Jerome, town in central Arizona. It is located in Yavapai County, on the east side of the Black Hills, about 160 km (about 100 mi) north of Phoenix. Jerome was once an important mining town. With its historic buildings and spectacular vistas, modern Jerome is a commercial “ghost town” and tourist area inhabited by artists and small shopkeepers. The town began to slide down Cleopatra Hill during the 1930s, primarily as a result of inadequate construction, gravity, and an unstable mountainside. The Sliding Jail, a prison that moved 70 m (about 230 ft) during this slide, attracts many visitors. The Jerome State Historical Park is also located here.
The Hopi brought Spanish explorers to mineral deposits here as early as 1583. United States Army scout Al Sieber found copper and gold ore here in 1865. In 1882 a syndicate formed the United Verde Copper Company and built a mining camp on the steep slopes of Cleopatra Hill. They named the camp for Eugene Jerome, one of the financiers of the mine. Montana copper magnate William Andrews Clark bought the property in 1888 and by 1925 had made a fortune in copper and gold. Incorporated in 1899, Jerome reached a population of more than 15,000 at its peak in the 1920s. The Phelps Dodge Corporation bought the United Verde mine in 1935. After World War II (1939-1945) the mines ceased to be profitable and were closed. Population 420 (1980); 403 (1990); 329 (2000).Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Jerome Information info
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