Sundown suburbs formed a little later, mostly from 1900 to 1968." 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 DUNCAN, Ariz. - Evacuations are underway in a town in eastern Arizona after heavy rain flooded a river. The De Anza Motor Lodge on Route 66 in Albuquerque was built in 1939 and run by a prominent Zuni Indian trader; the motor lodge served black folks on a stretch of road where there were few options available to them. Greenlee County was created in 1909 and named for Mason Greenlee, who was an early settler in the Clifton area. Location of Duncan in Greenlee County, Arizona, List of historic properties in Duncan, Arizona. 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 . 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. [12][8][9][13], The Duncan Pride Society was established on March 8, 2001. Today, the town continues to thrive as an agricultural community, especially noted wine tasting rooms and award-winning vineyards. Learn More >. The Green Book covered the entire United States, but during the time it was in publication, Route 66 was easily the most popular road in America. Duncan prospered until the Interstate Highway (I-10) was build further south. The per capita income for the town was $13,642. How to start ultralight backpacking frugally? The median age was 28 years. Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6 km) west of the ArizonaNew Mexico border. The Gila River crested at a record-breaking 30.28 feet on Sunday night near Virden, New Mexico, a town just 7 miles from Duncan, Arizona. 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. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). One of the Green Books most unusual Route 66 sites was Murrays Dude Ranch. A rustic service station with a genuinely old truck would invite them to clamber over it until their mothers call them home to supper. 506 SE Old West Hwy 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. Town . Automobile travel symbolized freedom in America, and the Green Book was a resourceful, innovative solution to a horrific problem. Photo Credits: Family Wagon Trip by Norman Adams Detail from "Greenlee" Mural by Hal Empie by Desert Lavender Design Many of the buildings along Route 66 are physical evidence of racial discrimination, providing a rich opportunity to reexamine Americas story of segregation, black migration, and the rise of the black leisure class. Simpson Hotel (former Hotel Hobbs) - 1914, River Front Lounge (former Bonnie Heather Bar/Pool Hall) - 1925, Old Duncan Bus Station now Hotel Duncan - 1920. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. Down the street is the Ranch House Restaurant I remember, although the only particleboard walls Ive ever seen have now been painted a rust color. Many families live in Safford and residents tend to lean conservative. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Alan Threatt Sr., a black man, owned the gas station and served black motorists from 1915 to the 1950s in Luther, Oklahoma. The railroad stop in Duncan made the town a marketing center for farm produce and a shipping point for ore and cattle. 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 prehistoric times. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. A white mob set the neighborhood on fire. ullstein bild/Getty Images The Chicago suburb of Cicero was one of the most infamous sundown towns to ever exist in Illinois. Duncan Opera House - built in 1920 and located in 218 Hill Street. He couldnt understand how America, a country with so much wealth, could allow its citizens to go hungry. Citrus Trees: All Citrus Crops include long and short staple cotton, durum and winter wheat, barley, amaranth, alfalfa, beans, fruit trees, pecans and pistachios. Some towns believed their ordi-nances remained in effect long after the 1954 Brown decision and 1964 Civil Rights Act. One in Alix, Arkansas, in the 1930s, for instance, read, N-r, Dont Let the Sun Go Down On You In Alix. Others stated, Whites Only After Dark. Many sundown towns used discriminatory housing covenants to ensure no non-white person would be allowed to purchase or rent a home. Since 2020, it has had a population growth of 6.7%. Havent tried the lasagna yet. But only Duncan hurtles me into the 1960s, in the best way. 928-381-1881 These huge trees, the old houses I love it.. And in 2020, a group called the Defund San Antonio Police Department Coalition issued a travel warning for San Antonio, labeling the city as a sundown town. African Americans who lingered in sundown towns even during the daytime experienced harassment, threats, arrest, and beatings. In the Pulitzer Prizewinning The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of Americas Great Migration, the writer Isabel Wilkerson recounts Dr. Robert Fosters harrowing journey in the West, where he would fall asleep at the wheel from exhaustion simply because he had been turned away from every motel he stopped at for being black. Route 66 started out in Illinois, a state that itself had nearly 150 sundown towns. More generally, sundown town is used to describe a place where the resident population was through deliberate action made to be overwhelmingly composed of white people. First, its a quaint little town worthy of a good walkabout. Acreage is also planted to kenaf, an alternative fiber for making paper, and vernonia, an oilseed. 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 Lordsburg, New Mexico, to meet the Southern Pacific line. Thus the new settlement was named Purdy. In Nevada, Sundown Town History Has Cultural Impacts For Washoe Tribal Members. Plus, the desolation of Route 66s stretches left black motorists particularly exposed. Lordsburg, New Mexico, to meet the Southern Pacific line. Duncan is at the juncture of the Gila River and the Arizona-New Mexico state border. 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. 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. 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. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Excluding Federal Holidays) Phone: (928) 359-2791. 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. In the early 20th century, Bisbee was a mining town . Duncan High School (mascot: Wildkats; school colors: red, grey, and white) competes in many sports, but is renowned for their football team. Carol McGrath, a Black woman, has lived in Glendale for 17 years and experienced racism as recently as two years ago. 76 miles to Charlotte, NC. Your email address will not be published. Later, Arizona Copper Co. money built a narrow-gauge railway from Clifton all the way to Lordsburg, New Mexico, and a grateful population moved from the northern bank of the river to the southern bank to accommodate the new railway. Sundown Towns. When the sheriff asked about the other people in the car, Rons dad pretended they werent his family. Jonathan Majors stars in the new HBO series, "Lovecraft Country," which has been prompting discussions about so-called sundown towns in the U.S. (Mary Mathis for the Washington Post via Getty Images) High Desert RV Park, High Street, 928-359-3030 Nine Rail RV Camp, Highway 75, 928-359-9107 Stephens RV Park, Madison Street off Highway 70, 928-359-2113. Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began. The society's first project was Spezia Square, placed on a historical corner located on the Old West Highway. The 40-acre ranch was situated on the edge of the Mojave Desert, with Joshua, yucca, and mesquite trees dotting the landscape. Safford averages 1 inches of snow per year. What's the elevation of Duncan Arizona? The Mountain Villa Motel in Kingman, Arizona (147 miles west of Flagstaff), was listed in the 1957 Green Book, and the White Rock Court appeared in the 1956 edition. Following the murder of George Floyd, the Coalition for an Anti-Racist Glendale drafted a Sundown Town Resolution that put on record the history of Glendale's formal policies and culturally enshrined practices of racism and anti-Blackness. 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. Greenlee County Sheriff's Department Office: (928) 865-4149 Emergency: 911 Duncan is a fine rural setting for retirement, starting a small business or raising a family. I keep waiting for the present to swing a fist through the illusion. During the Red Summer of 1919, white mobs repeatedly targeted Black World War I veterans and servicemen. Reproduction in part or whole without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. How do I convince my parents that I dont want to go camping? Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Dr. John Aden is the Executive Director of the African American Historical Society Museum in Fort Wayne. It was assumed the West was more liberated than the South, but thanks to the enormity of the American Wests expanses, it in some ways was even more dangerous. Copyright 2023 Arizona Department of Transportation, State of Arizona. Ones chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 28. In the mid-19th century, the 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. Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Grapefruit, and Oranges thrive in the warm sun and fertile soil of this region. It WAS a Sundown town based on the criteria listed. [1][2][4][8][9], In 1845, Mexico severed its relations with the United States because of the annexation of Texas by the United States. the river and renamed it "Duncan", after Duncan Smith, the managing director of the Arizona Copper Company. Cambridge University Press. EASTERN ARIZONA Sadly, today theres no physical evidence that Murrays Dude Ranch ever existed. It was used so heavily that a 200-mile stretch of asphalt was thickened so that it could better handle military convoys. 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. The Federal Housing Association redlined neighborhoods and denied loans to black people, preventing them from accessing wealth-building opportunities freely given to white people. Willcox is home to the Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Chiricahua Regional Museum and Research Center, and the Rex Allen Museum. (1911). And, although its no longer open to the public, the building still stands. What are some of the best ultralight camping gear options? sundown. 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. Today, they still play a critical role in U.S. history, revealing the untold story of black travel. Almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. 2020 Sundown Town Resolution. 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. Soon Duncan was shipping far beyond the Southwest, to markets north and east. Terrorism is not new, and to think so is a grievous slight to the nations native peoples, to its multitudes of immigrants, and to its legions of black Americansall of whom have long been terrorized for calling America home. In response, Victor H. Green, a postal worker from Harlem, compiled the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to accommodations that served Black travelers. A page inside boasted, Just What You Have Been Looking For!! Tucson is located in the Sonoran Desert approximately 100 miles south of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the Mexico border. James Loewen, a historian who spent years studying sundown towns, found them in the suburbs of Detroit, New York City and Chicago. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year. This was hundreds of years before the first white men, the Spanish explorers arrival. The rise of sundown towns made it difficult and dangerous for Blacks to travel long distances by car. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. That said, there are places like Vidor Texas that still are, if unofficially. Even Coca-Cola machines had White Customers Only printed on them. And after discovering the Green Book, I was never able to look at Americas favorite highway the same way againthe way those other tour guides seem to. Duncan Valley Rural Fire District Call 911 for emergencies. In 1930, 44 out of the 89 counties that lined Route 66 were all-white communities known as "sundown towns"places that banned black people from entering city limits after dark. "At that time, the Fire District was requested to . Chisholm, Hugh, ed. Whats the lightest weight backpacking gear youve used? "All white" is in quotes because some towns allowed one black family to remain when they drove out the rest. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. Just down the street is the Henrie Brothers Bakery, with a classic round clock on an ornate pole surrounded by bright blooms, like Mayberry at its best. 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. Businesses have earnest, hardworking signage. prehistoric times. The threat of lynching was of particular concern when black people traveled through the Ozarks on Route 66. duncanaz.us, Arizona Highways' award-winning photography and travel journalism, as well as its commitment to discovering the state's treasures, has celebrated the beauty and splendor of Arizona since 1925. Agriculture has been a mainstay of the Safford and Graham County economy, with cotton as the principal commodity and remaining acreage used for hay and small grains. He found them outside Los Angeles, in midwestern farming villages . Not only were they shut out of pools and beaches, black Americans also couldnt eat, sleep, or even get gas at most white-owned businesses. The siren that sounds every day at noon and 5 p.m. in Minden, Nevada is associated with the town's discriminatory history excluding Native Americans. [3] Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6 km) west of the Arizona- New Mexico border. Today, politicians and television anchors speak of terrorism as though it is a new phenomenon to the United States. DUE TO NEW METER INSTALLS, OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE MINOR ISSUES WITH WATER AVAILABILITY. Also, Pellets on Sale. I guess if you dont know whether or not you need them, youre not the target audience. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. The Purdy post office was relocated to the new location of Purdy and thus the settlement was renamed Duncan. 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. Those of Duncans 800 residents out today could not be any friendlier. 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". For instance, the Ku Klux Klan ran Fantastic Caverns, a popular tourist site near Springfield. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. My neighbor ladies and I walk every day, she says. The Anasazi are considered by historians to have been an advanced ancient native-American civilization.
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