Jerome,_Arizona

Jerome, Arizona

Jerome is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 343.

History

The area around what is now Jerome was mined for silver and copper since the Spanish colonial era when Arizona was part of New Spain.

Mining

A mining camp named Jerome was established on the side of Cleopatra Hill in 1883. It was named for Eugene Murray Jerome, a New York investor who owned the mineral rights and financed mining there. Eugene Jerome never visited his namesake town. Jerome was incorporated as a town on 8 March, 1889. The town housed the workers in the nearby United Verde Mine, which was to produce over 1 billion dollars in copper, gold and silver over the next 70 years.

Jerome became a notorious "wild west" town, a hotbed of prostitution, gambling, and vice. On 5 February, 1903, the New York Sun proclaimed Jerome to be "the wickedest town in the West".

In 1915 the population of Jerome was estimated at 2,500.

Jerome Deportation

Starting in May 1917 there was a series of miners strikes, in part organized by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). On 10 July of that year armed agents of the mine owners roughly rounded up all the labor union organizers and unionized miners on to railroad cattle cars, on 12 July letting them out near Kingman, Arizona after they were warned not to return to Jerome if they valued their lives. This incident is known as the Jerome Deportation.

This event would ultimately serve as a prelude to the larger and more well-known Bisbee Deportation.

United Verde Extension

In 1914, an exploration drift cut bonanza copper ore in "Rawhide Jimmy" Douglas's long-shot gamble to find the downfaulted extension of the great United Verde orebody. The UVX became a spectacularly profitable mine: during 1916 alone, the mine produced $10 million worth of copper, silver and gold, of which $7.4 million was profit. The UVX paid $55 million in dividends during its life (1915-1938), and made Jimmy Douglas a very wealthy man.

Jerome Fires

Jerome had three major fires between 1897 and 1899, burning out much of the town. The 1899 fire prompted Jerome to reincorporate as a city, and to adopt a building code specifying brick or masonry construction, as well as improving the fire companies. Despite these changes, the large and luxurious Montana Hotel, built of brick, burned in 1915.

In 1918 fires spread out of control over 22 miles of underground mines, burning the inflammable massive pyrite. One of the mine fires continued to burn for twenty years. This prompted the phasing out of underground mining in favor of open pit mining at the United Verde. Blasting in the mines frequently shook the town, sometimes damaging or moving buildings; after one blast in the 1930s the city jail slid one block down hill intact. Lawsuits were frequent, but the mining companies usually won.

By 1929 Jerome's population was over 15,000. Arizona had become the nation's leading copper-producer.

Mining decline and closure

By 1932 the price of copper had sunk to 5 cents per pound, and the United Verde closed until 1935, when Phelps Dodge bought the mine for $21 million. In 1938 the UVX, Jerome's second major mine, was mined out and closed.

The United Verde and Jerome prospered in the war years, but the end was now in sight. Phelps Dodge closed the Clarkdale smelter in 1950. In 1953 the last of Jerome's mines closed, and much of the population left town. Jerome's population reached a low point of about 50 people in the late 1950s.

In 1967 Jerome was designated a Historic District, and a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

Modern Jerome: tourism and art

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 to fine dining. The two local bars, one of them Arizona's oldest family owned bar, both regularly have live music on weekends.

In 1983, 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. The community spirit in this town of 400 has created a vibrant group of events from its legendary 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.

Politics

In recent years Jerome has had a reputation as an enclave of liberal politics in otherwise conservative Yavapai County. Jerome saw early labor organizing in Arizona (see "Jerome Deportation," above).

Geography

Jerome is located at (34.748311, -112.110853).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 329 people, 182 households, and 84 families residing in the town. The population density was 462.1 people per square mile (178.9/km²). There were 215 housing units at an average density of 302.0/sq mi (116.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.79% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 2.43% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.13% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races. 8.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 182 households out of which 17.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.1% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.8% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.37.

In the town the population was spread out with 12.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 41.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,857, and the median income for a family was $27,222. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,967. About 4.2% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.