Today we went to Jerome, a very old copper mining town that sits high on a mountain 3000 feet above the Verde Valley floor. There was a fresh dusting of snow on the higher peaks, but the weather was still tolerable. Cool but windy, 49°. The State Museum was the best museum we have seen so far. First of all we knew very little about copper mining, but we know alot now. Zinc, silver and gold were also mined here but the lifeblood of the economy was copper. The mines are closed now so only about 50 people still live there. And they are all hippies. However, town was crowded today. We had to wait for a table at the Mile High Grill at lunch. There was some fabulous copper jewelry in the local jewelry store. One store had nothing but kaliedescopes. They were fabulous with price tags to match. I can just see us trying to protect a $1500 kaliedescope as we bounce down the road. That would be a hoot! Jerome sits on top of two fault lines that are quiet for now. However in the early 1900s there was a quake that moved the city jail 225 feet down the mountain side. It's still there but definitely not in use. Jerome has as rich a history as any gold mining town, but is not as well known because copper was not the bright shiny stuff the 49ers were looking for. A walk through the museum and then through town shows us what incredibly strong people lived in this city over 100 years ago. The museum did have a video to watch showing the history of Jerome. It was 27 minutes long. We thought we'd watch about 5 or 6 minutes of it and then leave. We sat for the entire 27 minutes and enjoyed every minute of it. The story was told by a "ghost" who walked us through history with an indepth look at many buildings and all the purposes they served. It was such a unique perspective we just had to see it all. This was a wonderful experience completed with breathtaking views from the top of the city. It was a bit cloudy for most of the day so the pictures did not turn out as well as we would have liked. But we have great memories.
NOTE: Don't forget to change your clocks tonight before you go to bed! We don't change here in Arizona and we love that.
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