Jerome Junction Farm Colony from Russia, 1916

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Approximate location of the first 4.5 sq. mile farm land of the Hassayampa Alfalfa Farms Company (HAFC) which was contracted to a colony of immigrants from Russia (not all were ethnic Russians). In January 1916 about 22 families (130 people) of the faith of Spiritual Christian Pryguny (Jumpers) arrived from the Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, Mexico (15 miles NE of Ensenada). They arrived after 1905 from Novo-Mikhailovka (Tiukma) village, Kars Oblast (now in Turkey). They were sponsored by HAFC to be supervised by Professor McOrmie, University of Arizona, Agricultural Extension. They built 20 houses, planted 2000 acres, but did not get irrigation water, sued HAFC and moved south to join 3 other colonies of Spiritual Christians from Russia 2 miles west of Glendale. They were nick-named "Dzheromskiy" after the depot sign Jerome Junction. Short URL to this map : goo.gl/u1uVMG

"Russian farmers arrive in Chino Valley", by Nancy Burges, Sharlot Hall Library, January 7, 2001 goo.gl/pr7zfb
"Dzheromskiy Colony Arizona 1916", by Andrei Conovlaoff and Micheal Rudometkin goo.gl/2gZJUc