Jerome, AZ

Leaving Lake Pleasant, we headed up Highway 17 in the direction of Sedona, stopping at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park. (Named after a former ranch of the same name at this spot. The dead horse is long-gone.) A good deal at $19.00 per night, though we didn't snare a 'view' space.
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Today’s junket was to nearby Jerome, AZ on Hwy 89a. While looking at the mountains yesterday, we noticed what appeared to be a cluster of houses high up. We suspected that this was an enclave of high-rollers, with a grand view towards the red rocks of Sedona. We were wrong. It was Jerome, and it isn’t a high-rollers' paradise. (Notably, though, it was named after Eugene Jerome, an early mining investor who never set foot in the town. He did sire the mother of Winston Churchill, however.)

Jerome is an interesting wild west, turn of the century mining town, built atop a honeycomb of copper, gold, silver and zinc shafts. Once hosting a population of 15,000 at its zenith (1910 or so), it shriveled in numbers as a result of fires which occurred frequently in its history and the inevitable petering out of the mineable ore in the mines. Mining operations ceased in the 1950s.

Unlike a lot of similar towns in the west that virtually disappeared, the remaining city fathers preserved many of the historic buildings, even as the population dropped to 100 or so in the late 50s. Subsequently, hippies and bikers invaded many of the structures in the 60s, but they, too, supported preservation efforts.

There probably isn’t a square yard of street surface without a pot-hole in it. Streets zig-zag up the steep mountainside that the town clings to.

The state park museum, housed in the old Douglas mansion, is exceptional. For those of you planning a trip to the Sedona area, don’t forget Jerome. You might even want to spend a night in the classy Jerome Grand Hotel, formerly the mine hospital. It has been repaired and refurbished in the 1990s. The views from its lofty perch above the burg are stunning. Tell ‘em Jeff sent you.

Though our intention was to see Jerome in the morning (with Carly as a passenger), then go to Sedona sans dog for lunch, we opted for lunch in Jerome at the Mile High Grill, while Carly reposed in a shady parking spot down the street.

On the way back we roamed the Tuzigoot National Monument grounds, as we continue to squeeze visits from our annual National Parks Pass. When this one expires (in May) I will be eligible for a geezer-card for only $10. Whatta deal! Tuzigoot dates back to the 1400s, after which it was abandoned by the Native Americans who disappeared leaving nothing but the ruins behind. Still don’t know why.

We returned to camp. Janice read while I drove to nearby Clarksdale to feed quarters into the washers and dryers at the local laundromat. Got the flat tire fixed, too, then returned for a few games of Scrabble before dinner.

Unpaid political ad:

On the road into Jerome