Jerome Arizona

Getting Paid to Travel

2011-11-02T21:46:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love to travel? Whether you are in Jerome, Arizona or the far reaches of the Sahara, wouldn't it be nice to get paid while traveling? How does one do this? By setting up a blog, recording your travels and getting paid. Sounds too easy right? Well believe it or not lots of people are doing it? Don't believe me? Click Here!

Watch the video and read the testimonials about how people are getting trained to blog for a specific audience and get paid for the work. You won't be disappointed.

While traveling the United States is more my cup of tea for now (fearful of flying long distance) - there is no reason why you can't capitalize on anywhere you want to go. Not all of us can write best sellers like Eat, Pray, Love - and get paid for our exotic trips - we all can write about our personal experiences just like Elizabeth Gilbert.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Dancing At The Spirit Room

2011-06-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do - dance in the Spirit Room Bar. I don't go as often as I'd like and now I have narrowed my trips to weekends when Combo Deluxe is playing. So why dancing at the Spirit Room? Because you don't necessarily have to know how to dance. And, people of all sizes, ages and walks of life join in the fun. You probably won't find a more diverse and accepting group than this bar in Jerome on the weekends.

The Spirit Room isn't a large bar mind you, it's like an old saloon pulled right from the Westerns, minus the card tables and player piano in the corner. Despite the subtractions, the space is the perfect size to get lost in, to grab a beer, stand in a corner and people watch until you are toasted enough to get out on that dance floor yourself.

If you haven't tried your new dance moves out, there is no better place than Jerome's Spirit Room.

Haunted Tours of Jerome

2009-07-22T08:50:00.007-07:00

For those of you who want to find ghosts in a ghost town, Jerome finally has a tour company called Haunted Tours of Jerome. Why do I like this company - possibly because I'm the marketing director - and because I will be working with long time friend Ron Roope, whom worked with me at the Jerome Historical Society- he as archivist and me as the executive director.

I went on my first 3 hour tour (cue Gilligan's Island music) which started in Cottonwood, traveled through Clarkdale and then ended in Jerome, upon nightfall. Graveyards and spooky buildings definitely have a stronger impact at night, let me tell you.

So - here are a few of my photos of the excursion.

10 Things A Tourist Shouldn't Ask In Jerome

2009-07-06T10:47:00.005-07:00

Unfortunately there is a reason toursists are called Tourons in Jerome. What is a Touron you ask? Well, simply it is a tourist who acts like a moron. A touron is a tourist who stops their car in the middle of the street to take a picture, oblivious to other people driving around. A touron walks around in the middle of the road on Main Street, again, oblivious to people trying to drive through. Tourons feel as if the whole town is a pretend community, like Disneyland and that nobody really lives here, they just work here and occupy the many homes on the side - only to return to their real homes at night.

So, with that said, there are ten questions that those who do work in Jerome, get really tired of having to answer. Maybe these ten questions apply to most tourist communities, but if you don't want to get on the bad side of the locals, try avoiding them. I will give you answers so that if you read this prior to visiting Jerome, you won't have to ask again.

They are:

1. Where is the bathroom? (Please, can't you read the signs. Public bathrooms are at the Jerome Co-op, as you enter town, and at the fire station, on the other end of town.)

2. What is there to do here? (Use your imagination. There are few paid tours in Jerome (one includes Haunted Tours of Jerome, otherwise, just walk around, enjoy the sites, dance at the Spirit Room, get something good to eat, watch the sun set, take pictures and there you have it)

3. Have you seen a ghost here, is it really haunted? (Most people have experienced ghosts, especially those who want to. Some people just make shit up for the sake of drawing tourists into their business. Believe what you want)

4. Where is the ghost town? (You are in it - it just so happens that the town that died came back to life - like Jesus or Lazarus. If you want to visit something a little more ghost towny, the Gold King Mine, outside of Jerome, past the fire station is a more like that - but it is replicated)

5. Why does everything close at 6 p.m. (People actually have lives who work and live in Jerome besides selling stuff)

6. Where is there a good place to eat? (People are going to refer you to their friend's restaurant - every place is good, so just pick one)

7. Does it snow here? (Most winters, yes - it is 5,000 feet up. Lately, with global warming, snow is fewer and further in between)

8. Is the whole town sliding down the hill? (If it were, we'd all be in Clarkdale by now. The sliding stopped when the mines stopped blowing up tunnels under the town - this was in the 20s or 30s)

9. Do you actually live here? (Many do, many live down the hill in Clarkdale or Cottonwood, a whole 4 to 6 miles away)

10. How many people live here? (Hard to tell as many have second homes in Jerome and others take in lots of borders who rent from them on the side so they can pay their huge mortgages. Jerome homes are expensive, despite their appearances.)

These questions seem simple enough - maybe I'm just one of those grouchy people who hates redundancy.

Jerome Belly Dancers

2009-07-06T10:44:00.004-07:00

A great night at Out In Jerome at the Mile High. Belly dancers were a lot of fun - interspersed with some crazy karaoke.

Jerome Art Walk

2009-01-28T06:57:00.003-07:00

The Jerome Art Walk is the first Saturday of every month. All of Jerome's art galleries stay open late so that you can have the town for yourself once all of the tourists leave.

Read more about Jerome Galleries or Jerome Artists.

Jerome T-Shirt

2008-12-11T11:49:00.006-07:00

Okay - I finally came up with a t shirt design. Tell me what you think. This is the design, it comes on a variety of women's black t-shirts.

If you want to see the design on a t-shirt or even order it, you can do that as well by visiting our Shop.

Christmas Tote Bag

2008-12-11T11:15:00.005-07:00

Get your Jerome cotton tote bag for somebody or yourself, this Christmas. Visit our online store, Jerome, Arizona.

These bags are great for taking to the grocery store to replace the plastic bags they give you - so you are helping the planet in addition to having a cool bag.We also have cards, calendars and more with cool Jerome photos.

Clarkdale, Arizona

2008-12-07T21:40:00.002-07:00

More old main street photos - this one is of Clarkdale,which looks quite the same.

More historic pictures at ThatsMyHomeTown.com

Ugly Truck Tours

2008-12-07T21:36:00.002-07:00

I found this photo of our old truck when we were conducting our Ugly Truck Tours. I would haul people around Jerome, showing them the sites and giving them the history of Jerome. Not such a good idea in this old Ford, it drove like a tank. I sold the truck to Tom Mulcaire, who knows where it is now. Last I heard it was getting a new paint job.

Tucson, Arizona

2008-11-09T11:06:00.002-07:00

This historic downtown photo of Tucson looks like it was taken in the 40s or 50s? Anybody know where this is at?

Sedona Arizona

2008-11-09T11:03:00.001-07:00

Does anybody know where this picture was taken?

Historic Main Street Photos

2008-11-09T10:56:00.003-07:00

I'm starting a section where I will put up historic photos of various town's main streets from various eras. I am hoping to get feedback, people's memories about the photo or the town and if you have an old photo of your home town, I hope you will submit it.

This project ties to my ThatsMyHomeTown.com site, where you can visit and see more historic main street photos.
Who remembers when this restaurant and bar sat at the top of Mingus Mountain - just as you topped off on your way from Jerome to Prescott?

Pictures and Stuff

2008-02-22T12:28:00.005-07:00

Jerome Flat Iron

Looking out the window of an old shack at the Gold King Mine.

The Gulch Radio

2008-02-22T12:25:00.003-07:00

For those who love to live to old rock, check out Jerome's radio station, The Gulch.

The beauty of the Internet is that you can listen to it online, don't need to be within antenna distance. Richard Martin runs The Gulch, he is one of Jerome's original hippies who moved into Jerome in the 70s? Correct me if I'm wrong Richard. Richard owns an old miner's shack where he runs the radio station out of.

New Jerome Website

2007-11-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got my JeromeAZ.com website up. I have owned the domain for years, just didn't know what to do with it. The site was built to be all inclusive of all Jerome restaurants, Jerome Galleries and Jerome Artists and Jerome Bed and Breakfast or Jerome Lodging and any other type of place you want to stay. I have added a Things To Do page, Jerome Real Estate and more. The site is in its infancy, but it will get there.

Halloween Coming

2007-09-30T08:08:00.001-07:00

Well it's that time of year. Everybody around town is talking about their Halloween costumes. Of course Anne and Lisa have their's figured out, I think they started in March. Last year Lisa was the Moaning Lisa and Anne Picasso. Playing with words is fun. Tracy's cousin Rebecca said she dressed as the Bat Mobile one year, had a mobile on top of her head with bats hanging off of it. Her husband was a chick magnet, with chicken magnets stuck to him. Ah to be original. In Jerome it is a tough crowd, people's costume's are pretty amazing. Of course their are always the tons of prostitutes - the default costume in Jerome. I think people love the opportunity to live out their alter-ego.

My Geisha outfit was fun last year but a lot of work putting all of that white face makeup on. Karen was going as Kill Bill but was Kill Jim, she recently went through a divorce.

So, it out to be interesting this year. We shall see.

Here is a photo from last year's Halloween:

Kanzler Steam Transport

2007-06-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

Met with Ernie Kanzler yesterday. He is looking for all the engineers who used to work for him in the 70s for KST or Kanzler Steam Transport. He had then created a very efficient engine that was lubricated by water before his company got mysteriously sabatoged by unknown important officials who couldn't AFFORD to have fuel replaced with water. Hmmmm. Imagine that, greed? Well, there is new interest in bringing back his ideas if such engineers can be rounded up again. If anybody out there knows how to contact people who worked for KST, have them reply here so I can pass their name on to Ernie...

Thanks

Jerome Books

2007-05-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

There are a handful of interesting books on Jerome's history that everybody should read before visiting Jerome or while here. They tell great stories of Jerome's past, a definate microcosm of the happenings of the west. They all can be purchased at the Jerome Historical Society's website at http://www.jeromehistoricalsociety.org.

They include:
The Ghosts of Cleopatra Hill.
This book by Herbert Young describes Jerome's meager beginnings as an isolated mining camp in the late 1800s and its growth into the fourth largest city in the Territory of Arizona. Read about the five men of Spain that first visited Jerome's mines in 1583, the prospectors who staked new claims in 1876 and the men who settled Jerome.

They Came To Jerome
This is the most comprehensive book about Jerome's history during the mining era. It chronicles the town's life from its beginnings as a copper camp in the late 1800s through its mining heyday before the Great Depression.

Verde Valley Railroads
Another book by Russell Wahmann. The growth of Jerome into one of the great industrial mining centers of the Southwest could not have happened without the railroads. They brought miners and mining executive, cattlemen, merchants, madams, tools and equipment; and transported billions of dollars worth of copper, plus gold, silver and zinc ore. Russell Wahmann spent hundreds of hours to research and find the information and rare photographs that make this book a historic gem.

Tell us about your house

2007-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

When I worked as the Jerome Historical Society director, we had numerous people that would come in seeking information about the home they just purchased in Jerome, wondering who it used to belong to, what its history was. Four years later, I had a thought. What if I created an online site/forum where anybody and everybody could go and post stories about the house they grew up in, or even a house they have knowledge about, so that others can use that information for research. That idea finally came to fruition with our new website - http://www.thatsmyoldhouse.com.

We are really excited about the site and the reponse we have had already. It has only been up less than two weeks and we have had over 2,000 visitors and over 50 people registered.

So tell us your story. You don't have to be a Jerome resident, the site is open to homes throughout the United States. On the About Your House page you will be guided through a series of questions such as what state was your house in, city, what years did you live in it and more.

We hope you enjoy the site and look forward to hearing from you.

Ernie Kanzler

2006-07-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to work with an elderly man who I see often at the coffee shop, on his memoirs. His name – Ernest Kanzler Jr. His father, Ernest Kanzler Senior worked for Henry Ford and later Edsel Ford. Ernie Jr. told me many stories about his father’s power and prestige - but I had to do some background checks of my own. He was right. The man was quite powerful in his time. In addition, his wife and Edsel Ford’s wife were sisters. All of the wealthy then hung out together - especially those in the automotive industry – the Firestones, Fords, etc. But Ernie had been adopted and so he is on the quest for his real family.

Ernie also has some spiritual gifts of healing he has been writing about. He asked if I'd type up his writings. Since posting this site, I have had numerous posts and inquiries about Ernie along with pictures of the Kanzler car that he designed, the awards he won, etc. Maybe that autobiography he has been wanting to write will come together after all.

Edith Whitakers Ghost

2006-05-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

I published this last year on my blog - here it is again with a photo.

The Ghost of Edith Whitaker

Another story based on fact, as told to me and from my research.

“Did I ever tell you about the ghost I saw? It was at night, we were driving to mom’s house in the Gulch – well, I didn’t think she was a ghost, I just thought it was one of those hippies living down there.”

Marylou Nunez was a petite elderly Hispanic woman who even in her best heels, which she wore daily, was just tall enough to drive her 1988 Cadillac. She was from the old school, where a woman always dressed in her finest clothes when going to town, even if were just for a bag of flour. Having grown up in this steep-sided mining town of Jerome, Marylou mastered the art of walking up crumbling inclines and over jagged sidewalks in shoes one wouldn’t dare to even try out on a runway.

Marylou no longer lived in Jerome when she saw her ghost. She had left over forty years prior with her husband when the mines closed. Like everyone else, they migrated to California – followed the work. The town emptied like a fish stand after a case of salmonella. That is everybody left but the real old-timers and the ghosts.

“I saw her walk right in front of the car and go toward the back of mom’s house. I said to Baldo, did you see that woman go into mama’s house? He said, what woman. I said, the woman who just walked in front of the car. She had on a big floppy hat and tall boots. He said, I didn’t see a woman. I asked mama, did you have company. She said no, why, and I told her about what I saw.”

“It wasn’t until some years later that I was talking to the town historian and she wanted to show me pictures of the family who used to live in my mom’s house that I discovered who she was. And there she was, my ghost, Edith Whitaker, sitting on her horse in a big floppy hat and wearing tall riding boots.”

Edith Whitaker wasn’t your typical woman of the 20s. That is, she didn’t fall under any of the categories her town had to offer. She therefore made up her own – what that was, nobody could be sure, it didn’t have a name. What would one call a woman who never married, worked on her own mining claim and drove a motorcycle? An Indian motorcycle that is, straight off Harry Amster’s showroom floor. A motorized bicycle, it was nearly as good as Edith’s horse Babe.

No, if Edith’s type had a name, she certainly wasn’t interested in knowing what it was. What she knew was this – that she valued her independence over all things and that other people should too. In that, she despised the town’s big mining company who controlled everything from the politics to the bread on people’s tables.

She resented it enough to make it her soul purpose for purchasing the ‘other’ newspaper in town; the smaller paper. The main paper, whose weekly cover was completely inundated with the optimistic dogma of the United Verde Copper Company, provided no news at all. It coerced and trapped people into their way of thinking, made puppets of them for their sole greedy purpose. Couldn’t people see this? Maybe what they needed to hear was the truth and nothing but the truth. Hard and real.

Edith’s newspaper would be called The Sun. It, like the mine claim she and her brother owned often took more than it gave back, but for Edith, it worth all of its prospective potential.

Speaking the truth isn’t easy. Waking people from their slumber, shaking them from their dream when dreams may be the only thing they dare to cling to, would prove to be difficult for Edith. Maybe she was a little to harsh and not as diplomatic and unbiased as being a journalist called for, but she had some things to set straight, and, well, while people weren’t playing fair, whose to say who was being one-sided? But the people wouldn’t listen. They didn’t want to see reality, they wanted to their western Utopia, that big break.

No, Edith’s career as a journalist didn’t last long – it was almost a year before her paper was blackballed. Town’s business owners stopped advertising with The Sun in fear of being labeled anti-supportive of the miners and, well, the company.

Edith was hardheaded but she knew when to call it quits. Honesty was a lifestyle she couldn’t afford. In that, wealth never followed Edith, even into old age. Edith didn’t stick around Jerome after the paper collapsed. Her mine was proving unprofitable too and it was time to move on. Some said Edith moved to Ashfork, Arizona where she ran a gas station. She looked hard and haggardly. Certainly life wasn’t easy for an unmarried woman unwilling to play by the rules. But Jerome was where her dreams began and possibly where her dreams continue to this day, even after her death. Is Edith Whitaker still roaming the Gulch looking for something she never could find or she like many of the old-timers who left Jerome and return? None of us will ever know, except maybe Marylou.

Jerome Arizona

2006-05-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jerome had it's five minutes of fame a few weeks ago when the Channel 3 Newsgroup did their morning news in town. I came to town for breakfast - the 8 a.m. morning special - $2.00 for breakfast, and the town was packed. I didn't' know the TV crew was in town, but I enjoyed watching them through the window of the restaurant while watching them on TV in the restaurant. We all laughed at our fellow friends as they were being interviewed. I then stepped outside to get into my jeep when I was waived over to dance with friends while Combo Deluxe played. Who is laughing now?

Speaking of the $2.00 breakfast, I spent yesterday morning enjoying it again along with all the other locals. I felt like I was in a soup-kitchen. All the bachelors lined up at the bar, myself - people barely making it in life. I have to admire folks who come to Jerome and how they survive. They take on crazy living conditions to stay up here. We were talking about life as renters - how either your place is loud because of the traffic, living beneath someone in an old house, partying neighbors or barking dogs. As we talked, I realized I had lived almost in every location Jerome has and there isn't any perfect spot. Either your house is too close to the road so you hear lots of traffic or smell burning brakes; or if you live in town, it is a natural amphitheater amplifying music and sounds up the hill; if you live on the outside of town the wind blows almost all the time or you are sharing a house with someone, which is called an apartment and being that the house wasn't built for quiet, you can hardly win. No wonder most of the people in Jerome are always stoned - how else can you cope with everything?

Despite it all, I do love Jerome. It is safe and one of the few places I would go to the bar alone or walk home at night alone. People might be crazy up here but they aren't violent. Again the pot - as long as we keep the scary drugs away, nobody will be knocking off their grandmother for pot money.

Things are changing in Jerome though as the cost of housing skyrockets. The house two doors down for me is for sale for $800,000. The prices are just getting ridiculous. It is scary as it will change the face and feel of Jerome. Luckily many old-timers haven't gotten greedy and are staying in the homes they bought 20 years ago. Without them, who knows what Jerome would be.

Mardi Gras

2006-03-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Lisa Petty's 40th birthday, Petty's Pardi Gras, was a hit, despite the cold weather. Many people came out in costume, others came out for the food and beer. The parade shocked tourists who had no clue what was going on, but what was even more shocking was the mass flash on the town's steps facing Main Street. Luckily nobody got arrested.

After an afternoon of food and fun, we all dispersed to our favorite bars. As there are only three, most of us hit all three of them. Our group started off at the Mile High for karoke. Six vodka and cranberry's later, I and my friends moved over to the Spirit Room to dance to live music. Around midnight the party moved to a friend's home, we chose to call it a night, having started at 2 p.m., we were wore out.

Overall, I think the party was a success. Not sure what passersby visiting Jerome thought of the whole thing - leaving, shaking their heads, those crazy Jerome people/artists are whackier than we thought...

More Jerome Snow

2006-03-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

It was looking like we'd have a dry, hot year, but finally---snow. For three days we got snow. It didn't stick long, I think the ground sucked it right up.

Here is a picture from our deck Sunday morning.

As usual we met for our Sunday morning breakfast, this time at Lisa Pettys. We worked on our float for this coming Saturdays Lisa Petty's Pardi Gras. The parade will start at 5 p.m. Cousin Trudy is coming into town. I have a feeling from rumors about town there will be lots of flashing - hopefully not a lot of children in town that weekend. It is not only St. Patrick's Day weekend but Out In Jerome weekend and of course Lisa's 40th birthday. I'm sure it will be warm and sunny, we rarely get snow, but who knows.....