But only Duncan hurtles me into the 1960s, in the best way. Additionally, citrus is a vital economic force, and the Grand Canyon State ranks second in the nation for cantaloupe, honeydew melons and lemon production. If you haven't heard about 'sundowner' towns, it meant that non-white citizens must be out of town at sundown after 6 p.m. And that siren goes off at 6 p.m. to remind everyone of thatand that siren still goes off to . 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 . Route 66 started out in Illinois, a state that itself had nearly 150 sundown towns. Alot of small Arizona towns have qualities of bygone years: frontier days, Victorian homes. Budgets, Annual Financial Statements and Independent Auditors Report, Residential/Business Water and Sewer Service, Irrigation, Livestock and Construction Water. In 1921, the Tulsa Race Riot erupted in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was not uncommon for Black motorists passing through these communities to be followed by police or local residents to the city limits. Alan Hjorth drops in to visit; he and his wife moved from Utah because her family is from here, and now, they love their town. And although there were no formal segregation laws on the books in California, both Glendale and Culver City were sundown towns and the sun-kissed beaches of Santa Monica were segregated. In 2018 the estimated population was 789. Jim McPherson, Arizona Preservation Foundation board president, has stated the following: It is crucial that residents, private interests, and government officials act now to save these elements of our cultural heritage before it is too late. Males had a median income of $32,232 versus $18,333 for females. When the sheriff asked about the other people in the car, Rons dad pretended they werent his family. CANNOT RECOGNIZE What county is Safford AZ in? Knowing better than to say it was his, Rons father pretended to be a chauffeur. . When I talk to people about the full history of Route 66 and the Green Book, they say, Thank God we dont need that anymore. But while black people may not have to worry about KKK cross burnings at tourist sites, they still have to worry about being shot by the police. African Americans who lingered in sundown towns even during the daytime experienced harassment, threats, arrest, and beatings. National Register of Historic Places listings in Greenlee County, Arizona, Rich History; Clifton A Town Born of Chance, Native American Tribes & the Indian History in Clifton, Arizona, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_historic_properties_in_Duncan,_Arizona&oldid=1076525624, This page was last edited on 11 March 2022, at 15:24. Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department The town limits are on both sides of the Gila, but the primary portion of the town and the entire downtown area lie on the south side of the river. 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. Arizona is one of the top producers of citrus in the country. "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 . The most snowfall ever in Duncan was 15.0 inches or 0.38 metres during the record Western cold wave of January 1949. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. Come and enjoy our town, whether for an evening or a lifetime. Duncan is at the juncture of the Gila River and the Arizona-New Mexico state border. Soon Duncan was shipping far beyond the Southwest, to markets north and east. TEMPE, AZ The city of Tempe has declared June 19 a city holiday in honor of Juneteenth . Birders report seeing common black-hawk, canyon wren, and ladderbacked woodpecker among others. In fact, for short period between 1949 and 1950 George H. W. Bush and Lil W lived in Compton. I may be the only black woman to have written a travel guide about Route 66. The names posted are the original names used when the properties were first built. Duncan was founded in the mid 19th century, and the land was added to the United States as a part of the Mexican Cession. There are three different campgrounds for lakeside camping as well as fishing, bird watching and water activities. Almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. The sheriff asked, Wheres your chauffeur hat? Rons dad was ready; he had one in the car: Hanging right up in the back, Officer., Despite all the dangers, millions of black vacationers, like Rons family, did explore the countrymany relying on a unique travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book. (Today, nothing remains of Grahams, except a tourist cabin that an area law firm uses as its storage shed.). (Excluding Federal Holidays) The median age was 28 years. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. The public schools are innovative and have won national awards. sundown. 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 . During World War II, Route 66 played a major role in military efforts, becoming a primary route for shuttling military supplies across the country. Lordsburg, New Mexico, to meet the Southern Pacific line. The onsite motel court was built during the war specifically to offer lodgings to black soldiersbut Pearl Bailey and Little Richard stayed there as well. 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. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year. In 1881 . Glendale is the first city in CA to apologize for its history as a Sundown Town. Plus, the desolation of Route 66s stretches left black motorists particularly exposed. As we head back up the street on the other side, a thick berm of trees with cropland stretching away evokes the idea that children in T-shirts will play actual outside games when school ends for the day. Town of Duncan. The earliest record of legal restrictions on the nighttime activities of Black people dates back to the 1714 . 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. Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). The society's vision statement is the following: "PRIDE is committed to work with our town government, community leaders and all area residents to preserve and enhance our town's overall image and historic value". The American ideals associated with Route 66, then and now, have usurped the narrative, erasing the more harrowing aspects of the nations past. In 1999, Dr. Loewen began a public database of sundown towns identified through research by himself and other contributors, a project he continued to grow until his death in the summer of 2021. In a 2008 "UU World" article, Loewan said many sundown towns weren't always all-white. After 16 hours, at least 300 people had died, 35 blocks of the Greenwood District had burned to the ground, and more than 10,000 black residents had been left homeless. [1][2][3][4], Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was a governor of a province in New Spain (in Mexico). Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. It was promoted by word of mouth, and a national network of postal workers led by Green sought out advertisers. The visitors center not only extends the same welcome but also offers space for local entrepreneurs. 506 SE Old West Hwy This page is not available in other languages. Reply to this post. The Anasazi are considered by historians to have been an advanced ancient native-American civilization. As the Equal Justice Initiatives Bryan Stevenson points out: Civil rights in America is too often seen as a three-day carnival: On day one, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. For decades, school children in Arizona have been taught the five Cs: Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate. A sundown town is not just a place where something racist happened. 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. Phone: (928) 359-2791, Duncan Valley Rural Fire District It was used so heavily that a 200-mile stretch of asphalt was thickened so that it could better handle military convoys. The other room of Hildas kingdom is a diner. Laws and policies that enforced racial exclusion have largely disappeared, but de facto sundown towns existed into the 1980s, and some may still be in evidence today. Arizona communities along the Gila grew up around stage and freight stations and military posts that began to bloom in the valley as settlers arrived and battled hostile natives. Sept. 27, 2020. You can get a self-guided walking tour map at the Duncan Visitor Center on the main highway through town. She wants to talk about the current townspeople. REGULAR TOWN MEETING MAY 11, 2023 AT 4:00 P.M. DUE TO NEW METER INSTALLS, OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE MINOR ISSUES WITH WATER AVAILABILITY. The site is on Gila River Indian Tribal land. Hover over the pictures in the slideshow above to see the captions. DUE TO NEW METER INSTALLS, OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE MINOR ISSUES WITH WATER AVAILABILITY. Sundown Towns are all-white communities, neighborhoods, or counties that exclude Blacks and other minorities through the use of discriminatory laws, harassment, and threats or use of violence. United States President James K. Polk declared war against Mexico in what became known as the MexicanAmerican War. 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. Mission Garden: Friends of Tucson's Birthplace, 2010 - 2023 Southern Arizona Guide, LLC, Teenagers: Things to do in Tucson with Older Kids, Bird Walks at the Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park, Inspired by Plants: The Art and Science of the Campus Arboretum Florilegium, Guided Bird Walk at Patagonia Lake State Park, Cultivating Colors Colored Pencil Society, Pueblos de Maz Processing corn through nixtamalization, Childrens Museum Oro Valley at Tohono Chul Park, Gaslight Music Hall Summer Theatre Kids Camp, Artful Gardens: Tucson Park Exhibits & Garden Art. History and Social Justice Website Copyright 2023, Using Lies My Teacher Told Me and Teaching What Really Happened, Resources for Teaching with Lies My Teacher Told Me, Teachers Corner: Teaching with Lies My Teacher Told Me, Contact Jim Loewen to Speak to Your Group, Causing Change With Lies My Teacher Told Me, Works Inspired or Influenced by Lies My Teacher Told Me, Useful Quotations about History and Social Justice, Native American Issues, Including the Explorers, Teaching Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, Civil Rights Movement to Modern Times: c. 1945 Now, Alphabetical Map of Sundown Towns by State, How to Research and Teach About Sundown Towns, Using Research Information to Help a Sundown Town Overcome Its Past, Loewens Work on Standardized Testing Used by Others, Embarrassing Questions about Standardized Tests. Click HERE to see the substantial variety of birds that have been sighted in or near Duncan recently. Sundown towns, or grey towns, were all-white neighborhoods in the United States that used discriminatory local laws, intimidation, or violence to keep their town all-white. Half is a store with peachy-rose walls and wood floors full of integrity. Even Coca-Cola machines had White Customers Only printed on them. Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6km) west of the ArizonaNew Mexico border. A quick history for those of you who may not knowhere in Minden, Nevada, this was known as a 'sundowner' town. It WAS a Sundown town based on the criteria listed. Town of Duncan Round Mountain BLM Rockhound Area. Non-whites were prohibited from being . Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. It prospered right into the 1970s, when the new Interstate 10 to the south diverted commercial traffic, contributing to a rising trucking industry. Your email address will not be published. My name is George Stark and I am 42 years old. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. Food and lodging were scattered over long distances, and there were also just fewer people living out West in general, and fewer black people in particular, which reduced the chances that black travelers could find trustworthy help in case they had car trouble or needed directions. The 40-acre ranch was situated on the edge of the Mojave Desert, with Joshua, yucca, and mesquite trees dotting the landscape. It was one of the nations most devastating acts of terrorism against African Americans. Third, the Simpson Hotel B&B is located here. Thus the new settlement was named Purdy. But for black Americans, the Mother Roads lonely expanses were rife with danger. Duncan is named for the managing director of the Arizona Copper Company, Duncan Smith. NOW WE CAN TRAVEL WITHOUT EMBARRASSMENT.. Even once black travelers reached a multiracial city, such as Albuquerque, New Mexico, only 6 percent of the more than 100 motels along Albuquerques slice of Route 66 admitted them. Ed Gordon discusses the historical significance of so-called "sundown towns," some of which are now promoting inclusiveness. The wettest month since continuous records began in 1942 has been August 2014 with 6.17 inches or 156.7 millimetres, whilst the wettest calendar year has been 1983 with 18.88 inches or 479.6 millimetres and the driest 1956 with 3.49 inches or 88.6 millimetres. Hats made from the fur of beavers were very popular in the 1800s. "At that time, the Fire District was requested to . The idea behind the Mother Road was to connect urban and rural America from Chicago all the way to Los Angeles, crossing eight states and three time zones. So he never turned away any customerseven those who couldnt afford to pay. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. Now, the city has an $8.2 million plan to convert the property into a condo-hotel hybrid with shops and restaurants. Gila River Indian Reservation was established in 1859, and the Gila River Indian Community formally established by Congress in 1939. sundown town, also called sunset town, in U.S. history, a town that excluded nonwhite peoplemost frequently African Americansfrom remaining in town after sunset. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. In 1978, at the age of 7, I was riding in the car with my mother in Houston, Texas, when I saw a prison chain gang; shackled men were working in a sugarcane field. In its most blatant form, signs were posted at the city limits. The population density was 317.6 inhabitants per square mile (122.6/km2). This practice started in the late 19th century, but the impact continues today. Hosted by Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS, 39174 and facilitated by Pantheon. 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.

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