Gold King Mine & Ghost Town

This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. An authentic historic mining town in northern Arizona with a rich history. We are located one mile north of Jerome, Az. Keep right past the Fire Station to all the fun. After finding some copper around 1890 on the hills in the area, a mining company decided to dig a deep mine shaft to dig it out. Oddly enough, copper was never found there.The miners dug down 1200 feet and never did find any copper - just gold. Not being too disappointed, they quickly began digging for this very precious metal. This mine became known as the Gold King Mine. For many years, many tons of gold had come from this mine - and other metals from other mines nearby. Altogether, more than one billion dollars worth of metals came from these mines. After a while, around 1953, the gold ran out, and the town became an all too familiar site out west around that time - a ghost town. Tourists in the area can walk around the old ghost town of Jerome and see a number of things that were just as they were back then. Visitors can take walks through parts of mines around there, and see and watch some of the original mining equipment in operation. The actual Gold King Mine is not accessible to visitors.A lot of the old machinery, however, is still present. One sight that will amaze guests is the world's largest gas engines. One of these has been named Big Bertha, which has a 10,000 cubic inch gas engine. Many other pieces of old equipment used in mining in the area and in the various mining vehicles are also present in the museum.One of the most popular sights is the old saw mill that is in operation and visitors can watch the old equipment and see how it had to be done way back when. The owner, who just loves to get the rusting engines and machines working again, fixed up an old 1943 US submarine engine and uses it to power the old sawmill. An old 1901 style blacksmith shop is also there.The Museum is open every day where a lot of this machinery can be seen. There is also a gift shop. A number of animals are present and the young ones can pet them. Apart from the Gold King Mine Museum, there is also the ghost town of Jerome. This old town, which has many old buildings and plenty of memories, is a great place to take pictures. From the town, which is about 5,400 feet high because it sits on top of Cleopatra Hill, you can see the beautiful scenery for as far as 60 miles away. Some old time stores are open just as they once were, as well. Jerome was once one of the largest towns in Arizona. At the prime of the mining days of the mines, which was in the 1920's, there were as many as 15,000 people in Jerome. Today, there are only around 350. The town became a ghost town shortly after the last of the mines closed in 1953. When visiting the Gold King Mine Museum and Jerome, AZ, you can choose between several bed and breakfasts that are in the town, along with some restaurants. Art thrives in the town, and there are more than 30 galleries and studios. Musicians and some writers also love the atmosphere of this old place that became officially branded as a ghost town in 1976, even though the mines had closed in 1953.