Summer Scamp 4- Jerome

This is baby boundary pushing. A1 isn’t allowed off the carpet without permission. 

Jerome is an old miner's town, located just 32 miles from Prescott. 

It was founded in 1876, and since its birth on this billion year old+ undersea caldera, it has produced 33 million tons of ore.

Today Jerome was a ghost town.

Literally and figuratively. 

Literally because Jerome is known as the most haunted town in Arizona and one of the most haunted in the US, and figuratively because we arrived just after 9:00 am and there was hardly anyone around.

Jerome is located directly on the only road that winds through town.

The buildings are in great condition, and you can tell they are putting a lot of money into restoring it.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, a big Chamber of Commerce fundraiser (a historic building tour) was cancelled.  I would love to take part in that.  But we will take what we can get.  It was super satisfying just walking around looking for ghosts seeing all of the historic architecture.  

The Jerome post office was established in 1883.

This isn't the original post office.  The first was destroyed in a fire that started in the post office and then proceeded to burn the entire town.  (Not the first and only fire to destroy the city.)

Maybe its the 1937 Jerome post office?

This picture was taken in 1937, after mining explosions caused landslides which destroyed many buildings (the post office was spared this time around).

This town is wrought with bad luck.  And its that bad luck which brings its good luck of being haunted, which entices tourists.

We are on the only sidewalk on the only road that goes through town, right next to an oddly constructed house that abuts the road.  I am sure they had no idea when they were in the midst of construction how much the world population would grow, or how many tourists would come to this town of 500 people.  (An employee at a local shop informed us they accommodate 2 million tourists a year!)

The Jerome Grand Hotel has seen its share of deaths.  A caretaker committed suicide in the boiler room.  A maintenance man was crushed by an elevator.  

Once again, a town of BAD luck...

This is an original roof in a shop we went into.

Exploring Jerome is so much fun.  Honestly, I think I could spend a week here poking around this tiny town.  There is so much to see!

This hotel was established in 1898.

They filled barrels with cement to hold street signs.

It works...

This is a guy thing.  Eric loved this road (one of the few off the main road) which is made from flat rocks.  

Boys are from Venus and girls from Mars.  

Its official.

The sidewalk next to the road, which has steps in it (hmmm...) was part of a WPA project.  This proves the New Deal was supplying work to unskilled workers.  

They may have even been responsible for the cement barrels.

Check out this tall metal slide at the local park (this so would have been removed by now in California).

Kids aren't allowed to have too much fun in California, its too dangerous. 

This is NOT quality work, WPA workers of America.

Sorry to inform you (and your grandchildren).

Please tell me they didn't build this!  Haha.  

This is a work of art for sure.

Jerome is so interesting!

Back at the campsite... A1 took this picture.  How?  I don't know.  It doesn't make sense.  It contains the roof to our screen room, the roof to the Scamp, the car, and a leg.  It is not possible to fit these things into one frame.  I hope we didn't bring a ghost home with us...

These are happy baby feet, attached to a baby that has seen a lot of new things today.