Jerome, AZ (Sedona.biz) - Jerome is an old copper-mining town about a 45 minute drive from Sedona that is rich in history and filled with interesting boutiques and restaurants.

The town is located in Yavapai County in North Central Arizona, and teeters at a 30 degree incline on the Cleopatra Hill on the northeast side of the Mingus and Woodchute Mountains.  

Brief History

Jerome's early success can be traced to its rich ore deposits, primarily copper.  In 1889 mining claims and a mill owned by Eugene Jerome, James A. Macdonald and Governor Frederick Tritle of Arizona were sold to the United Verde Copper Company owned by Montana Senator William A. Clark.  It was then that the town of Jerome was incorporated.  The town was named after Eugene Jerome.  The town of Clarkdale below was named after Senator Clark.

Over the years, the United Verde Mine extracted over $1 billion of ore from the northeast side of the Mingus and Woodchute Mountains.  At one time, Jerome boasted more than 15,000 inhabitants and was Arizona's fifth largest city.

Jerome became so successful that the ponderosa pines atop Woodchute Mountain were needed for shoring timber for the expanding copper mines and as lumber for the growing number of homes.  To transport the logs to the town below, the town constructed an enormous wooden trough along the northern face of the mountain and slid the logs down these water filled chutes to railcars below.  Hence, "Woodchute" Mountain was named.

The town became a melting pot for immigrant settlers seeking their fortunes.  It also became infamous for gambling, prostitution, and alcohol abuse.  Four times in the late 1800's the town was leveled by fires, and in 1903 Jerome became known as the "Wickedest Town in Arizona."  A new building code established in the early 1990's requiring masonry prevented further disasters and the homes in present day Jerome are largely those built at that earlier time; making a walk through Jerome a walk through history.

In the 1950's the mines were shut down and the town received a new name; "Ghost Town."  In the 1960's and 70's a counter-culture of hippies, craftsmen, artists, and musicians rediscovered Jerome as an inexpensive place to live.

Present

Today Jerome has less than 500 residents but attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year.  Its rich and vibrant history coupled with its counter-culture arts and copper crafts is a compelling mixture.

The town sports rickety homes perched precariously on rock ledges to art boutiques, museums, a historic society, and fine dining and lodging.

Location

The town lies 111 miles directly north of Phoenix and 75 miles southwest of Flagstaff.  Sedona and Prescott are about 45 minute drives northeast and southwest, respectively.

From the town of Clarkdale 4 miles below, be prepared for a series of tight hairpin turns as you ascend to a 5,057 foot elevation in your car.

For more about Jerome click:  A Journey to Jerome

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