SM 71 — BLACKDOM HOMESTEADER COLONY

SENATEA MEMORIAL 71RECOGNIZING 56THTHE LEGISLATURECULTURAL -SIGNIFICANCE STATE OF NEWMEXICOTHE -BLACKDOM FIRSTHOMESTEADER SESSIONCOLONY 2023IN INTRODUCEDCHAVES BYCOUNTY CliffAND R.REQUESTING THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY HOW TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE HISTORICAL TOWNSITE.

Pirtle7 6WHEREAS, 8Blackdom 10was Athe MEMORIALmost RECOGNIZINGinfluential THEBlack CULTURALhomesteader SIGNIFICANCEcolony OFin THENew BLACKDOMMexico; HOMESTEADER COLONY IN CHAVES COUNTY AND REQUESTING THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY HOW TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE HISTORICAL TOWNSITE.

16and WHEREAS, BlackdomBlackdom, waslocated theabout mosttwenty influentialmiles Blacksouth eof tRoswell 17in homesteaderChaves colonycounty, inwas Newfounded Mexico;by Black settlers in 1901;

and wWHEREAS, lFrancis nMarion dBoyer, 18known WHEREAS,as Blackdom,Frank locatedBoyer, aboutwas twentyraised mileshearing southstories ofabout =New =Mexico 19from ahis lfather, RoswellHenry inBoyer, Chavesa county,freedman wasfrom foundedGeorgia, bywho Blackserved settlersas ina iwagoner awith ethe rarmy 20units 1901;of Stephen W.

andKearny aduring t m m 21 WHEREAS, Francis Marion Boyer, known as Frank Boyer, was d r e 22 raised hearing stories about New Mexico from his father, Henry c e s k 23 Boyer, a freedman from Georgia, who served as a wagoner with e a n b 24 the armyMexican-American unitsWar; of Stephen W.

Kearnyand duringWHEREAS, Frank was educated at Morehouse college and Fisk university, where he learned about the Mexican-Americanlegal urequirements [of War;homesteading;

and .226333.1 WHEREAS, Frank was educated at Morehouse college and Fisk university, where he learned about the legal requirements of homesteading;

and SM 71 Page 1 WHEREAS, Frank's wife, Ella, and their four children followed in 1901;

and WHEREAS, the town experienced significant growth in its first decades, with settlers from throughout the United States e t 17 moving to the community;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, many residents lived on farms, but Blackdom also = = 19 a l developed a small village with its own United States post i a e r 20 office, a store, a pumping plant and an office building;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, several other businesses flourished, including a d r e 22 blacksmith shop, a hotel, a weekly newspaper and a Baptist c e s k 23 church;

and e a n b 24 WHEREAS, the residents of Blackdom established a community u [ school to ensure that Blackdom's children would be educated;

.226333.1 - 2 - and WHEREAS, Lloyd Allen was a respected teacher who emphasized the importance of education to his Blackdom students;

and SM 71 Page 2 WHEREAS, the exact population of the community is unknown, but the national park service estimates that approximately one hundred fifty people resided in the community, of which twelve women homesteaded, several on their own;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, Blackdom became uninhabited in 1921;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, no structures remain in Blackdom, except for a = = 19 a l barely visible concrete foundation of the schoolhouse;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, today, Blackdom is considered a ghost town;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, in honoring Blackdom's history, October 26, 2002, d r e 22 was proclaimed Blackdom Day by the governor of New Mexico, and c e s k 23 a historical marker was erected at a rest stop on United States e a n b 24 highway 285 between Roswell and Artesia;

and u [ WHEREAS, former Blackdom residents and descendants of .226333.1 - 3 - settlers were present for the dedication ceremony;

and WHEREAS, surveys by the historic preservation division of the cultural affairs department and aerial maps show the SM 71 Page 3 only paved roads in the area are United States highway 285 and New Mexico state road 599;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, additionally, some of the dirt roads may be w l n d 18 located on private property, requiring permission to access;

= = 19 a l and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, Blackdom is culturally significant, and access to a t m m 21 the site before further deterioration occurs is important;

and d r e 22 WHEREAS, a task force would be helpful in determining how c e s k 23 to access the Blackdom townsite;

e a n b 24 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE u [ OF NEW MEXICO that the cultural significance of the Blackdom .226333.1 - 4 - homesteader colony in Chaves county be recognized and that the cultural affairs department be requested to convene a task force to study how to gain access to the historical townsite;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be composed SM 71 Page 4 of representatives of the office of the state historian, the state land office, Chaves county, the New Mexico association of counties, New Mexico's congressional delegation, the United States postmaster general, the office on African American affairs and Blackdom property owners;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of cultural affairs, the state e t 17 historian, the commissioner of public lands, Chaves county w l n d 18 commissioners, the executive director of New Mexico association = = 19 a l of counties, members of New Mexico's congressional delegation, i a e r 20 the United States postmaster general, the office on African a t m m 21 American affairs and Blackdom property owners.

dSM r71 ePage 22 - 5 -25 c e s k 23 e a n b 24 u [ .226333.1