The Story
Karen was excited to be getting out of the house. She wanted to be a good housewife as she’d been raised but there was the longing for more. Being cooped in the house all week with no one to talk with grated on her so she loved the weekends when her husband would allow her to take out the Studebaker and go for a drive.
Today’s adventure had her heading into the hills for a drive up the twisty roads into Jerome. The recent Arizona Highways Magazine sat on the seat next to her. The magazine was a wonderful escape on her long lonely weeks at home. This edition featured an article about the town’s efforts to bring in some tourists.
She stopped for gas and thanked the young man for cleaning her window. Then she was off again.
As she climbed up and up, the views were even more amazing in real life. It was difficult to stay focused on the road when she was surrounded by so much breathtaking beauty. But each hairpin turn forced her attention back to the pavement in front of her.
Then she began to smell something off. It wasn’t the fresh, clean air she was expecting. Maybe it was just the smell of the copper they’d been mining in this area for years.
She was just considering pulling over to the side of the road for a better look when something caught her eye. She swerved to miss the mother and two little boys in front of her but there was nowhere for her to go. Nowhere but down the side of the hill.
As she looked into her rearview mirror one last time, the mother and children were no longer there.
The History
This is part 3 of 5 of my Historic Jerome series. While all of the stories are made up, I pulled some historical facts into some of them as well.
This Studebaker Champion is located in Clarkdale, AZ on 89A before heading into Jerome.