Sundown towns once drove out people of color or prohibited them from living within city limits. 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. I wanted to share the real story of Route 66its promise of freedom and its failure to live up to that promise. The town of Duncan was actually established in 1883 with the coming of the railroad, but the early settlement here was started in the 1870s along the Gila River on an important stage & freight route. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. It is 2,389 feet above sea level. Duncan - History and Social Justice Home Arizona Duncan James W. Loewen (1942-2021) We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began. Duncan receded then into a quiet farming and Also, Pellets on Sale. I guess if you dont know whether or not you need them, youre not the target audience. Arizonas location within the U.S. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. (Excluding Federal Holidays) Your email address will not be published. "Marcos de Niza". But even though sundown towns are . [15], An individual structure listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Benjamin F. Billingsley House listed on August 25, 1983, reference: #83002998. The lynching of two Black teenagers in Marion, Indiana, in 1930, for instance, resulted in the towns 200 Black residents moving away never to return. In 1921, the Tulsa Race Riot erupted in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. A black couple, Nolie and Lela Murray, owned the property and offered black people traveling on Route 66 much-needed lodging and some good old-fashioned Western recreation. Booker T. Washington called it Black Wall Street, and it was arguably the wealthiest black neighborhood in the South. One popular safety precaution? 31.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The railroad stop in Duncan made the town a marketing center for farm produce and a shipping point for ore and cattle. When the sheriff asked about the other people in the car, Rons dad pretended they werent his family. (Today, nothing remains of Grahams, except a tourist cabin that an area law firm uses as its storage shed.). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The Arizona Good Roads Association, in its 1913 Illustrated Road Maps and Tour Book, described Duncan thusly: Surrounded by scenic mountains and historic mining sites, Duncans local businesses welcome visitors. Green modeled his book after Jewish travel guides created for the Borsht Belt in the 1930s. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. On Juneteenth, Valley residents share history of African - KNXV Duncan Opera House - built in 1920 and located in 218 Hill Street. Either way, it was painfully obvious to me that there was a problem. Is Prescott a sundown town? : r/Prescott - Reddit To accommodate the new "Arizona and New Mexico Railroad," the people of Purdy moved their settlement to the south bank of There are primarily three reasons to visit Duncan. Even Coca-Cola machines had White Customers Only printed on them. The visitors center not only extends the same welcome but also offers space for local entrepreneurs. Horses and cattle were owned by a lot of people in Compton. Sundown towns weren't always all-white. This lost gem was billed as The Only Negro Dude Ranch in the Worldwhich it very likely was. A Brief History - Town of Duncan Someone from Petticoat Junction could walk in at any moment. O'Connor later wrote a book titled Lazy B: Growing up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest about her childhood experiences on the ranch with her brother H. Alan Day. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic buildings, houses, and other structures in the mining town of Duncan, which is located in Greenlee County, Arizona. "He just came out of the woods to . It looks like a movie set. July 3, 1919: The Battle of Brewery Gulch - Zinn Education Project In 1881 and 1882, when the Arizona Copper Company was formed at Clifton-Morenci, an influx of Scottish capital financed the building of a narrow-gauge railway from Clifton to For instance, the Ku Klux Klan ran Fantastic Caverns, a popular tourist site near Springfield. The earliest record of legal restrictions on the nighttime activities of Black people dates back to the 1714 . If you need to book a flight, search for the nearest airport to Duncan, SC. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. Reproduction in part or whole without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Out of the eight states that ran through Route 66 (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California), six had official segregation laws as far west as Arizonaand all had unofficial rules about race. But it was also the home of U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen, whose support helped ensure the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Copying and downloading images from this site is strictly prohibited. Duncan High School (mascot: Wildkats; school colors: red, grey, and white) competes in many sports, but is renowned for their football team. The Duncan area along the Gila River is renowned for Native American artifacts such as arrow heads, pottery, burial sites, cave paintings and other remnants of the Anasazi and other pre-historic cultures, as well as artifacts from garrison camps of the expedition of Francisco Vzquez de Coronado. Cotton is the principal agricultural commodity. Sundown Towns in Indiana: How a Legacy of 'Whites-Only' Towns Rose and But when a site is nurtured, like Cliftons, or commemorated, like the Threatt Filling Station, it can be an important connection to the past. To avoid the humiliation of being turned away, they often traveled with portable toilets, bedding, gas cans, and ice coolers. In extreme cases, hostility toward African Americans resulted in extrajudicial killing. Almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. Pistachio trees have a small presence in the Grand Canyon State, but the pecan business is developing quickly. No franchises. My name is George Stark and I am 42 years old. Apart from oral histories, there are often few archival records that describe precisely how sundown towns excluded Blacks. The most snowfall ever in Duncan was 15.0 inches or 0.38 metres during the record Western cold wave of January 1949. "We didn't have Jim Crow [laws] here in California, but we did have sundown town laws," said Peterson . The first time we visited Duncan we were on a 3-day road trip that included Clifton & Morenci as well as Black Hills Back Country Byway. Conflicts between the Apaches and the advancing Anglo settlers resulted in a war known as the Apache Wars. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. There Are Still 137 Sundown Towns Across 21 States - Democratic Underground Duncan belongs to the Gila, the storied river of the west, the ageless natural highway whose passage through the mountain and desert southwest has served humankind since Ed Gordon discusses the historical significance of so-called "sundown towns," some of which are now promoting inclusiveness. Tempe Arizona was one as well, but has been integrated since the 60s. Soon Duncan was shipping far beyond the Southwest, to markets north and east. But Americans should not be so quick to pat themselves on the backs just because, nowadays, black people can drive U.S. highways mostly without incident. The Mormon Battalion was among the troops which entered the area. Greenlee County was created in 1909 and named for Mason Greenlee, who was an early settler in the Clifton area. The Duncan Valley Rural Fire District declared the "mass evacuation of flood prone areas in Duncan" early Monday, listing more than a dozen streets in the 712-person town as subject to the order . With more hope than resources, Dust Bowl migrants and others escaping poverty caused by the Great Depression could motor west on Route 66 in search of a better life. Guests include Jim Hunt, president of the National League of Cities . The methods for enforcing such racial segregation ranged . It was one of the nations most devastating acts of terrorism against African Americans. Duncan might attract people who now realize they can work remotely from anywhere. South of Phoenix, in Chandler, the Gila River Indian Community invites visitors to learn about the two tribesthe Akimel Ootham and the Pee Poshwho make up the community at the HuHugam Heritage Center, a museum filled with historical artifacts, rotating exhibitions and classes that educate the public about the . And it is too early to celebrate the nations racial tolerance when ongoing racism and xenophobia is camouflaged under the banner of patriotism. What are some of the best ultralight camping gear options? Sundown town | Meaning & History | Britannica In the 1940s, the Royce Caf, located right on Route 66, proudly announced on its postcards that Edmond was A Good Place to Live. 6,000 Live Citizens. [2] In 2018 the estimated population was 789.[3]. Roper Lake State Park is located 6 miles south of Safford in Graham County in southeast Arizona and sits at the base of Mt. They held their cross burnings inside. And on day three, we passed the Civil Rights Act and changed all the laws. Problem solved. Simpson Hotel. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. If it does, I hope they appreciate it. Mass evacuation underway in Arizona town as river overflows, reaches This was hundreds of years before the first white men, the Spanish explorers arrival. Third, the Simpson Hotel B&B is located here. Reply to this post. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. Duncan Valley Rural Fire District Call 911 for emergencies. Published: Aug. 23, 2022 at 5:03 PM PDT. Between the 1890s and the 1940s, Sundown Towns became a popular trend in Northern states. The new highway re-directed traffic away from Duncan and businesses began leaving the area. I keep waiting for the present to swing a fist through the illusion. Town Hall "All white" is in quotes because some towns allowed one black family to remain when they drove out the rest. DUNCAN, AZ Thursday marks one month since a storm flooded the town of Duncan, a small town on the Arizona-New Mexico border, forcing evacuations. Not when a struggle for social mobility continues to take a debilitating toll on black Americans. [4] U.S. Route 70 passes through downtown, leading west 39 miles (63km) to Safford, Arizona, and southeast 35 miles (56km) to Lordsburg, New Mexico, and Interstate 10. For visitors the primary interest is in the numerous recreational opportunities nearby, as well as the annual Salsa Fest. The Safe Havens and No-Go Zones for 20th-Century Black American Sadly, today theres no physical evidence that Murrays Dude Ranch ever existed. The Purdy post office was relocated to the new location of Purdy and thus the settlement was renamed Duncan. Being a Sundown Town meant for decades, Blacks and other groups were prevented from being out at night. The public schools in Safford are above average. The vast American landscape meant long, lonely stretches of perilously empty roads, and places like Grahams and other Green Book properties were vital sources of refuge. During the Red Summer of 1919, white mobs repeatedly targeted Black World War I veterans and servicemen. A sundown town is not just a place where something racist happened. Encompassing Gardens, 928-359-3590 or innkeeper@simpsonhotel.com, Dorothea Lange Portraits (1935-1939) Arizona small-town sheriff, Duncan, Arizona. "At that time, the Fire District was requested to . L.A. suburb apologizes for racist past, denounces sundown laws - Los Having moved from Las Vegas to Duncan, Hilda doesnt mention Sandra Day OConnor, the Supreme Court justice who put this town on the map by writing about growing up on her nearby ranch. Black people who were caught in these sundown towns often faced threats of violence if they hadn't made their way to the Detroit border by sundown. A full list of Sundown Towns in the United States - Reddit Researched, written and directed by esteemed Oklahoma storyteller DWe William s, the new play about a family's sundown town experience will debut at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 9-11, at the Studio of the Sooner Theatre in downtown Norman. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. The National Park Service included the Threatt Filling Station on its National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It was promoted by word of mouth, and a national network of postal workers led by Green sought out advertisers. The Federal Housing Association redlined neighborhoods and denied loans to black people, preventing them from accessing wealth-building opportunities freely given to white people. Tucson is located in the Sonoran Desert approximately 100 miles south of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the Mexico border. Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6km) west of the ArizonaNew Mexico border. All rights reserved. Given this mass denial, its not surprising that Route 66 is weighted down with nostalgia, suffocating from an idealized past that never was. The river water began spilling into Duncan early Monday . Glendale has become the first city in California and the third in the nation to pass a resolution apologizing for its history as a . What's the elevation of Duncan Arizona? People called it the Bible of black travel and AAA for blacks, but it was so much more. There were 384 housing units at an average density of 150.2/sqmi (58.0/km2). 151 miles to Atlanta, GA. 155 miles to Greensboro, NC. and last updated 10:00 AM, Sep 21, 2022. In Nevada, Sundown Town History Has Cultural Impacts For Washoe - KUNC Ones chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 28. (Although, the motor lodge did have a brief gig as the setting for a scene in Breaking Bad.) Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). Sundown Towns - BlackPast.org A page inside boasted, Just What You Have Been Looking For!! In 1883, a post office was established in Purdy. Today, Route 66 has surrendered to a series of bypasses, causeways, and highways, but the path it traced is still troubled: American Owned signs line the old Route 66; they are code for Not Owned by Immigrants. In Noel, Missouri, Somali immigrants say they are not welcome at Kathys Kountry Kitchen, where even now servers wear T-shirts reading, I got caught eating at the KKK. Stories like these are why the rosy hue of Route 66 nostalgia leaves a bitter chill in the souls of black people. And, although its no longer open to the public, the building still stands. Duncan, Arizona - A Small Town Full of Opportunity - YouTube In the town, the population was spread out, with 35.2% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The Greenwood DistrictBlack Wall Streetwas eventually rebuilt; now the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park offers a space for healing, with a 25-foot memorial and three 16-foot granite sculptures honoring the dead. The road certainly did not mean freedom for everyone, and it bore witness to some of the nations worst acts of racial terrorism. DUNCAN, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - The flooding that inundated the town of Duncan was made worse by the failure of a levee that was meant to protect the town of . Sundown towns are all white cities, towns or neighborhoods that still practice racial segregation by excluding non-white people, usually through extreme violence or intimidation. The rise of sundown towns made it difficult and dangerous for Blacks to travel long distances by car. Crops include long and short staple cotton, durum and winter wheat, barley, amaranth, alfalfa, beans, fruit trees, pecans and pistachios. But the current passion for gentrification and suburban sprawl is expunging the past: Most Green Book properties have been razed and many more are slated for demolition. Duncan (zip 85534)s population is 2,655 people. Safford, Arizona gets 10 inches of rain, on average, per year. Glendale Becomes First CA City to Recognize Sundown Town - Spectrum News 1 In the evenings, classic concoctions like absinthe are served at the bar, which features a 250-pound meteorite sitting on it. Town Hall 506 SE Old West Hwy Duncan, Arizona 85534. Duncan, AZ Map & Directions - MapQuest DUNCAN, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) Dozens of residents of a small town in eastern Arizona have evacuated after the Gila River reached a major flood stage early Monday morning, spilling water into parts of . To accommodate the new Arizona and New Mexico Railroad, the people of Purdy moved their settlement to the south bank of the river and renamed it Duncan, after Duncan Smith, the managing director of the Arizona Copper Company. Willcox is home to the Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Chiricahua Regional Museum and Research Center, and the Rex Allen Museum. Learn More >. In 1930, 44 out of the 89 counties that lined Route 66 were all-white communities known as sundown townsplaces that banned black people from entering city limits after dark. Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Grapefruit, and Oranges thrive in the warm sun and fertile soil of this region. Zinc and copper mines were established in the hills around Duncan. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Racial Conflict - Segregation/Integration, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-roots-of-route-66/506255/, https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/sundown-towns-3658/, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Safford is a mining town in Eastern Arizona. This page is not available in other languages. Remembering James W. Loewen Duncan Arizona Basic Information Type of Place Independent City or Town Metro Area Politics c. 1860? In 1913, Duncan was described by a map book as a place where almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. Its all still true. Some Detroit suburbs reckon with history as anti-Black 'sundown towns Black Voices: Sundown towns still exist in 2022 Living in Safford offers residents a sparse suburban feel and most residents own their homes. Males had a median income of $32,232 versus $18,333 for females. African Americans who lingered in sundown towns even during the daytime experienced harassment, threats, arrest, and beatings. Arizona State Route 75 leads north from Duncan 28 miles (45km) to Clifton. The name derives from the posted and verbal warnings issued to Blacks that although they might be allowed to work or travel in a community . The guide was published from 1936 to 1966, and at its height of popularity was used by two million people. In 2001, local citizens formed the Duncan Pride Society and began restoring and re-purposing some of the old buildings. Cambridge University Press. 2020 Sundown Town Resolution. Lying five miles from the New Mexico border, in the deep southeastern corner of Greenlee County, Duncan seems a world away from the wild mountains surrounding it. The farther west anyone traveled, the fewer services were availablefor white people and especially for black people. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Long-held jealousies over black prosperity and Greenwoods wealth ignited a riot. The Spanish-Pueblo Revival style of the building features a conference room with seven 20-foot murals painted by a Zuni artist. A team of mountain men and trappers that were led by James Ohio Pattie in 1824 and 1825 arrived, and they searched the San Francisco River edges for beavers in the area. News Arizona Flash Floods Flooding Weather. Mining for gold and silver began in 1864, followed by copper in 1872. The following historic structures are listed as contributing factors within Duncan. Surrounding smaller towns such as Franklin and York in Arizona and Virden, New Mexico, use Duncan public works and public schools. Some towns believed their ordi-nances remained in effect long after the 1954 Brown decision and 1964 Civil Rights Act. The society has taken it upon themselves the task of restoring many of them. After leaving Chicago on Route 66, the next Green Book sites were more than 180 miles away in Springfield, Illinois. There are 10 cities in Arizona that stand out for their crime rates, so let's take a look at them and see which cities you should avoid. Segregation was in full force throughout the country. Sundown Towns: Where Black Americans Weren't Allowed After Dark The book stayed in publication until 1967, three years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which greatly reduced the number of sundown towns in America. [2] In 2018 the estimated population was 789. The Simpson Hotel has a wooden toy pony in a first-floor window. Alot of small Arizona towns have qualities of bygone years: frontier days, Victorian homes. It prospered right The per capita income for the town was $13,642. "Mass evacuations" were . James Loewen, a historian who spent years studying sundown towns, found them in the suburbs of Detroit, New York City and Chicago. Take, for example, one violent night in 1906 in Springfield, Missouri, which would soon become the birthplace of Route 66; though the road starts out in Chicago, the route was officially designated as 66 in Springfield. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). You can also look for cities 4 hours from Duncan, SC (or 3 hours or 2 hours or 1 hour) or just search in general for all of the cities close to Duncan, SC. Sundown Towns -- 137 Sundown Towns Across 21 States -- Are The Litmus Test of America's Transformation https: . Mass evacuations ordered after Gila River overflows into eastern (Excluding Federal Holidays) In April the average diurnal range is as high as 43.7F (24.3C) and it is only less than 36F (20C) in the often stormy months of July and August when over a third of the year's total rainfall can be expected. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. It was indeed all White for a while. This may be a regrettable fact to the Negroes, but it is nevertheless a fact, and must be reckoned with [T]he Negroes could make a definite contribution to good race relationship by remaining away from beaches where their presence is resented. Current Sundown Towns in the U.S. - Distractify Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. AP Road Trip: Racial tensions in America's 'sundown towns' Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department Your donation is fully tax-deductible. I talk about racism and specifically about sundown towns - racism in Tempe/Scottsdale Arizona. Other black travelers guides existedHackley and Harrisons Hotel and Apartment Guide for Colored Travelers (1930-1931), Travel Guide (1947-1963), and Graysons Guide: The Go Guide to Pleasant Motoring (1953-1959)but the Green Book was published for the longest period of time and had the widest readership. Five miles from our border with New Mexico, Duncan began in the late 1800s as Purdy, a way station for ore trains on the route from nearby Clifton to Silver City, New Mexico. In the late 19th century, Chinese miners lived in the Dostal Alley section of Central City in Gilpin County, Colorado. Why Black Americans Are Not Nostalgic for Route 66 - The Atlantic 506 SE Old West Hwy Other towns passed ordi-nances in Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland and probably many other states. Reynolds Farley is a research scientist at the Population Studies Center, the Dudley Duncan . And driving was the most popular pastime. With the rail, settlement of the fertile, easily irrigated valley boomed. In the early 20th century, Bisbee was a mining town . Duncan, Arizona - Wikipedia So when the United States promotes freedom and democracy, fights for those values abroad, and then fails to abide by them at home, the hypocrisy feels cruel. "A travel advisory has been issued to warn that any Black people in or traveling to San Antonio use increased caution when visiting the city due to the city's policing policies that put . Location of Duncan in Greenlee County, Arizona, Last edited on 10 February 2023, at 23:59, "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Duncan town, Arizona", "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duncan,_Arizona&oldid=1138676476, Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, This page was last edited on 10 February 2023, at 23:59.
Jelly Comb Mouse Troubleshooting,
Https Property Onesite Realpage Com Welcomehome Siteid 2652446,
Hanes Barely There Vs Little Color,
Articles D
