Ghost Town on a Hill Jerome Arizona is a piece of digital artwork by Bob and Nadine Johnston which was uploaded on October 21st, 2012.
Ghost Town on a Hill Jerome Arizona
A mining town named Jerome was established on the side of Cleopatra Hill in 1883. It was named for Eugene Murray Jerome, an early investor in the... more
Title
Ghost Town on a Hill Jerome Arizona
Artist
Bob and Nadine Johnston
Medium
Digital Art - Fine Art Available On Canvas Or Prints And Gift/note Cards
Description
A mining town named Jerome was established on the side of Cleopatra Hill in 1883. It was named for Eugene Murray Jerome, an early investor in the nearby United Verde Mine. Eugene Jerome, who lived in New York, never visited his namesake.
The town housed the workers of the United Verde Mine, which was to produce over $1 billion in copper, gold, silver, zinc, and lead over the next 70 years.
Jerome became a notorious wild west town, a hotbed of prostitution, gambling, and vice. In 1903, the New York Sun proclaimed Jerome to be "the wickedest town in the West"
In 1929, the year of Jerome's highest copper production, the town's population was 15,000. As the mines played out and production fell, mines in the area began closing. By 1953, all had closed, and Jerome's population dropped to a low of about 50.
Today Jerome is a tourist destination, with many abandoned and refurbished buildings from its boom town days. Jerome has a large mining museum, presenting the town history, labor-management disputes, geological structure models, mineral samples, and equipment used in both underground and open-pit mining. The National Historic Landmark designation has assured architectural preservation in this town, a mile high on the side of Mingus Mountain.
There are numerous bed and breakfasts in Jerome and two hotels, The Connor Hotel and The Grand Hotel. Restaurants range from hamburgers, New Mexican cuisine to fine dining. The two local bars, one of them Arizona's oldest family owned bar, both regularly have live music on weekends.
California folk-singer Kate Wolf wrote the song "Old Jerome" after visiting the town. In 1987 the town council adopted it as their official town song. This town of 400 has created a variety of events from the Halloweeen Dance to the Jerome Home Tour in May. This is the oldest yearly Home Tour in the state of Arizona.
Jerome is known as an art destination, with more than 30 galleries and working studios. First Saturday Art Walk began in 2006, and has become a popular monthly event. In 2007, Jerome became a sponsor of The Sedona Plein Air Festival, and hosted some of the best-known plein air painters in the country. The Old Jerome High School is home to many artists and their open studios. Artists and craftspeople display their work in an open-air art park in nice weather.
Uploaded
October 21st, 2012
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Comments (22)
Janis Tafoya
This is such a good photo....and your comment is so informative....We need to remember the old times ghost towns etc....V/fav
Nadine And Bob Johnston
Dick, you might like to know, this was shot from Toozigoot National Monument.... Its probably the only place you can get such a view of Jerome.
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