Chloride
 
Chloride is a peaceful village of about 250 people in the northwest corner of Arizona. There are roughly 350 sunshine days a year in the high desert altitude of 4,009 feet in the Cerbat Mountains. The climate is perfect for the southwest lifestyle. Many of the residents are active, some are semi-retired, and others are business people. All enjoy the relaxed lifestyle and flexible merchant hours.

There are saloons, a grocery store, two R.V.parks, a town hall and a V.F.W. Artists, writers, musicians, and craft persons maintain small shops and studios in some of the old buildings. They still have an old jail, the Jim Fritz Museum and the Silverbelle Playhouse. There is plenty of good old fashioned fun for everyone. The Chloride Fire Department houses an operational 1939 Ford fire engine built especially for the town by the Ford Motor Company.

The name for this former mining community is derived from the fact that the exposed ores carried heavy silver chloride, used in photographs and other industrial uses. The community was the first Arizona mining village to come into being in the 1860s and it continues to survive. The first mines were discovered 1863 and it was a major mining camp in 1864 and still one of oldest miner communities in Arizona.

There was a Santa Fe branch railroad from Kingman to carry local ores, a post office in the 1870's which is the oldest still working post office in Arizona., and two smelting furnaces. In 1871, Chloride became the Mohave County seat, but lost the county offices to Kingman in later years.

Located in the hills behind Chloride are the famous Purcell Murals painted by the artist Roy Purcell in 1966. These murals are well worth the mile and a half drive on a dirt road. Roy was a prospector with time on his hands, so he painted some intriguing scenes on the face of the boulders in the area. The Murals have held up well during the past 30 years, and the colors remain vibrant. Ancient petroglyph's are also located in this area. If you go into these areas, watch out for rattle snakes and carry plenty of water.

Butterfield Stage Line served Chloride from 1868 until 1919. The road to town are paved. Enjoy yourself!

Chloride Links
Chloride Website
Chloride Chamber of Commerce
Roy Purcell Murals
 
 
Towns and Communities of Mohave County
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