Jerome, AZ

Jerome, AZ., once known as the “Wickedest Town in The West” is perched on the side of Cleopatra Hill. In fact, if you walk from the bottom of town to the top, you will have climbed some 1500 feet! Established in 1876, Jerome sat on top of large deposits of copper. After 4 devastating fires, most buildings were then built from stone or brick. Mining thrived, and by the 1920s, Jerome boasted a population of nearly 15,000 on its hilltop haven. However, in 1953 the ore deposits gave out, and “King Copper” left town, and the population dwindled to a low of 50 residents.

The Jerome Historical Society guarded the buildings against vandalism and the elements, the Douglas Mansion became a State Park in 1965, and Jerome became a National Historic Landmark in 1976. During the 60's and 70's, during the time of the counter culture, Jerome offered a haven for artists. Soon newcomers and Jerome old timers were working together to bring Jerome back to life. Today, Jerome is very much alive with writers, artists, artisans, musicians, boutiques, restaurants, quaint inns, and B & Bs, with a population near 500.

Jerome is in the Verde Valley, some 70 miles south of Flagstaff, AZ. Only some 20 miles away is the well-known town of Sedona, AZ.


View from Jerome into the valley and the city of Cottonwood.






The Holy Family Catholic Church, built in 1894, still used today.









Several of the building have found "new" uses. Note the slope of the street.




Constant dynamiting in the mining operations, caused the town to shake, and eventually parts of the town actually slid downhill. This is what is left of the jail which moved 225 feet.

What Do You Believe?

This week’s posting was going to have a very light mood to it. But, I have been thinking all week about Priscilla’s posting regarding the transition, and her concern regarding the history books and the quote on President Bush’s legacy.

We have just completed (well, almost completed) one of the longest campaigns in history, been exposed to speeches, lies, stories, half-truths, etc., and it’s not yet done. We have a President & President-Elect who seem determined to make this transition work gracefully. But, they meet, and immediately we are hearing from “sources” the content of their conversation. Even James Carville, well known Democratic political strategist, said “President Bush has a right to expect his conversation with President-Elect Obama to remain private”. We even are hearing from “sources” within the McCain campaign stories critical of Governor Palin.

Who are all these “sources”. According to a couple of “pundits”, most “sources” are low to mid-level people who are trying to prove to reporters that they are in fact, part of the in-the-know crowd, and that this will increase their importance. In fact, the reporters don’t really respect the “sources” making these “leaks”, but they use them anyway! Anything for a story!

So please, as you listen to the news, remember the old adage, “Believe nothing you hear, and only half that you see.”

This also is one reason you seldom see forwards from me. My younger brother, Duane & I used to have several conversations about the proliferation of emails on the internet, some true, some false, some just plain clutter. This was brought to mind when I received an email from his daughter, Domenica, some time ago. I will include that below, in hopes that it stirs some feelings, thinking, maybe even some comments.

This did end up being a serious posting, I promise the next one will be different. Please, feel free to make comments, I love to hear from you!


I just want to thank all of you for your educational emails over the past year.

Thanks to you, I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pass-time while driving alone is picking your nose. (Although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot)

Eating a Little Debbie sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom. Yuck!

I must send my special thanks to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...

Have a wonderful day....Oh, by the way.....A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse. Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late!

The Grand Canyon

First, an editorial comment: By the time most of you read this posting, the election will be over, and I just know you all VOTED! In spite of the length of the campaign, and all the negative ads, and difference of opinions, our system still works! And it is our DUTY to make our voices heard, to vote our beliefs, to support our elected officials. If we don't, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. God Bless America!

The Grand Canyon! Oh how awesome! Pictures just DO NOT do it justice, but I will post some anyway. We managed to watch 1 sunset, and 2 sunrises from the rim of the canyon. The changing lights, views, is a wonder to behold.

The South Rim (where we were) is at 7000 feet, about 5,000 feet (a mile!) above the river. In the one picture, you can see the river to the right, and Phantom Ranch (where people spend the night) on the left. With binoculars, we could see rafts pulled up on the shore of the river.

In this picture, we are looking at the Lodge on the North Rim, 10 miles away, and at 8,000 feet! I know, I need a better camera.

Some of the lookouts are really up in the air, the thing that really got me was how much was accessible without barriers. Note the picture of us, it's a long way down from that edge!

Yes, we did walk down into the canyon - a few hundred feet - but at 7,000 feet, we were not foolish enough to try much. You can see that the trail just keeps going down & down.