Founded in 1910, Dearfield, Colorado, became the the largest all-Black homesteading settlement in state history. Located in Weld County, 30 miles east of Greeley, the community was originally led by O. T. Jackson, a Boulder businessman, and his wife Minerva, who believed that Black people should assert control of their own lives through property ownership, independent from white management. The community became a flourishing agricultural settlement, with hundreds of "colonists" in 44 cabins by 1915. The name Dearfield was chosen for the word "Dear," indicating the value of the place to the settlers, who faced the hardships of racism and pioneer life. While many of the Black men hired themselves out to local farmers, Minerva and the women of the community were in charge of the settlement's daily life.
Despite years of success, in the 1930s the community fell victim to the drought of the Dust Bowl and the turmoil of the Great Depression. By 1940, only 12 settlers remained. Today, a granite marker and a few buildings are left standing, reminders of the once-prominent settlement that in 1995 was placed on the National Register of Historical Places as a representation of the post-civil war African American colonization movement.
But Dearfield has not been completely forgotten! Our Colorado senators and representatives are currently urging the National Park Service to designate the Dearfield Homestead a national park. According to Marcie Moore Gantz of History Colorado, doing so would make the community a "living archive of [the settlers'] endeavors during a time when African Americans sought economic independence through land ownership." The National Parks Service is accepting public comment on Dearfield through February 23. NOCO NOW members are urged to encourage this project by providing public comment through the National Parks website until Feb. 23rd. |
