Jerome

Sunday morning we drove up to "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. It was 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.

  A look down into their whimsical yard.

Jerome sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced an astonishing 3 million pounds of copper per month.

Truly a vertical city.  The yards are tiered with twisting, winding roads up the mountain, cement walls securing the 30 degree incline of the mountainside.

This walk had my thighs singing in the key of EEEEEE.

 But well worth the climb to have lunch here

 

 with this view.

This view was pretty nice too.

 Spotted this little fixer-upper

 right next to this fixed-up home.

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.  I could just imagine a few of my artistic friends opening a shop here.

 Not mentioning any names.

It was a DeLovely Sunday. Can’t top eating Haunted Hamburgers and having the opportunity to work ‘em off.

Next weekend

we’re tearing up the kitchen.