Gila River near Solomonville. When the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Arizona, Lesinsky had access to coke for a smelter fuel. The coke fuel made a tremendous difference and by production of copper reached pounds per day .8 The Longfellow Mining Company was not the only mining operation in the Clifton-Morenci area. In Captain E.D. Ward laid claim to a portion of Copper Mountain west of the Longfellow mine.

Ward linked up with William Church of Denver to form the Detroit Copper Company. In Church traveled to New York to raise funds for a smelter. He approached the mercantile firm of Phelps Dodge and Company, thus beginning the connection of Phelps Dodge to the Clifton-Morenci area. In Church moved the smelter to Morenci. 9 While Henry Lesinsky was experimenting with smelting processes at the confluence of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River, the small community of Clifton was growing. At first just a grouping of tents and shacks, in Henry Lesinsky constructed a large adobe building as his residence and as a base of operations. Known as "La Casa Grande," (The Big House in Spanish; see HASS No. AZ.-183) it was the most imposing building in the community.

Faced with the difficulty of finding willing and able workers for his mines and smelter, Henry Lesinsky relied on Mexican miners recruited to travel to the isolated Clifton area. These men were skilled with mining operations from experiences in Mexico, and familiar with adobe construction techniques. They built La Casa Grande as a formidable structure, one that could withstand an attack from Apache warriors if needed. Its thick walls offered protection from the elements as well. The building served as Henry Lesinsky's residence in Clifton and also as a store and community center. By about 200 men worked at the mines and smelter, paid an average wage of per day.

Their wages were paid in promissory notes "printed on stout red cloth, and payable entirely in merchandise at the Company's store in Clifton." 10 Another problem the Lesinsky brothers had to contend with was the ownership of the smelter site and the mining property. It turned out that the White Mountain Indian Reservation, created in included the lands where the miners had located the Copper Mountain Mining District. In a state of shock over this oversight, on December 10, Charles Lesinsky, the business arm of the operation, petitioned the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to have the eastern boundary of the Reservation moved west to Rio Bonito, removing the mines from Reservation lands.

After several months of consideration, in the summer of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs granted the request, thus legitimizing the mining and homestead claims in the area. 11 The homestead claims are important because the pattern of homesteaded land dictated the form of Clifton development. Charles Lesinsky took out a cash entry homestead on 160 acres of land at the confluence of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River. On these lands the "company" portion of Clifton developed, centered at the smelter and extending across the San Francisco River CLIFTON TOWNSITE HASS No. AZ-165 (Page 7) to East Clifton on property owned by Charles Lesinsky as part of the Longfellow Mining Company.

Juana Vaines, whom Henry Lesinsky had lured to Clifton as a laundress with the promise that the men would be allowed near her house on laundry business only, took a cash entry homestead to eighty acres just north of the smelter. This land, outside the company boundary, developed into North Clifton. Pablo Salcido, a placer gold miner, took a cash entry homestead below the Lesinsky property which developed into South Clifton. The land that would become Hill's Addition and Hill's New Addition to Clifton was 160 acres homesteaded by Gallus Metz, a Lesinsky associate from Silver City. The Chase Creek portion of Clifton was started as a cash entry patent of forty acres for the San Francisco Townsite.

On the company lands owned by the Lesinskys, the brothers controlled all buildings and businesses by leasing ground for building sites. Outside these company owned areas, residents and business owners were able to purchase property. The outcome of this land ownership pattern was that while Clifton was predominantly a company town at its center where development was controlled by the company, it was surrounded by private land where owners could build without restriction. 12 With the smelter problems solved, Henry Lesinsky then turned to resolving the transportation problem between the mines and the smelter. By December of he completed construction of a "baby gauge (twenty-inch) railroad from the mines to the smelter.

Twice a day the empty ore cars would begin a two hour trip from the smelter to the ore platform at the Longfellow mine, pulled by mules. The return trip with loaded cars took only a half hour. In Henry Lesinskyconverted the operation to steam power when he purchased a tiny railroad engine. Known as the Coronado Railroad, the line through Chase Creek solved a vexing transportation problem by streamlining the shipment of ore to the smelter. 13 By the health of Henry Lesinsky began to fail under the constant strain of developing his mining properties and he turned over operation of the enterprise to his brother Charles. Henry left for an extended trip to Europe. Charles struggled with the smelter for two more years, then received an offer for the property.

Although the Lesinsky and Freudenthal families had failed to make a substantial profit on the mining and smelting of copper, they had re-invested their money into the operation of the company and accumulated substantial holdings. On September 1, they accepted an offer from Kansas City entrepreneur Frank L Underwood to sell the Longfellow Mining Company for million. Underwood, in turn, sailed to England and Scotland to unload his new purchase. There the clever businessman sold the property on March 9, to a group of Scottish investors for $2 million, making a quick half-million dollar profit on the deal.14 Although the Lesinskys departed from the mining field in Clifton, they left an unusual legacy of ethnic diversity in Arizona mining camps.

The Lesinsky and Freudenthal families, Jews from Europe, successfully developed one of the nation's premier mining areas. Today, only La Casa Grande is a surviving building from this era. During the period from to over pounds of copper were produced at the Lesinsky's smelter in Clifton, a remarkable achievement given the technology of the times. 15 Chapter 3 The Arizona Copper Company and Clifton, The group of Scottish investors which purchased the Lesinsky property quickly organized the Arizona Copper Company and decided to embark on a three million dollar improvement plan to open the mines to greater wealth.

The plan consisted of building a narrow gauge railroad from Clifton to Lordsburg, erecting a new smelter in Clifton, and extending the rail network between the CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 {Page 8) mines and the smelter. Of these projects, the narrow gauge (36-inch) railroad from Clifton to the Southern Pacific main line at Lordsburg proved the most difficult. Construction started in January of It took nine months to complete the job. In the meantime, the Longfellow mine suffered a cave-in which shut down production. Combined with the tremendous expenses of the railroad construction, the fledgling Arizona Copper Company soon floundered under a sea of debt.

To forestall the loss, the company was reorganized on August 6, with an additional million in debt to complete the upgrade projects. By the end of the Arizona Copper Company had successfully completed the Arizona and New Mexico Railway, upgraded the mines and smelter, and established an efficient operation. For the next thirty-eight years, the fortunes of Clifton were intimately tied to the successes and failures of the Arizona Copper Company. The Arizona Copper Company represented a trend of foreign investment in the American West, providing a needed source of capital not found in the United States. 16 Beyond the railroad, improvements at the smelter were a key to profitability for the Arizona Copper Company.

By July of three Fraser and Chalmers furnaces with a capacity of sixty tons each were completed, with two forty-ton Pacific Iron Works smelters in reserve. Water power was utilized to turn the turbines which provided power to the blowers, crushers, and pumps. Benches for ore bins were carved into the mountain above the smelter, using gravity to direct the material to the furnaces below. By the end of the Arizona Copper Company. completed construction of a machine and repair shop building. 17 The expenditure of massive amounts of money to improve the facilities and the arrival of workers to complete the undertaking caused Clifton to develop into a bustling community.

In it consisted of five general stores, one drug store, a brewery, a soda factory, six restaurants, three bakeries, one hotel, two meat markets, two barber shops, an express office, and a post office, among others. That year Underwood & Co. erected a massive saloon measuring 160 by 30 feet, called a "modern palace" by a correspondent for the Arizona Citizen newspaper. Most of the business district was centered in East Clifton, with the smelter at the heart of the town across the San Francisco River. As early as North Clifton was subdivided into lots for residences, considered a good location for houses away from the business district and smelter.

This early settlement pattern, rooted in the original land acquisition history in the Lesinsky era, set the stage for later development in outlying areas. 18 Despite these improvements, the period from to has been characterized as a "continuous struggle for existence" for the Arizona Copper Company. It was faced with a decline in the percentage of copper available in the ore that was being mined. Until a way could be found to concentrate the ore prior to smelting, the Company had to smelt more and more ore for less and less copper. In James Colquhoun took over as general manager of the company. He persuaded the directors to construct a leaching plant that would concentrate the weaker porphyry ores then being mined.

Experimenting first with barrels of ore soaked in acid, Colquhoun soon demonstrated that a leaching process would work. Colquhoun then ordered the construction of a leaching plant that changed the fortunes of the Arizona Copper Company, and of copper mining as a whole. The leaching process allowed the exploitation of lower percentage porphyry ores on a large scale, ushering in a new era of profits for Arizona copper mines.19 Despite the difficulties of the Arizona Copper Company, Clifton continued to develop.

An informal survey in noted more than thirty-two businesses in the town, including seven saloons, one "tamale factory" and one "enchilada foundry." The population of Clifton was characterized as "a full corps of magnificent rounders, soiled doves, and fallen angels." The fledgling town of Clifton received a setback on February 23, when the San Francisco River flooded, leaving CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 9) considerable damage in its wake. This experience led to the establishment of the San Francisco Townsite in in the Chase Creek area of Clifton. Business owners wished to locate away from the river in an area away from the flood waters.

Abutting the San Francisco Townsite on the west, speculators laid out the West Clifton Townsite in By the success of the concentration process and increased copper prices led the Arizona Copper Company to contemplate improvements in Clifton. A fire at the smelter in accelerated the decision. The Arizona Copper Company responded by rebuilding the smelter and improving its operation. The company added a Bessemer plant to its smelter operation in and constructed a new power house to provide the additional power needed for the new equipment (see HABS No. AZ-175}. In 1898the company completed construction of its Library Hall (see HABS No. AZ-177}. In the Arizona Copper Company had 700 men on its payroll and the Detroit Copper Co. owned by Phelps Dodge had 600 men on its books.

21 The success of the Arizona Copper Company and the Detroit Copper Company encouraged others to enter the mining field in the Clifton Morenci area. The Shannon Copper Company was incorporated on November 13, It consisted of a group of mines that were located as early as by Charles and Baylor Shannon in the area where the town of Metcalf would develop. The mines had a twenty-five year history of sporadic production until they were purchased just prior to the turn of the century by Montana mining engineer William Boyce Thompson. Thompson quickly invested money in the Shannon operation, spurred by high copper prices at the time, and completed the Shannon Incline early in 1902to deliver ore to the Coronado Railroad.

The Shannon smelter, seven miles south of Clifton on Shannon Hill, began operations on May 5, After improving the smelter before the turn of the century, the Directors of the Arizona Copper Company turned their attention to transportation refinements after Key to this improvement was the conversion of the rail line to standard gauge track. The Arizona and New Mexico Railway (A&N M) got its start in as a narrow gauge railroad from Clifton to Lordsburg, New Mexico, where it connected with the Southern Pacific main line. It was formed from a merger of the Clifton and Lordsburg Railway Company of New Mexico and the Clifton and Southern Pacific Railway of Arizona.

The A&NM was incorporated on August 1, The Arizona Copper Company and the A&NM went through many tough times, but by the turn of the century both had emerged as profitable enterprises. In the A&NM converted to standard gauge track. This allowed the line to link up with the Southern Pacific at Lordsburg without a transfer between different sized railroad cars. It also allowed for the shipment of heavier loads in and out of Clifton. The parent company and the railway located the hub of their operations on Clifton's west side, along a ledge above the San Francisco River.

Here the Arizona Copper Company built houses for its managers and engineers, and the A&NM had its warehouse, depot, turntable, and private car barn for the Arizona Copper Company car "Arizona."23 The solid foundation of the mining industry in Clifton as evidenced by the profits and construction programs of the Arizona Copper Company, the Detroit Copper Company, and the Shannon Copper Company, led to an expansion of the town to the south at the turn of the century. The first of these southern additions was the prestigious Riverside Park addition to Clifton. This subdivision was surveyed and platted by Wythe and Lucia H.

Denby in Located around the bend in the San Francisco River from Clifton proper, the Riverside Park addition was desirable because it was located away from the dirt and noise associated with the smelter in central Clifton. By the Shannon Copper Company had located its hospital in the subdivision and several doctors and company officials made the area their home. 24 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 10) A second southerly subdivision was the brainchild of Clifton businessman Henry B. Hill. In Hill embarked on his most ambitious business venture yet. He had acquired the old homestead of Gallus Metz, patented in on lands east of the San Francisco River and south of Clifton proper. In late he contracted with surveyor E.R.

Stafford to subdivide a portion of the land and establish street and lot lines. Lots were 50 feet wide and 130 feet deep, with alleys to the rear. Hill called his subdivision "Henry Hill's Addition to Clifton" and recorded the plat map with the Graham County Recorder in Hill then acquired the old railroad bridge across the San Francisco River, sold by the Arizona and New Mexico Railway when it expanded its line to standard gauge, and converted it into a wagon bridge to his subdivision. 25 The advantage of Hill's Addition as a residential area was that it was flat, not hemmed in by bluffs like other residential areas in Clifton, and it was removed from the smelter smoke that plagued residents of central Clifton and Chase Creek.

Hill devoted considerable energy into making his subdivision an attractive place to live. He sunk a well to provide a clean water supply for the residents. When this proved inadequate, he laid a ten-inch water main down Railroad Avenue and across his wagon bridge to provide additional water. To demonstrate his belief in his enterprise, Hill constructed his own home on two lots in the subdivision as a type of model home (See HABS No. AZ-199). It was described at the time as "one of the finest and most comfortable homes in Arizona." 26 Hill's Addition quickly became a prime location for residential development in Clifton. Hill had the advantage of good timing, as the expansion of the railroad to standard gauge led to increased availability of building materials at reduced cost.

Hill's Addition became home to Clifton's small business owners and the middle-managers of the Arizona Copper Company's many enterprises. Over the next few years its lots blossomed with the homes of Clifton's more solid citizens. Hill encouraged its development by constructing homes on speculation for rentals and for resale, in addition to building homes for his two daughters Margaret and Rosie (see HABS No. AZ-198 and No. AZ-200). Others also purchased lots and built rental houses and houses for resale. 27 The success of Hill's Addition led Hill to subdivide a second portion of the old Metz Homestead in He contracted with surveyor Lamar Cobb to lay out a new subdivision on the other side of the railroad tracks from Hill's Addition.

Appropriately named "Hill's New Addition," this residential area featured lots 50 feet wide by 115 feet deep.28 By with twenty years of refinements and a second generation of smelter and transportation facilities constructed, the Arizona Copper Company seemed poised for a new era of profitability to usher in the new century. However, a wage dispute in June of put a temporary damper on the optimism. The strike began after the Arizona Territorial Legislature had mandated an eight-hour day law for underground miners, limiting the amount of time the men had to spend in the dark, cramped quarters. Since miners were paid on a daily rate, not by the hour, the mine owners proposed a pay cut in keeping with the reduced hours worked.

Many Mexican miners in Clifton and Morenci balked at this idea, and walked off the job on June 3, just three days after the eight- hour day law went into effect. The smelters and mines were shut down, leaving men idle. Arizona Governor Brodie dispatched the Arizona Rangers to the strike scene, but a flood in Chase Creek on June 9 disrupted the strike activities and perhaps averted violence. Martial law was declared on June 12 and soon after Federal troops arrived to maintain order. By this time, however, the miners agreed to return to work under the direction of a court order.

29 The division between the miners, most of whom were of Mexican ancestry, and the mine managers and businessmen in Clifton, most of which were Scotch, Irish, Anglo, or Italian, was further widened CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 11) in when the New York Foundling Hospital arranged to send a large group of orphans to Clifton for adoption. The idea behind the program was to remove the children from orphanages in New York and place them out with families in the South and West so they could make a new start. A Catholic priest in Clifton, hearing of the program, announced it to his congregation and soon had many requests for adoptions which he forwarded to New York.

When the orphans arrived on October 1, it turned out that all of the children were of Anglo-Saxon backgrounds and that all of the prospective foster parents were of Mexican descent. After several children were sent home with the Mexican families, a furor erupted in Clifton. A posse was organized to "rescue" the foundlings from the Mexican homes. Many of these children were then "adopted" by non-Hispanic parents who simply took them home, setting up an extended legal battle between the "new" foster parents and the New York Foundling Hospital which now wanted the children to return to New York. The case reached the Arizona Supreme Court, which ruled that the "new" Clifton foster parents could keep the children Foundling Hospital v.

Gatti, 9 Ariz 105 The case is revealing in that it re-enforced many of the ethnic stereotypes of the day, finding the Mexican parents "unfir to raise the children. 30 With the strike settled, the Arizona Copper Company turned its attention to improving some of its other facilities in Clifton. The Arizona Copper Company announced in February of that it would construct a new office building (see HASS No. AZ-178), stating that it would be "a two-story ornament for the town." The Company broke ground during the first week of April in and soon began the work of laying the foundation. Arizona Copper Company construction superintendent Emil Schumann designed the building and directed the construction effort. On Monday, June 5, the Company held an elaborate cornerstone ceremony for the building.

A.C. President and General Manager James Colquhoun wielded the trowel and laid the stone. Officials placed copies of newspapers and a short history of the Arizona Copper Company behind the stone. 31 The Shannon Copper Company improved its facilities the following year by constructing a store building in South Clifton (see HASS No. AZ-178). In July of the Shannon Copper Company had purchased the stock of the Becker-Franz Store in South Clifton (see HASS No. AZ-171) in order to give its employees a location where they could purchase goods on credit and have the charge deducted from their paychecks. This was a common practice in company towns, and although the company store often gouged workers on price it did carry a tab for the employees when they needed it.

In April of the Shannon Copper Company decided to open its own store in South Clifton. Contractor Harry Westlake constructed the building. The building was finished by the fall of and offered a wide selection of goods for Shannon Copper Company employees. 32 The belief of Clifton residents in the future of their town was sorely tested between and when a series of floods struck the San Francisco River. On January 10, and November 27, high water flowed down the river and inundated property. Bad as these floods were, they were no match for the flood of December 3, when heavy flood waters washed down the river. Many residential buildings in North Clifton were damaged, as were business buildings in East Clifton.

Still, in the aftermath of the flood, Clifton residents and business owners rebuilt. New buildings constructed after the flood included the Becker-Franz Store (HASS No. AZ-171 }, the Clifton Water and Improvement Company building (HASS No. AZ-184), the Clifton Tailor Shop (HASS No. AZ-185), and the Pascoe Undertaking Parlor (HASS No. AZ-187). 33 With the local business community improving their property and the copper companies setting the tone for imposing edifices, Clifton residents began to think about creating a municipal government for the town. The first glimmer of an idea for the incorporation of the Town of Clifton began in CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 12) December of Clifton boosters complained about the sanitary conditions of the town and argued that incorporation would provide a means to solve the problem. Clifton after the turn of the century was a rapidly growing community. Profits for the Arizona Copper Company were up, a standard gauge rail line had just been completed to the town, and many new residents placed a burden on the limited infrastructure of the community. By April of town boosters began to circulate a petition for presentation to the Graham County Board of Supervisors to ask for incorporation of the town. In May of the County Board of Supervisors considered the idea but rejected it.

Strong opposition from the Arizona Copper Company which feared additional taxation associated with corporate status for the town caused the defeat. 34 Undaunted but somewhat taken aback, incorporation boosters waited five years before trying again. In April of citizens once again began to discuss incorporation for Clifton. This time they marshalled their support a bit more carefully and by February of had persuaded the Graham County Board of Supervisors to set an election date for March 20, to vote the incorporation question up or down. Boosters argued that incorporation would result in better representation for the residents of Clifton. Taxes and revenues would be collected and expended in the town limits, instead of being used by the county for areas outside Clifton.

A second argument concerned the creation of Greenlee County, which Clifton residents were also lobbying for. An unincorporated town could not be selected as the county seat for the new county. Incorporation would allow Clifton to be selected as the county seat for Greenlee County. On March 20, 131 Clifton residents cast ballots. Of these, ninety supported incorporation while forty opposed it (one ballot was thrown out). The county then set an election for town officers on June 5. On that date George Fraser beat Archie Morrison for Mayor of Clifton. Council members elected were Dunn, G. A. Franz, C.O.

Billingsly, and Henry Hill.35 Greenlee County was created by an act of the Arizona Territorial Legislature on March 10, The county began operations on January 1, with officers appointed by Governor Joseph H. Kibbey. Construction began the same day on the Greenlee County Courthouse on lands donated by Henry Hill in Hill's New Addition to Clifton. County officers moved into the building in September of In the midst of all the excitement about new levels of government in Clifton (including the State of Arizona created on February 14, the directors of the Arizona Copper Company started to lay some plans of their own. In June of a group of directors from Scotland toured Clifton seeking a new location for the smelter.

They expressed a desire to locate about three miles south of Clifton on the San Francisco River. Many in town attributed the move to the desire of company officials to avoid town taxes. The Arizona Copper Company broke ground in December of on a new smelter site, employing 150 men. By June of more than 400 men were employed on the project, making the construction site look like a "good sized town." A year later, construction officials announced that the new smelter would be completed in August of The new smelter was "blown in" (started for the first time) on August 22, The old smelter at the confluence of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River continued in use until 4 am on New Years Day, when it was demolished with a dynamite blast.

Workers had been occupied for the past several months excavating and re-smelting the earth at the old smelter, digging a hole 500 feet long and 100 feet wide to a depth of five feet. This material averaged up to 30 percent copper. 37 In conjunction with its improvement campaign, in October of the Arizona Copper Company announced that it would build a new passenger depot and a new freight depot for the Arizona and New Mexico Railwayon Clifton's west side (see HABS No. AZ-180). By May of the Company had completed the freight depot and started work on the passenger depot. El Paso contractors CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 13) Mayfield and Shaw completed the foundation in June and soon began placing bricks.

In September, workers connected the new freight and passenger depots with the boiler room of the ice plant with a pipeline that provided steam heat for both buildings. Mayfield and Shaw estimated that the passenger depot would be completed by the first week of October. They were not far off. On October 17 a group of Arizona Copper Company Directors arrived for the opening ceremony of the depot. On October 21, the directors officially opened the depot, giving Clifton a certain "metropolitan air" and ushering a new era in transportation. 38 The construction of new residences for Arizona Copper Company officials was closely tied to the construction of the passenger depot and freight depot for the Arizona and New Mexico Railway.

In October of the Arizona Copper Company announced that it would construct new passenger and freight depots for its railroad subsidiary on the west side of the San Francisco River. Ttie site selected for the depots was occupied by the residences of company officials. In conjunction with its expansion program, the directors of the Arizona Copper Company decided to build new residences on the east side of the river. By February of workers were removing the old shacks and the baseball diamond that stood on the east side location. By June of crews were building a slag wall for protection of the property from flood waters. The area behind the slag wall was filled with sand to bring the area level and create an embankment for flood protection.

39 The contractors for the General Manager's House were Mayfield and Shaw of El Paso, the same contractors who constructed the railroad depots. Charles Jones was the superintendent of construction. A reporter for the Copper Era noted that the new residence would be "of palatial proportions," easily the largest home in Clifton. Measuring 86 by 74 feet, it consisted of twenty rooms of which six were bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom. Each bedroom had its own name and four bedrooms had private verandas. Floors were constructed of quarter-sawn oak and maple. The building included a concrete basement seven feet deep. The exterior was covered with "pebble dash" stucco and the interior plastered.

The building also featured "commodious porches and hallways." Other features included two entrance halls, two staircases, a living room, a formal dining room, a library, an activity room, two pantries, and a powder room. To get an idea of the scope of the undertaking, building permits issued by the Town of Clifton indicate that the Arizona Copper Company spent constructing the AZ&NM passenger depot and constructing the General Manager's House. In a interview, Thomas Sidebotham, who worked on the construction crew, recalled that the Arizona Copper Company erected a bridge across the San Francisco River just to get construction materials to the house.

Sidebotham offered an explanation for the luxurious nature of the residence by noting that the company poured money into its construction as a means to avoid taxation by the British government. Funds that were not re- invested in the company would be subject to taxes.40 Following construction of the General Manager's House, the Arizona Copper Company constructed residences for its store manager E.M. Williams and its store purchasing agent (cashier) Cooper in It constructed a residence for its chief engineer Spencer Bishop in (see HABS No. AZ-194). These four residences comprised the core of the Arizona Copper Company colony in Clifton.41 The success of the Arizona Copper Company as evidenced by its ambitious building campaign was a result of high copper prices generated by World War I.

The demand for the red metal to be used in armaments for the European War caused prices to rise and Arizona copper companies took advantage of the situation. However, many of the miners felt that the companies were not passing the profits along to the workers. On September 11, union organizers declared a strike against the Detroit Copper Company, followed the next day by a strike against the Arizona Copper CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 14) Company and the Shannon Copper Company. By the end of the week miners were out on strike. In contrast to the strike, the action was extended. It continued through the summer months and into the fall. However, like the strike, it was also ended after a massive flood demoralized the work force.

A flood struck Clifton on January 19, and heavily damaged the town. Two weeks later, the strike was over. This strike is generally thought of as ushering in the "modern" era of labor-management relations in Arizona, a successful action on the part of the workers to bring some control to their environment. 42 The January flood brought another round of construction in its wake, this time by the Town of Clifton. On June 12, the Clifton Town Council appointed a committee of three members to meet with Arizona Copper Company President Norman Carmichael to discuss replacing two bridges over the San Francisco River: the North Clifton Bridge between East Clifton and the West side (see HABS No. AZ-179) and the South Clifton Bridge connecting South Clifton with Hill's Addition.

Within a month, the committee returned with a proposed improvement program for Clifton, including two bridges, a sewer system, and a town hall. During a meeting held the night of September 14, the Town Council voted to adopt an improvement plan which included two bridges. Council members directed Town Engineer A.J. Kerr to begin work on drafting the plans. On December 11, Council members set January 15, as the date of a bond election for the improvement program in the wake of the flood damage. Included in the plan were the two bridges, river walls, and road and highway improvements.43 On January 15, 173 of the 300 taxpayers in the Town of Clifton turned out to vote on the bond proposal. It carried by a vote of 158 in favor and fifteen against.

In February, the Town Council approved Engineer Kerr's plans for the two bridges and set March 15 as the date when bids would be opened for the bond sale. On March 15, the Council ordered the bonds sold to the First National Bank of Clifton, the highest bidder. At the next meeting of the Council, members authorized advertising for construction bids for the bridges to be due on May 4, While waiting for the bids to come in, the Town Council continued consultation with the Arizona Copper Company over the bridge project. The Council opened the seven bids received on May 4, and submitted them to Town Engineer Kerr for evaluation and report. On May 7, Kerr recommended that the Council award the job for the "East Side" bridge to Midland Bridge Co.

of Kansas City and that the bids for the Hill's Addition bridge be rejected because they were too high. The Council concurred in the recommendation and awarded the contract to Midland for the figure of plus for approaches and sidewalks. Midland officials reported they would begin work in July and estimated it would take nine months to complete the job.45 Problems with the approach to the new bridge and moving the old bridge delayed the start of construction. In May of after a stormy session of the Council, members authorized the purchase of the 0.A. Risdon photography studio to move it out of the way of the bridge approach. This was an additional expense. In July, the Council advertised for bids to move the old bridge one and one-half miles north of its location in town.

This job was awarded to Midland. Construction then started in October of and was complete by February of The bridge opened to traffic on February After the bridge itself was completed, Town Engineer Kerr was authorized to complete the work on the approaches by force account using hired labor. This final bit of work was completed in April. On May 6, the Town Council authorized the final payment to Midland on the North Clifton Bridge. 47 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 15) The bridge project encouraged Clifton Town officials to tackle another needed improvement. The Town Council decided to ask voters to authorize the use of unexpended bond money left over from the bridge construction bond issue (see HABS No. AZ-179) to construct a town hall.

On December 20, the Council issued a notice of election to be held in January. Voters defeated this quick fix by a margin of 146 against and 122 in favor. 48 Town officials received a political lesson in their defeat and soon returned with a proposal that demonstrated they had learned it well. On February 10, the Town Council authorized a bond election to be held on March 29. This time officials asked the voters for $179,000for four proposals: a bridge at Chase Creek and the Metcalf Road, for bridge removal and east side improvements, $15,000for a town hall and fire house, and $150,000for a new sewer system.

By linking the town hall to a series of desired improvements, town officials hoped that the voters would support the entire package even if they objected to a single part of it such as the town hall. Because the election involved a bond issue, only taxpayers could vote. The strategy paid off, although the results were close: 105 votes in favor and 101 votes opposed. Clifton would have a town hall and fire station.49 The next step for the Council was to advertise for bids on the sale of the bonds and to select an architect for the building. The Council set July 1 as the due date for purchase proposals for the bonds and advertised for an architect to design the building. On June 12, the Town Council selected Clifton architect Duncan McNeil to design the building.

McNeil won the award over the El Paso architecture firm of Trost and Trost, although both firms had the same fee. On July 1 the Council accepted the bid of Chicago bonding company Powell, Garard & Company for the sale of the bonds. The Council also selected a location on the east side for the Town Hall at the same meeting. 50 On August 22, the Council formally accepted the plans and specifications drafted by McNeil and also accepted the offer of a lot by the Arizona Copper Company. The Council also authorized an advertisement for construction bids on the project based on McNeil's plans. The construction bids were opened on September 22 and referred to Town Engineer A.J. Kerr and architect McNeil for checking. Careful checking was needed since only one bid had been delivered.

One week later, on September 29, the Council accepted the bid of Clifton contractor Black in the amount of to construct the Town Hall. 51 Included in the bond issue was a clearance project for the east side across Park Avenue (formerly Conglomerate Avenue) from the Town Hall location. By the end of August in crews began to demolish and remove the remnants of Clifton's old "Chinatown" and saloon district along the banks of the San Francisco River. Many of these buildings had been vacant since the advent of prohibition in and had been badly damaged by the flood of January Buildings which had once housed such diversions as the Tip Top, The Blue Goose, El Moro, and Richilieu saloons, and the Morenci Kid Restaurant, were removed to make way for automobile parking and a riverside park.

52 Across the street at the new Town Hall location, a large number of men and teams were busy removing the old adobe restaurant building which stood on the site and excavating for the new Town Hall. Excavations reached their height by the middle of October in and contractor Black estimated that he would have the job completed in two months. Contractor Black's estimate proved to be off by about four months, but by December of construction had reached a point where the local newspaper trumpeted that Clifton was indeed the metropolis of Greenlee County. The new Town Hall would be modern and up-to-date, with offices for all town officials, a town council chamber, a municipal court, a fire house, and a jail. When Black finally finished the building CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 16) in April of the Copper Era reported that the "Clifton Town Hall is the finest in the State." In May, as a finishing touch, the Town Council accepted the donation of a flag for the Town Hall from the Clifton Woman's Club. 53 Following the Armistice which ended World War I, tough times descended on Clifton. Reduced copper prices and stockpiled bullion left from the years of high production meant reduced demand for the red metal. The first indication of the seriousness of the situation was in December of when the Shannon Copper Company announced it would have a close out sale of its company store stock. This announcement was followed by the expected. In January of officials of the Shannon Copper Company ceased operations, throwing 500 men out of work.

Although the work shut down was supposed to last for only thirty days, it turned out to be permanent. In May of officials from Phelps Dodge toured the district and announced that they were "losing money every day, and had been since the Armistice was signed." On October 9, the Arizona Copper Company acquired the Shannon Copper Company holdings at Clifton and MetcaH. 54 Phelps Dodge ceased mining operations in September of although several hundred men were carried on doing development work until April of In that month all work ceased. Special trains carried mine workers back to Mexico. In May, the Arizona Copper Company joined the shut down.

Arizona Copper Company General Manager Norman Carmichael announced that the company would cease operations on June 1, The shut down would be complete, including the mines and smelter. The power plant would continue to run, but only watchmen would be employed. The Arizona Copper Company closure threw 150 men out of work at Clifton and another 800 at Morenci.55 In July Arizona Copper Company General Manager Norman Carmichael left for Edinburgh to confer with the directors. This action started the rumor mill humming that a sale of the Arizona Copper Company might be in the works. By the end of July, Carmichael was in New York conferring with officials of Phelps Dodge. During the first week of August, Phelps Dodge officials arrived in Clifton for a tour of Arizona Copper Company facilities.

At a meeting of the shareholders of the Arizona Copper Company held in Edinburgh on October 3, the shareholders voted to accept an offer from Phelps Dodge to purchase the company. The transaction would take place on December 31, with Phelps Dodge assuming control of the old Arizona Copper Company operations on January 1, Phelps Dodge, in turn, sold the Arizona and New Mexico Railway to the El Paso and Southwestern, the change also taking effect on midnight of December 31.

The Arizona Copper Company bid fare well to its employees with a notice in the Copper Era newspaper, rendered into Spanish as "Arizona Copper Company, Dice Adios a Sus Empleados."56 Chapter 4 Tourism and the Decline of Hard Rock Mining, During World War I Phelps Dodge had reorganized its corporate structure, changing the name of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Co. at Bisbee and Douglas into the Phelps Dodge Corporation in The properties of the Detroit Copper Company at Morenci were then transferred to the new corporation and designated the "Morenci branch" of the Phelps Dodge Corporation. After the purchase of the Arizona Copper Company holdings in its properties became part of the Morenci branch of Phelps Dodge.

Despite these changes, the "Morenci branch" of Phelps Dodge operations in Arizona was still a pale sister to its main activities at Bisbee and Douglas. Mining resumed in Clifton in the spring of but the concentrates were shipped to the Phelps Dodge smelter at Douglas. 57 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 17) The difficulties Phelps Dodge faced in the Clifton-Morenci district were the same as those previously faced by the Shannon Copper Co. and the Arizona Copper Company. The mines had been worked for a period of nearly fifty years and Copper Mountain was honeycombed with a maze of shafts tunnelling into small, detached masses of ore. An intricate system of transportation was required to deliver the ore from deep in the depths of the mines to the smelter south of Clifton.

Hard rock mining in the Clifton-Morenci district was simply a difficult proposition, and particularly so as the price of copper remained low in the early years of the Phelps Dodge had indeed acquired a tremendous mining property, but one that proved very expensive to operate.58 A second factor which made hard rock mining difficult was the continuing reduction in the amount of copper contained in the ore. After nearly fifty years of mining, the concentrations of high quality rock had been removed, leaving only material with a small percentage of copper. A way had to be found to make mining this low percentage ore profitable. Until it could, miners had to be content with tunneling deeper into the mountain to find pockets of ore that had been overlooked in the past.

The hard rock mines of Clifton and Morenci had reached a point of diminishing returns. The closure of the mines and smelter hit Clifton hard. In April of rumors began circulating that thieves were looting fixtures from vacant houses in Hill's Addition, particularly bathroom fixtures. Although the sheriff investigated and found the rumors to be false, the incident revealed the depressed conditions of the town. Nearly a year later, in February of the First National Bank of Clifton failed to open its doors. In the face of declining deposits, the bank could no longer meet its obligation to lenders. It never re-opened. 59 In March of Clifton residents received the first good news in many months when Morenci branch manager Hodgson announced that the Clifton smelter might begin operations again.

Because the Arizona Copper Company smelter south of Clifton was relatively new, Phelps Dodge closed its old Detroit Copper Company smelter at Morenci and shipped all ore to the Clifton smelter. The smelter started on May 1, after a two-week warm-up. It produced just pounds of copper in its first run. Phelps Dodge employed a small force of 120 men to run the smelter at a reduced level.60 It soon became clear to Clifton residents that they would have to find a way to bring money into the town by diversifying its economic base. The first idea which surfaced was to exploit the old hot springs in the banks of the San Francisco River as a tourist attraction. In June of town boosters sent samples of the water to chemist Smoot of the Copper Queen Smelter in Bisbee.

Another set of samples was sent to Los Angeles. Mayor Peter Riley received the reports that the water "was good for what ails you" with enthusiasm. In August of Mayor Riley persuaded the Town Council to authorize Town Engineer A.J. Kerr to sink a shaft at the hot springs location near the railroad depot.61 In September of town officials learned that the Methodist Church was seeking locations for constructing a tubercular sanitarium. Town boosters invited the Methodist officials to visit. After A.J. Kerr resigned to become Greenlee County Engineer, the Town Council contracted with Tom Carlyon to sink a shaft at the hot springs.

By October he had sunk the shaft to twenty feet but reported that the main flow had not yet been struck.62 Over the next few months Clifton boosters waged a campaign to lure the Methodists to Clifton while at the same time they continued to develop the hot springs. Mayor Riley reported that Clifton had the backing of the Arizona State Methodists for the selection of Clifton as a hospital site in November of By March of the Town Council enlisted the help of Phelps Dodge to CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 18) develop the springs. The copper company authorized Smith of its staff to install an electric pump at the springs. By April a flow of gallons per day had been developed. A committee of Methodists headed by the Reverend C. C.

Jarrel visited Clifton at the end of April and reported that they preferred the hot springs as a site for their hospital. By September the flow at the springs had increased to over 100,000gallons per day. Observers noted that there was too much to use and further work was curtailed. The town received another blow when the Methodists abandoned Clifton as a site for the hospital. 63 With the departure of the Methodists from the field, Clifton boosters looked for others to take on the hot springs project. In October of they persuaded Albert J. Smith of Phoenix to take a sixty- day option on the hot springs property. Smith began to promote the project in Phoenix and Douglas. He lobbied Phelps Dodge officials for the purchase of the old A.C. manager's residence on the east side (see HASS No.

AZ-194) as a site for the hot springs. Smith's proposed venture failed to materialize. 64 With the hot springs momentum at a standstill, Clifton boosters turned to other community improvements. Members of the Clifton American Legion Post organized the Clifton Swimming Pool Company on September 24, The Arizona Corporation Commission granted the company a charter in January of and the members began to make plans for a community swimming pool on the east side near the auto camping grounds. Plans for a swimming pool in Clifton were not new; as early as residents called for a swimming pool near the east side hot springs. This time, however, boosters struck on the novel idea of selling shares in the corporation as a way of raising money. Shares sold for each.

The plan may have been a bit too ambitious for Clifton at the time as the economy was still in a depressed state.65 Two years passed without success in raising funds for the swimming pool. In February of the American Legion members approached the Town Council for help with the swimming pool project. On February 7, the Town Council appointed a committee to investigate the situation. The committee reported back on February 25 that the project was feasible and that Phelps Dodge had agreed to pay part of the cost. The Council then authorized construction of the pool. The pool would be constructed on the east side, across the San Francisco River from the famous hot springs.

The plans called for the installation of baths in conjunction with the pool which would take advantage of the medicinal and curative powers of the hot springs waters located on the east side. Town officials estimated the pool would cost City officials wasted little time in starting the project. Excavation for the pool began March 15, under the direction of foreman O.J. Cotey. Town Engineer A.J. Kerr (back from a stint with the County) directed the project. Phelps Dodge and the Clifton Lumber Company donated the materials. To alleviate unemployment conditions, the town used day labor on the job. Hot water pumped from springs would heat the pool. The work was delayed several times by rain, but by the end of April Kerr reported that the pool would be ready on June 1.

The pool opened at 5 on that day. Dedication ceremonies were brief since everyone wanted to get in the pool. The pool measured 11 O by 45 feet, with a capacity of gallons which consisted of a mix of hot well water and cool city water. 67 Clifton boosters realized that simply constructing desirable facilities was not enough to lure tourists to the isolated smelter town. They needed to advertise Clifton's amenities and they needed to improve transportation to the town. In September of the Greenlee County Board of Supervisors authorized the printing of a brochure that would emphasize the natural resources and cultural attractions of Greenlee County, including Clifton. The county contracted with Tillman Stout CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 19) Rush of Phoenix, partner with his brother in the firm of Rush & Rush, public relations specialists. The brothers published the booklet titled "Greenlee County: The Wonderland of Arizona" before the end of the year. 68 Publicity was only one half of the tourism program. The second aspect was to improve road transportation to the isolated community. Although Clifton had good rail connections, it lacked a through highway. The road along the Gila River from Duncan reached a dead end at Morenci.

A travel writer noted in "Situated next to the Mexican border, on the edge of one of the wildest mountain districts in the state and 75 miles north from the Southern Pacific railroad, it would be hard to find a better place to hide a town." Clifton boosters seized on the idea of pushing a road north through the White Mountains to Springerville to end this isolation. Tourists could then travel north from Clifton via St. Johns to Holbrook and Route 66. The idea was to create a scenic loop for travelers that would take them directly through Clifton. 69 The vision of constructing a through highway at Clifton dated back to when Delbert M. Potter lobbied for placing the route of the "Ocean to Ocean" highway through Clifton.

Potter failed in this effort, but he did plant the seed of an idea that would germinate later. In September of the USDA Forest Service announced plans to construct a road north from Clifton through the Crook (later Apache-Sitgreaves) National Forest to Springerville. Funds were allocated by the Secretary of Agriculture for the road in and the road surveyed, but due to World War I the job was cancelled. In with a push from Greenlee County, Clifton boosters, and the Forest Service, construction began. The road was completed in late since work was often delayed by weather and funding shortages. 70 Because heavy snow in the area closed the road in winter, Clifton boosters scheduled a grand opening ceremony for June 19, at Hannigan's Meadow.

While awaiting the ceremony, the Greenlee County Commercial Club sponsored a contest to determine a name for the route, then known as the "Clifton-Springerville Road." The boosters selected the "Coronado Trail" as the new name, building on the historical legend that the Spanish explorer Coronado travelled the route in his quest for riches. The opening day celebration was quite an event, attended by guests including Arizona Governor George Hunt and Apache leader Al Cha Say. The celebrants dined on six steers and two bears which were barbecued for the occasion. 71 Although the Coronado Trail provided a Federal highway through Clifton, town boosters still needed reasons for travelers to stop and spend some time in the town.

In March of they decided to clean out and repair the old jail in Clifton, which had been carved into a cliff on the west side of town. The jail was excavated in by Margarito Varela who tunneled into the cliff with pick, drill, and blasting powder. The story goes that Varela, upon receiving payment for his jail construction contract, then spent much of it celebrating his good fortune in the local saloon and making such a disturbance that he was arrested - and was thus the jail's first occupant. The jail had been abandoned after the flood which filled the cave with debris. A crew under the direction of City Engineer A.J. Kerr began cleaning out the cave at the end of March and by the first week of April in reported considerable progress.

The young men of Clifton detailed to the project, many of whom had come of age in the era of prohibition, expressed surprise at the large number of whisky bottles found during the clean up project. Former constable and saloon keeper Bill Hamilton told the young men that in the old days, water was not as popular as it is today. When the miners had a rye thirst, it had to be satisfied with rye whiskey - just as a bourbon thirst had to be satisfied with bourbon. The compatriots of the jailed miners would oblige them by smuggling in the appropriate liquid. The jail project was completed by the end of April and with such a colorful history proved a popular destination for Clifton tourists. 72 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 20) The success of the swimming pool project, the Coronado Trail, and the jail restoration encouraged town officials to begin boosting the local hot springs once again. On May 2, the Town Council authorized advertising in medical journals for doctors who might be interested in developing the hot springs. Dr. O.J. Bundy of Marlin Wells, Texas, began corresponding with Mayor Peter Riley regarding the hot springs. In August of the Clifton Commercial Club, a local booster group, held a meeting at the YMCA building (La Casa Grande - see HABS AZ.-183) about developing baths at the hot springs. Mayor Riley reported that Dr. Bundy was planning a visit in October.

73 Bundy, an assistant at the Buie Clinic hot springs in Marlin Wells, Texas, did not arrive until December but when he did he declared that Clifton was the "ideal location for a health resort." Dr. Bundy offered the residents of Clifton a proposition. He was willing to invest five or six thousand dollars of his own money and move to Clifton without benefit of a salary guarantee if the residents of Clifton would raise funds for the erection of a bath house. The Clifton Commercial Club took Bundy up on his offer and established a committee to raise funds for the project.74 The committee worked quickly. By January of they had contacted El Paso architect Guy L. Frasier who prepared a set of plans for the bath house.

It called for twelve baths (six each for men and women), cooling rooms, sweat rooms, and massage rooms. Frasier estimated a brick building with a stucco finish would cost The Clifton Commercial. Club committee then began circulating petitions for a town contribution to the project. Members felt that the town could sponsor a bond issue to raise the money. For his part, Dr. Bundy estimated that people would visit Clifton each year to take the baths. The Town Council considered the bond proposition at a meeting on February 11, but members were cool to the idea. They suggested that the committee find other ways of financing the project. 75 The Clifton Commercial Club took this setback in stride and scheduled a mass meeting in the first week of March of to plan their next move.

The members had the advantage of working from the same script that the American Legion members had used to spur construction of the swimming pool. At the mass meeting the boosters decided to organize a corporation and sell shares to raise money for the project. By this time, the economy of Clifton had improved and the boosters had little trouble raising funds. At the meeting, town residents pledged toward the project. The committee estimated that they would need to raise $16,000for the project and decided to capitalize their corporation at Shares would be sold in increments.76 Although this seemed like a good beginning to the project, boosters were overwhelmed by the response to the idea. At a second mass meeting held on March 13, over in shares was subscribed.

Phelps Dodge led the way by purchasing 100 of the shares and offered a twenty-five year lease on a building site for per year. The boosters selected the name of Clifton Mineral Hot Springs, Inc. as the name for their corporation and increased its capitalization to By the end of March the directors of the corporation had sent their incorporation papers to Phoenix for filing and selected a site for the building between the swimming pool and the park. Architect Frasier arrived from El Paso to inspect the site. With over $14,000collected by the middle of April from nearly 200 town residents, Frasier began to draft the construction drawings. In a surprise move, Dr.

Bundy then informed the directors that he could not wait any longer and had taken an offer to direct a hot springs at Silverton, Texas.n The directors paid little heed to the absence of Dr. Bundy and approved the construction plans by mid-April. The Town of Clifton contributed to the project by furnishing transportation for hauling material to the site and agreeing to load and unload the truckloads of brick, rock, and gravel needed CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 21) for construction. The directors went out to bid in May and in the first week of June awarded the construction contract to Clifton contractor 0. J. Cotey. Cotey submitted the low bid of 78 Contractor 0. J.

Cotey broke ground for the project on June 18, The directors of the Clifton Mineral Hot Springs then contacted Arizona Congressman Lewis Douglas and invited him to set the cornerstone on the building. The directors scheduled the date of the ceremony for Saturday, August 11. On that day Congressman Douglas placed a copper box in a niche constructed in the building. The box, welded air-tight, contained a copy of the Copper Era newspaper, three copies of the Arizona Republican newspaper, a list of officials of the Clifton Mineral Hot Springs corporation, and a list of city and county officials. The box was placed in the brick wall and covered with a special copper plate designed by engineer A.J. Kerr and made in Clifton by employees of Phelps Dodge.

The plate weighed eighteen pounds and carried the inscription "Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Congressman Douglas laid the cornerstone at 7 before a large audience. 79 It took some time for Cotey to complete the construction of the building, as he ran into problems with his bonding company. Construction stopped in October until the two sides could reach agreement, but soon resumed. In the meantime, the directors contracted with Dr. K. Bygness of Rogers Park, Illinois to take charge of the bath house as resident manager. Dr. Bygness arrived in Clifton on November 1, and prepared the specifications for the purchase of equipment in the building. On December 13, the directors accepted the completed building from contractor Cotey and awaited the arrival of the equipment so it could be installed.

The directors also contracted with Madge McCabe of Denver, Colorado, to fill the position of nurse and attendant for the women's section of the bath house. 80 The formal opening of the bath house took place on Sunday, January 6, at 2 Norris of Prescott, President of the Arizona Bar Association, delivered the opening address. Over 200 people attended the ceremony. Norris and other speakers stated that the bath house was one of the finest in the West and "complete in every detail." Price of a mineral bath was and a bath with a massage cost 81 Despite the considerable enthusiasm of Clifton residents and shareholders in the bath house, it soon became apparent that the building suffered from a lack of customers.

In February of Clifton Mayor Peter Riley and Greenlee County Chamber of Commerce Director F. S. Doucette prepared a display model of the building to take to Arizona cities and towns in an attempt to drum up business. Although the display caused a "mild sensation" in Phoenix as several hundred people crowded around the miniature bath house on display at the Adams Hotel, those crowds did not travel to Clifton for the baths. The depression of the further curtailed business. By May of when Mayor Riley was elected President of the Clifton Mineral Hot Springs corporation, the building was operating at a loss. It closed a year later. The building was reopened briefly in but it never lived up to its expectations as a means to draw visitors to Clifton.

Two doctors operated a clinic in the building until Despite the strenuous efforts of its citizens to diversify their economy, Clifton remained a copper town. Although mining and smelting had resumed in production remained low. By only tons of ore were being mined each day and even this material was described as "second class ore." In order to get at a higher quality ore, between and Phelps Dodge had to remove the lower grade ores through "block caving" techniques in order to get at the veins of copper that ran through the poorer quality ore. By this aggressive mining technique had cleaned out nearly all of the recoverable ore in the mines at Copper Mountain. Phelps Dodge needed a drastic change in operations. 83 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 22) Copper Mountain still contained vast amounts of copper, but the metal was found in such low concentrations that it could not be mined at a profit. Much of this material was located in the Clay Lode claim, first patented by the Lesinsky brothers in Over the years the Clay Lode had been stripped and cross-cut to expose veins of higher percentage ores within it, but left a large amount of low quality ore. Explorations by the Arizona Copper Company between and had located twelve million tons of "third grade" ore averaging per cent copper. Similar explorations by the Detroit Copper Company identified twenty six million tons of this same clay ore body which averaged per cent copper.

84 With its operations at a near standstill because of a lack of quality ore, Phelps Dodge took on an exploration program of its own. Between and it carried out the excavation a series of tunnels and diamond drilling holes to find the limits of the clay ore body Phelps Dodge had acquired with the Arizona Copper Company holdings. This program determined that the clay ore body contained over 230 million tons of ore, making it the largest body of ore in the United States when combined with other ore bodies in the Copper Mountain District. Despite its large size, the ore averaged only per cent copper. This low quality ore could still be mined at a profit, but Phelps Dodge had to find a way to get the ore removed and concentrate it sufficiently for smelting.

85 The engineers for Phelps Dodge had to decide how to mine the ore, and, once it was removed, how to treat it. On October 6, the corporation's Mining Committee decided to use the open pit mining method to remove the ore. This was not a decision to undertake lightly, because over 11 O million tons of waste rock had to be removed before the ore would be exposed. However, given the size of the ore body no other method was reasonable. The second decision took a bit longer to resolve. Two methods could be used: concentrating the ore prior to smelting or teaching the ore with acid to remove its copper values. In January of a crew of Phelps Dodge engineers moved into the old Arizona Copper Company offices in Clifton to begin work on the problem.

The decision was complicated by a change in management for Phelps Dodge. In April of Walter Douglas resigned his position and Louis Cates took over as President of the Phelps Dodge. 86 The condition of the copper market after precluded any hasty decisions regarding processing methods. In April of the price of copper dropped to fourteen cents per pound, after staying at eighteen cents for more than a year. By October the price reached ten cents per pound, the lowest figure in thirty years. The Phelps Dodge Morenci smelter went on a reduced production schedule in March of as copper prices refused to rebound during the depression. By May of the price of copper dipped near eight cents, the lowest in forty years.

Phelps Dodge took advantage of the reduced price to purchase the Calumet & Arizona holdings in July of This small bit of good news was followed by an announcement in September of that Phelps Dodge would close down its mines at Nacozari, Mexico and at Globe, Arizona. Mexican workers at Nacozari received severance pay from the company: single workers got 20 pesos each, married men with five children or less received 35 pesos, and men with more than five children took 50 pesos. The Old Dominion closure at Globe threw 350 men out of work. 87 Residents of Clifton received the news of the mine closures with trepidation, for they knew that if the copper ore stayed in the ground it would not find its way to the smelter south of town.

In December of Phelps Dodge announced that the Clifton smelter would continue operations, but at a reduced level. This brought a bit of good news for the holiday season, but at the end of March in copper prices dipped to five cents a pound and Phelps Dodge announced that it would cease mining operations at Ajo on April 24 and at Morenci on July 1. The shut down in the Clifton area would be complete - including mines, mill, and smelter. The smelter was the last operation to close, and on the morning of July 23, at the end of the graveyard shift the last smelter worker CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 23) punched his time card. About 50 men would remain on the payroll as watchmen.

Phelps Dodge officials stated that the shut down was "temporary" and could be expected to last about two years, but the smelter south of Clifton never opened again.88 It took four years for copper prices to rebound. These were very difficult years for the residents of Clifton, those few that remained. Thousands had already left. Mexican workers returned to Mexico on special trains provided by the corporation. Others left any way they could. Houses were vacant and businesses closed. People leaving town sold their property for whatever they could get, some times three or four hundred dollars for one of the town's better houses. The population drifted down to just people.

Copper prices ticked back up to ten cents per pound by but very few people were left in Clifton to appreciate the news.89 Chapter 5 Phelps Dodge Open Pit Mining, In the copper industry finally began to shake off the effects of the prolonged depression. Prices for copper reached thirteen cents that year, and Phelps Dodge dusted off its plans to exploit the clay ore body. The program was a radical change for the Clifton-Morenci area. Phelps Dodge abandoned hard rock underground mining in favor of open pit production. This was not a new technology, but it was new to the Copper Mountain District. The size of the undertaking was staggering. A capping of waste rock 216 feet thick had to be removed just to get at the copper bearing ore.

The open pit mine at Morenci ushered in a new era of mining in the Copper Mountain District. It also ushered in a new era of prosperity for Clifton residents, although most of the operations took place at Morenci. The advent of the Second World War generated a constant demand for the red metal so the ambitious plans of Phelps Dodge could not have been more timely. Clifton residents prospered along with Morenci, as Clifton was the seat of Greenlee County and had a substantial number of business and residential buildings. These properties quickly became desirable as scores of miners arrived in the area to work on the open pit mine and purchase goods and services from local merchants. In June of Phelps Dodge made an offering of in convertible debentures to fund its expansion program.

This amount was only about haH of the $41 million it would take to complete the program of opening the pit mine, constructing a reduction plant using the flotation process, and building a new smelter at Morenci. Of these tasks, the opening of the pit itself was perhaps the most dramatic. It consisted of converting Copper Mountain into a deep amphitheater- shaped cavern, nearly feet in depth with a series of mining benches 50 feet wide. The excavation work began in August of In all, 230 million tons of waste rock were removed, nearly one ton of waste for each ton of ore.90 To concentrate the ore, Phelps Dodge looked to its competitor for the loan of one of its most able engineers. The Anaconda Company released Wilber Jurden to Phelps Dodge to help design the reduction works.

Jurden insisted on the flotation process to extract the copper from the ore, an old technology that utilized copper's affinity for oil in solution to remove it from the surrounding rock. Phelps Dodge located the reduction works at the mouth of Morenci Canyon about two miles from the pit.91 CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 24) Phelps Dodge also located the smelter at Morenci, in close proximity to its other facilities. The smelter was first designed to treat tons of ore a day which would produce pounds of copper, but the gathering storm clouds of war in Europe soon necessitated an expansion. In the US government approached Phelps Dodge and asked the corporation to expand the capacity of the smelter by eighty per cent, to tons per day.

The Defense Plant Corporation added $26 million for the expansion, in addition to the $41 million Phelps Dodge had already committed to the project. The first copper was poured on April 26, Although these facilities were not constructed within the town limits of Clifton, the town did receive its share of economic benefits from the expansion program. In March of two hundred men began work on the project and a year later this number had risen to over twelve hundred. By the population of Morenci had risen to seven thousand while that of Clifton reached five thousand. The copper boom generated by World War II was on. Housing was at a premium and people waited in line for service at Clifton businesses.

93 The period from the completion of the new Morenci smelter in until the strike and flood in Clifton in is that of sustained growth. Copper prices had their ups and downs during this forty year period, the corporation was troubled by an occasional strike, and a flood or two barreled down the San Francisco River, but the massive investment of Phelps Dodge in the Morenci mine and the sheer amount of copper to be withdrawn had a stabilizing effect on the economy of Clifton. Continued demand for copper generated by "cold war" defense spending meant that the "busr cycles of the mining economy during this period were minor and short-lived. In Morenci became the largest copper producer in Arizona, and status that continued after the end of the Second World War.

In a labor strike from March until June curtailed production, but by it reached a new high. Demand dipped in as a post-War depression hit the country, but start of the Korean War in soon boosted prices once again. By daily production was tons of ore. 94 These high levels of demand for copper led Phelps Dodge to explore other mining properties in the Clifton-Morenci area. In it began an exploratory drilling program in the vicinity of Metcalf. This area had a vast amount of very low percentage ore. Phelps Dodge opened a new open pit at Metcalf in estimating it would be in production by This new project was designed to take the place of copper produced at the Lavender Pit in Bisbee, which closed in The Metcalf project finally came on line in at a final cost of million.

The very low percentage ore, averaging per cent copper, necessitated the construction of a new concentrator near the Metcalf pit. In the meantime, the Morenci pit expanded until it reached the location of the old town. Phelps Dodge began a gradual relocation of Morenci in a task that was completed in These achievements can be thought of as the accomplishments of the post-WWII era, but the gains were accompanied by adversity as well. A four month strike in struck hard at Clifton. Despite its experience of the twenties, it was still a copper town. When the miners were out on strike, they reduced their spending at local stores and businesses.

A large flood on October 20, about the same size as the dramatic flood of January of struck Clifton hard and damaged many residences and business properties. Another strike hit the area in the summer of Because of the continued dependence on the incomes of copper miners and Phelps Dodge workers, Clifton business owners suffered along with the miners. Another large flood hit Clifton in December of Trying as these events were, nothing could have prepared Clifton residents for the tragic year of CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 25) The end of the Vietnam War had resulted in a decline in copper prices and reduced profits for Phelps Dodge.

In the Corporation laid off about workers, precipitating a bitter general labor strike against Phelps Dodge which began in July of Although this was not the first strike in the area, it was the first where the company hired outside workers to replace the strikers and the first strike where large numbers of striking workers crossed the picket lines and went back to work. The result of these actions, and the dispatch of the National Guard and Arizona Department of Public Safety officers by Governor Bruce Babbitt, was to split the community between strikers and non-strikers.

Clifton school superintendent Luis Montoya illustrated the depth of the feelings when he described how a third grade girl opened her Christmas card received from another student in and it read "Merry Christmas, scab." The work action lasted eighteen months and ended only with the de-certification of the union in In the midst of the strike, the largest flood on record hit Clifton. During the week of September 26, a low pressure system off the California coast combined with a tropical storm in Baja California to dump massive amounts of rain over southeast Arizona. As the rain reached the watershed of the San Francisco River, the ground quickly became saturated with nearly nine inches of precipitation.

The storm generated a peak discharge of cubic feet per second at Clifton on October 2, the largest flood ever recorded. The flood caused massive damage to residences and businesses in Clifton. The Army Corps of Engine~rs estimated in that the damage totaled million.98 Chapter 6 Conclusion: After the Flood In its wake the flood left mud and debris up to a depth of six feet in portions of Clifton along the San Francisco River. Water and sewer utilities were severely damaged. About forty homes were destroyed, along with forty-one businesses. Many people were left homeless. Coming as it did during a strike period, the flood devastated Clifton. Many residents simply packed up what little belongings the had, never to return. 99 Today, many Clifton businesses remain closed.

Buildings are vacant, many still displaying the scars of the flood. The bitter feelings left by the strike have made it difficult for residents to reach consensus on Cliftons' future. One bright spot on the Clifton landscape is another planned expansion of the Phelps Dodge mine at Morenci. The period from to saw an increase in copper prices. After a slight dip in in 1994copper reached a two year high at a pound. In June, Phelps Dodge announced a million expansion program which would add 240 jobs and produce an additional 150 million pounds of copper per year. 100 ENDNOTES 1. George F. Leaming, The Economic Impact of the Arizona Copper Industry, (Marana, Arizona: Western Economic Analysis Center, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 26) 2. Forrest R.

Rickard, "History of Smelting in Arizona," in J. Michael Canty and Michael N. Greeley, eds., History of Mining in Arizona Volume I (Tucson: Mining Club of the Southwest Foundation, 3. Ira B. Joralemon, Copper: The Encompassing Story of Mankind's First Metal (Berkeley: Howell-North Books, first published New York: D. Appleton-Century, pp. 4. James M. Patton, History of Clifton (Clifton: Greenlee County Chamber of Commerce, p. 7. 5. Patton, History of Clifton, p. 9; David F. Myrick, Railroads of Arizona, Volume 3: Rails and Copper Mines: Clifton, Morenci, Metcalf (Glendale, CA: Trans-Anglo Books, pp. 13- 14. 6. Floyd S. Fierman, Some Early Jewish Settlers on the Southwestern Frontier (El Paso: Texas Western Press, 7. Rickard, "History of Smelting," p.

The first use of the name "Clifton" for the town in print is from the Arizona Citizen (Yuma newspaper) October 25, (I, 3: 3). 8. James Colquhoun, The Early History of the Clifton-Morenci District (London: W. Clowes, 9. Tenney, History of Mining in Arizona, Volume 1 (Tucson: privately printed, edited by University of Arizona Special Collections, 10. National Register of Historic Places Nomination form for Clifton Casa Grande Building, on file at Arizona SHPO, May 3, "Mining About Clifton," Mining and Scientific Press Volume XXXVI (June 8, 11. Myrick, Railroads of Arizona Volume 3, pp. Jay J. Waggoner, Arizona Territory, A Political History (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, pp 12.

Homestead information compiled from records at the Arizona State Office of the Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix, as follows: Charles Lesinsky, cash entry patent January 20, Pablo Salcido, cash entry patent June 12, Juana Vaines, cash entry patent June 12, San Francisco Townsite, cash entry patent October 22, Gallus Metz, homestead entry patent January 20, Pablo Salcido took out in gold dust from Chase Creek, see Jerome H. Vaughn, Resources of Graham County (Solomonville, Arizona: Clifton Clarion Print, p. 22. 13. Myrick, Railroads of Arizona Volume 3, pp. 14. Patton, History of Clifton, pp. 15. For further information on the Jewish contribution to Arizona mining history, see Jane Eppinga, "Ethnic Diversity in Arizona's Early Mining Camps," in J. Michael Canty and Michael N.

Greeley, eds., History of Mining in Arizona, Volume II (Tucson; Mining Club of the Southwest, Floyd S. Fierman, "Samuel J. Freudenthal; Southwestern CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 27) Merchant and Civic Leader," American Jewish Historical Quarterly 57: 3 Blaine Peterson Lamb, "Jewish Pioneers in Arizona, Dissertation.Arizona State University, pp. Joseph Stocker, "Arizona's Century of Jewish Life," Arizona Days and Ways (January 16, and Leon Harris, Merchant Princes: An Intimate History of Jewish Families Who Built Great Department Stores (New York: Harper & Row, pp. For a first person account of his activities, see Henry Lesinsky, Letters Written by Henry Lesinsky to His Son (New York: Albert R. Lesinsky, 16.

The most detailed account of the early financial history of the Arizona Copper Company is by W. Turrentine Jackson, The Enterprising Scot: Investors in the American West After (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 17. "The Copper Mines at Clifton," Mining and Scientific Press Volume LI (July 4, 6. 18. Arizona Citizen July 28, (I, 3: 4); September 22, (I, Clifton Clarion August 28, (I, 3: 1); October 10, (I, 3: 1). 19. James Colquhoun, The History of the Clifton-Morenci Mining District (London: John Murray, pp. 20. Arizona Daily Citizen (Tucson newspaper) December 27, (I, 1: 3); townsite information from files of the Arizona State Office of the Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix. 21. Colquhoun, History of the Clifton-Morenci District, pp. Patton, History of Clifton, p. 26.

Employment statistics from the Arizona Republican (Phoenix newspaper) March 24, (I, 4: 22. Myrick, Railroads of Arizona, pp. 180 an Waldemar Lindgren, "The Copper Deposits of the Clifton Morenci District, Arizona," U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper no. 43 (Washington: Government Printing Office, pp. 23. Myrick, Railroads of Arizona Volume 3, pp. Arizona Copper Company base map. 24. Arizona Copper Company base map; Sanborn fire insurance map; Subdivision map of Riverside Park Addition located at the Greenlee County Recorder's Office. 25. For the Gallus Metz homestead, see Homestead Entry Patent No. 39, on file with the Arizona State Office of the Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix. For the subdivision of Hill's Addition, see the Copper Era September 7, (I, 3: 26.

Copper Era September 27, (I, 5: 1); November 1, (I, 2: 4); January 17, (I, 3: 5). 27. Copper Era May 30, (I, 3: 1); June 27, (I, 3: 1); December 12, (I, 3: 1); August 14, 3: 2); February 19, 3: 1); March 19, 3: 1); April 9, (I, 3: 1); June 4, (I, 3: 1); October 8, (I, 2: 4); December 24, (I, 1: 1); March 3, 3: 1). 28. Copper Era June 30, (I, 3: 5); March 30, (I, 3: 1). CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 28) 29. The best summary of the strike is by Joseph F. Clark, "The 'Mexican Affair' at Clifton," Journal of Arizona History 18: 2 (Summer, See also Phil Mellinger, "The Men Have Become Organizers: Labor Conflict and Unionization in the Mexican Mining Communities of Arizona, Western Historical Quarterly (August, and James W.

Byrkit, Forging the Copper Collar: Arizona's Labor Management War of (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, pp. A first person account of the strike is found in the Phoenix Gazette August 19, For the Chase Creek flood, see the Copper Era June 11, (I, 2: 30. The definitive work on this incident is by A. Blake Brophy, Foundlings on the Frontier: Racial and Religious Conflict in Arizona Territory, 1904-1905(Tucson: University of Arizona Press, which was first written as Brophy's Master's thesis at Arizona State University in titled "Baby Train West; A Revealing Encounter with Racial and Religious Intolerance in Arizona Territory, See also Raymond A. Mulligan, "New York Foundlings at Clifton-Morenci: Social Justice in Arizona Territory, 1904-1905,"in Manuel P.

Servin, ed., The Mexican Americans: An Awakening Minority (Beverly Hills, CA: Glencoe Press, pp. 31. Copper Era February 25, (I, 3: 1); April 9, (I, 3: t); April 21, (I, June 9, (I, 3: 1). 32. Copper Era July 30, (I, 3: 1); April 20, (I, 3: 2). 33. For a statistical summary of Clifton floods, see US Army Corps of Engineers, Final Report for Flood Control and Related Purposes, and Environmental Impact Statement, Clifton, Arizona (Los Angeles, California: Corps of Engineers, p. 72. Accounts of the flood are found in the Copper Era December 6, (I, 1: and December 13, (I, 1: 34. Copper Era December 11, (I, 3: 2); April 2, (I, 3: 4); May 14, (I, 3: 2). 35. Copper Era April 2, (I, 2: 1); February 11, (I, 3: 5); March 25, (I, 3: 2); May 6, (I, 3: 2); June 10, (I, 2: 1). 36.

Patton, History of Clifton, pp. 37. Copper Era June 2, (I, 1: 5); June 1O, (I, 1: January 19, (I, 1: 1); June 28, (I, 3: 4); June 20, (I, 1: 6); August 8, (I, 1: August 22, (I, 1: 5); January 2, (I, 1: 5). For a description of the new smelter see Richard H. Vail, "New Smelting Works of Arizona Copper Co. - I," Engineering and Mining Journal 97: 26 (June 27, and "New Smelting Works of Arizona Copper Co. - II," Engineering and Mining Journal 98: 1 (July 4, 38. Copper Era October 25, (I, 1: 1); May 30, (I, 1: 6); June 6, (I, 3: 2); August 15, (I, 1: 6); September 12, (I, 8: 2); October 24, (I, 1: 3). 39. Copper Era October 25, (I, 1: 1); February 14, (I, 1: 6); May 30, (I, 1: 6); June 6, (I, 3: 2). CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 29) 40.

Copper Era July 18, (I, 7: 5); August 15, (I, 1: 6); Sam Negri, "Clifton Guest House Has Roots in Mining History," Arizona Republic July 15, 2: Bill Conger, "The Magnificent Morenci Guest House," Morenci Copper Review, clipping provided by Bill Conger. 41. Copper Era January 16, (I, 1: 6); February 22, (I, 5: 4). 42. The best treatment of the strike is by James R. Kluger, The Clifton-Morenci Strike: Labor Difficulty in Arizona, (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, See also Michael E. Casillas, "Mexicans, Labor, and Strife in Arizona, 1896-1917,"Master's thesis, University of New Mexico, pp. For the flood, see the Copper Era January 21, (I, 43.

Minutes of the Clifton Town Council June 12, September 14, December 11, Copper Era July 7, (I, 1: 6); September 15, (I, 1: 6); December 15, (I, 1: 6) and (I, 7: 44. Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton January 29, March 15, March 21, Copper Era January 19, (I, 1: 3); February 9, (I, 1: 3); March 16, (I, 1: 5). 45. Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton April 2, May 4, May 7, Copper Era May 11, (I, 1: 5). The rejected bid for the Hill's Addition Bridge was after the bids were re-advertised, the Council awarded the contract to Midland for a cost of See Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton June 27, 46. Copper Era May 11, (I, 4: 3); July 27, (I, 5: 2); November 23, (I, 1: 2); February 22, (I, 1: 6). 47. Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton April 1, May 6, Copper Era March 29, (I, 5: 2).

The concrete bridge to Hill's Addition opened in September at a final cost of See the Copper Era September 13, (I, 1: 48. Copper Era December 20, (I, 7: 6); January 17, (I, 5: 1). 49. Copper Era February 14, (I, 1: 3); February 21, (I, 1: 3); Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton February 10, and April 14, 50. Copper Era April 18, 1: 2); April 25, 5: 5); June 13, 1: 5); Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, April 18, June 12, and July 1, 51. Copper Era August 22, (I, 5: 2); August 29, (I, 5: 3); September 26, (I, 1: 1); October 10, (I, 3: Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, August 22, September 22, and September 29, 52. Copper Era August 29, (I, 5: 3). 53.

Copper Era October 17, (I, 3: 2); December 19, (I, 1: 2); April 2, (I, 1: 6); Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, May 28, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 30) 54. Copper Era December 13, (I, 1: 4); January 3, (I, 1: 4); May 9, (I, 1: 3); Myrick, Railroads of Arizona Volume 3, p. 55. Copper Era April 8, (I, 1: April 15, {I, 1: 6); May 13, (I, 1: May 20, (I, 1: 6); May 27, (I, 1: 6). 56. Copper Era July 1, (I, 1: 1); July 15, (I, 1: 6); July 29, (I, 1: August 5, (I, 1: 6); August 26, (I, 1: 6); October 7, (I, 1: November 18, (I, 1: December 30, (I, 1: 6); January 6, (I, 1: 6); Myrick, Railroads of Arizona Volume 3, pp. 57. Myrick, Railroads of Arizona Volume 3, pp. and 58. Although written in as a propaganda piece to support the A.C. Co.

position in the strike of that year, the pamphlet by Norman Carmichael, Some Factors Bearing on the Wage Question in the Clifton-Morenci District (Clifton: Arizona Copper Co., is revealing of the problems faced by the A.C. Co. and later Phelps Dodge in working the old hard rock mines of the Copper Mountain District. 59. Copper Era April 7, (I, 1: 4); February 23, (I, 1: April 6, (I, 1: 60. Copper Era March 16, (I, 1: May 4, (I, 1: 1). 61. Copper Era June 15, (I, 1: 3); August 3, (I, 5: 5); August 10, (I, 3: 2). 62. Copper Era September 7, (I, 1: September 14, (I, 5: 1); October 5, (I, 1: 5); October 19, (I, 3: 1). 63.

Copper Era November 16, (I, 1: 4); February 2, (I, 1: 1); March 14, (I, 1: 4); April 11, 1: 1); April 18, 1: 5); April 25, 1: 1); May 2, 1: 1); July 18, 1: 1); July 25, 1: 3-4);August 1, 1: September 12, (I, 1: 5); September 19, (I, 1: 6). 64. Copper Era October 24, (I, 1: November 14, (I, 8: 3). 65. Arizona Corporation Commission "dead files" at the Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix; Copper Era June 16, (I, 3: 2); January 16, (I, 1: 4); April 17, (I, 1: May 8, (I, 1: 6). 66. Copper Era February 12, (I, 1: Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, February 7, and February 25, 67. Copper Era March 12, (I, 1: April 23, {I, 1: 1); May 28, (I, 1: 1); June 4, (I, 1: 4); June 25, (I, 1: 4). 68.

Copper Era September 8, (I, 2: 3); Tillman Stout Rush, Greenlee County: The Wonderland of Arizona {Phoenix: Rush & Rush, 69. William H. Kelly, "Uncovering One of Arizona's Wealthiest Corners," Progressive Arizona 1: 3 {September, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HASS No. AZ-165 (Page 31) 70. Copper Era June 22, (I, 1: Patton, History of Clifton, p. 76. 71. Copper Era March 13, (I, 1: May 8, (I, 1: June 19, (I, 1: June 26, (I, 3: James Wynkoop, "New Highway Opens Virgin Country," Progressive Arizona 2: 5 (May, 26; Patton, History of Clifton, pp. Wynkoop, formerly associated with the Copper Era newspaper, took on the job as director of publicity for the Greelee County Board of Supervisors in February of see the Copper Era February 20, (I, 1: 6). 72.

Copper Era March 27, (I, 1: 1); April 10, (I, 1: 5); April 17, (I, 4: 3); Patton, History of Clifton, pp. 73. Copper Era July 30, (I, 1: 3); August 13, (I, 1: 5); September 24, (I, 1: 1); Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, May 2, 74. Copper Era December 10, (I, 1: 1 and I, 8: 3). 75. Copper Era December 3, (I, 1:1 ); January 11, (I, 1: 1); January 28, (I, 1: 1); Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, February 11, . 76. Copper Era February 25, (I, 1: 1); March 3, (I, 1: 77. Copper Era March 10, (I, 1: March 17, (I, 1; March 31, (I, 1: 6); April 14, (I, 1: 2). For information on the corporation, see the Arizona Corporation Commission "dead files" at the Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix. 78.

Copper EraApril 21, 1: 6); May 19, 1: 1); June 9, 1: 2); Minutes of the Town Council of Clifton, April 2, 79. Copper Era June 23, 1: 6); July 14, 1: 1); July 28, 1: 6); August 4, (I, 1: August 11, (I, 1: 1); August 18, (I, 1: 80. Copper Era October 13, (I, 1: 4); November 3, (I, 1: 6); December 8, (I, 5: 1); December 15, 1: 2 and I, 5: 2). 81. Copper Era December 22, (I, 1: 3); January 5, (I, 1: 1 and I, 1: 6); January 12, (I, 1: 6); "Announcing the Opening of the Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Bath House," pamphlet published by the Clifton Mineral Hot Springs, on file at Arizona Collection, Hayden Library, Arizona State University, Tempe; Forrest E. Doucette, "Clifton: Where Nature's Heart Breaks Strong Amid the Hills," Progressive Arizona 7: 1 (July, 82.

Copper Era January 26, (I, 1: 6); February 2, (I, 1: 2); May 17, (I, 1: 3); October 8, (I, 1: 6); Bill Conger, "Landmark Begins a New Life,9 Morenci Copper Review, August, 83. Copper Era September 4, (I, 1: Patton, History of Clifton, p. 58. 84. Patton, History of Clifton, p. CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 32) 85. Patton, History of Clifton, p. 59. 86. Copper Era January 11, (I, 1: 6); April 19, (I, 1: Patton, History of Clifton, p. 60; Charles H. Dunning and Edward H. Peplow, Rock To Riches (Phoenix: Southwest Publishing Co., p. 87. Copper Era April 19, (I, 1: October 4, (I, 1: 5); March 7, (I, 1: 6); May 9, (I, 1: 1); July 18, (I, 1: 6); September 19, (I, 1: 6); September 26, (I, 1: 3). 88.

Copper Era December 26, (I, 1: 6); March 26, (I, 1: 6); June 25, (I, 1: 5); July 23, (I, 1: 6). 89. Patton, History of Clifton, p. 61. 90. Patton, History of Clifton, pp. Phelps Dodge Corporation, Phelps Dodge: A Copper Centennial, (Bisbee: Copper Queen Publishing Co., p. 52. 91. Patton, History of Clifton, pp. Phelps Dodge, Copper Centennial, p. 52; Robert Glass Cleland, A History of Phelps Dodge, 1834-1950(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 29. 92. Phelps Dodge, Copper Centennial, p. 55. 93. Patton, History of Clifton, p. 63. 94. Dunning and Peplow, Rock to Riches, p. 95. Phelps Dodge, Copper Centennial, pp. William C. Conger, "History of the Clifton- Morenci District," in J. Michael Canty and Michael N. Greeley, eds., History of Mining In Arizona (Tucson: Mining Club of the Southwest, p.

For information on the relocation of Morenci, see the Arizona Republic May 3, and January 28, (clippings from Phoenix Public Library Clifton-Morenci file). 96. Arizona Republic October 31, November 3, August 4, (clippings from Phoenix Public Library Clifton-Morenci file); US Army Corps of Engineers, Final Report, p. 76. 97. The only book-length treatment of the strike is Barbara Kingsolver, Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of (Ithaca, New York: ILR Press, The quote is taken from the Arizona Republic May 7, (clipping from Phoenix Public Library Clifton-Morenci file). 98. US Army Corps of Engineers, Final Report, pp. 99. US Army Corps of Engineers, Final Report, pp. Arizona Republic, June 10, (E, 1: 2). CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 33)

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,6-CLIFT,36-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION Overview Clifton lies in eastern Arizona straddling the San Francisco Riverwithin a stone-walled canyon. The town is divided by natural features and the road pattern into four principal areas, including: Central Clifton, which encompasses the area near, and immediately south of, the Chase Creek confluence; North Clifton, which lies in the San Francisco canyon north of the Central Clifton; Chase Creek, which, as the name implies, lies along Chase Creek west of Central Clifton; and South Clifton, which lies around a bend in the river south of Central Clifton. This report documents historic properties which lie within Central Clifton, North Clifton, and South Clifton. Physical Context The town of Clifton is found in eastern Arizona, near the New Mexican border.

While Clifton is the county seat of Greenlee County, it has always been, and is today, relatively isolated from metropolitan Arizona by virtue of its distance from the population centers of Phoenix and Tucson, and the fact that it is some distance from a major highway. Clifton lies within a canyon along the San Francisco River near its confluence with Chase Creek. The San Francisco River is one of the larger tributaries of the Gila river in eastern Arizona. The River and the canyon together form most of Clifton's natural context, and serve as the visual link between the different parts of town and as their organizing feature. The river is wide, by Arizona standards, and the flow varies radically with the seasons and the weather.

While it has brought Clifton some prosperity, more often it seems to bring the adversity of periodic floods. The canyon within which the river flows surrounds the town with a combination of steep, red-rock escarpments and gentler, desert slopes. The floor of the canyon has been built up over the years in response to the floods, which leaves the river in a narrower channel defined by slag flood walls. North Clifton North Clifton includes the half-mile-long area between Central Clifton and the Polly Rosenbaum bridge spanning the San Francisco River. The historic area lies predominantly along Frisco Street, which runs up the western bank of the river in North Clifton. This area was developed primarily with residential properties, although a few businesses appear as well.

Properties on the west side of Frisco Street abut the steep hillside. Those to the east side have their backs to the river; at the south end of Frisco Street they are further buffered from the river by a line of more modern houses. The residential neighborhood along Frisco Street has an established, grown-in character. The street winds gently along the river. It is paved with asphalt, and is provided with short curbs and concrete sidewalks for most of its length. Five historic properties cluster at the north end of the street, interspersed with unobtrusive modern homes. The north end is anchored, near the Rosenbaum bridge, by the George Brown House (HABS NO. AZ-166}, which is typical of the historic homes along Frisco Street. To the south are the Archie Morrison House (HABS NO.

AZ-170} and three rental properties also associated with CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 34) Archie Morrison (HABS NO. AZ-167, HABS NO. AZ-168, and HABS NO. AZ-169). Except for the Archie Morrison House, the homes are modest in size, simple in character, and typically have been expanded with various additions. Most are of wood framing, reflecting both the availability of materials and the relatively blue-collar socio-economic status of the original occupants. The Archie Morrison House is somewhat larger, and features vaguely Victorian details. The properties generally feature mature landscaping, most of which has been left to grow as it pleases.

This is particularly true of the ailanthus trees, invasive and tenacious plants which were imported to Clifton in the days when nothing else would grow, and which are now found throughout Clifton as volunteers. South of the small group of houses, the Becker-Franz Store (HABS NO. AZ-171)occupies a prominent and visible location. Now vacant, the store once supplied North Clifton. The tall foundation, in response to floods, lends the boxy commercial building an air of monumentality. Two additional intact historic homes are found on Frisco Street some five hundred feet south of the Becker-Franz Store. The 0. A. Risdon House (HABS NO. AZ-172), on the west side of the street, is the most striking.

The Risdon House has suffered few alterations, and still sports its Folk Victorian porch and gingerbread details. Nearby, on the east side of the street, is the George Hall House, which is more typical of the simple homes which lined Frisco Street in its heyday. The remainder of the homes in North Clifton are either modern or have lost their original integrity. But the character of the street, the spacing of the homes, and the grown-in appearance of the landscaping is continuous. Central Clifton Central Clifton is focussed on the historic site of the Arizona Copper Company Smelter at the Chase Creek/San Francisco River confluence, and the "East Side" commercial area along the other bank of the river.

The Park Avenue Bridge crosses the San Francisco River about five hundred feet downstream from the confluence, uniting Park Avenue, which serves East Side, and Coronado Boulevard, which serves the west. Coronado Boulevard is the town's main thoroughfare, and is designated as Arizona Highway It runs from South Clifton up the San Francisco canyon as far as Chase Creek, then makes a turn up Chase Creek canyon. Frisco Street, which serves North Clifton, connects to the western bridge approach and continues up the San Francisco Canyon. Prior to The Arizona Copper Company smelter complex was the dominant feature of Clifton's man-made landscape. The smelter complex included numerous buildings on the west bank of the San Francisco River, and spanned Chase Creek, which was used as a waste dump.

The only extant buildings of the smelter are the Blower House (AZ-174) and the Power House (AZ-175). The Blower House is a large, corrugated metal building on the north side of Chase Creek, surrounded with the foundations of other long-demolished smelter buildings, and other features such as ore bins, water towers, and rail lines. The Power House is south of Chase Creek and is a tall, brick building with a gable roof. No longer used for generating power, it current use as a substation is evident from the steel framework with transformers and wires on the east side of the building. Chase Creek runs in a channel south of the Blower House. It crosses under the southern end of Frisco Street and empties into the San Francisco River.

Adjacent to the Frisco Street roadway bridge across Chase Creek is an abandoned railroad bridge (Chase Creek Railroad Bridge, AZ-176) associated with the rail line which once travelled up the San Francisco canyon north of Clifton. Two other buildings directly related to the Arizona Copper Company are placed near the western

Clifton Townsite Hass

No. AZ-165 (Page 35) approach to the Park Avenue Bridge. The Arizona Copper Company Office building (HABS NO. AZ.- closely parallels the rock hillside on the west side of Coronado Boulevard. This imposing two- story edifice is constructed of red sandstone. Nearby, the old Arizona Copper Company Library Hall (HABS NO. AZ.-177) occupies a prominent location. Between Coronado Boulevard and Frisco Street, the Library Hall is also two stories tall, and stylistically is a reminder of the Scottish heritage of the Arizona Copper Company's founders. On the west side of the river, the haH-mile south of the Park Avenue Bridge is used as a railroad switchyard. The Arizona and New Mexico Railway Passenger Depot (HABS NO.

AZ.-180) is placed about midway down the switchyard, on the east side of Coronado Boulevard. The switchyard is relatively flat and level, having been built up from the original riverbank to avoid flooding. A black slag-block floodwall extends four to six feet above the ground on the switchyard side, and on the other falls more than 20 feet in three tiers down to the riverbed. Visually and functionally, the Park Avenue Bridge (HABS NO. AZ.-179) is the center of Clifton. The single-span Parker truss bridge soars more than 200 feet across the San Francisco River. Both modern and historic buildings and structures are found along Park Avenue, primarily on its east side. The hillside above is scattered with small homes.

Two houses anchor the north end of the historic district, across the river from Chase Creek. The Sam Abraham House (HABS NO. AZ.-181) and the Adam Smith House (HABS NO. AZ.-182) are typical early wood-framed residences, with a similar character to the North Clifton homes. Originally quite small, each has had its share of additions, giving them an irregular appearance. Park Avenue continues to the north, serving an area of modern and low-integrity homes. Historic development continues to the south. The oldest known standing building in Greenlee County, La Casa Grande (HABS NO. AZ.-183) is placed immediately south of the Adam Smith house, on the east side of Park Avenue.

The oldest parts of La Casa Grande ("The Big House," in Spanish) date to and it has been added to regularly since that time. The main part of the building is one story, rectangular, and is built of stuccoed adobe. Adjacent site features include athletic courts and an amphitheater against the rock hillside, related to its late use as the local YMCA. A block of six commercial buildings lines the east side of Park Avenue at the foot of the Park Avenue Bridge: the Clifton Water and Improvement Co. Building (HABS NO. AZ.-184), the Tailor Shop (HABS NO. AZ.-185), the Hampton Block (HABS NO. AZ.-186), C. F. Pascoe Undertaking (HABS NO. AZ.-187), the Central Hotel (HABS NO. AZ.-188) and the Commercial Saloon (HABS NO. AZ.-189).

The buildings are one- and two-story and are of masonry construction, except for the wood frame Pascoe Undertaking building. All six buildings are built up to the west property line and all but fill the widths of their parcels, forming a strong collective urban character. Pascoe Undertaking and the Hampton Block have had their street facades sheathed with modern horizontal siding, but the other facades retain a high degree of architectural integrity. Across Park Avenue from the commercial strip, and continuing several hundred feet to the south, is the landscaped park for which Park Avenue was named. The park is raised two feet above the street level, and features ramadas and picnic tables surrounded by grassy lawns. The Neoclassical style Clifton Town Hall (HABS NO.

AZ.-190) is located on the east side of Park Avenue at about the mid-point of the park. Today vacant and boarded up, the Town Hall housed CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 36) city offices and the fire department within its walls between and Its individual setting and the complexity of its detailing set it apart as one of the architectural gems of Clifton. At its south end, the park is terminated by the Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Bath House (HASS NO. AZ-191), and the Clifton Community Pool. The Spanish Colonial Revival style Bath House was built to take advantage of the naturally-occurring hot springs occurring in Clifton to boost tourism. Today the Bath House serves as a private residence.

The community pool also used the hot springs, but the practice was discontinued and the pool now stands in disrepair. The east side of Park Avenue near the Bath House includes several post-historic houses crowded around the small, one-story Commercial style Milk Depot (HABS NO. AZ-192). Further yet to the south is the Presbyterian Church (HASS NO. AZ-193),a large stuccoed Mission Revivalbuilding built with its broad side to the street. Back on the west side of Park Avenue, across from the Presbyterian Church and south of the pool, is a modern house and two residences associated with the management of the Arizona Copper Company. The Arizona Copper Company Chief Engineer's House (HABS NO.

AZ-194) is a wood- framed Bungalow style home, which is now used by Phelps Dodge Corporation as a meeting place. The Arizona Copper Company Manager's House (HASS NO. AZ-195) is easily the largest residence in Clifton, and has the lushest and most well-developed landscape. The term "mansion" may be an apt term to describe this two-story Prairie/Arts-and-Crafts style building. The house and grounds occupy an important place along Park Avenue, but have even higher visibility and prominence when viewed from across the river. The black slag floodwalls found on both sides of the river become more carefully constructed and detailed near the Company residences, terminating in obelisk-like monoliths.

South of the railroad switchyard on the west side of the river and the Manager's House on the east, the river (and the canyon) turn around a bend, visually isolating Central Clifton from South Clifton. South Clifton At the south end of Central Clifton, Coronado Boulevard crosses over the railroad tracks and makes a sharp bend from its southeasterly trend to the south around the foot of the canyon cliff. One thousand feet farther south, both the rail line and Coronado Boulevard cross the San Francisco River. This area between the bend in the river and the Coronado Boulevard bridge is a transition zone between Central and South Clifton.

Within this transition, along the east side of Coronado Boulevard, is a small community park, a modern two-story motel, and a commercial building, and the Shannon Copper Company Store (HABS NO. AZ-197). Both the motel and the Store are isolated from other structures by large parcels of land. The Store is a large two-story stuccoed brick building facing onto Coronado Boulevard. Riverside Drive connects with the east side of Coronado Boulevard just north of the bridge. On the west side of Coronado Boulevard near this intersection is a small, modern gasoline service station. Riverside Drive continues southwest, paralleling the western bank of the San Francisco River, while Coronado Boulevard strikes off to the southeast.

Riverside drive was once the site of many fine homes; all historic homes save one, the J. C. Gatti House (HASS NO. AZ-196), have been CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 37) demolished. The Gatti House is a folk Victorian style house. Its solid brick construction may have been key to its survival through the floods. South Clifton includes large areas of low- to medium-sloped land on both sides of Coronado Boulevard. Subdivisions of homes and businesses on both sides of the street are laid out mostly in regular, rectilinear grids. Henry Hill's Addition to Clifton is found on the southwest side of Coronado Boulevard immediately south of the river crossing.

Lining the southwest side of Coronado Boulevard for the first block south is a line of eight intact historic homes, including the Margaret B. Hill House (HABS NO. AZ.- the Henry H. Hill House (HABS NO. AZ.-199), the Henry H. Hill Rental House (HABS NO. AZ.- the Otto Rosenthal House (HABS NO. AZ.-201), the Stevens House (HABS NO. AZ.-202), the L. J. Dunagan House (HABS NO. AZ.-203), the C. W. Beck House (HABS NO. AZ.-204), and the F. D. Connor House (HABS NO. AZ.-205). Each house is unique, yet they have similar features. The setbacks, sizes, height, and massing are similar in each case, heightening the integrity of the neighborhood. CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 38) PART Ill:

Sources of Information

Methodology Research into the history of Clifton and the buildings selected for documentation required a comprehensive examination of libraries, museums, and archives. Most of the research was conducted in the Phoenix area and in Greenlee County, although sources as far away as Kansas City, Missouri, were also contacted. The research needs of the project necessitated two approaches to the information gathering. For the history of individual properties, site-specific research was undertaken to identify key dates, individuals, and events associated with each building and structure. For the Town of Clifton as a whole, the research focused on the identification of important historical contexts that place Clifton within broad themes of Arizona and American history.

These two approaches are linked, however, as the individual properties are best understood within a broader context and those broad patterns are made up of many individual events. Complicating historic research for Clifton is the fact that the collections of many entities in Clifton were destroyed during the flood and during earlier floods. These include the records of the Town of Clifton and the Greenlee County Historical Society. The bibliography contains a complete list of references used in the compilation of the history of the Town of Clifton and of the individual properties. Specific sources of information are identified by notes.

The following is a list of particular research locations and a summary of their collections as they pertain to the history of Clifton: Arizona Department of Library, Archives, and Public Records This Arizona state agency has a large collection of materials valuable in historical research, beginning with the general research collection which contains published references. Its collection of newspapers, most notably the Copper Era, were examined carefully. Additional sources of information included Arizona Corporation Commission "dead files" preserved in the archives section and US Census data on microfilm in the genealogy section. Also valuable is the Department's biographical information and collection of Sanborn fire insurance maps.

Arizona State Historic Preservation Office This division of Arizona State Parks has a large amount of information regarding specific buildings in Clifton that have already been identified as possessing historic significance. This includes the historic property inventory forms compiled during several surveys of Clifton, including those prepared by Texas Tech University, New World Research, and Ryden Architects. The Arizona SHPO also maintains files on National Register listed properties in Clifton, and a state inventory of historic properties. These files contain valuable information regarding specific properties.

Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum This state museum has a fine collection of mining-related materials, most notably mining periodicals that are not duplicated at any other location. Director H. Mason Coggin graciously provided access to files on the Clifton-Morenci area and the periodical collection. CLIFTON TOWNSITE HASS No. AZ-165 (Page 39) Arizona Department of Transportation Records here were consulted for information about vehicular bridges in Clifton with negative results. Phoenix Public Library This city library maintains an Arizona Room" which contains important information regarding mining in Arizona. It also hold a newspaper clipping file on Arizona cities and towns, which was valuable to identify historical trends for the more recent period in Clifton.

Bureau of Land Management The Arizona State Office of the US Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management in Phoenix houses information on homestead entries and mining claims in Arizona. These files were consulted for information about Clifton, revealing the history of original land ownership in the area. Arizona State University, Hayden Library The collections of Hayden Library contain information of a general nature regarding mining in Arizona. The map collection has Sanborn fire insurance maps not found in other collections. The specialized collections in the Arizona Room contain manuscript materials on Clifton.

Arizona Historical Foundation This private foundation at Arizona State University contains a good collection of early material on Clifton, particularly issues of the Clifton Clarion newspaper. Photograph collections here provided additional information on specific properties. Also valuable are the Foundation's extensive collection of Arizona business directories. Arizona Historical Society Robert Fisher of the Arizona Historical Society examined collections in Tucson for material on Clifton. He provided photographs and manuscript material. University of Arizona Library Peter Steere of the Special Collections division in Tucson provided photographs and manuscript material on Clifton.

Most noteworthy of these collections are the records of the Detroit Copper Company and the Arizona Copper Company which were donated to the University of Arizona. Rent records from the Arizona Copper Company are preserved in Tucson which allowed the identification of tenants for Arizona Copper Company owned land. Greenlee County Chamber of Commerce Walter Mares assisted with historical research and helped to track down information in Greenlee County. Greenlee County Historical Society CharlesSpeziaof the Greenlee County Historical Society graciously opened the collections for research.

Although the Society still houses an extensive archive of Clifton history, much important information was lost in the flood of Phelps Dodge Corporation Phelps Dodge employees generously provided information which proved invaluable to the CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 40) research effort. Gary Jones of the engineering staff at Morenci copied maps and drawings which allowed the identification of building occupants over time. Benefits Supervisor William Conger, a Clifton history enthusiast, gave copies of articles he had written on specific aspects of Clifton History. Town of Clifton Town Manager Mark Fooks helped with the research effort by tracking down specific sources in Clifton.

Most Town records were destroyed in the flood of Clifton - Greenlee County Public Library Director Rebecca B. Oliver allowed access to the remaining Town records which are located here. Although damaged by the flood of these records helped to identify Town actions with regard to specific buildings and structures. Greenlee County Several Greenlee County officials helped with the research effort. Greenlee County Recorder Katie Clonts allowed access to maps and recorded documents on file with her office. Deputy Greenlee County Assessor Linda D. Durr provided maps showing the location of buildings. County Engineer Philip A. Ronnerud examined his files for information on historic Clifton bridges with negative results.

El Paso Public Library Marta Estrada of the Southwest Collection provided information on El Paso, Texas, contractors who worked in Clifton. Kansas City Museum Archivist Denise Morrison provided information about the Midland Bridge Co. Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City Michael Weichman of the Department's Historic Preservation Program provided detailed information on the Midland Bridge Co. Safford Title Agency Brooks N. Bryce shared information and knowledge about conducting title research in Greenlee County and on early subdivisions in Clifton. Acton Valuation Group William J. Acton provided limited chain of title information on some of the residential properties in Clifton.

Telephone Pioneers Museum Stan Bartles in Phoenix and Vic Parsons in Tucson uncovered information regarding the development and growth of the telephone company in Clifton. Interviews Although the research effort concentrated on tracking down historitJ documents that describe the history of Clifton and of individual properties, the frequent floods in the community have left those records in poor condition. For many aspects of the historical research, documentation was simply not available. The research team was fortunate that several present and former Clifton residents stepped forward to provide information that CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 41) could be obtained in no other way. Interviews were conducted in person and by telephone to fill in the missing pieces of Clifton history.

Interviews were conducted with the following individuals: William L. Lindsey (Milk Depot) Don Biles (former Phelps Dodge employee) Al Fernandez (former Clifton Mayor, long-time resident) Charles Spezia President, long-time resident) Harriet Sweeting (long-time resident) Mark Vinson (former resident, architectural historian) Bibliography "Arizona" Mining and Industrial Reporter (December, 20. Arizona Copper Company Records. Manuscript Collection AZ. University of Arizona Special Collections, Tucson. Arrieta, Olivia "The Mexicano Community of the Clifton-Morenci Mining District: Organizational Life in the Context of Change," in Mary Romero and Cordelia Candelaria, eds., Chicano Empowerment and Chicano Scholarship CNACS, Bachelder, John L. "Reminiscences of John L.

Bachelder as Told to George Kitt." Manuscript, Arizona Historical Society, Barr, F. Remington "The Arizona Copper Co., Manuscript, Arizona Historical Society, July, Birt, Hal, Jr. Arizona Tokens Update (Tucson: privately printed, Brophy, A. Blake Foundlings on the Frontier: Racial and Religious Conflict in Arizona Territory, (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, "Baby Train West: A Revealing Encounter with Racial and Religious Intolerance in Arizona Territory, 1904-1905."Master's thesis, Arizona State University, Byrkit, James W. Forging the Copper Collar: Arizona's Labor Management War of (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, Carmichael, Norman Some Factors Bearing on the Wage Question in the Clifton-Morenci-Metcalf District (Clifton: Arizona Copper Co., CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No.

AZ-165 (Page 42) "Short Stories of Success," Arizona Mining Journal 5: 13 (December 1, 10 and 36. Carmichael, Norman and Benjamin Keddie "Development of Mine Transportation," Arizona Mining Journal VIII: 13 (December 1, 7-8 and 26. Casillas, Michael E. "Mexicans, Labor, and Strife in Arizona, Master's Thesis, University of New Mexico, Cleland, Robert Glass A History of Phelps Dodge, 1834-1950(New York: AHred A. Knopf, "Clifton" Mining and Scientific Press XLIX (August 2, 70.

Clifton Copper Era Midsummer Industrial Edition (Clifton: Copper Era, Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Announcing the Opening of the Clifton Hot Springs Bath House (Clifton: Clifton Mineral Hot Springs, Colquhoun, James The History of the Clifton-Morenci Mining District (London: John Murray, The Early History of the Clifton-Morenci District (London: W. Clowes, Colquhoun, James Clifton James Colquhoun, 1857-1954:The Man and His Work, By His Son (Perth, Scotland: D. Leslie, Conger, William C. "From Mules to Turbines for Power," Morenci Copper Review "The Magnificent Morenci Guest House," Morenci Copper Review "Last 75 Years Have Wrought Many Changes," Morenci Copper Review (May, 7. "Landmark Begins New Life," Morenci Copper Review (August "History of the Clifton-Morenci District," in J.

Michael Canty and Michael N. Greeley, eds., History of Mining in Arizona Volume I (Mining Club of the Southwest, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 43) Doucette, Forrest E. "Clifton: Where Nature's Heart Breaks Strong Amid the Hills," Progressive Arizona 7: 1 (July, "Clifton: At the Foot of the Rainbow," Progressive Arizona 9: 1 (July, 32. Greenlee County: The Wonderland of Arizona (Clifton: Greenlee County Board of Supervisors, Dunning, Charles H. and Edward H. Peplow, Jr. Rock to Riches (Phoenix: Southwest Publishing Co., Eppinga, Jane "Ethnic Diversity in Arizona's Early Mining Camps," in J. Michael Canty and Michael N.

Greeley, eds., History of Mining In Arizona Volume II (Tucson: Mining Club of the Southwest, Fenn, Al Clifton Editor: Morenci, Duncan, and Other Famous Places (Phoenix: Arizona Sunspots, Fierman, Floyd S. "Samuel J. Freudenthal: Southwestern Merchant and Civic Leader," American Jewish Historical Quarterly 57: 3: Some Early Jewish Settlers on the Southwestern Frontier (El Paso: Texas Western Press, "Graham County Copper District" Mining and Scientific Press L (May 30, Graham, Robert W. "Clifton Townsite Historic District." National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Manuscript at Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Phoenix.

Greenlee County, Arizona Arizona, Clifton-Springerville Highway, The "Coronado Trail" (Clifton: Greenlee County, Harris, Leon Merchant Princes: An Intimate History of Jewish Families Who Built Great Department Stores (New York: Harper and Row, Hatch, Heather, Karen Dahood and Al V. Fernandez "Clifton: Photography and Folk History in a Mining Town," Journal of Arizona History 23: 3 (Autumn, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 44) Hopkins, Ernest J. Financing the Frontier: A Fifty Year History of the Valley National Bank (Phoenix: Arizona Printers, Jackson, W. Turrentine The Enterprising Scot: Investors in the American West After (Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press, Joralemon, Ira B.

Copper: The Encompassing Story of Mankind's First Metal (Berkeley: Howell-North Books, New York: D. Appleton-Century, Kelly, William H. "Uncovering One of Arizona's Wealthiest Corners," Progressive Arizona 1: 3 (September, King, Elaine "Phelps Dodge Guest House." State Historic Property Inventory Form, July 27, Manuscript at Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Phoenix. King, Joseph E. Architectural/Historical Survey of Greenlee County, Arizona (El Paso: Center for History of Engineering and Technology, Texas Tech University, Kingsolver, Barbara Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of (Ithaca, New York: ILR Press, Kluger, James R.

The Clifton-Morenci Strike: Labor Difficulty in Arizona, (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, "The Clifton-Morenci Strike of Master's Thesis, University of Arizona, Lamb, Blaine Peterson "Jewish Pioneers in Arizona, 1850-1920."Ph.D.dissertation, Arizona State University, Leaming, George F. The Economic Impact of the Arizona Copper Industry, (Marana, Arizona: Western Economic Analysis Center, Lesinsky, Henry Letters Written by Henry Lesinsky to His Son (New York: Albert R. Lesinsky, Lescher & Mahoney, Inc. EPA Facilities Plan for Town of Clifton, Arizona (Phoenix: Lescher & Mahoney, Lindgren, Waldemar "The Copper Deposits of the Clifton-Morenci District, Arizona," US Geological Survey CLIFTON TOWNSITE HASS No.

AZ-165 (Page 45) Professional Paper 43 (Washington: Government Printing Office, Mellinger, Phil "Writing the History of the Arizona and Southwestern Mining Work Forces, Paper presented at the Arizona Historical Convention, May 4, Manuscript at Arizona Historical Society, Tucson. "The Men Have Become Organizers: Labor Conflict and Unionization in the Mexican Mining Communities of Arizona, 1900-1915,"Western Historical Quarterly (August, Menaul, James A. "New Mexico and Arizona," Church at Home and Abroad VII (June, "Mining About Clifton" Mining and Scientific Press XXXVI (June 8, Morgan, Mabel Baker Forty Years in Arizona: Miami, Clifton, Morenci (Phoenix: Arizona Sun Press, Mulligan, Raymond A.

"New York Foundlings at Clifton-Morenci: Social Justice in Arizona Territory, 1904-1905,"in Manuel P. Servin, ed. The Mexican-Americans: An Awakening Minority (Beverly Hills, California; Glencoe Press, Myrick, David F. Railroads of Arizona, Volume 3: Rails and Copper Mines: Clifton, Morenci, Metcalf (Glendale, California: Trans-Anglo Books, Negri, Sam "Clifton Guest House Has Roots in Mining History," Arizona Republic (July 15, Park, Joseph F. "The 'Mexican Affair' at Clifton," Journal of Arizona History 18: 2 (Summer, Patton, James M. History of Clifton (Clifton: Greenlee County Chamber of Commerce, Phelps Dodge Phelps Dodge: A Copper Centennial, Supplement to Arizona Paydirt (Bisbee, Arizona: Copper Queen Publishing Co., Phillips, David A.

and harris Sobin "Clifton's Historic Buildings: A Flood Control Related Cultural Resources Study of Clifton, Greenlee County, Arizona - Final Report," Western Division Report of Investigations No. 8 (Los Angeles: US Army Corps of Engineers, Rickard, Forrest R. CLIFTON TOWNSITE HASS No. AZ-165 (Page 46) "History of Smelting in Arizona," in J. Michael Canty and Michael N. Greeley, eds., History of Mining in Arizona Volume I (Mining Club of the Southwest, Riley, Peter "The Coronado Trail: A Paradise For All," Progressive Arizona 7: 1 (July, 32. Rush, Tillman Stout Greenlee County: The Wonderland of Arizona (Phoenix: Rush & Rush, Ryden Architects A Historic Building Analysis of the Arizona and New Mexico Railway Passenger Station, Clifton, Arizona (Phoenix: Don W.

Ryden, A Historic Building Analysis of the Clifton Town Hall (Phoenix: Don W. Ryden, Servin, Manuel P. and Robert L. Spude "Historical Conditions of Early Mexican Labor in the United States: Arizona - A Neglected Story," Journal of Mexican American History V Shortridge, Harold T. Childhood Memories of a Fabulous Mining Camp: Clifton, Arizona, 1915-1926(Cottonwood, Arizona: H. Shortridge, Spezia, Charles H. Walking Tour of Historic Chase Creek, Clifton, Arizona, 1900-1929(Clifton: Greenlee County Historical Society, Stocker, Joseph "Arizona's Century of Jewish Life," Arizona Days and Ways (January 16, Stowell, Fred W.

"On the Trail of Geronimo," Overland Monthly VII (April, Sullivan, Mark "A Wonderful Copper Plant," Overland Monthly 45: 6 (June, Tenney, History of Mining in Arizona (Tucson: Edited by University of Arizona Special Collections, "The Arizona Copper Co." The Railway News XU (April 19, "The Clifton Copper District" Mining and Scientific Press LIii (December 11, "The Copper Mines at Clifton" Mining and Scientific Press LI (July 4, 6. CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 47) Trippel, Or. Alex "The Arizona Copper Industry," Engineering and Mining Journal XLVII (May 11, Tuck, Frank J.

Stories of Arizona Copper Mines (Phoenix: Department of Mineral Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers Final Report for Flood Control and Related Purposes, and Environmental Impact Statement, Clifton, Arizona (Los Angeles: Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Vail, Richard H. "New Smelting Works of Arizona Copper Co. - I," Engineering and Mining Journal 97: 26 (June 27, "New Smelting Works of Arizona Copper Co. - II," Engineering and Mining Journal 98: 1 (July 4, Vaughn, Jerome H. Resources of Graham County (Solomonville: Clifton Clarion Print, Vinson, Mark C. "Vanished Clifton-Morenci: An Architect's Perspective," Journal of Arizona History 33: 2 (summer, Wagoner, Jay J. Arizona Territory, 1863-1912:A Political History (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, Weed, LS.

"The Arizona Copper Co., The Mines Handbook and Copper Handbook 12 Williams Engineering Co Clifton, Arizona: Sewerage Survey (Phoenix: Williams Engineering, Wynkoop, James "New Highway Opens Virgin Country," Progressive Arizona 2: 5 (May, Zindell, Udo "Landscape Evolution in the Clifton-Morenci Mining District, Master's thesis, Arizona State University, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 48) PART IV:

Project Information

This project is intended to accomplish partial mitigation for adverse affects to historic properties caused by the Clifton Flood Control Project. The project was initiated in response to the Comprehensive Preservation Plan for Clifton, Arizona Flood Control Project and a Memorandum of Agreement dated May 16, between the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Los Angeles District), the Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The boundaries of this documentation are limited to the areas expected to receive adverse impacts as a result of the flood control project.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,6-CLIFT,36-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Robert G. Graham, AIA, Ryden Architects, Historical Architect/Project Coordinator Douglas Kupel, Consulting Historian Ryden Architects 645 North 4th Avenue, Suite A Phoenix, AZ. September, CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 49) TABLE 1 Buildings of the Clifton Townsite Building Name, Location, HABS NO. Cross Reference FINAL ADDRESS/LOCATION NAME CONTEXT HASS # AZ-166 189 Frisco Street George Brown House Ethnicity AZ-167 182 Frisco Street Archie Morrison Rental House Commerce AZ-168 180 Frisco Street Archie Morrison Rental House Commerce AZ-169 175 Frisco Street Archie Morrison Rental House Commerce AZ-170 173 Frisco Street Archie Morrison House and Outbuildings Ethnicity AZ-171 169 Frisco Street Becker-Franz Store and Addition Commerce AZ-172 145 Frisco Street 0. A.

Risden House Ethnicity AZ-173 140 Frisco Street George Hall House and Garage .

Ethnicity AZ-174 West of Frisco Street Arizona Copper Company Smelter Blower House Mining and Shed (Texaco Products Building) AZ-175 West of Frisco Street Arizona Copper Company Smelter Power House Mining AZ-176 East of Frisco Street on Chase Creek Railroad Bridge Transportation Chase Creek AZ-177 Coronado Boulevard Arizona Copper Company Library Hall (Elks' Mining Lodge) AZ-178 Coronado Boulevard Arizona Copper Company Office (Greenlee Mining County Alternative School) AZ-179 Park Avenue Bridge (San Francisco River Bridge) Transportation AZ-180 Coronado Boulevard Arizona & New Mexico Railway Passenger Station Transportation AZ-181 Park Avenue at Highline Sam Abraham House Ethnicity Road AZ-182 Park Avenue south of Adam Smith House Ethnicity Highline Road AZ-183 Park Avenue La Casa Grande (Clifton Casa Grande, Henry Lessinsky Residence) .

Mining AZ-184 Park Avenue and Fraser Clifton Water and Improvement Co. Building Commerce Street AZ-185 Park Avenue Tailor Shop Commerce CLIFTON TOWNSITE HABS No. AZ-165 (Page 50) AZ-186 Park Avenue Hampton Block (Clifton Telephone Company Commerce Offices) AZ-187 Park Avenue C. F.

Pascoe Undertaking Commerce AZ-188 53 Park Avenue Central Hotel (Park Avenue Hotel) Commerce AZ-189 Park Avenue Commercial Saloon Commerce AZ-190 Park Avenue Clifton Town Hall Government AZ-191 Park Avenue Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Bath House Commerce AZ-192 Park Avenue Milk Depot (Lindsay Milk Creamery) Commerce AZ-193 Park Avenue Presbyterian Church (Masonic Temple) Religion AZ-194 Park Avenue Arizona Copper Company Chief Engineer's Mining House AZ-195 Park Avenue Arizona Copper Company Manager's House Mining AZ-196 109 Riverside Avenue Gatti House (Dean Scott House) Ethnicity AZ-197 Coronado Boulevard Shannon Copper Company Store Minlng AZ-198 229 Coronado Margaret B. Hill House .Eth.nicity Boulevard AZ-199 231 Coronado Henry H.

Hill House Ethnicity Boulevard AZ-200 235 Coronado Henry H. Hill Rental House Commerce Boulevard AZ-201 237 Coronado Otto Rosenthal House Ethnicity Boulevard AZ-202 239 Coronado J. M. Stevens House Et11nicity Boulevard AZ-203 241 Coronado L. J. Dunagan House Ethnicity Boulevard AZ-204 243 Coronado C. W. Beck House Etlrnicity Boulevard AZ-205 245 Coronado F. D. Connor House Ethnic:ty Boulevard

Clifton Townsite Hass

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