In 1876, a promising copper deposit was found by Morris Andrew Ruffener. He filed a claim, but found out his claim was to remote to be able to be mined and be profitable. In 1882, he sold out to a group that included a New York attorney and investor named Eugene Murray Jerome. They titled their company The United Verde Copper Company. They were interested due to a new railroad that was finished. It ran only 60 miles away. In 1888, the United Verde was sold to a Montana man named William Andrews Clark. He soon after became the richest man in Montana and also a Montana senator. Mining problems in 1894 ended the underground mining and led to pit mining.
By 1900, Jerome was Arizona's 4th largest city (2861 pop.). The United Verde mine produced until 1953. Today, Jerome is a great spot to take photos of a spectacular old town, restored to look much like it did in its heyday.
To get to Jerome, take I-17 exit 287 (Highway 260). Take Highway 260 northwest to Cottonwood (about 10 miles). Take Highway 89 west. It's just a few miles to Clarkdale. At Clarkdale stay on 89 west and continue UP the MOUNTAIN to Jerome (about 5 miles of curving mountain roads).
If you don't like heights, this may be a scary drive, as the roads are carved into the side of the mountain. Jerome sits atop Mingus Mountain, overlooking Clarkdale. It is perched over 2000 feet higher in elevation than Clarkdale (just 5 miles away). The views from up here are awe inspiring. From Jerome, you can also see to the San Francisco Range, north of Flagstaff.
The Jerome Grand Hotel started out as the United Verde Hospital in January 1927. This 5 story building sits at an elevation of 5240 ft., perched a the top of Jerome. It was constructed on a 50 degree slope (that's right 50). It was closed in 1950. In 1994, it was bought and is being restored. The elevator is from 1926 and is still operational. Steam heat is provided to the rooms via the original boiler. There are 22 rooms now completed that you can stay in.
The Jerome Grand Hotel is supposed to be one of the most haunted buildings in Arizona, due to it's days as a hospital and asylum. Many events have occured here. A man in a wheelchair has fallen from one of the balconies and died. There has been a shooting in one of the rooms. A caretaker hanged himself in one of the rooms. And there are conflicting stories about a handman named Claude Harvey's death here in 1935. Some say he was found in the boiler room with his head smashed in. Others say he was crushed beneath the elevator. Nonetheless, the elevator is said to have a mind of its own and go up and down in the night with nobody in it.
Many people claim that when taking pictuers here, they turn out with a wierd ghostly haze on them. The picture to the left, taken by my father, seems to have a slightly ghostly haze to it too. It is also said that you can hear footsteps going down the halls when noboby is there, and noises in rooms that have been sealed off for half a century. Other occurances that are common to hear in the hotel, including: moaning, heavy breathing, coughing, doors flying open and lights turning on and off by themselves. Stay a night here and see if the spirits and their antics keep you terrified all night long!
