RUST IN PIECES: PART 2: Verde Valley Mining Legacies- 20 Million Tons of Slag + A Mountain Ghost Town Junkyard

*For mobile readers: I apologize for the awkwardly large photo sizing! I'm currently only able to include photos in my articles via HTML embed links (a storage issue related to my current account status). Unfortunately I can't edit sizing on mobile right now. To view whole images, slide left/ right & up/down or open in a separate tab.

The above photos are of the 20-million-ton slag pile (from United Verde Copper Company) which lies like a sleeping giant in Clarkdale, AZ. The slag, a.k.a tailings, are leftover byproducts from mining & smelting operations.

United Verde produced 2 billion tons of gold, silver & copper during Arizona’s early years of statehood. In 2007, Freeport-McMoran acquired the company which had been operated by its next owner, Phelps Dodge since circa 1935 until its closure. Since then, FM has taken responsibility for the operation's environmental impacts, which includes soil remediation of historic sites & properties affected by the toxic fumes from airborne metals that went unchecked for decades.

"What's going on in Clarkdale is a good illustration of how the soil replacement program works and why it is needed.

When the United Verde smelters were operating, there were no limits on emission controls used on the smokestacks. So, a variety of airborne metals drifted over the community for decades, eventually settling to the ground and getting into the soil.

The federal Clean Air Act, which restricted smokestack emissions, was passed in 1970, nearly two decades after the Clarkdale smelter closed. Since then, environmental laws and regulations have set what are considered safe levels for metals and other components in soil.

The aim of Freeport's soil remediation program is to remove any dirt from affected properties that does not meet current regulatory standards and replace it with soil that does. It's not that the concentrations that exist today are toxic, though prolonged exposure could pose a long-term health risk, for instance to a child who ingests soil from dirty hands.

The work in Arizona is being done in coordination with and under the oversight of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality through its voluntary remediation program."

-Excerpt from "Company Refurbishes Yards Impacted by Historic Mining Activity"

Via Freeportinmycommunity.com, October 14, 2021

When in Jerome....

Come take a ride with me in this dash cam vid of a trip through Jerome to Gold King Mine via my Instagram page:

The above images are also from various areas of Jerome. There are many sites throughout Jerome & Clarkdale that have ties to historic mining operations. It's a bit like a scavenger hunt, as the more you explore, the more you see; whether on foot or in a car. I'd also highly recommend a trip through the old mining country via the Verde Canyon Railroad- it's well worth the $ if you can spare it. My husband surprised me with a ticket to ride for Valentine's Day in 2019 & it was fabulous! They even had a chocolate fountain on the dining car. I was amazed at how close you can get to the mountainsides & slag piles as the train passes through, rather slowly, the winding canyon corridor.

Enjoying a coffee and views w/ hubby on the Verde Canyon Railroad- what a day!

To see additional gallery images, visit my Adobe Behance page: https://www.behance.net/gallery/226662629/Rust-In-Pieces-An-Ongoing-Exploration

©Lo Frisby 2025