We continued through Cottonwood (a great cowboy and bootlegger town with shops, restaurants, wineries, and just about anything cool) through Clarkesdale and up into Jerome, AZ. Here is the story of Jerome as told by their local historian.
Located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet) between Prescott and Flagstaff is the historic copper mining town of Jerome, Arizona. Once known as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. Four disastrous fires destroyed large sections of the town during its early history, resulting in the incorporation of the City of Jerome in 1899.
Founded in 1876, Jerome was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The population peaked at 15,000 in the 1920’s. The Depression of the 1930’s slowed the mining operation and the claim went to Phelps Dodge, who holds the claim today. World War II brought increased demand for copper, but after the war, demand slowed. Dependent on the copper market, Phelps Dodge Mine closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 hardy souls promoted the town as an historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Today Jerome is a thriving tourist and artist community with a population of about 450.
Jerome sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced an astonishing 3 million pounds of copper per month. Men and women from all over the world made their way to Arizona to find work and maybe a new way of life. Today the mines are silent, and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.
Jerome is now a bustling tourist magnet and artistic community with a population of about 450. It includes a modicum of artists, craft people, musicians, writers, hermits, bed and breakfast owners, museum caretakers, gift shop proprietors and fallen-down-building landlords.
The next day Scott drove us all to the grandest of them all, The Grand Canyon. It is simply, beyond comprehension. It is so much bigger than I could have ever imagined. No photograph can capture the immensity of it all. For those of you who have been there, you understand. We only visited the south rim as the north rim was still closed with snow. Our weather could not have been more perfect however.
There is an interconnecting shuttle system that runs through the park and it is essential as the distances are sizable. We were amazed that the rim trail is just that. A path right next to the edge with no guardrails or walls. We were sure 100's of people fall off every year but the park averages 6 deaths per year with most of them caused by heat exhaustion and heart attacks from people who hike down into the canyon and don't realize how hard it is to come back up. We did plenty of walking as it was without even thinking about hiking down into the canyon.
It was crowded but nothing like Zion. The worst wait was about 10 minutes but as the day went on, the crowds increased. I can't imagine what summer is like. The park is so big they have their own village with restaurants, gift shops, etc. So much of the park is unique that some of the buildings are now on the National Historic Register. We saw elk walking on the trails and more beauty than one person can handle.
Next time, the Verde Canyon Railroad and the Palatiki Heritage Site.
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