Origin of a Name

The United Verde and Pacific (the original) connected the mines at Jerome, Arizona with the world via the interchange with the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix. The narrow gauge trains skirted the mountains and proceeded west to Chino Valley, some 25 miles away.

Even today, Jerome is somewhat isolated. There is only one highway through the town. The railroads are gone, so are the mines. But in 1880, there was a serious problem. Rich copper ore was available, but no economical way to get it to a smelter. The owners of the United Verde Copper Co. realized the need and formed the UV&P. Narrow (3’gauge) for economy, the railroad was, nevertheless, built to high standards, never suffering a serious accident.

Jerome hangs on the eastern slopes of Cleopatra Hill. The railroad clung to the mountain side as it navigated first Cleopatra Hill then Woodshute mountain to the north. Finally, it began a westerly path after numerous tight curves and trestles, and traveled the last ten miles in an almost straight line. Being narrow gauge, it had to transfer cargo and passengers to the standard gauge SFP&P at Chino Valley (then Jerome Junction). This labor cost eventually worked against the line, causing its eventual demise, as other lines made their way out of Jerome or Clarkdale, at the foot of the mountain.

Nothing is left of the railroad today, save a few foundations. But, most of the right of way (railroad talk for the path it traveled) is a forest road and mostly passable to vehicles with a bit of ground clearance. There is a book about the road that includes a description of the mile-by-mile journey and points of interest along the way.

My wife Martha and I made the trek in our two-wheel-drive pick-up. We left the pavement at Chino Valley and worked our way toward and then into the mountains. As we negotiated the many turns along the sides of the mountains, we were shown continually changing vistas. We were sometimes going through deep cuts made to allow trains to follow a reasonable grade. At other times we clung to the shelf as valleys or canyons opened before us. It was a little nerve tingling at times, but the views were great and we entered Jerome from a shelf somewhat above the remains of the open-pit mines. A very different view of the town can be seen from this perspective than from highway 89A, which passes through Jerome.

At the mine site, some tracks remain, but they are remnants of another railroad which followed after the UV&P, and which carried ore from the mines to the new smelter at the town of Clemenseau (now part of Cottonwood). At the time of the UV&P, the smelting operation was at Jerome. Fires in the mines forced the closing of the smelter and converting the mining from underground to open-pit. The UV&P operated from 1896 through 1920.