You’ll find Clemenceau roughly 100 miles north of Phoenix in Arizona’s Verde Valley, accessible via State Route 89A through Cottonwood. Plan your visit during spring or fall when temperatures make exploring the massive slag heaps and remaining structures comfortable—summer heat becomes dangerous by mid-morning. The original school building now houses the Clemenceau Heritage Museum at 1 N. Willard Street, while nearby Jerome and Clarkdale offer additional ghost town experiences along this historic copper mining corridor that once thrived from 1913 to 1937, before economic collapse transformed these settlements into haunting remnants.
Key Takeaways
- Clemenceau is located in Verde Valley, Arizona, 100 miles north of Phoenix, accessible via State Route 89A through Cottonwood.
- Visit the Clemenceau Heritage Museum at 1 N. Willard Street, housed in the original 1917 public school building.
- Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) offer the best weather conditions for exploring the ghost town ruins.
- Key remnants include the massive smelter slag pile, old school building, bank/post office structure, and weathered support buildings.
- Combine your visit with nearby ghost towns Jerome and Clarkdale for a comprehensive mining history road trip.
The Rise and Fall of a Copper Smelter Town
When James Douglas envisioned a worker’s paradise in the Verde Valley, he planted the seeds of Clemenceau in 1917—a company town designed to house the laborers who’d breathe life into the United Verde Extension copper smelter.
You’d have witnessed a thriving community of up to 5,000 souls, complete with schools, shops, and tennis courts. The smelter roared from 1913 to 1937, processing copper, gold, and silver from Jerome’s rich deposits. The Little Daisy Mine near the United Verde had been purchased by James S. Douglas in 1912, setting the stage for the smelter’s operations.
But freedom comes with costs. The environmental impacts of mining scarred the landscape—smelter fumes killed vegetation for miles, triggering erosion and deadly slides. The operation left behind a 3-million-ton mining waste pile that still sits in the area today. When ore depleted in 1930, the economic devastation of closure followed swiftly. By December 1936, the smelter went dark, leaving only slag piles and shattered dreams.
Getting to Clemenceau in Verde Valley
You’ll find Clemenceau nestled in Arizona’s geographic heart, where State Route 89A cuts through Verde Valley just 100 miles north of Phoenix. The drive rewards you with dramatic red rock formations and views of Mingus Mountain, particularly stunning during spring wildflowers or the crisp, golden light of autumn.
Navigate to the Willard Street and Mingus Avenue roundabout in Cottonwood—this intersection marks your gateway to exploring the remains of this copper smelter town and the network of ghost mining communities scattered throughout the surrounding 714-square-mile valley. The town bears the name of French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, who earned the nickname “Le Tigre” for his fierce leadership during World War I. Originally founded in 1917 as a company town, Clemenceau was first known as Verde before being renamed after the French Premier, who was a friend of founder James Douglas.
Location and Road Access
The drive to Clemenceau unfolds through Arizona’s Verde Valley, a 714-square-mile basin cradled in the state’s geographic center, roughly 100 miles north of Phoenix’s sprawl. Your geography profile reveals coordinates at 34°43′55″N 112°01′36″W, within Cottonwood’s modern boundaries, elevation hovering between 3,300 and 3,900 feet.
From Flagstaff or Sedona, you’ll follow State Route 89A through Cottonwood, then veer north onto Mingus Avenue toward the Willard Street roundabout. Phoenix travelers take the same route through Camp Verde.
Logistics considerations are straightforward—the museum anchors your destination at 1 N. Willard Street, where Mogollon Rim shadows the north, Mingus Mountain dominates western horizons, and the Verde River traces its ancient northwest-to-southeast course nearby. The original Clemenceau Public School building now houses the heritage museum, operated by volunteers who preserve Verde Valley’s artifacts and stories. Red rocks frame your approach like geological sentinels.
Best Seasons to Visit
Four mild seasons grace Verde Valley with year-round accessibility, though your timing shapes the experience dramatically. Spring delivers ideal months—April’s 73°F and May’s 82°F create perfect hiking conditions with minimal rainfall. You’ll find popular trails bustling but manageable.
Fall’s second-best window offers September’s 88°F cooling to October’s 77°F, though weather patterns bring increased precipitation at 1.93″ and 1.65″ respectively.
Winter transforms Clemenceau into a solitary escape, with 57°F December days and virtually empty trails. Summer’s 97°F July peaks don’t deter river enthusiasts, and monsoon showers (1.89″ August) pass quickly. Early morning hikes become essential during summer’s intense heat, allowing you to explore before temperatures climb dangerously high.
For maximum freedom and discounted lodging, target winter or fall midweek visits. Clear skies provide 200-mile visibility regardless of season, ensuring your ghost town exploration succeeds any time you venture out. Cottonwood sits just 90 minutes from Phoenix, making spontaneous trips feasible whenever conditions align with your schedule.
Regional Ghost Town Routes
Nestled within Verde Valley’s copper-rich hillsides, Clemenceau sits at the crossroads of Arizona’s most accessible ghost town network—a 3,471-foot elevation sweet spot that puts you within striking distance of a dozen abandoned mining settlements. You’ll find yourself perfectly positioned to explore:
- Jerome’s dramatic terraces (3 miles northwest) where United Verde Extension Mine once fueled Clemenceau’s smelter
- Clarkdale’s industrial ruins just up the road, connected by the old Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad bed
- Crown King and Congress circuits, extending your adventure into 50+ county landmarks scattered across Yavapai’s backcountry
The mining operations that linked these towns created natural touring routes—follow Mingus Avenue through Cottonwood, then branch toward forgotten places where copper barons left their mark on Arizona’s high desert. Many of these settlements were founded during the late 1800s when the mining boom transformed Verde Valley into one of Arizona’s most productive copper regions. Navigate using GPS coordinates 34.7319656° North, -112.0265462° West to pinpoint Clemenceau’s exact location on modern mapping systems.
What Remains of the Original Settlement
Very little survives from Clemenceau’s bustling heyday, when thousands of workers and their families filled these streets near the intersection of Willard Street and Mingus Avenue. You’ll find the old school building standing as the primary witness to this vanished company town.
The bank and post office structure persists in what locals still call the Clemenceau neighborhood, offering tangible architectural features from the 1920s. That massive smelter slag pile dominates the landscape—an industrial monument you can’t miss. A handful of support buildings from the smelter operation remain scattered about, though they’re weathered and worn.
These ruins and remnants tell a story most passersby never recognize: this quiet corner once housed up to 5,000 souls in Arizona’s forgotten “Smelter City.” The settlement was developed alongside neighboring Clarkdale by mining companies in the early 1900s to serve workers at the nearby Jerome operations.
Clemenceau Heritage Museum: Your Window Into the Past
You’ll find the Clemenceau Heritage Museum tucked inside the old 1924 schoolhouse at 1 N. Willard Street, where classroom chalkboards once held arithmetic lessons and now display mining tools and homesteader photographs. The museum opens its doors Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00 am to noon, then again Friday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm—though it’s wise to call (928) 634-2868 before making the drive, as these Verde Historical Society volunteers sometimes adjust their schedule.
Inside, you’ll walk through recreated early 1900s kitchens and bedrooms, study artifacts from Verde Valley’s mining boom, and watch an elaborate model railroad chug through scenes of the nine railroads that once crisscrossed this copper country.
Museum Hours and Access
The Clemenceau Heritage Museum operates on a limited schedule that reflects its volunteer-driven nature—typically opening Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, plus Friday and Saturday afternoons from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. However, you’ll want to call ahead at 928-634-2868 on Tuesday mornings to confirm the museum’s weekly schedule, as volunteer availability can shift.
Before you venture out, note these essential details:
- Admission is free (though $7-8 donations keep the lights on)
- Unique accessibility features include handicap access and restrooms
- Plan two hours to properly explore the exhibits
You’ll find this gem at 1 N. Willard Street, right at the Willard/Mingus Roundabout in Cottonwood. Browse the gift shop, but leave food and drinks outside—this historic schoolhouse deserves respect.
Historical Exhibits and Collections
Stepping through the doorway of this 1924 schoolhouse transports you into rooms frozen in time—where early 20th-century kitchens display cast-iron cookstoves and Depression-era dishware, bedrooms showcase hand-stitched quilts draped over brass bedframes, and original classrooms feature wooden desks carved with decades of student initials.
You’ll discover diverse artifact collections around every corner: antique dolls rest in miniature furnished houses, while an intricate diorama recreates Clemenceau’s vanished streetscape with model trains winding past long-demolished buildings. These living history displays preserve the company town’s legacy through tangible connections to families who worked the UVX copper smelter.
Verde Historical Society volunteers have transformed each classroom into immersive vignettes that let you touch the rough-hewn past—no velvet ropes restricting your exploration of this vanished Arizona community.
Best Times to Visit This Arizona Ghost Town
Consider these ideal timing strategies:
- Spring visits offer comfortable evening stargazing and ghost tours with invigorating post-sunset temperatures
- Fall exploration provides perfect hiking conditions along Jail Trail and enhanced visibility through abandoned structures
- Summer mornings deliver greatly reduced prices, though you’ll need Verde River cooling breaks
Year-round access means you’re never truly restricted—just tactical about when you’ll experience maximum freedom with minimal constraints.
The Railroad That Built a Community
When you stand at Clemenceau’s remnants today, it’s hard to imagine the rhythmic clatter of ore cars that once echoed through this valley—but that sound built everything you see crumbling around you.
James Douglas Jr.’s Arizona-Extension Railway transformed raw desert into prosperity. The two-branch system—2.5 miles west to the Josephine Tunnel portal and east to Clarkdale—was pure engineering efficiency. Standard gauge tracks connected Jerome’s rich ore deposits directly to Clemenceau’s smelter furnaces, eliminating grueling wagon hauls that had restrained earlier operations.
This railroad infrastructure sustained 1,000 to 5,000 residents between 1918 and 1936, delivering everything from coal to mail. The mining town economy thrived entirely on those steel rails—until December 31, 1936, when both smelter and railway went silent forever.
Life in a Company Town: Amenities and Daily Living
Unlike the dusty chaos of Old Town Cottonwood—where saloons stayed open all night and nobody asked questions—Clemenceau ran like a well-oiled machine under United Verde Extension’s watchful eye. Company oversight of social life touched everything from your morning coffee at the drugstore to evening tennis matches at the clubhouse.
Your company-provided amenities included:
- Housing on higher ground – Company-owned homes kept you above Cottonwood’s flood-prone lowlands
- Essential services – A bank, post office, company store, and school served your daily needs
- Recreation facilities – Tennis courts, a gazebo, and clubhouse offered structured leisure
The cultural homogeneity of residents created predictable rhythms. You’d shop where the company said, socialize where permitted, and live under constant regulation—security and stability exchanged for personal autonomy in this “Smelter City.”
Exploring Nearby Ghost Towns and Attractions
The skeletal remains of Clemenceau serve as your launching point into Arizona’s most concentrated cluster of mining ghost towns, where copper fortunes built—and abandoned—entire communities within a five-mile radius. Jerome sits just minutes away, clinging to Cleopatra Hill at 5,000 feet with its historic building preservation transforming saloons into galleries. You’ll find the Sliding Jail that shifted 200 feet from underground blasting—a witness to mining’s raw power.
Gold King Mine Ghost Town awaits one mile north, where mining relics displays showcase rusted equipment frozen in time. Feed chickens between photographing blacksmith shops, then try gold panning yourself. The Verde Canyon Railroad departs nearby for panoramic valley views, while Fort Verde’s frontier fort rounds out your multi-site adventure through Arizona’s wildest territorial past.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Fees to Visit the Clemenceau Heritage Museum?
No, you won’t pay admission fees—the museum’s completely free during regular museum hours. Just drop a donation if you’re moved to support this volunteer-run treasure. Accessibility for visitors includes easy entry, welcoming docents, and zero financial barriers to exploration.
Is Camping Allowed Near the Clemenceau Ghost Town Site?
Camping regulations prohibit overnight stays directly at Clemenceau’s ruins, but you’ll find freedom at nearby camping options in Prescott National Forest. Dispersed sites offer 14-day stays where you’ll wake to Arizona’s wild, unfiltered desert sunrise.
Are Restrooms and Water Available at the Museum or Town Site?
Like finding an oasis in Arizona’s desert, you’ll discover restroom facilities at Clemenceau Heritage Museum with handicap access. However, potable water sources aren’t confirmed—call Tuesday mornings at 928-634-2868. The ghost town site itself offers nothing.
Can I Bring My Dog When Exploring Clemenceau’s Remains?
You can bring your dog to explore Clemenceau’s ruins, though pet-friendly policies aren’t explicitly posted. Keep them on-leash for safety around mining hazards, rattlesnakes, and unstable terrain. The surrounding national forest welcomes leashed companions on trails.
How Long Should I Plan to Spend Visiting Clemenceau?
Plan 1-2 hours exploring Clemenceau’s abandoned structures and soaking in their historical significance. You’ll want time to photograph crumbling walls, wander freely through ruins, and imagine the bustling community that once thrived here before moving on.
References
- https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/clemenceau.html
- https://kids.kiddle.co/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Arizona
- https://clarkdalelodge.com/2022/09/06/clemenceau-heritage-museum/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemenceau
- https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=TRU19400120-01.2.54
- https://www.mininghistoryassociation.org/PrescottMiningHistory.htm
- https://journalaz.com/2024/04/25/forum-addresses-mining-and-the-effects-of-slag-tailings/
- https://cottonwoodaz.gov/389/About-Cottonwood
- https://www.visitcottonwoodaz.org/about-us.html
- https://jerome.az.gov/jerome-then-and-now
