Roswell is a city in and the seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,422 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous city in New Mexico. It is home of the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), founded in 1891. The city is also the location of an Eastern New Mexico University campus. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located a few miles northeast of the city on the Pecos River. Bottomless Lakes State Park is located 12 miles (19 km) east of Roswell on US 380. Chaves County forms the entirety of the Roswell micropolitan area.
Eddy County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,314. Its county seat and largest city is Carlsbad. The county was created in 1891 and later organized in 1892. It is north of the Texas state line.
Chaves County is a county in New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,157. Its county seat is Roswell. Chaves County was named for Colonel Jose Francisco Chaves, a military leader there during the Civil War and later in Navajo campaigns. The county was created by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature on February 25, 1889, out of land from Lincoln County.
Jennings is a city in, and the parish seat of, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,383 at the 2010 census, a small decline from the 2000 tabulation.
Artesia is a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, centered at the intersection of U.S. routes 82 and 285; the two highways serve as the city's Main Street and First Street, respectively. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,875.
U.S. Route 285 is a north–south United States highway, running 846 miles (1,362 km) through the states of Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. The highway's southern terminus is in Sanderson, Texas at an intersection with U.S. Route 90. US 285 has always had an endpoint in Denver, Colorado, although the original US 285 went north from Denver. Today the highway's northern terminus is in Denver, at exit 201 on Interstate 25.
Nicodemus is a census-designated place (CDP) in Graham County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14. The community was founded in 1877 and is named for the Biblical figure Nicodemus.
Amber Valley is an unincorporated community in northern Alberta, Canada, approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) north of Edmonton. Its elevation is 608 m (1,995 ft). Originally named Pine Creek, Amber Valley was among several Alberta communities settled in the early 20th century by early Black immigrants to the province from Oklahoma and the Deep South of the United States. About 1,000 African Americans emigrated to Alberta from 1909-1911. Amber Valley is the location of the Obadiah Place provincial heritage site, a homestead of one of the first African-American settler families.
Dearfield is an extinct town and a historically black majority settlement in Weld County, Colorado, United States. It is 30 miles (48 km) east of Greeley. The town was formed by Oliver Toussaint Jackson, who desired to create a colony for African Americans. In 1910, Jackson, a successful businessman from Boulder, filed on the homestead that later became the town and began to advertise for "colonists." The name Dearfield was suggested by one of the town's citizens, Dr. J.H.P. Westbrook, who was from Denver. The word dear was chosen as the foundation for the town's name due to the precious value of the land and community to the town's settlers.
Allen Allensworth was an American chaplain, colonel, city founder, and theologian. Born into slavery in Kentucky, he escaped during the American Civil War by joining the 44th Illinois Volunteers as a Union soldier. After being ordained as a Baptist minister by the Fifth Street Baptist Church, April 9, 1871, he worked as a teacher, led several churches, and was appointed as a chaplain in the United States Army. In 1886, he gained appointment as a military chaplain to a unit of Buffalo Soldiers in the West, becoming the first African American to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. He served in the Army for 20 years, retiring in 1906.
Maidstone is a town in west central Saskatchewan, Canada located 57 km east of Lloydminster and 84 km west of North Battleford at the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 21. The community was named after Maidstone, Kent, England.
New Mexico State Road 2 (NM 2) is a state highway in the state of New Mexico. It travels southeast from U.S. Route 285, outside of Roswell, New Mexico, passing through Midway. While in Dexter, it turns right as Old Dexter Highway and passes through Greenfield, Hagerman, and Lake Arthur, before ending back at US 285.
Roswell High School (RHS) is a public senior high school in Roswell, New Mexico. It is a part of the Roswell Independent School District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest public high school in the city. The colors of RHS are: Dark Crimson Red, White and Black, their mascot is a Coyote. Enrollment at the school currently stands at 1,311.
U.S. Route 285 (US 285) is a north–south U.S. highway that runs from Sanderson, TX to Denver, CO. US 285 enters the state of New Mexico from Texas, into Eddy County, NM just south of Loving. The highway runs through the major cities of Carlsbad, Roswell, and Santa Fe. The highway exits the state into Colorado approximately 25 miles north of Tres Piedras. The Pecos River runs adjacent to the vast stretch of highway, yet breaks away in Northern New Mexico, before entering Colorado.
Midway is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chaves County, New Mexico. The population was 971 at time of the 2010 census.
The Merikins or Merikens were formerly enslaved Africans who gained freedom, enlisted in the Corps of Colonial Marines, and fought for the British against the United States in the War of 1812. After their service in Bermuda, they established a community in the south of Trinidad between 1815–1816. The region was largely populated by French-speaking Catholics but soon transitioned to an English-speaking, Baptist community after their arrival. It is believed that the term "Merikins" is derived from the local patois, but as many Americans have long been in the habit of dropping the initial "A" it is also likely that the new settlers brought that pronunciation with them from the United States. Some of the Company villages and land grants established back then still exist in Trinidad today.
Oliver Toussaint Jackson was an American businessman and entrepreneur, who, inspired by Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up from Slavery, formed Dearfield, Colorado, a self-sufficient agricultural settlement for African-Americans. Prior to this venture, Jackson was a successful owner of several restaurant and catering businesses in Denver and Boulder.
African Americans in the United States have a unique history of homesteading, in part due to historical discrimination and legacies of enslavement. Black American communities were negatively impacted by the Homestead Act's implementation, which was designed to give land to those who had been enslaved and other underprivileged groups. The act sought to divide up public lands in five Southern states to black people who were prepared to improve and utilize the land for farming.
