Jerome Arizona

Built on the side of Cleopatra Mountain, Jerome was founded in 1883. It was named after Eugene Murray Jerome who owned the mineral rights and financed the early mining operations here. Being the typical mining town it experienced much of the folk lore portrayed in the western movies of modern day.

With the influx of prostitution, gambling and vice that accompanied the prosperous times, in 1903 the New York Sun proclaimed Jerome to be the wickedest town in the west. In his wilder and more youthful days, Bioelectric impedance Wyatt Earp claimed Jerome as home until he was banned and as a result never came back.

In the early days Jerome experienced several fires and in consequence local building codes were implemented where buildings had to be constructed of masonry. Jerome being surrounded by trees, this helped but did not entirely eliminate the problem.

At an elevation of 7000 feet the town offers a respite from the summer Phoenix heat and the winters can bring several feet of snow almost instantly, one has to be constantly aware of the weather conditions when traveling at these high altitudes in Arizona. In the winter, the weather can change instantly and it isn't uncommon for people to be stranded for days in their car until help can arrive, be sure to always take plenty of food and water, as well as warm clothes when traveling in the Arizona high country.

Because the local copper mine produced enough copper to supply every man, woman, and child on the planet with about 5 pounds of copper it became the largest copper mine of it's time and as a result the tiny town of Jerome grew to about fifteen thousand people before it began to decline in the early 1950s. The Douglas Mansion an early pioneer home of 28,000 square feet still exists today and has been recently restored.

Many of the buildings are still in use today, the jail, which as a result of a dynamite blast at the mine slid 200 feet down the mountain and remained intact, the old hospital, House of Joy, and the downtown area still remain much as it did in the early days. The town today attract many people of an independent nature and artists thrive there. Many unusual artifacts and pieces of art work can be found in the several art galleries that thrive in the area.

With the shopping and several unique restaurants to dine, not to mention the unparalleled view of the Verde Valley and Sedona, it is well worth a days visit, there is no other place like it.

Gary has been a photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature, landscapes and event photography. Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt, the Canary Islands, much of the Caribbean, and having studied Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life, photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different cultures!

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