- Clemenceau, Arizona
Clemenceau is a
ghost town in Yavapai County,Arizona ,United States . It was built as acompany town in 1917 to serve the newsmelter forJames Douglas, Jr. 'sUnited Verde Extension mine in Jerome. The town was named in honor of the French Premier in World War I,Georges Clemenceau , a personal friend of Mr. Douglas.The Clemenceau smelter closed on December 31, 1936. Most residents then left the area. When Cottonwood was incorporated in 1960, Clemenceau and the Clemenceau Airport were annexed to Cottonwood.
With the exception of the school, the bank/post office and the smelter
slag pile, little remains of the original town of Clemenceau. A largely-invisible remnant is the Clemenceau Water Company [http://listings.allpages.com/az-0083240961-cottonwood.html ] , which still serves the area of the old town of Clemenceau. The town of Cottonwood bought the company in 2004, but it still operates as a separate entity, as of 2006.Clemenceau Heritage Museum
The Clemenceau Heritage Museum occupies most of the old Clemenceau School, which operated 1924-1986. The 1919 Clemenceau Bank and Post Office building is also part of the museum. The museum has displays on mining, logging, and railroad development in the
Verde Valley , and preserves archives and artifacts from the area. An elaborate [http://www.clemenceaumuseum.org/train.htm working model railroad] display depicts the seven railroads that operated in the Upper Verde Valley from 1895-1953.Douglas and Clemenceau
James Douglas, Jr. , bought an apartment in Paris for his friend,Georges Clemenceau , in 1926, for his retirement home. This building later became theMusée Clémenceau . Source: [http://www.musee-clemenceau.fr/en/histoire.html]Notable residents and visitors
Jack Frye 's personal airplane,TWA 'sLockheed Electra NC18137, was frequently based at the Clemenceau Airport. Frye had a vacation ranch nearSedona , nowRed Rock State Park . Source and photo: [http://azmemory.lib.az.us/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/ahfrein&CISOSTART=1,121] , item #128.ee also
*
Cottonwood, Arizona *
Jerome, Arizona External links
* [http://www.clemenceaumuseum.org/ Clemenceau Heritage Museum]
* [http://cip.lib.az.us/index.cfm?event=ViewRepository&oid=121&cid=0 Archives at Clemenceau Heritage Museum]
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