History of 125 Verde Place

The home at 125 Verde Place was built in 1915, and is a great example of the early houses in Clarkdale's Rio Vista Subdivision, because little has been done to change its character of the past 90 years. In the 1940's a few rooms were added (including a bathroom!), but no other major remodeling has been done.

The house has an early Bungalow-style zoned floor plan, with sleeping rooms set off to one side and service areas on the other. It is built low to the ground, has a side-gabled roof with shed-style additions, and a wide front porch. The exterior is covered with cedar shingles. Inside, sloping ceilings, pocket windows, french doors, pull-chain light fixtures, and narrow "box car" paneling add to its charm.

This home has been in our family since the early 1950's. We have made every effort to repair and restore the house as closely to original as possible. For the comfort of our guests, we have added forced heating and cooling.

We hope you enjoy staying at 125 Verde Place as much as we enjoy sharing this piece of area and family history with you.

Your hosts,
Ron and Debbie Pearson

Clarkdale, Arizona, located in the Verde Valley of north-central Arizona, is a former company mining town. The town was built from a unified master plan by Senator William A. Clark of Montana, to support the copper mining industry in Jerome, five miles to the south.

The Rio Vista Subdivision, where 125 Verde Place is located, is one of four original districts laid out by Clark when Clarkdale was founded. The homes in the other three areas were built and owned by the mining company for its workers. The homes in Rio Vista were owned by individuals even though the land was still owned by the mining company. The company rented the home sites out for $1 per month, with the stipulation that individuals could be asked to leave at any time (and take their homes with them!). So, the buildings were built from any materials that could be found, from discarded pallets to fancy oak mouldings left over from other building projects. Though inexpensive, they were obtainable. They were also cozy and comfortable - and each had a character of its own.