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The
Grand Hotel in Jerome |
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Diesel
locomotives pull the Verde Canyon trains. |
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The
Pendley homestead at Slide Rock State Park |
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The Army came to evict Civil War Confederates,
then later to protect settlers. The first settlers were miners.
Mining got its 1850s start in the territory when displaced
forty-niners began fleeing the seemingly played-out and overcrowded
California goldfields. Arizona and Nevada were among the first
stops in an exodus that reached most western states by the
time the frontier closed. The Verde Valley is home to the
town of Jerome. Four partners started mining a claim on the
site, but they encountered difficulties and sold out a few
years later to wealthier, more capable mining men such as
William Clark of Montana. Under Clark and his partners, Jerome's
United Verde Copper Company became one of the most important
copper mining centers in the west, and Jerome itself boomed
alongside. In the early 1900s, the Jerome mines began to fail,
and Jerome began to fade with them. As the mining interests
dwindled and pulled out, others flowed in, and a re-born Jerome
became a mecca for quirky, eccentric artists and a unique
day-trip destination for Arizonans and travelers. While we
call it a "ghost city," it never really became one.
There were always a few people living there, even in the slimmest
years.
As underground mineshaft fires made things below
Jerome unstable, many of the town's buildings slid down the
mountainside. Visitors today still marvel at the long route
taken by the jailhouse as it slouched its way down the hill.
It never made it out of town, but it tried. The remaining
buildings cling to the side of Cleopatra Hill and Mingus Mountain,
in various states of disrepair or renovation. Visit the mining
museum, have a beer at the Spirit Room (if you can find an
empty stool) and lunch at the Haunted Hamburger. The Haunted
Hamburger, in particular, is worth the wait. The bartender
is your host - ask him for a table with a view, or sit outside.
Don't forget dessert - the chocolate cake is near perfection
and is enough for a table of four. You might stay at the Grand
Hotel, which occupies the building that once housed Jerome's
hospital. It is reputedly haunted. Legend has it that Pancho
Villa once lived and worked as a teamster around Jerome, hauling
water up the hill from the valley below. I doubt there is
any truth in the story, but you never know.
To serve the mines, the railroads came. From
a "main line" between Ash Fork and Prescott, a railroad
worked its way over and around the north side of Mingus Mountain
to provide transportation for Jerome's copper. You can ride
some of this roadbed today on the Verde
Canyon Railroad. Other sections of the original railroad
grade can be driven in 4WD vehicles - inquire locally for
directions. The Verde Canyon route through Sycamore Canyon
is spectacular. Scenery and wildlife views are almost guaranteed,
including an occasional glimpse of the eagles that inhabit
the bluffs. While riding along, imagine what this area must
have looked like to fur trappers, as they worked the river
for beaver in 1830. That year, the nearest hotel bed would
have been in Santa Fe. A lot of this land still looks the
same today as it did then.
The Verde Valley also attracted settlers who
dreamed of farms along the creeks of the red rock country.
In nearby Oak Creek Canyon, near Indian Gardens and where
Slide Rock State Park is today, you can see where settlers
built homesteads along the creek. They grew a number of crops
and orchard fruits - apples, pears and peaches. Many of the
trees' descendents still produce today and fruit from them
is sold in the area - the soil and mild climate are perfect
for them.
Of course, the first farmers were the Indians
- the Sinagua (pronounced "seen-ah-gwa) people lived
around the Verde Valley, but disappeared after 1400 AD. Sinagua
means "without water." They farmed and raised corn,
squash and beans. I can't imagine they didn't live along Oak
Creek, as it is a piece of heaven on earth. Some of the other
places they lived are still here for us to see. Montezuma
Castle (near Camp Verde) and the ruins at Tuzigoot
are both good examples and convenient to a Verde Valley traveler.
For protection, the Sinagua tended to dwell high on canyon
walls or on hilltops. They farmed the lower lands along the
creeks and rivers. No one knows for sure why they left or
where they went, although their ultimate migration may have
been recorded by the oral histories of other tribes, such
as the Hopi. It's one of the enduring mysteries of Arizona's
past that the Anasazi, the Sinagua and the Hohokam all disappeared
about the same time.
Ranching played a role in Arizona's history too,
and it's still a part of the picture. In the Verde Valley,
you can participate in an evening of "ranch culture"
at the Blazin'
M. Your meal ticket gets you a western "chuck wagon"
supper and a cowboy music show. It's hokey, but that's part
of its charm. The music and jokes are first-rate, clean, G-Rated
entertainment, which is not something you find every day.
Along with the Blazin M Ranch, the ride across
the Rim to Zane Grey country provides a glimpse into Arizona's
ranching heritage. Much of the state is still "open range."
You will see cattle grazing along many of the roadways. In
addition to the historic points of interest, this land is
among the prettiest anywhere - and cows love it! You'll see
the red rim-rock country, the Verde River valley, the central
mountains, the "Rim" and expansive high-desert grasslands
along the way.
With ranching, Indian history mixes with white
- many of the Navajo and Apache people of Arizona and New
Mexico became ranchers as their old ways were lost to them.
Herding was a short, compatible step from their original nomadic
way of life. The cowboy tradition also had Spanish-Mexican
influence. The American cattleman learned his trade and traditions
from old Mexico in Texas and carried them north and west with
the cattle drives of the 1860s. Now, the original Americans
have adopted the cowboy way too. One of the most exciting
things to do on a Sunday afternoon in southwest Indian country
is to find a local rodeo.
[Map]
Bob
Schaller
December 31, 2006
