"First Friday, In Their Own Words" are presentations made on the first Friday of the month to CHSM and the public.
Clarkdale Historical Society and Museum is pleased to present "First Friday In Their Own Words" on Friday, February 3 at 10:00 in the Clark Memorial Clubhouse. The speaker, Yavapai-Apache Elder and recipient of the CHSM Legacy Award Vincent Randall, will discuss life in Clarkdale prior to the foundation of the town.
Mr. Randall’s family has called the Verde Valley “home “ for generations. His entertaining delivery makes his stories come alive. Past presentations, focusing on area churches, playing Little League and the expulsion of his people from the Verde Valley, among many others, can be viewed at the CHSM website, clarkdalemuseum.org.
Never preachy, Mr. Randall’s informative lectures are always popular, so come early for the best seats. He said, “You have to share your stories,” he said. “Otherwise, someone else will come along and tell them, someone who wasn’t there, didn’t live it.”
The presentation is free though donations are gratefully accepted.
An all-volunteer organization, CHSM welcomes new members. The Museum, located at the end of Ninth Street in Clarkdale, is currently open Friday and Saturday, 9:00 to 12:00 and by appointment.
Below are some of the First Friday presentations. Open any name panel for a synopsis of the interview.
Vincent Randall, Apache Nation Cultural Director and longtime Clarkdale resident gives a presentation on the history of Yavapai and Apache people in the Verde Valley, primarily in the time before Clarkdale was founded in 1912.
Mr. Randall’s family has called the Verde Valley “home” for generations. His entertaining delivery makes his stories come alive.
Never preachy, Mr. Randall’s informative lectures are always popular, so come early for the best seats. He said, “You have to share your stories,” he said. “Otherwise, someone else will come along and tell them, someone who wasn’t there, didn’t live it.”
Virginia 'Ginny' Chanda, who spent 27 years teaching English at Yavapai College Verde Valley Campus in Clarkdale, recounts her experiences, insights and stories about the development of the campus, its students, instructors and administration.
Fermin Estrada, presenting some history of the Alvarez Ranch.
Tucked into a verdant swath of Verde River property, the Alvarez Ranch was homesteaded in 1908. While courting his sweetheart, Bea, Fermin learned to love ranch life, as Bea’s grandfather was the rancher.
Fermin’s recollections will be illustrated with historic photos of the ranch and the tough people who made a living there. He will discuss what they grew and the chores involved in running this ranch.
Longtime Clarkdale resident Jim Gemmill describes his work, along with his father and grandfather at the Big Hole open pit copper mine in Jerome, Arizona in the 1950s and 60s. The mine was the remainder of the original owned by Phelps Dodge and prior to that United Verde Copper Company, which had provided copper ore to the Clarkdale smelter for almost 40 years.
Dennis Coon, his cousin Martha Morgan, and Aunt Elberta Hulsey talk about life at the Coon Ranch near Clarkdale, Arizona. Dennis lived on the ranch as a boy and he has kept many of the items that were a part of daily life at the ranch.
Jim Duncan, Steve Wombacher, Howard Schwab, Johnny Franquero, and Cliff Ayres entertain the crowd with their stories about growing up in the 50s and 60s in Clarkdale. Barbie Duncan introduces the speakers and attempts to keep the event civilized. (Mrs. Duncan, nee Osborne, was one of seven Cottonwood sisters who ignored the adage against dating the boys from Clarkdale.)
Clarkdale Before 1912
Janet Cassagio's presentation on early land owners in Clarkdale.
Copper: The Making of Clarkdale
Drake Meinke, owner of the Copper Art Museum, provides a tour of the museum’s exhibits, briefly explains the history of copper, and relates how copper produced in Clarkdale has played a role in each exhibit.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor COVID-19 stayed Phil Hess from sharing his experiences as Clarkdale’s longtime Postmaster. During his 17 years of service to Clarkdale, Mr. Hess orchestrated the Post Office move from what is now Clarkdale’s Community Services office to the current location at the other end of Ninth Street. He saw his customer base grow from 350 to over 3000. Delivering the mail was only one of Mr. Hess’ many jobs. Many area doctors directed new mothers to have him weigh their babies as his scales were the more accurate ones. He claims to have weighed more than 1000 infants.
Minor auto maintenance was another task. When a customer asked to use the phone in order to get her flat tire repaired, Mr. Hess went out to the parking lot and did the job. Workers at nearby St. Thomas church would also get a helping hand from the Postmaster.
"Badges, Bootleggers, Bottles, and Booze" is Peggy Hicks' presentation that tells of the sinister side of the model Town of Clarkdale. This would have been an in-person presentation for the museum, but due to COVID-19, it was done as a video. It begins with Peggy's "live" introduction, then moves to her narrating a detailed historical recollection of the Clarkdale 100 years ago during prohibition and the Roaring Twenties.
Ken Zoll presents a talk entitled “Sinagua Meteorites from Meteor Crater.” Ken has been working in conjunction with Arizona State University’s Center for Meteorite Studies on meteorites found at Native American ruins in the Verde Valley and beyond. The occurrence of meteorites on archaeological sites in North America has been known since the early 19th century. From the Hopewell culture in the eastern United States to the Indians in the American Southwest and northern Mexico, meteorites have been found on these ancient sites. Much like meteorite hunters of today, ancient Native American cultures actively engaged in meteorite collecting. Several meteorite fragments from Meteor Crater near Flagstaff have been discovered at ancient dwellings in Central Arizona. This paper will describe these meteorite locations, how they were associated with Meteor Crater and how one of the meteorites, using radiocarbon dating, established its location within a ruin and confirmed the date of the ruin’s destruction.
Ken Zoll is the Executive Director of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center in Camp Verde. He is also a researcher in ancient astronomy. He has authored Sinagua Sunwatchers: An Archaeoastronomy Survey of the Sacred Mountain Basin and Understanding the Rock Art of Sedona and the Verde Valley. His latest book entitled Heart of the Sky describes several of his discoveries.
First Fridays in Their Own Words: Felicia Coates, "Mysteries of the Museum" March 7, 2020 Felicia discusses some of the interesting items in the museum, some local history, and how items are chosen to be added to the collection.
Vincent Randall, Clarkdale native, former educator, and member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, tells the story of the Exodus of the Yavapai-Apache. This is his presentation from the First Friday talk on February 7, 2020.
Gayle Mabery is the town's longest serving Town Manager, having served for 21 years. The presentation from her First Friday talk on June 7, 2019 is linked here. Gayle review milestones of the town since its incorporation in 1957, and breaks the talk into decades. PRESENTATION
Our featured speaker is none other than Dinah (Moore) Gemmill. Dinah was born and raised in Clarkdale and has plenty of great stories to share! She spent her early life growing up here, attending the schools, marrying Jim, going to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, singing in the church choir, raising her children here, seeing her grandchildren raised in the same community, teaching, and finally retiring. Hear about the earlier days of Clarkdale as seen through her eyes.