duncan arizona sundown town

Cliff dwellers, conquistadors, Apache warriors, mountain men, westering immigrants each in their time has traveled its banks. As Blacks began to migrate to other regions of the country, many predominantly white communities actively discouraged them from settling there. This practice started in the late 19th century, but the impact continues today. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. [7], The territory that includes present-day New Mexico and Arizona was designated as "New Mexico. 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. 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. 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. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. Non-whites were prohibited from being . Cotton is the principal agricultural commodity. "Sundown suburbs" could be even larger, such as Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles; Levittown, on Long Island; and Warren, a Detroit suburb. In extreme cases, hostility toward African Americans resulted in extrajudicial killing. 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. This was hundreds of years before the first white men, the Spanish explorers arrival. Automobile travel symbolized freedom in America, and the Green Book was a resourceful, innovative solution to a horrific problem. 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. 2020 Sundown Town Resolution. James Loewen, a historian who spent years studying sundown towns, found them in the suburbs of Detroit, New York City and Chicago. The town and area are primarily populated by ranchers and miners (especially from the Freeport-McMoran copper mines in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico). [3] Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6 km) west of the Arizona- New Mexico border. Don't Know Unions, Organized Labor? However, all that is changing. (Although, the motor lodge did have a brief gig as the setting for a scene in Breaking Bad.) As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 812 people, 294 households, and 206 families residing in the town. She had no answer, or maybe she just didnt know how to explain institutional racism to a 7-year-old. 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. Above, a "colored" sign over a drinking fountain in Halifax, North Carolina, in 1938. The term "sundown town" goes back to segregation-era signs that said "colored people" had to leave by sundown. Today, the town continues to thrive as an agricultural community, especially noted wine tasting rooms and award-winning vineyards. 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. The Negro Motorist Green Book, 1940, Victor Hugo Green. Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6km) west of the ArizonaNew Mexico border. In 1883, a post office was established in Purdy. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. Cliftons closed for a few years starting in 2011 to undergo a $10 million renovation before reopening last year. The town of Duncan has been destroyed twice by flood and once by fire. Peanuts Tire & Lube has a natty, smiling peanut waving from the painted brick edifice. Duncan is located in southern Greenlee County at 324333N 109552W / 32.72583N 109.09778W / 32.72583; -109.09778 (32.725828, -109.097686). 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. People called it the Bible of black travel and AAA for blacks, but it was so much more. Victor H. Green, a black postal worker from Harlem, New York, published his guide from 1936 until 1966. You can get a self-guided walking tour map at the Duncan Visitor Center on the main highway through town. 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. Given this mass denial, its not surprising that Route 66 is weighted down with nostalgia, suffocating from an idealized past that never was. Called "Purdy" in the Post Office register of 1883, it was founded by Messrs. Purdy and Bachelor as a way 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. Rainfall is generally scanty outside of the monsoon season, with substantial falls from winter storms being very rare, although December 1991 did see 4.76 inches or 120.9 millimetres of rain. Duncan was officially founded in 1883 and became a shipping point for markets in the middle west and east. Now it is several years into a vigorous reinvention of itself as a rural destination, attracting travelers from around the world who are in search of an authentic experience of the old rural Southwest. Copying and downloading images from this site is strictly prohibited. There are primarily three reasons to visit Duncan. The threat of lynching was of particular concern when black people traveled through the Ozarks on Route 66. 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]. 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. Hats made from the fur of beavers were very popular in the 1800s. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). It serves as an excellent base from which to explore the surrounding countryside for several days. 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. Soon Duncan was shipping far beyond the Southwest, to markets north and east. In his book, Loewen profiles three Indiana towns; Elwood, Huntington and Martinsville. Living in Safford offers residents a sparse suburban feel and most residents own their homes. Havent tried the lasagna yet. (Excluding Federal Holidays) Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. But it was also the home of U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen, whose support helped ensure the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. With a crime rate of 36 per one thousand residents, Safford has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. Leafy greens, cabbage, dates, melons, lemons, oranges, apples, potatoes and tomatoes are just some foods harvested from Arizonas nourishing soil. The citrus industry in Arizona even predates statehood by decades. Come and enjoy our town, whether for an evening or a lifetime. Sundown Town Resolutions have three key elements: a city must acknowledge . The images on this website are copyrighted. Mining for gold and silver began in 1864, followed by copper in 1872. Also included are photographs of the antique town clock and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan. The new highway re-directed traffic away from Duncan and businesses began leaving the area. The original ownera white man, a Christian, and the son of missionariesClifford Clinton, had traveled with his parents to China, where he witnessed that countrys brutal and abject poverty firsthand. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. 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. [14] Also pictured is the antique town clock located in Spezia Square Park and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan. 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. James Duncan Smith became the managing director of the Arizona Copper Company, and, after Purdy was moved to the south bank of the river, it was renamed Duncan. Crops include long and short staple cotton, durum and winter wheat, barley, amaranth, alfalfa, beans, fruit trees, pecans and pistachios. 928-381-1881. Almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. 76 miles to Charlotte, NC. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. One of the finest B&Bs in all of Southern Arizona. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. Birders report seeing common black-hawk, canyon wren, and ladderbacked woodpecker among others. The society's first project was Spezia Square, placed on a historical corner located on the Old West Highway. "At that time, the Fire District was requested to . Ha, there's no Sundown Towns her in AZ. You could easily wind up in the wrong town after dark. Duncan Opera House - built in 1920 and located in 218 Hill Street. For decades, school children in Arizona have been taught the five Cs: Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate. [2] In 2018 the estimated population was 789. Arizonas location within the U.S. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. 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. the river and renamed it "Duncan", after Duncan Smith, the managing director of the Arizona Copper Company. Greenwood was an unusually vibrant community of successful black entrepreneurs, doctors, and lawyers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Green Book ceased publication right around the time the Civil Rights Act passed. [2] In 2018 the estimated population was 789.[3]. While you might not find big-town amenities here, you will discover. Between 1890 and 1954, thousands of independent communities across the United .

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duncan arizona sundown town