Sheldon and Geni's 2023 Gillette Trip
Today is: September 17
We woke up in: Camp Verde, AZ We're going to sleep in: Camp Verde, AZ

Doing easy days now. We had a complimentary breakfast at the campground and then went to Jerome. After watching the movie in the state park, I learned just how important Jerome was to the local area. At one point it had 15,000 residents while now it is about 460. Lots of artists around with lots of shops to check out. Came back and found our next campground. We're going to Santa Fe, NM.

Geni: Another adventure up a windy mountainside. Jerome is a mining town that is now a ghost town. It provided billions of dollars worth of copper, silver and gold over the mid 1880's and closed down for the last time in the mid 1950's. So a miners' town way up in the hills. However the ghost town isn't really because it is filled with shops and some historic buildings. There were fires that destroyed some of the original buildings, but still enough storefronts to get the feel of an old time town. But it was not the ghost town I was expecting. It was full of tourists enjoying the stores and restaurants.


View of houses on the mountainside

Old time movie equipment

Stores and houses along the winding streets

These houses were built right alongside the hillsides

Remnants of a building was where glassblower had his shop

He was originally from NY but has lived here for many years

Watched him make a vase

Explained how he was limited as you need a helper to make big items

Putting the flat bottom on the glass

Cutting glass just like butter

Looking up at a hillside from downtown street

View looking down from Jerome

The jail slide down the mountain due to a landslide

A bed in the jail