So he never turned away any customerseven those who couldnt afford to pay. 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. But only Duncan hurtles me into the 1960s, in the best way. Half is a store with peachy-rose walls and wood floors full of integrity. The visitors center not only extends the same welcome but also offers space for local entrepreneurs. Keep up withmyblogand you will findsome important thingsto help you on your journeys. In 1956, 11-year-old William Flanagan was on his way to a little league baseball game and came across a black truck driver who was stranded and in need of food. A quick history for those of you who may not knowhere in Minden, Nevada, this was known as a 'sundowner' town. It looks like a movie set. Between the 1890s and the 1940s, Sundown Towns became a popular trend in Northern states. DUE TO NEW METER INSTALLS, OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE MINOR ISSUES WITH WATER AVAILABILITY. 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 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 . Shes been cutting her own meat in her two-room enterprise for 14 years. TEMPE, AZ The city of Tempe has declared June 19 a city holiday in honor of Juneteenth . The road certainly did not mean freedom for everyone, and it bore witness to some of the nations worst acts of racial terrorism. In 2001, local citizens formed the Duncan Pride Society and began restoring and re-purposing some of the old buildings. Come and enjoy our town, whether for an evening or a lifetime. Sundown Town Resolutions have three key elements: a city must acknowledge . Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Excluding Federal Holidays) Phone: (928) 359-2791. To avoid the humiliation of being turned away, they often traveled with portable toilets, bedding, gas cans, and ice coolers. The river water began spilling into Duncan early Monday . Round Mountain BLM Rockhound Area. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. On Route 66, every mile was a minefield. Of course Route 66 wasnt any more racist than any other road in America at the time. As of the 2020 census its population was 53,272. Ha, there's no Sundown Towns her in AZ. Businesses have earnest, hardworking signage. The names posted are the original names used when the properties were first built. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. Also included are photographs of the antique town clock and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan. Sundown towns once drove out people of color or prohibited them from living within city limits. Phone: (928) 359-2791, Duncan Valley Rural Fire District 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. All rights reserved. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, but grew up near Duncan on the Lazy B ranch, which straddles the border between Arizona and New Mexico. While you might not find big-town amenities here, you will discover. 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 . Although the term most often refers to the forced exclusion of Blacks, the history of sundown towns also includes prohibitions against Jews, Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and other minority groups. 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. Regulars look up and neutrally recognize were not from these parts, then mildly resume their conversation. Town of Duncan The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. For black soldiers stationed at Fort Leonard Wood near Rolla, Missouri, for example, their best option for a little R&R was a full 80 miles away: Grahams Rib Station in Springfield, Missouri, an integrated local landmark that opened in 1932 and was owned by an African American couple, James and Zelma Graham. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year. Reading Too Much Political News Is Bad for Your Well-Being. The 40-acre ranch was situated on the edge of the Mojave Desert, with Joshua, yucca, and mesquite trees dotting the landscape. 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. 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. Ive been questioning the existence of racial equality ever since. 506 SE Old West Hwy A growing community, with old generations and new ones coming together, Budgets, Annual Financial Statements and Independent Auditors Report, Residential/Business Water and Sewer Service, Irrigation, Livestock and Construction Water. 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. 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. 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. 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. The most dangerous cities in Arizona include Winslow, Page, Tolleson, Tucson, and more. This lost gem was billed as The Only Negro Dude Ranch in the Worldwhich it very likely was. [1][2][11][4][9], Duncan had its origin on the north bank of the San Francisco River where two men, whose surname was Purdy, established a way station on the ore haulage line that ran between Clifton and Silver City, New Mexico. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. Duncan might attract people who now realize they can work remotely from anywhere. 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. 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. Not when a struggle for social mobility continues to take a debilitating toll on black Americans. Those of Duncans 800 residents out today could not be any friendlier. 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. . In the evenings, classic concoctions like absinthe are served at the bar, which features a 250-pound meteorite sitting on it. Simpson Hotel (former Hotel Hobbs) - 1914, River Front Lounge (former Bonnie Heather Bar/Pool Hall) - 1925, Old Duncan Bus Station now Hotel Duncan - 1920. I live in Los Angeles, California and love camping. 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 Southwest is known for many thingsNative American reservations, hot weather, and absolutely . Duncan might attract people who now realize they can work remotely from anywhere. Duncan receded then into a quiet farming and These were the only listings for Kingman, but considering its status as a former sundown town, they were a blessing. The median income for a household in the town was $27,368, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Pistachio trees have a small presence in the Grand Canyon State, but the pecan business is developing quickly. Next door, a half-moon sign announces that the turquoise front surrounded by cream-colored, textured brick houses the Bank of Duncan, established in 1908. 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. As a professional camping teacher I can tell you a lot of important things you should know for your nextcamping trip. News Arizona Flash Floods Flooding Weather. Mining for gold and silver began in 1864, followed by copper in 1872. Unheard of by many, loved by everyone who calls it home. In fact, even before Route 66 was officially connected and enshrined, the roads that would come to form it linked one atrocity to the next. In 1921, the Tulsa Race Riot erupted in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Valley residents are using the day to educate others about the history of African Americans in Arizona. Even Coca-Cola machines had White Customers Only printed on them. CANNOT RECOGNIZE What county is Safford AZ in? Segregation was in full force throughout the country. Sept. 27, 2020. Excellent pizza and calzones. 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. In May 2022, an image went viral that supposedly showed a sign in a modern-day "sundown town" that read "whites only within city limits after dark." While the assertion that sundown towns still . Lordsburg, New Mexico, to meet the Southern Pacific line. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. In Safford, the summers are sweltering and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, dry, and mostly clear. [5] Snowfall is most unusual, with the median being zero and the mean only 0.5 inches (0.013m). Peoples of the Upper Gila River from Pre-History to the Present. Published Jul 25, 2022 8:52 pm Last updated Jul 25, 2022 8:52 pm. You can get a self-guided walking tour map at the Duncan Visitor Center on the main highway through town. Then, a battered wooden sign for the Stage Stop Mini Mart & Liquor Store advertises gas priced a good 50 cents less per gallon than city prices. 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) 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. For visitors the primary interest is in the numerous recreational opportunities nearby, as well as the annual Salsa Fest. Sundown towns kept Black people out by a combination of laws and informal policies, including racist housing covenants and police intimidation, said James Loewen, a sociologist and . "Sundown suburbs" could be even larger, such as Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles; Levittown, on Long Island; and Warren, a Detroit suburb. 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. The Federal Housing Association redlined neighborhoods and denied loans to black people, preventing them from accessing wealth-building opportunities freely given to white people. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Looking at the products on wide shelves feels like I stepped into one of my childhood Golden Books, one where the artist didnt want to get in trouble for using real brand names. The racial makeup of the town was 81.8% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 13.6% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Ones chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 28. It will guide you to more than 50 points of historical interest.The Visitor Center shares space with an interesting little shop called Country Chic Art Gallery & Crafts Boutique at 205 SE Old West Highway: 928-359-1955. Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. The term "sundown town" goes back to segregation-era signs that said "colored people" had to leave by sundown. Someone from Petticoat Junction could walk in at any moment. How do I convince my parents that I dont want to go camping? The following is in accordance to the NRHP: Applicable Criteria: Architecture/Engineering Person; Architectural Styles: Queen Anne; Areas Of Significance: Commerce, Architecture; Periods Of Significance: 19001924[16] Sandra Day OConnor, the first female justice of the United States Supreme Court, grew up on the Lazy B, a cattle ranch near Duncan.[17]. By 1962, the Green Book reached a circulation of 2 million people. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. Americas favorite highway usually evokes kitschy nostalgia. 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. The methods for enforcing such racial segregation ranged . "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 . Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. The spot where Michel Brown bled out in the street for four hours in Ferguson, Missouri, is just a couple of miles from the original Route 66. "We didn't have Jim Crow [laws] here in California, but we did have sundown town laws," said Peterson . Now, the city has an $8.2 million plan to convert the property into a condo-hotel hybrid with shops and restaurants. Duncan was founded in the mid 19th century, and the land was added to the United States as a part of the Mexican Cession. About 14.0% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 23.2% of those age 65 or over. On day two, Martin Luther King led a march on Washington. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays Watch Now Wildlife viewing is good year-round but birding is best during the spring and fall migrations or the summer nesting season. The colorful historic sites of Route 66 have been mostly lost to time and neglect. In 2018 the estimated population was 789. Called Purdy in the Post Office register of 1883, it was founded by Messrs. Purdy and Bachelor as a way station on an ore haulage line that linked the railhead in Clifton with Silver City, New Mexico. Cotton is the principal agricultural commodity. They held their cross burnings inside. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). Greenlee County was created in 1909 and named for Mason Greenlee, who was an early settler in the Clifton area. NOW WE CAN TRAVEL WITHOUT EMBARRASSMENT.. [3] Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6 km) west of the Arizona- New Mexico border. Do you find this information helpful? Cliff dwellers, conquistadors, Apache warriors, mountain men, westering immigrants each in their time has traveled its banks. The motor lodge was slated for demolition when the city purchased it in 2003. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. The state of Arizona gave us our own license plate, and we'd like you to take us for a ride. Duncan receded then into a quiet farming and ranching town for several decades, and its downtown slowly disintegrated. 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. Read our Review here. Esso Gas Stations (Standard Oil, which operates as Exxon today) sold the Green Book and hired two black marketing executives, James A. Jackson and Wendell P. Allston, to promote and distribute it. As Blacks began to migrate to other regions of the country, many predominantly white communities actively discouraged them from settling there. Zinc and copper mines were established in the hills around Duncan. Phone: (928) 359-2791, Duncan Valley Rural Fire District [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. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. The sundown town practices existed in Glendale until the 1990s, according to Peterson. 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. Safford, Arizona gets 10 inches of rain, on average, per year. 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. In his book, Loewen profiles three Indiana towns; Elwood, Huntington and Martinsville. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Duncan has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.6km2), all of it land.[2]. Tempe Arizona was one as well, but has been integrated since the 60s. [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. One of the Green Books most unusual Route 66 sites was Murrays Dude Ranch. In 1930, the black columnist George Schuyler wrote, Blacks who drove expensive cars offended white sensibilities, and some black people kept to older models so as not to give the dangerous impression of being above themselves., In the 1950s, my stepfather, Ron, experienced this firsthand as a child. Almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6km) west of the ArizonaNew Mexico border. But even though sundown towns are . Black veterans were once blocked from taking advantage of the GI Bill, missing out on valuable educational resources. 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. The Anasazi are considered by historians to have been an advanced ancient native-American civilization. But for black Americans, the Mother Roads lonely expanses were rife with danger. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. The earliest record of legal restrictions on the nighttime activities of Black people dates back to the 1714 . She had no answer, or maybe she just didnt know how to explain institutional racism to a 7-year-old. Victor H. Green, a black postal worker from Harlem, New York, published his guide from 1936 until 1966. However, all that is changing. Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. Required fields are marked *. In the mid-19th century, the The city council of New According to AP News, these towns are inhabited by a majority of white people who insist that "Black and white residents get along really well." The state also boasts a growing nut and date crop industry. The National Park Service included the Threatt Filling Station on its National Register of Historic Places in 1995. 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. Second, its on the Gila Rivers and near adjacent riparian areas for bird and wildlife observation. For Arizona Route 66 towns and cities, Kingman first appears in the Green Book in 1956, and three places in Flagstaff appear in the 1957 edition: The Park Plaza Motel, the Nackard Inn and El Rancho Motel- which populate the Green Book to the end of its production run. But though that message went out to all Americans, it was really meant only for white Americans. Your email address will not be published. It is located behind the town's fire department and across the street from Minden Park. A page inside boasted, Just What You Have Been Looking For!! Since the 1970s, the black male prison population has skyrocketed by 700 percent, and Justice Department data now predicts that one in three black male babies born in America will be incarcerated in their lifetimes. As I paged through all the kitschy advertising of postwar suburban white families in Airstream Trailers and chrome-finned Chevys getting their kicks at campy Americana landmarks, I wondered: Where are the black people? Citrus Trees: All Citrus ranching town for several decades, and its downtown slowly disintegrated. In its most blatant form, signs were posted at the city limits. No Negroes. The humiliation of being shut out of not only public spaces but entire towns was bad enough, but for black people, there were always plenty of even bleaker fearsevery stop was a potential existential danger. Glendale has become the first city in California and the third in the nation to pass a resolution apologizing for its history as a . Monday - Thursday Horses and cattle were owned by a lot of people in Compton. Cliff dwellers, conquistadors, Apache warriors, mountain men, westering immigrants each in their time has traveled its banks. It is 2,389 feet above sea level. Sundown Towns -- 137 Sundown Towns Across 21 States -- Are The Litmus Test of America's Transformation https: . Havent tried the lasagna yet. To accommodate the new "Arizona and New Mexico Railroad," the people of Purdy moved their settlement to the south bank of Other towns passed ordi-nances in Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland and probably many other states. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. In 1930, for instance, 44 of the 89 counties along the famed Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles featured no motels or restaurants and prohibited Blacks from entering after dark. If it does, I hope they appreciate it. Town Hall 506 SE Old West Hwy Duncan, Arizona 85534. As a result, black soldiers made good use of the Mother Road. 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 While many claim there is no more racism in the United States,. Additionally, citrus is a vital economic force, and the Grand Canyon State ranks second in the nation for cantaloupe, honeydew melons and lemon production. [10][2][4][9], The California volunteers pursuing the Apaches in 185, discovered the first minerals in the Greenlee area. Angie Crouch reports for NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2020. This was hundreds of years before the first white men, the Spanish explorers arrival. DUNCAN, Ariz. - Evacuations are underway in a town in eastern Arizona after heavy rain flooded a river. What's the elevation of Duncan Arizona? 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. What makes Route 66 different is that the open-road branding associated with it celebrated a time when black Americans had to navigate racial violence and the Jim Crow policies that shut them out of businesses and recreational sites. As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 812 people, 294 households, and 206 families residing in the town. They began to proliferate during the Great Migration, starting in about 1910, when large numbers of African Americans left the South to escape racism and poverty. He said the woman sitting next to him (his wife) was his employers maid, and he was taking her and her son (Ron) home. 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 . The most accessible viewing station, at Bonita Creek, is a lovely 55-mile drive from Duncan. The following historic structures are listed as contributing factors within Duncan. 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department