The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-05
AFRO-AMER|CAN CULL|NCS

For is years O. +. jackson was the
only Negro farmer near Boulder, Colo
He was Industrious and was well liked
n by his white neighbors, but in the
\ planting and harvest times when there
was dearth Of farmhands they could
generally outbid him In the labor mar.
ket. leaving him without assistance at
the crucial times, He found 1t impos.
sible to keep colored farm hands for
any length Of time because. with no
other members Of their Srace near at
hand, they found It lonely life.
In 1906 Jackson began to think about
the situation and decided that what
! was needed Was q community of col.
ored people which would be large
enough to be self-suficient. Having
come to decision he started to work
out his plans. Since then there has
grown up on former government land
In Weld county, Colo. settlement Of
$50 Negro men and women fairly start
ed toward independence. The name
Of the settlement 10 Dearfield, and the
force behind It Is the Dearfield Devel-
oping company. organized on a CO
4 operative basis and preaching self
help.
The story of the struggles which the
founder and the small group of pio-
neers which he gathered around him
had, and OF the momentum which the
movement gained as it became sue
.cessful, Is told by w. ]. Harsha in an
interview with jackson in the South
ern Workman.
Efforts were first made to obtain
suitable land from the state land Of
fee. but none was found available.
Then attention was directed to the
federal authorities and locations were
offered in three different counties in
Colorado, Jackson and the two or
three men whom he had associated
with him finally selected the Weld
county site because Of it's fertility.
availability Of water, and good rail.
road connections with the large mar.
kets Of Denver only 70 miles away
The Jackson family was the first to
settle, in May, 1910, and home was
established year later. OF the first
settlers Mr.. Jackson says:
Il met most of the first settlers in
. casual way--in restaurants and bar.
Der shops and on street corners. |
was invited to speak at our Denver
church on the Importance to our
people of getting land before it is
too late; after the meeting people
crowded around me asking for par.
ticulars. After several men had filed
they sent their friends to me. Woman
claimanta-w widows. spinsters, desert.
ed wives-were particularly active.
We publish little paper and mention
IN 1t all filings made, and this at.
tracted attention, an nQw. receiy.
ing fUts Of mxiiii ana many callers ask
Ing for homes.
THE Dearheld settlers were as poor
as people could be when they took up
homesteads. Their advancement has
been something wonderful for our
people, who know nothing Of pioneer
life. Some who filed on their claims
had not enough money to ship their
household goods and pay all their rail-
road fare. They paid their fare as far
as they could and walked the balance
Of the way to Dearfield. Soon after
arriving In Dearfield they secured
work with the wealthy white farmers
I in the district and began to build
houses on their claims Some lived
in tents. others in dugouts, and some
in natural caves in hillsides.
"The first year there were only
seven families In the settlement, and
we had only three teams. We man.
aged to get in some garden corn, mel
ons. pumpkins. squash, Mexican