My Trip To Jerome, Arizona

Day Two

June 26, 2021, 11:27 pm

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Our second day was rather slow because Jerome is so small you can do almost everything in one day. However as the day progressed, the more exciting things got. We started by taking a trip to Gold King Mines and Ghost Town. There we met and befriended a man who worked on the homestead. He never gave us his name but he told us the history of the ghost town called Haynes and the life story of just about anyone who ever lived there. 

In 1901, the population was 30! At one point there were even 444 residents in a town less a square mile wide.  They even had their own post office from 1908 – 1922. Ninety-one years later, the area was rediscovered by Terry & Don Robertson. Today, the property is filled with vintage transportation: over 180 cars, trucks & motorcycles, including Studebaker's and Harley's. There is mining equipment, historic buildings, and a Stamp Mill used to crush the ore. You will also find a working sawmill and Blacksmith shop.

Today the population of Haynes, Arizona is at a whopping seven! 

I spent more than I should have at their gift shop but hey, the rocks are cool and there was a cashier in training. It'll be good for the economy. 

We went to see the "Sliding Jail of Jerome". Jerome is built on the hillside for those that don't know, as the valley below was too far from the mines. So rock slides and foundation failure were common. The sliding jail now rests over 200 ft from its original location. You can see the single cell from the viewing space with what I joke about being a stripper pole in the middle. There is also a connecting room and a cot, which could have been the sheriff's quarters.

We hit up a few more shops including Rickeldoris' Candy Shop. They make their own products, from kettle corn to gummy candy to chocolate drops. The smell of sugar stuck with us through four different stores afterward. We had lunch back at Bobby D's and went back to The Grand for a nap. 

We decided to skip dinner and wait around until 6:40ish for our tour with Jerome Ghost Tours. Before then, my mom and I decided to walk the halls again, and check out the "encounter photos" from other guests displayed in the restaurant on the second floor, called The Asylum. I left my phone in the room again to do an audio recording and you'll never believe what we captured. 

Multiple door slams- again without voices or footsteps afterward -, the snapping sound of light switches being flicked, our deadbolt being locked and unlocked, and the sound of a woman whisper right into the mic of my phone. 

Upon leaving the JGT building, we were given EMF readers and Spirit Boxes. For those that don't know, an EMF is an electromagnetic field reader; it pretty much does what its name suggests. It senses changes in electromagnetic forces within a certain distance. Ironically we were given false readings at the Haunted Hamburger of all places. A Spirit Box is like a radio that switches between two different channel frequencies that sort of merge together. Think of it as a walkie-talkie that spirits can access because of its energetic frequency. 

We walked a few blocks to this gravel parking lot on the cliffside where an overflow hospital used to stand during the mining days. It was demolished during one of the fires and slid down the hills, taking the lives of all the patients, nurses, and doctors who remained inside with it.

This is where my small group of eight got the most activity. Now I completely believe in spirits and the paranormal but I've always been skeptical of equipment. I thought that they might of preset a recording for us to listen to but the answers I received on the spirit box directly coordinated with the questions I asked. 

I asked if there was anyone there who would like to talk to us and I heard a simple yes in return. I then asked what their name was and They responded with what sounded like "Malcome". I couldn't get very many clear responses after I asked if he was alone to which he responded "no". 

A few minutes later I talked to a man named "Rob" who claimed he was a doctor that worked in the hospital there. I asked how he died, which I was permitted to ask, and a voice as clear as day said, "fire". 

After saying goodbye, our group moved on to a small apartment complex closed for renovation. Despite this, our guide still had exclusive access to the building. During the early 1900s, a mother lived there with her three children, who she drowned before committing suicide. The coroner performing the autopsy concluded that postpartum depression and the use of opioids was the main factor leading to this horrific situation. There could have also been the added effect of an STD or STI which caused the tragedy. The utility closet of the apartment contained a collapsed tunnel connected to a series of passageways under the town that led into the next town over and the mines upon the hill. 

Our guide told us that a spirit named Micheal frequently hangs out in the closet as he was a miner who used the tunnels often and possibly fell victim to the collapse. But he doesn't like light, so my mother and I were locked in the pitch-black dirt floor room with a misogynist ghost from the '30s. Great. 

Some other members of our group got to hear a few words from Daniel, the oldest of the three children, who frequently hid in the linen closet when tours came to visit. 

Our adventure finally came to an end and we headed back to the hotel for the night. We hadn't experienced any other paranormal activity since the tour much to my mother's appreciation. 

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In the morning, I reluctantly waved goodbye to Jerome and headed east towards Sedona where we spent the day in the shopping district and spent the night at Sky Ranch Lodge with a great view of the red rock structures right outback. 

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For more information on Jerome, AZ, check out these sites:
- THE 15 BEST Things to do in Jerome, Arizona: by trip advisor
- Jerome, AZ: 9 Things to Do in this Wicked Good Ghost Town; by Travelmom.com

For more information on Sedona, AZ, check out these sites: 
- THE 15 BEST Things to do in Sedona, Arizona: by trip advisor
- 14 Best Things To Do in Sedona: by travel news

And to learn more about my other adventures, check out my profile for more travel mini-books!