Clip, Arizona facts for kids

Clip, also known as Clip Landing, was a small town in Arizona Territory that grew up around a steamboat stop and a silver mill. It was located on the east bank of the Colorado River, about 70 miles north of Yuma. Today, the land where Clip once stood is privately owned.

History of Clip

Finding Silver at Clip

The story of Clip began in the early 1880s when a valuable silver deposit was discovered. This discovery was made in the Trigo Mountains, which were part of the Silver Mining District in Yuma County. The place where the silver was found was called the Silver Clip Claim.

Building the Town

By 1882, things started to move quickly. A special landing spot was built on the river for steamboats. These boats were important for bringing supplies and people to the area. A large mill, called the Clip Mill, was also built. This mill had ten "stamps," which were heavy machines used to crush rocks and get the silver out. The mine and mill were owned by Anthony G. Hubbard and Bowers.

The town of Clip grew around these important places. It even had its own post office, which operated from 1884 to 1888. At its busiest time, Clip had more than 200 people living there. Besides the steamboat landing, the mill, and the post office, the town also had a general store where people could buy supplies.

The End of Clip

The Clip Mill worked hard from 1882 until 1887. Towards the end, it was mostly processing leftover crushed rock from the mine, called "tailings," to try and get any last bits of silver.

However, the price of silver began to drop in the late 1880s. This made it less profitable to mine silver. Like many other silver mining towns of that time, Clip slowly faded away when the mine and mill closed down. The town became a ghost town, a reminder of Arizona's mining past.