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 . 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. 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. 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. Duncan might attract people who now realize they can work remotely from anywhere. 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. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). Long-held jealousies over black prosperity and Greenwoods wealth ignited a riot. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. Tempe Arizona was one as well, but has been integrated since the 60s. One Green Book business that did survive over the decades is Cliftons, a quirky Depression-era cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of 7th Street and South Broadwaythe original terminus of Route 66. There were 384 housing units at an average density of 150.2/sqmi (58.0/km2). After just one Black family moved into an apartment there in 1951, a mob of 4,000 white people attacked the entire building. Duncan, Arizona | Arizona Highways The society's first project was Spezia Square, placed on a historical corner located on the Old West Highway. Was Your Town a Sundown Town? | UU World Magazine Freeport-McMoRan is the largest area employer. But it was also the home of U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen, whose support helped ensure the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It looks like a movie set. The following historic structures are listed as contributing factors within Duncan. Peoples of the Upper Gila River from Pre-History to the Present. Males had a median income of $32,232 versus $18,333 for females. Today, they still play a critical role in U.S. history, revealing the untold story of black travel. Location of Duncan in Greenlee County, Arizona, List of historic properties in Duncan, Arizona. In extreme cases, hostility toward African Americans resulted in extrajudicial killing. In 1881 . The 15 Most Dangerous Cities In Arizona: 2022's Ultimate List Additionally, citrus is a vital economic force, and the Grand Canyon State ranks second in the nation for cantaloupe, honeydew melons and lemon production. 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. How do I convince my parents that I dont want to go camping? In response, Victor H. Green, a postal worker from Harlem, compiled the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to accommodations that served Black travelers. One of the Green Books most unusual Route 66 sites was Murrays Dude Ranch. Even Coca-Cola machines had White Customers Only printed on them. Interestingly, the hotel website, simpsonhotel.com also has the best information on visiting the surrounding area. For decades, school children in Arizona have been taught the five Cs: Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate. This 2,440-mile Road of Dreams speckled with romantic and unconventional attractions symbolized a pathway to easier times. Dianne Vandell, who sells her arts and crafts, came through on a trip from Colorado to Safford, and seeing horses in fields and fairgrounds enticed her to move. Angie Crouch reports for NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2020. The state also boasts a growing nut and date crop industry. African Americans who lingered in sundown towns even during the daytime experienced harassment, threats, arrest, and beatings. The Anasazi are considered by historians to have been an advanced ancient native-American civilization. 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. Brightly colored cartons and cans, merry and generic, are mixed with names I do recognize: jellies, preserves, toiletries, dry goods, bagged sugar, canned vegetables. 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. Birders report seeing common black-hawk, canyon wren, and ladderbacked woodpecker among others. ranching town for several decades, and its downtown slowly disintegrated. As of the 2020 census its population was 53,272. Cliff dwellers, conquistadors, Apache warriors, mountain men, westering immigrants each in their time has traveled its banks. With the rail, settlement of the fertile, easily irrigated valley boomed. In 2001, local citizens formed the Duncan Pride Society and began restoring and re-purposing some of the old buildings. But, after a young black man was wrongfully accused of assaulting a white woman, an angry lynch mob broke out. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. Uncovering the distribution of 'sundown towns' - Mapbox Budgets, Annual Financial Statements and Independent Auditors Report, Residential/Business Water and Sewer Service, Irrigation, Livestock and Construction Water. 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. Duncan prospered until the Interstate Highway (I-10) was build further south. [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. Duncan, Arizona 85534, Hours: But for black Americans, the Mother Roads lonely expanses were rife with danger. The Purdy post office was relocated to the new location of Purdy and thus the settlement was renamed Duncan. Report to the President: Japanese-American Internment Sites Preservation. Thus the new settlement was named Purdy. Phone: (928) 359-2791, Duncan Valley Rural Fire District Your email address will not be published. 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. The site is on Gila River Indian Tribal land. Some faced actual instances of violence or were arrested by local police, according to Farley. 506 SE Old West Hwy 506 SE Old West Hwy Scottish investors financed the building of a narrow gauge railway from Clifton to Lordsburg, New Mexico. These huge trees, the old houses I love it.. Carol McGrath, a Black woman, has lived in Glendale for 17 years and experienced racism as recently as two years ago. Other spots in Illinois with reputations as sundown towns or of racial . Monday - Thursday Detail from Greenlee Mural by Hal Empie by Desert Lavender Design, Birding Trail in Late Spring by Deborah Mendelsohn, Town Hall 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. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 35F to 101F and is rarely below 26F or above 107F. Citrus Trees: All Citrus "At that time, the Fire District was requested to . Why Black Americans Are Not Nostalgic for Route 66 - The Atlantic In 2018 the estimated population was 789. 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. Tucson is located in the Sonoran Desert approximately 100 miles south of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the Mexico border. In Nevada, Sundown Town History Has Cultural Impacts For Washoe - KUNC So far, they have done a splendid job. Cliff dwellers, conquistadors, Apache warriors, mountain men, westering immigrants each in their time has traveled its banks. Hildas Kitchen (Mexican-American grill): 105 SE Old West Highway, 928-359-1771 Three Sisters Bakery (bakery products): 113 SW Old West Highway, 928-359-2253 Humble Pie (pizza, calzones, lasagna, salad, garlic bread): 117 Main Street, 928-359-9866. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. 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. Simpson Hotel (former Hotel Hobbs) - 1914, River Front Lounge (former Bonnie Heather Bar/Pool Hall) - 1925, Old Duncan Bus Station now Hotel Duncan - 1920. "At approximately 4:30 this morning, the water levels of the Gila River reached a point where water began to spill into portions of Duncan," the Duncan Valley Rural Fire District said. Learn More >. 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. Segregation was in full force throughout the country. For black Americans who hit the road with a copy of the Green Book, a guide expressly created to keep them safe in a wildly perilous landscape, they surely already understood that the hopeful Mark Twain quote gracing almost every Green Book coverTravel is fatal to prejudicewas purely aspirational. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821. Automobile travel symbolized freedom in America, and the Green Book was a resourceful, innovative solution to a horrific problem. The town of Duncan in southeastern Arizona is under "mass evacuation" after the Gila River overflowed on Monday, reaching a "major flood stage" which . 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department sundown. 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. Ive been questioning the existence of racial equality ever since. Sundown Town History Coalition for an Anti-Racist Glendale The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. 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. There are primarily three reasons to visit Duncan. 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. Co-Teacher - PDPY (Duncan) Job in Duncan, AZ at Child-Parent Centers, Inc. 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 the daytime, they must leave by sundown. There were 294 households, out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began. Americas favorite highway usually evokes kitschy nostalgia. It was a powerful tool for blacks to persevere and literally move forward in the face of racism. TEMPE, AZ The city of Tempe has declared June 19 a city holiday in honor of Juneteenth . The Day family ran the ranch for many years until selling it; it continues to be run as a ranch. 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. 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) The Simpson Hotel has a wooden toy pony in a first-floor window. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373.