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Jerome was once a roaring mining town with 15,000 people and multi-storied buildings and
fine homes. It was incorporated in 1899, but with the fall of copper prices and the
closing of the Phelps Dodge Mine in 1953, it became the world’s largest "ghost
city." In the foothills of central Arizona’s Verde Valley, surrounded by the Prescott National Forest, the town is at an altitude of 5,248 feet. It can be reached by taking Interstate 17 to state Highway 260, and 260 to Cottonwood. From Cottonwood, state Highway 89A goes to Jerome. Principal Economic ActivitiesJerome produced over a billion dollars worth of copper, gold, silver and zinc in its 70-year active life. Today, life is quite different. The town was designated a National Historical Landmark in 1967. Its economy is now based on tourism and recreation. Antique, craft and gift shops, small boutiques, and art galleries are located in the once-deserted stores along Main Street. Jerome also has one of Arizona’s oldest saloon-style bars. Lower elevations of the Verde Valley, particularly the Cottonwood and Camp Verde areas, are agriculturally oriented. Beef and dairy cattle, poultry, and irrigated crops of hay, grain and fruit are the principal products. Scenic Attractions
The 42-acre Tuzigoot National Monument, northeast of Jerome, houses three large Indian pueblos occupied from the 12th to the 14th centuries. Additionally, Montezuma Castle National Monument, among the best preserved Indian structures in the nation, is near Camp Verde. The five-story "apartment dwelling" perched in a limestone cliff was constructed around 1050 and abandoned in 1450. The Montezuma Well, part of the National Monument, is a natural limestone sink 470 feet in diameter and 125-feet deep. The Indians diverted water from the well into irrigation ditches for their farmlands below. The Verde Valley is surrounded by Coconino and Prescott National Forest lands. Recreation areas within the Prescott Forest include Horse Thief Basin, Lynx Lake and Mingus Mountain. The Coconino National Forest offers the Fairfield Snowbowl near Flagstaff, one of Arizona’s skiing slopes. Camping and fishing, as well as hunting are popular in both national forests. |
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Last Revised 10.16.1999 |
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Jerome State Historic Park, "down the hill" from the
center of town, features the former Douglas Mansion which has been converted into a
museum. Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum, on Main Street, exhibits ore collections
and mining equipment of the past. The annual Paso De Casas (Home Tour) celebrations are
held the third weekend in May. Other attractions include Traveling Jail, Gold King Mine,
Big Pit, and United Verde Extension Mines.