We started our trip from Phoenix, Arizona. As soon as we landed and got our rental car, we quickly got out of this ugly stifling urban area in the middle of the desert, and headed north on Road 17. It is already well past noon so we don't have much time to spare. We have to spend the night in Flagstaff, about two hours away. But on the way there we want to make a detour via the old mining town of Jerome and get a view of Sedona landscapes, which makes us go through smaller roads and will require more time.
Jerome is a tiny village, 5,200 feet high, that barely appears on maps. It is located northeast of Prescott and southwest of Sedona, next to the villages of Clarkdale and Cottonwood. From Clarkdale, we take road 89A, which climbs pretty stiffly, and after a short ascent we enter what is the biggest ghost town in the US. This old mining camp was built on the biggest copper mine in Arizona. First it was only a settlement of tents but then grew into a roaring mining community.
The town was founded in 1876 and once was the biggest city in Arizona. Population reached 15,000 in 1920. Mining operations slowed down during the Depression but took off again during WWII because of the high demand in copper. Following the war, it declined for good and the mine was closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 inhabitants promoted Jerome as a historic ghost town. It now has become an artist community with a population of about 450. It almost looks like the way it used to a hundred years ago, although some buildings have been renovated. Others have simply felt down the mountainside. Considering the stiff slope that is not too surprising.
The town was founded in 1876 and once was the biggest city in Arizona. Population reached 15,000 in 1920. Mining operations slowed down during the Depression but took off again during WWII because of the high demand in copper. Following the war, it declined for good and the mine was closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 inhabitants promoted Jerome as a historic ghost town. It now has become an artist community with a population of about 450. It almost looks like the way it used to a hundred years ago, although some buildings have been renovated. Others have simply felt down the mountainside. Considering the stiff slope that is not too surprising.
When wandering the streets by feet, one can find a few art galleries, antique shops, pottery and hand made jewelry boutiques, a few restaurants and bars, and here and there out in the street, random bizarre attractions that make for an original atmosphere.
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