Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department The state of Arizona gave us our own license plate, and we'd like you to take us for a ride. The site of contemporary Duncan had its origin sometime in the 1870s. For decades, school children in Arizona have been taught the five Cs: Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate. EASTERN ARIZONA. It doesnt. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All manner of black and white celebrities visited, from Lena Horne and Joe Louis to Hedda Hopper and Clara Bow. Citrus Trees: All Citrus Sundown Towns: Where Black Americans Weren't Allowed After Dark The county seat is Globe. Also, Pellets on Sale. I guess if you dont know whether or not you need them, youre not the target audience. CANNOT RECOGNIZE What county is Safford AZ in? It WAS a Sundown town based on the criteria listed. station on an ore haulage line that linked the railhead in Clifton with Silver City, New Mexico. The public schools are innovative and have won national awards. 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. Plus, the desolation of Route 66s stretches left black motorists particularly exposed. His family quarried the native sandstone on their homestead land to build the filling station, which bordered their property at the intersection of Route 66 and Pottawatomie Road. 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. Duncan Opera House - built in 1920 and located in 218 Hill Street. Sundown Towns, a Historical Look : NPR 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. In Town Job Shift Day (M-F) Approx 7:30am - 2:30pm Job Category Education ***Base rate of pay starting at $13.85-15.00/hour and an additional lump sum payment up to $80.50 per pay period Current Opening: Duncan Head Start, 0001 McGrath Ave., Duncan, AZ 85534, 1 opening, 7 hours per day, M- F, Approximately 7:30am - 2:30pm, mid July thru mid May The onsite motel court was built during the war specifically to offer lodgings to black soldiersbut Pearl Bailey and Little Richard stayed there as well. But the current passion for gentrification and suburban sprawl is expunging the past: Most Green Book properties have been razed and many more are slated for demolition. In 2018 the estimated population was 789. It is located behind the town's fire department and across the street from Minden Park. In 2001, local citizens formed the Duncan Pride Society and began restoring and re-purposing some of the old buildings. [12][8][9][13], The Duncan Pride Society was established on March 8, 2001. 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. What is the best battery pack for camping? In 1913, Duncan was described by a map book as a place where 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. Black veterans were once blocked from taking advantage of the GI Bill, missing out on valuable educational resources. On July 3, 1919, active members of the Army's segregated 10th Cavalry Regiment ("Buffalo Soldiers") were in Bisbee, Arizona, to participate in the town's Independence Day parade. 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. Tempe Arizona was one as well, but has been integrated since the 60s. As a professional camping teacher I can tell you a lot of important things you should know for your nextcamping trip. Reproduction in part or whole without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. 506 SE Old West Hwy 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. 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. Round Mountain BLM Rockhound Area. 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. 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 . 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. Being a Sundown Town meant for decades, Blacks and other groups were prevented from being out at night. The most accessible viewing station, at Bonita Creek, is a lovely 55-mile drive from Duncan. , Coronado Trail National Scenic Byway. The 40-acre ranch was situated on the edge of the Mojave Desert, with Joshua, yucca, and mesquite trees dotting the landscape. Call 911 for emergencies, Greenlee County Sheriff's Department 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. When the sheriff asked about the other people in the car, Rons dad pretended they werent his family. Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. 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. If it does, I hope they appreciate it. Roper Lake State Park is located 6 miles south of Safford in Graham County in southeast Arizona and sits at the base of Mt. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Sundown towns once drove out people of color or prohibited them from living within city limits. 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. Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Some posted signs that read, Nigger, Dont Let the Sun Set on You Here.. "Mass evacuations" were . Also included are photographs of the antique town clock and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan. (1911). Freeport-McMoRan is the largest area employer. A rustic service station with a genuinely old truck would invite them to clamber over it until their mothers call them home to supper. Graham. In the evenings, classic concoctions like absinthe are served at the bar, which features a 250-pound meteorite sitting on it. 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 town and area are primarily populated by ranchers and miners (especially from the Freeport-McMoran copper mines in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico). Alan Hjorth drops in to visit; he and his wife moved from Utah because her family is from here, and now, they love their town. He heard reports of the legend of the Seven Golden Cities and believed they were located north of Mexico's western coast. 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. Mass evacuation underway in Arizona town as river overflows, reaches But for black Americans, the Mother Roads lonely expanses were rife with danger. As stated earlier, a sundown town (also known as a gray town) is an area in the U.S. where Black people are essentially forced out of the public once the sun goes down. The new highway re-directed traffic away from Duncan and businesses began leaving the area. Cities Near Me - Duncan, South Carolina | Travelmath 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. Regulars look up and neutrally recognize were not from these parts, then mildly resume their conversation. 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. Duncan is a small farming town 5 miles west of the New Mexico border on Hwy 70 (Old West Highway). In response, Victor H. Green, a postal worker from Harlem, compiled the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to accommodations that served Black travelers. Males had a median income of $32,232 versus $18,333 for females. Office: (928) 865-4149Emergency: 911. Between the 1890s and the 1940s, Sundown Towns became a popular trend in Northern states. They held their cross burnings inside. 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. Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Grapefruit, and Oranges thrive in the warm sun and fertile soil of this region. 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. 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. In the mid-19th century, the Town of Duncan. Reply to this post. Duncan has a semi-arid climate (Kppen climate classification BSk) with huge diurnal temperature ranges year-round except during periods of thundery monsoon weather. Do you put hand warmers for camping inside a camping tent? Duncan is in the Gila River valley, four miles (6 km) west of the ArizonaNew Mexico border. Brightly colored cartons and cans, merry and generic, are mixed with names I do recognize: jellies, preserves, toiletries, dry goods, bagged sugar, canned vegetables. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 35F to 101F and is rarely below 26F or above 107F. A team of mountain men and trappers that were led by James Ohio Pattie in 1824 and 1825 arrived, and they searched the San Francisco River edges for beavers in the area.