Jerome in October

A Story by A. Hukow

Jerome, Arizona in all of its' quaint glory.

It’s very easily forgotten that one is in Arizona when escalating the narrow and harrowingly windy roads that lead to the quaint, forgotten mining town that is Jerome. It is as if the road begs of its occupants to move slowly so that it does not have to be alone again. Bricks blurrily speed by as cars make turn, after turn, after turn. A narrow, lonely road goes through the town, only branching off ever so slightly to make way for petite homes, eclectic shops, and anomalous businesses to thrive.

Facing the main stretch of street, that is home to western-esque saloons and fabulous views looking upon The Grand Canyon State are colossal, worn down steps that lead to nothing but a sparse portion of pinyon pines and a small children’s park. The park is equipped with a four piece swing consisting of two regular swings and a yellow baby swing. Also of that which can be viewed in this nicely shaded park is a monumental steel slide, a slide that is far too substantial for any child that would be attending this park. However, the view from the colossal steps shows all thriving aspects of Jerome at their purest. The steps just wait there with smirks on their faces, knowing that as people sit upon them, they will be met with bliss in the act of historic observance.

Jerome was once an old mining town that from the late 1800’s until the early 1900’s was mined for copper. It is a town with rich and rugged true occurrences that entail bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, murder, mining accidents, and disastrous fires that very nearly brought ruin to Jerome on multiple occasions. After the mining was discontinued, miners and many residents moved away. Slowly but surely this Yavapai County town began to change. Over the many years since then, the town changed in mood and in demeanor, but the citizens never forget where they are.

Now back to the steps, those colossal steps that oversee the town. The “Conner Hotel” lies to the left side of a split road. The inn is a rather heavily-built building made solely from brick. The red bricks stacked so charmingly uneven give the building its’ character. Attached to the “Conner Hotel” is a bar with the fitting title of, “The Spirit Room.” The town, after all, besides before being labeled as a “hippy” town, was labeled a “ghost town,” due to its mysterious, sometimes ghastly past. It is funny the way that a town can blossom an entity within itself, so much so to the point that the business it makes home to practically are given their names without choice.

To the left of the Spirit Room is a shop consisting of nothing but kaleidoscopes, an unusual, but intriguing premise. Further down the wall of bricks and glass windows are various hole-in-the-wall café’s and artist studios filled with the essence of the early 1900’s.

To the right side of the split in the road is the “Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum.” Even from those colossal steps, one could see the bright yellow lights illuminating out of the two prodigious windows on either side of the door and they could see the all hardwood interior from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. The store is compelling us to view Jerome as all bright and no dark. Along the rest of the building attached to the “Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum” are more ma’ and pa’ shops and compact eateries. While much of Jerome could seem repetitive in nature, what it has to offer is distinctively unique and represents symbolically the ever changing, yet, uniform properties that make Jerome Jerome. Buildings and their doors have scuffs and stories attached to them. Storm damage. Landslide damage. Fire damage. Explosive damage. It can all be seen. Everywhere. Then straight down the middle of the two lovely buildings, is that perfect view of Arizona. The buildings create a window to the soul of this state. Sunshine pours down through the gap like a waterfall of light upon the face of the town. This is perfection. This is Jerome in October.