Jerome is a rough-and-tumble town with a colorful history and penchant for surviving disaster. Once dubbed the “Wickedest Town in the West,” the hillside community has endured the ravages of fire, landslides, and an influenza epidemic—not to mention Prohibition and the boom-and-bust business of mining.

There is a whole lot of history packed into Jerome, despite its small, walkable size. The town was founded in 1876 after prospectors Angus McKinnon and M.A. Ruffner filed the first mining claims. Six years later, the United Verde Copper Company mine was established by entrepreneur William Andrews Clark. It became the richest individually owned mine in the world, and Clark made a fortune. Workers arrived in droves, and the city became a melting pot of cultures, with Irish, Greek, and Chinese immigrants appearing in search of jobs and opportunity.

In its heyday, the city’s population topped at 15,000. Saloons, opium dens, and brothels lined the streets and transformed the mining camp into a lively boomtown. Jerome flourished like this for decades, but after more than $1 billion had been milked from the mines, the bust came to town. The UVCC mine closed for good in 1953, having producing enough copper to put 13 pounds of it into the hand of every person living at the time. Jerome became a ghost town overnight. It wasn’t until the 1970s that settlers started to return, but this time they were hippies and artists who found the quaint atmosphere and cheap rent appealing.

Small shops, bars, and hotels still cling to the side of Cleopatra Hill, though today they mainly cater to tourists. The winding streets are filled with visitors on the weekends—and they’re not alone. Jerome is rumored to be haunted by a slew of ghosts, including the spirit of Jennie Banters, a former madam, once considered the wealthiest woman in northern Arizona. She was murdered by her opium-addicted boyfriend in 1905. Banters was a beloved figure in Jerome—at least in part because she was often the first to rebuild after the repeated fires that often consumed local businesses.

Plan to spend a couple of hours in Jerome, a National Historic Landmark. Explore the narrow streets and alleys that climb the steep slopes and pop into its small galleries and stores. The must-see Mine Museum (200 Main St., 928/634-5477, www.jeromehistoricalsociety.com, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, adults $2, children free) is small but jam-packed with information, giving a great overview of Jerome’s sordid past. Exhibitions trace the complex hierarchy of prostitutes, immigrants, and shopkeepers who made their home in Jerome, and the displays of rusty old tools quickly school onlookers in the rigors of life in the mines.

Out front, bikers frequently park their hogs on Main Street while, inside the saloons, they compete with tourists for space at the bar and a view of the band. Jennie Banter’s old brothel has been replaced by Nellie Bly (136 Main St., 928/634-0255, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily), a small store selling jewelry and arty gifts. Down the street, Laughing Mountain (116 Main St., 928/634-8764, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily) offers expansive views of Verde Valley, along with Native American leather goods, wind chimes, and Southwestern sculptures and wooden crosses.