From early pioneers to present day heroes, follow the footsteps of African Americans who settled the West. The Western Legacies exhibition space spans more than 7,000 square feet and explores the history of African Americans in the West from Canada to Mexico. The museum is divided into three major sections: the history of the Five Points neighborhood affectionately known as the “Harlem of the Westâ€, trailblazing African Americans in early Denver (including the city’s earliest arrivals), the African American leadership corridor and gallery, and much more. Take a quick journey through history and explore the contributions of African Americans to the West.
You may be surprised that it wasn’t gold or mines or railroads that introduced Africans to the American West. Meet Esteban, a North African slave from Morocco who survived a shipwreck and came to “New Spain†in the 1500s as part of an expedition led by Spanish noblemen. Fast forward 300 years after Esteban’s travels, hundreds of people of African descent arrived in the southwestern United States. They settled throughout the West and Southwest and participated in the establishment of cites such as Santa Fe, Los Angeles, El Paso, San Francisco, and Central City in search of physical, political, and economic freedom.
The family history of Robert and Sarah Smith shows how ordinary African Americans accomplished extraordinary things. Several generations of the Smith family settled across an expanding and changing United States, but their story began with Robert and Sarah when they were born as enslaved Africans in 1799 on the Mansfield plantation in Virginia. A year after Robert and Sarah were married, Sarah was sold to a plantation owner on the other side of Virginia. For the next 10 years Robert hired himself out as a barber to gain money to purchase his freedom and the freedom of Sarah and their two children. Robert Smith’s dream of freedom was realized when he was granted manumission papers on March 12, 1834, which set him entirely free from slavery. Robert and his family left Virginia, moving several times searching for a peaceful place to settle and raise a family. The Smiths eventually settled in Cincinnati, Ohio – a free state. Their son, Robert O. Smith, moved to Denver and continued in the barber trade. He purchased a house in Five Points and a barbershop, which he opened and operated at 1449 Ogden Street.
How did Denver’s Five Points neighborhood evolve from a wealthy “streetcar suburb†to a vibrant, historic hub of African American art, music, business and culture? At the turn of the last century, the Five Points area was an important industrial, commercial, and service area for Denver. Along the Platte River, to the north of the Five Points neighborhood, African Americans found work in industrial plants and rail yards that supported the mining, agricultural, and cattle industries. Five Points became largely African American primarily for two reasons: 1) Employment opportunities and 2) Restrictive covenants and segregation prevented them from living in Denver. As more and more African Americans moved into the Five Points neighborhood, whites moved out. African Americans weren’t allowed to shop, play, or live in other parts of Denver; they created a “city within a city†in Five Points. Businesses and entertainment venues, grocery stores, retail shops, restaurants, bars, beauty and barbershops, cleaners, and shoe repair shops lined Welton Street. Five Points became self-sufficient by providing the goods and services that African Americans couldn’t find elsewhere in Denver. That same community self-sufficiency created job opportunities in Five Points as well.
The museum also pays homage to a number of distinguished African Americans who have become the “firsts†in their fields and or trailblazers that open doors for future generations. These men and women include: Former Mayor Wellington E. Webb (first African American Mayor of Denver), Dr. Justina Ford (first licensed African American female doctor), library namesakes Omar Blair (first black president of the Denver school board) and Elvin Caldwell (first black City Council member), and Burnis McCloud (African American photographer who created the largest visual record of Denver's African-American history). This is but a small sample of the vibrant and exciting history of Five Points. Stop in anytime to browse the library and the museum to finish the story of African Americans settling in Five Points and Denver.
