Clemenceau, Cottonwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clemenceau, Arizona
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The Bank of Clemenceau, founded 1918. The bank building is preserved on the grounds of the Clemenceau Heritage Museum.
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 Clemenceau, Arizona
Location in Arizona
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yavapai |
| Elevation | 3,471 ft (1,058 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
Clemenceau is a small area within the city of Cottonwood. It is located in Yavapai County, Arizona. This place was built in 1917 as a company town. A company town is a place where a company builds homes and services for its workers.
Clemenceau was created to serve a new smelter. A smelter is a factory that melts ore to get metals. This smelter processed ore from the James Douglas, Jr.'s United Verde Extension Mine (UVX) in Jerome. The town was first called Verde. In 1920, its name changed to Clemenceau. This was to honor Georges Clemenceau, a French leader during World War I. He was a friend of James Douglas, Jr.
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History of Clemenceau
The town was first named Verde. It was renamed Clemenceau in 1920. This honored Georges Clemenceau. It also helped avoid confusion with nearby Camp Verde. Verde had its own post office and train station. This station was on the Clarkdale branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
Building the town began around January 1, 1918. The smelter town provided homes for workers. It also had a school, a bank, and a clubhouse. Its population changed a lot, from 1,000 to 5,000 people. To move ore to the smelter, James Douglas built the Arizona-Extension Railway. This was a short train line with two branches. One branch connected Clemenceau to the UVX Mine. The other branch ran between Clemenceau and Clarkdale.
The Clemenceau smelter closed down in 1937. After this, most people moved away from the area. When Cottonwood became an official city in 1960, Clemenceau was included. The Clemenceau Airport also became part of Cottonwood.
Today, not much is left of the original town. The old school building, the bank/post office, and the smelter slag pile remain. The Clemenceau Water Company still serves the area. The town of Cottonwood bought this company in 2004. It still operates as a separate business.
Clemenceau Heritage Museum
The Clemenceau Heritage Museum is located in the old Clemenceau School. This school operated from 1924 until 1986. The museum also includes the 1918 Clemenceau Bank and Post Office building.
The museum shows exhibits about mining, ranching, and farming. These activities were important in the Verde Valley area. The museum also keeps old records and items from the region. A large, working model-railroad display is also there. It shows the nine different railroads that once ran in the area.
James Douglas, Jr. and Georges Clemenceau
James Douglas, Jr. and Georges Clemenceau were good friends. In 1926, Douglas bought an apartment in Paris for Clemenceau. This was meant to be Clemenceau's retirement home. This building later became the Musée Clemenceau, a museum dedicated to Georges Clemenceau.
Notable People and Visitors
Jack Frye was a famous pilot. He was the president of TWA airlines. His personal airplane, a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, was often kept at the Clemenceau Airport. Frye owned a vacation ranch near Sedona. This ranch is now known as Red Rock State Park.
