Town of Duncan. [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. To avoid the humiliation of being turned away, they often traveled with portable toilets, bedding, gas cans, and ice coolers. Its now possibly the largest and most unusual cafeteria in the worldwith five floors of history and taxidermy and a giant fake redwood tree rising up through the center. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. The most dangerous cities in Arizona include Winslow, Page, Tolleson, Tucson, and more. Carol McGrath, a Black woman, has lived in Glendale for 17 years and experienced racism as recently as two years ago. 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. He also published his findings in his book Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism. Also included are photographs of the antique town clock and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan. The sundown town practices existed in Glendale until the 1990s, according to Peterson. According archeologists the specimens of pottery and stone implements found in the area of Greenlee County, where the town of Duncan is located indicate that the members of the Anasazi were among the first people to inhabit the region. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696. Duncan prospered until the Interstate Highway (I-10) was build further south. 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. With the rail, settlement of the fertile, easily irrigated valley boomed. As a professional camping teacher I can tell you a lot of important things you should know for your nextcamping trip. If you need to book a flight, search for the nearest airport to Duncan, SC. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 713. 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. During a grisly lynching on Easter weekend, a vigilante white mob dragged Horace Duncan and Fred Coker to the town square, hanged them, burned their bodies while thousands watched, and then distributed their body parts among the crowd as keepsakes. 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. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Green Book ceased publication right around the time the Civil Rights Act passed. There were 384 housing units at an average density of 150.2/sqmi (58.0/km2). Horses and cattle were owned by a lot of people in Compton. A rustic service station with a genuinely old truck would invite them to clamber over it until their mothers call them home to supper. It is located behind the town's fire department and across the street from Minden Park. 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. sundown. 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. I talk about racism and specifically about sundown towns - racism in Tempe/Scottsdale Arizona. Background: The Gila River Relocation Center was located about 50 miles south of Phoenix and 9 miles west of Sacaton in Pinal County, Arizona. Other towns passed ordi-nances in Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland and probably many other states. In the evenings, classic concoctions like absinthe are served at the bar, which features a 250-pound meteorite sitting on it. Vasquez de Coronado organized an expedition which eventually passed through the area where the San Francisco River is located. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. Of course, the Civil Rights Act did not fix racism, and discrimination persisted. Do you find this information helpful? Almost every level acre is under cultivation, thickets of cottonwood trees shelter old farmhouses and ranches, and cattle and horses seem to outnumber people. 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. I keep waiting for the present to swing a fist through the illusion. [7], The territory that includes present-day New Mexico and Arizona was designated as "New Mexico. The society's first project was Spezia Square, placed on a historical corner located on the Old West Highway. Victor H. Green, a black postal worker from Harlem, New York, published his guide from 1936 until 1966. 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. Principal Economic Activities Duncan was officially founded in 1883 and became a shipping point for markets in the middle west and east. Unheard of by many, loved by everyone who calls it home. 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. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 35F to 101F and is rarely below 26F or above 107F. This was hundreds of years before the first white men, the Spanish explorers arrival. And it is too early to celebrate the nations racial tolerance when ongoing racism and xenophobia is camouflaged under the banner of patriotism. 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. Phone: (928) 359-2791, Duncan Valley Rural Fire District But Americans should not be so quick to pat themselves on the backs just because, nowadays, black people can drive U.S. highways mostly without incident. (Excluding Federal Holidays) The road certainly did not mean freedom for everyone, and it bore witness to some of the nations worst acts of racial terrorism. The community is home for members of both the Akimel Oodham (Pima) and the Pee-Posh (Maricopa) tribes. This page is not available in other languages. 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. How to start ultralight backpacking frugally? It was used so heavily that a 200-mile stretch of asphalt was thickened so that it could better handle military convoys. [5] Snowfall is most unusual, with the median being zero and the mean only 0.5 inches (0.013m). African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Racial Conflict - Segregation/Integration, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-roots-of-route-66/506255/, https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/sundown-towns-3658/, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. I live in Los Angeles, California and love camping. Its all so un-self-conscious that I want to pat the buildings as I pass. 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. The state also boasts a growing nut and date crop industry. 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 These were the only listings for Kingman, but considering its status as a former sundown town, they were a blessing. Given this mass denial, its not surprising that Route 66 is weighted down with nostalgia, suffocating from an idealized past that never was. It prospered right into the 1970s, when the new Interstate 10 to the south diverted commercial traffic, contributing to a rising trucking industry. The most snowfall ever in Duncan was 15.0 inches or 0.38 metres during the record Western cold wave of January 1949. Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department The Gila River, near Duncan, which is east of Safford along the Arizona-New Mexico border, reached a major flood stage Monday morning. Come and enjoy our town, whether for an evening or a lifetime. At that time, the town was located on the north bank of the Gila. Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. In his book, Loewen profiles three Indiana towns; Elwood, Huntington and Martinsville. One of the finest B&Bs in all of Southern Arizona. Either way, it was painfully obvious to me that there was a problem. So he never turned away any customerseven those who couldnt afford to pay. Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. After just one Black family moved into an apartment there in 1951, a mob of 4,000 white people attacked the entire building. 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. It serves as an excellent base from which to explore the surrounding countryside for several days. In Nevada, Sundown Town History Has Cultural Impacts For Washoe Tribal Members. However, all that is changing. 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. 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 Negro Motorist Green Book, 1940, Victor Hugo Green. The American ideals associated with Route 66, then and now, have usurped the narrative, erasing the more harrowing aspects of the nations past. 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. There are three different campgrounds for lakeside camping as well as fishing, bird watching and water activities. Don't Know Unions, Organized Labor? Cliftons closed for a few years starting in 2011 to undergo a $10 million renovation before reopening last year. As of the 2020 census its population was 53,272. His Green Book featured barbershops, beauty salons, tailors, department stores, taverns, gas stations, garages, and even real-estate offices that were willing to serve black people. Arizona Highways 2039 W Lewis Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85009 602.712.2200. Apart from oral histories, there are often few archival records that describe precisely how sundown towns excluded Blacks. 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. Sundown towns once drove out people of color or prohibited them from living within city limits. Monday - Thursday Ive been questioning the existence of racial equality ever since. Some posted. Courtesy Gilpin County Historical Society. 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. Cliff dwellers, conquistadors, Apache warriors, mountain men, westering immigrants each in their time has traveled its banks. Keep up withmyblogand you will findsome important thingsto help you on your journeys. 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. This 2,440-mile Road of Dreams speckled with romantic and unconventional attractions symbolized a pathway to easier times. Arizona is one of the top producers of citrus in the country. Ive estimated that nearly 75 percent of Green Book sites have been demolished or radically modified, and the majority that remain have fallen into disrepair, so its crucial to preserve whatever sites are left. But when a site is nurtured, like Cliftons, or commemorated, like the Threatt Filling Station, it can be an important connection to the past. Eventually the Apaches, who were hunters, gatherers, and raiders, would become the dominant native-American force. Town Hall United States President James K. Polk declared war against Mexico in what became known as the MexicanAmerican War. 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. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. The 40-acre ranch was situated on the edge of the Mojave Desert, with Joshua, yucca, and mesquite trees dotting the landscape. He remembers Martinsville, Indiana as an unfriendly place. Photo Credits: Family Wagon Trip by Norman Adams Detail from "Greenlee" Mural by Hal Empie by Desert Lavender Design The site is on Gila River Indian Tribal land. 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. Route 66 epitomized Americanafor white people. Report to the President: Japanese-American Internment Sites Preservation. Between 1890 and 1954, thousands of independent communities across the United . That means places such as the Threatt Filling Station, a one-story sandstone bungalow with a slightly pitched and gabled roof, wide eaves, and a wooden door. In 2001, local citizens formed the Duncan Pride Society and began restoring and re-purposing some of the old buildings. Lordsburg, New Mexico, to meet the Southern Pacific line. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. Historians have found that most sundown towns deliberately hid the means by which they became and remained all-white. Here are our recommendations for Things To Do In Duncan Arizona; plus dining, lodging, & local history. . 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." Reply to this post. From hot springs to sand dunes to rock fields, Safford brings together many features that make Arizona famous in one place, creating the perfect family vacation destination. Some posted signs that read, Nigger, Dont Let the Sun Set on You Here.. Monday - Thursday As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 696.