Desert Messenger

June 14, 2017 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 If you need someone to speak with after Sunday's devastating news, Cenpatico Crisis Line is open 24 hours/day. 1-866-495-6735 employers in ruins, women fl ocked to her brothels for work. Madam Jen- nie became the richest, most powerful, and enterprising woman in the Arizo- na territory. Another woman to take advantage of Jerome's boom was Anne Hop- kins. Anne was married to a mining engineer. With money that she had tucked away from the allotment her husband gave her, Anne purchased a small second home in her name. She rented the home as sleeping quarters in 8 hour increments to the men who worked in the mines. She paid the house off quickly, and continued to buy houses until she owned quite a bit of Jerome real estate independently of her husband. When the United Verde Mine stock began to grow, she opened a bank account in her own name and purchased United Verde stock. As the stock price climbed and her houses were earning a pretty penny, Anne rein- vested her money to buy more and more stock and real estate. She became the second wealthiest woman of her own accord in the entire region. But a mining town frought with mayhem did not take kindly to wealthy, powerful, and indepen- dent women. Rumors started and threats began mounting. Anne's husband became angry and resentful of her entrepre- neurial spirit. He became abusive to Anne and started having an affair with a woman whom Anne knew. Anne plotted to kill her husband's mistress, but ended up disfi guring her by throw- ing acid in her face while she was din- ing at the Connor Hotel. After being sentenced to prison and losing every- thing, Anne spent the rest of her life in jail. Madam Jennie did not fare much better. Though she was a very gener- ous woman, some of Jennie's clients and acquaintances began plotting to kill her. In 1905, a man named Leigh murdered her. He shot her twice in the back as she ran out of a saloon away from him. After wounding her and leaving her lying on the ground, he walked back into the saloon, re- loaded, and returned while the towns- people watched to deliver a third and fatal shot. In 1915, the Jerome mining company switched from underground mining to open pit mining, due largely to a series of fi res that had been burning under- ground for decades. The smelter was dismantled and the labor force greatly reduced. Additionally, the mountain- side on which Jerome was built had been severely compromised from blasting and erosion. In 1928 the face of the mountain on which Jerome was built gave way. For the next two years dozens of buildings tumbled down the mountain to their destruction. Je- rome's heyday was offi cially fi nished. In 1953 the mine shut down and the population plummeted to under 100. To prevent the town from completely disappearing, its remaining residents turned to tourism. In an effort to pro- mote the town, the Jerome Historical Society was organized in 1953. Jerome was granted National Historic Land- mark status in 1967. Today, Jerome is a quaint little tourist town, with eclectic shops and galleries lining the steep, narrow and winding streets. The mining museum preserves Jerome's rich heritage. Many of the original buildings remain as remod- eled tourist attractions, historical sites, or ruins. Some of the buildings in Jerome have been continually oper- ated since the town's inception. Tour- ists staying at the Mile High Inn have reported an apparition of a kitty who naps on the freshly made beds. Locals claim that the ghost of Anne Hopkins still wanders through the halls of the Connor Hotel, while the spirit of Jen- nie Banters continues to inhabit the House of Joy. When visiting Jerome, be sure to stop at the Mining Museum and don't forget to sign up for the Ghost Tour. You might even get to pet the Hotel Kitty. To view our photojournal of Jerome, go to www.AdventuresWithRocks.com and follow us on Facebook. Happy travels. ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ By Jenn Jedidiah Free • www.AdventuresWithRocks.com According to locals, the raspy laugh of Jerry the Miner can still be heard on calm still nights echoing through Syca- more Canyon just outside Jerome, AZ. Jerry roamed the canyon for 30 years, searching for lost treasure buried there by the Yavapai Indians. He died there long before Jerome became a town. In 1876, explorers in the Verde Val- ley came across abandoned Yavapai mines in the hills of what was to even- tually become Jerome. New claims were staked, and a mining camp was born. In 1883, investors purchased some of the claims and leased out the mining rights. The United Verde Copper Company was formed in 1889, and Jerome, Ari- zona, was well on its way to becoming a booming mining town. Steep, narrow winding roads were cut into the side of the mountain and buildings clung pre- cariously to its face. It wasn't long be- fore Jerome attracted fortune seekers, entrepreneurs, and freespirits from across the country. The population of Jerome grew by leaps and bounds and so did its reputation for gambling, alcohol, drug abuse, gun fi ghts, and other assorted mayhem. Jerome was a wild town with minimal law enforce- ment, building codes, or government, earning the title "The Wickedest Town in America". When World War I arrived, the price of copper soared. At that time, the United Verde Mine was producing over $1Billion in gold, silver, and copper. The state-of-the-art Audrey shaft and headframe was constructed to more ef- fi ciently mine the extraordinarily rich copper deposits of the Little Daisy and the United Verde claims. The mine reached depths of 1700 feet, removing more than 3.6 million tons of ore yield- ing 320,000 tons of copper, 190 tons of silver, and 5.3 tons of gold. The mine's stock price soared from fi fteen cents a share to over $35 per share. Business women, ghosts, sparkly rocks & mayhem Jerome's population swelled to 15,000 people. In the isolated town full of hard working men with pockets full of money, prostitution and gambling fl ourished. Opium dens and bootleg- gers supplied the town with all the alco- hol and drugs it could consume. The mines ran 24/7, providing customers for Jerome's businesses around the clock. Movie theatres, bowling alleys, opera houses, saloons, stores, schools, tennis courts, and churches operated day and night on three 8 hour shifts to accommodate the miner's 24 hour work schedules. It was in this thriv- ing economy that two of the wealthiest women of the wild west came to be. Brothels had been operating in Je- rome since 1876. Several had burned down in the three major fi res that con- sumed the town in the late 1800's. A few others slid to their destruction during a landslide that sent half the town tumbling down the mountain. One particular brothel belonging to Madam Jennie Banters burned three times and collapsed once. Each time she rebuilt using her own money and free labor from local men. Madam Jennie offered for free the services of her women to any man who helped her rebuild, so after each fi re or rockslide Jennie's buildings were among the fi rst and fastest to be rebuilt. With other

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