engrossing museums, and a new wine industry that should intrigue oenophiles of any stripe. Families, couples, and singles will all enjoy maneuvering the streets, which are rugged without being annoyingly so.
Once called the billion-dollar copper camp, Jerome was founded in 1883 and by the 1920s was the fourth-largest city in Arizona. In the early years, Jerome’s ore was mined using an 88-mile-long network of underground railroads. But the town’s (and the mining industry’s) biggest nemesis those days were fires: Jerome burned down with some regularity, and fires in the mines smouldered uncontrollably. Eventually, the mining companies were forced to abandon the tunnels in favor of open-pit mining.
Northeast of Jerome, the Verde Valley is so named by early Spanish explorers, impressed by the sight of such a verdant valley in an otherwise brown desert landscape. Cottonwood and Clarkdale, the valley’s two largest towns, are old copper-smelting centers, while Camp Verde was an army post during the Indian Wars. Most visitors here focus on the valley’s two national monuments—Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle, both remarkable Native American ruins, preserving the vestiges of Sinagua villages that date from long before the first European explorers entered the Verde Valley. By the time the first pioneers began settling in this region, the Sinaguas had long since moved on, and Apaches had claimed the valley as part of their territory; Fort Verde, now a state park, was established to deal with settlers’ conflicts with the Apaches. Between this state park and the two national monuments, hundreds of years of Verde Valley history and prehistory can be explored.
| Jail Brakes? |
One unforeseen hazard of open-pit mining next to a town built on a 30-degree slope was the effect dynamiting would have on Jerome. Mine explosions would regularly rock Jerome’s world, and eventually buildings in town began sliding downhill. Even the town jail broke loose. With no brakes to stop it, the jail slid 225 feet downhill. (Now that’s a jailbreak.)
Between 1883 and 1953, Jerome experienced an economic roller-coaster ride as the price of copper rose and fell. By the early 1950s, it was no longer profitable to mine the copper ore of Cleopatra Hill, and the last mining company shut down operations. Almost everyone left town. By the early 1960s, Jerome was on its way to becoming just another ghost town. But then artists discovered the phenomenal views and dirt-cheap rents and began moving in; slowly the near-ghost town developed a reputation as an artists’ community. Soon tourists began visiting to see and buy the artwork being created in Jerome, and old storefronts turned into galleries.
As the state has pulled out of the recession of the late 2000s, Jerome has blossomed. On summer weekends its streets are packed with visitors browsing the galleries and crafts shops. The ghost town image lingers, but only in a string of shops playing up the haunted theme.
Essentials
Arriving
Jerome is on Ariz. 89A roughly halfway between Sedona and Prescott, about an hour’s drive (sometimes less) from either. Coming from Phoenix, it’s a 2-hour drive via I-17 and Ariz. 260, which will take you northwest through Camp Verde, Cottonwood, and Clarkdale before reaching Jerome.
Visitor Information
The Jerome Chamber of Commerce (www.jeromechamber.com;
Festivals
Avid birders may want to plan their visit to coincide with the annual Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival (www.birdyverde.org;
Exploring Jerome
That same remote and rugged setting that once made it so expensive to mine copper is now one of Jerome’s main attractions. Because it’s literally built on the side of a mountain, its streets switch back from one level of houses to the next, with narrow alleys and stairways connecting the different levels of town. All these winding streets, alleys, and stairways are lined with old brick and wood-frame buildings—some businesses, some private residences—clinging precariously to their perch. The entire town has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and today, homes, studios, wine-tasting rooms, and galleries stand side by side, looking (externally, anyway) much as they did when Jerome was an active mining town.
Jerome, once nearly a ghost town, preserves even the most crumbling relics of its copper-mining boom days.
Jerome is an interesting enough place that you won’t regret spending half an hour or so before you hit the town proper at the Jerome State Historic Park, off Ariz. 89A at the end of Douglas Road in the lower section of town (www.azstateparks.com;
Returning to Ariz. 89A, drive the last quarter-mile into town; park in one of the gravel lots in the first block or two. You’ll enjoy your time in Jerome a lot more if you’re walking back down to your car at the end of your visit rather than up.
For more local history, visit the Jerome Historical Society’s Mine Museum, 200 Main St. (www.jeromehistoricalsociety.org;
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