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It began back in the 1840's, when prospectors canvassed the area in search
of minerals. Minerals are exactly what they did find. Silver, gold, lead,
zinc and turquoise were all in the mountains around where Chloride is today.
Even the town's name came from the silver chloride discovered here.
Although many knew of the riches in the area, Chloride was a difficult
place to reach. The Hualapai Indians protected this land, making it impossible
for prospectors to search. Many years passed, before the Army troops came
in and controlled the tribe.
In 1862, silver was discovered.
The mine was called "Silver Hill." During the time of the discovery, there
were already approximately 75 mines operating in the surrounding area.
During Chloride's boom period, there were estimated nearly 2,000
people living in town. Chloride was large enough to be the county seat
for Mohave County in 1871. In the same year, Chloride established its post
office. Today, the post office is noted for being the oldest post office
in Arizona| Arizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') | The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
. The Butterfield Stage served Chloride from 1868 to 1919. The Santa Fe
Railroad left Kingman and made its way to Chloride from 1898 to 1935. The
town was growing.
By the 1930's, the richest mine in the area
was the Golanda. This mine was located between Kingman and Chloride. It
was estimated that the Golanda had produced six and a half million dollars
in ore. Later on, the Tennessee Silver Mine surpassed the Golanda and became
one of the area's riches mines.
In 1944, the mines were forced
to close. The cost of materials and labor were not worth the price of the
mineral. After the mine closures, Chloride was considered to be by many
a ghost town.
However, the town proved everyone wrong. Today,
Chloride is a town of retirees and business owners. The goal of the residents
is to preserve the past. Visitors come to Chloride to experience the old
west. There are shops, arts and crafts studios and caf‚s. The town prides
itself on the preservation of buildings like the Jim Fritz Museum and the
old jail. Even the fire department shows off its historic piece. The 1939
Ford Engine is a part of the Chloride Volunteer Fire Department. The Chloride
Volunteer Fire Department is also noted as the oldest volunteer fire department
in Arizona.
Chloride is a town from the past that is living
in the future.
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