We were off and running again this morning making our last move here at Dead Horse Ranch CG. We are booked for two nights in the same spot for a change. We are up on the hill and have a great view into the valley and a view of Jerome high on Cleopatra Hill.
We headed off to Tuzigoot National Monument, a pueblo occupied by a culture called by archeologists, the Sinagua. No one knows what they called themselves. Between 1100 and 1425 C.C. (Common Era or A.D.) it was once a thriving community, one of the largest in the Verde Valley.
By the late 1300’s the people of Verde Valley began to move away. By 1425 Tuzigoot’s rooms were empty. Many of the people traveled east and north where the Hopi and Zuni – some of their descendants live today.
Artifacts found in the Pueblo:
Walking around the ruins we were, once again, amazed at how a structure so old was still mostly intact. The ruins crowns the summit of a long ridge rising 120 feet above Verde Valley. The original pueblo was two stories high in places, with 87 ground floor rooms. Entry was by ladder through roof openings and inhabited 50 people for 100 years. In the 1200’s the population doubled then doubled again.
We enjoy walking through history .Then it was on to Jerome, a town that went from a roaring copper mining boom town of 15,000 people to Arizona’s largest ghost town.
“Jerome, Arizona
“America’s Most Vertical City” and “Largest Ghost Town in America”
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 a 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’s personality has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. Once a thriving mining camp between the late-1880s and early 1950s, 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.
What is the Town of Jerome like today? Is it worth your time to visit? The answer is a resounding yes! Jerome is an enchanting town, and a photographer’s paradise. From its external appearances it hasn’t changed much in nearly 100 years. Many of the buildings used by present-day business folks are those built after the fires of 1894 and 1899. A number of the buildings have been restored and more are planned for restoration. Due to the 30-degree incline of the mountainside, gravity has pulled a number of buildings down the slope. To the delight of some, one of those buildings was the town’s jail. Those buildings still standing make for interesting visiting and with a little research you can find their historical significance. One notable section is the “Cribs District.” You will find this area across the street from the English Kitchen, in a back alley where all the buildings were are part of Jerome’s ill-famed “prostitution row.”
(Taken from Jerome, Arizona website )
All the buildings are built on the mountainside so all the streets are very steep hills much like San Francisco.
Jerome is a mixture of partially destroyed homes from landslides and fires and rebuilt/refurbished buildings.
We stopped at the Mile High Grille for a quick lunch then headed back to the car, but not before stopping at remnants of other buildings that have yet to be restored.
Our time in Jerome was great and the views from the side of the mountain incredible. On our way back down the mountain we stopped at Jerome State Historic Park and visited the Douglas Mansion. Built in 1916, the mansion houses exhibits on the history, mining and geology of Jerome.
LINK:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_State_Historic_Park
Once finished at the Mansion we headed back down to the valley. Jerome is very unique and still thriving with its 500 residents of artisans. It is a definite, “must see” if in the area.
Ron had a desire for some ice cream so we stopped and had a small sundae. Later that evening we planned to sit outside and enjoy the view from our hillside campsite. Unfortunately Ron became quite ill and spent the next three hours with symptoms of food poisoning. Finally he felt better and slept the rest of the night.
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