Founded by Frank and Ella Boyer in 1901, the town of Blackdom located in Chaves County, was the first solely African American community in New Mexico. During the early 1920s, the town thrived and had over 800 residents. However, the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression changed the fortunes of the city, and it was dissolved in 1930.
References:
- Binkovitz, Leah. 2013. “Welcome to Blackdom: The Ghost Town That Was New Mexico’s First Black Settlement.” Smithsonian.
- Julyan, Robert. 1998. “Blackdom.” Office of the State Historian.
- Edwards, Richard. 2018. “The disappearing story of the Black homesteaders who pioneered the West.” Washington Post.
Video:
- “COLORES | Blackdom | New Mexico PBS,” knmedotorg, YouTube video, 25:32, April 10, 2020.