Chloride, Arizona

Chloride is a onetime silver mining camp in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the state.[4] Chloride has a ZIP Code of 86431; in 2000, the population of the 86431 ZCTA was 352.[5]

Chloride, Arizona
Unincorporated community
Chloride town center
Location of Chloride in Mohave County, Arizona.
Coordinates: 35°24′52″N 114°11′58″W
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyMohave
Founded1863
Area
 • Total1.51 sq mi (3.90 km2)
 • Land1.51 sq mi (3.90 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation4,022 ft (1,226 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total271
 • Estimate 
(2016)[3]
N/A
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST (no DST))
ZIP code
86431
FIPS code04-12910

Chloride is located on the southwest flank of the Cerbat Mountains, northwest of Kingman. Grasshopper Junction is four miles to the west on U.S. Route 93.[6]

History

Prospectors first located mineral resources in the area in the 1840s, including silver, gold, lead, zinc, and turquoise. Chloride was founded about 1863, but mining was not widespread until the 1870s after a treaty was signed with the Hualapai Indians. The railway from Kingman, called the Arizona and Utah Railway, was inaugurated on August 16, 1899 - the last silver spike was driven by Miss May Krider.[7] The town eventually grew to a peak of around 5,000 inhabitants, and at one time Chloride was the county seat. By 1917 the population had fallen to 2,000, and by 1944 it was nearly a ghost town.

American author Louis L'Amour visited Chloride sometime between 1927 and 1929 after the Weepah, Nevada goldrush, where he had bought, and then sold, a claim for $50. During his visit the town of Chloride caught fire. L'amour assisted the town citizens in a bucket brigade that ultimately failed to stop most of the town from burning to the ground.[8]

Panoramic view of Chloride
Rail route in 1930

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chloride has a cold desert climate, abbreviated "BWk" on climate maps.[9]

References
  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 18, 2017.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chloride
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. "Chloride History". Chloride Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  5. "86431 - Population Finder - American FactFinder". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  6. Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 4th edition, 2001, p. 28 ISBN 0899333257
  7. Arizona: Weekly Republican, Aug 17, 1899; Mohave County Miner, Kingman, Aug 19, 1899.
  8. Education of a Wandering Man, Bantam Books 1990, ISBN 978-0553286526
  9. Climate Summary for Chloride, Arizona
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