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Clarkdale, the departure site of the Verde Canyon Railroad, is located on the eastern slope of Mingus Mountain in the Verde Valley at an elevation of 3,200 feet. The settlement was constructed as a company-town for the smelter plant, located just below the Jerome mines.

The town, named after Senator William A. Clark, had an employee caste system which mimicked the sloping terrain of the town’s site. Many of the original houses and buildings are still intact in this quaint and historic community.

Today, the majority of trains that run on these lines carry a payload of passengers. However, the Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad hauls product for the Phoenix Cement Plant located above the rail line. The community is a thriving artist colony and retirement destination because of its moderate climate and proximity to culture and commerce.

"I will definitely be recommending the Verde [Canyon] Railroad as one of the things that one MUST DO while in Arizona." 

—Linda Yee, Tulsa, OK

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