History behind the town of Blackdom, New Mexico
Local historian provides new research into the town
https://www.koat.com/article/blackdom-new-mexico-history-dr-nelson-new-research/46688452
History and new inding of Blackdom, NM in Southeastern, NM
Andrew Lawrence Interviews Marissa - June 29, 2021
Andrew Lawrence Interviews Blackdom Historian Timothy E. Nelson, Ph.D. on January 16, 2020
“Closest articulation of Dr. Nelson's work yet.” ~M. Roybal
by Frank Siekyi - August 5, 2021
BLACK OIL COMPANY: Blackdom Oil Organization began in 1919 during the Red Summer which denoted a time of cross country savagery against Individuals of color. That year Blackdom, New Mexico’s just all-dark town, gone into contracts with Public Investigation Organization and Mescalero Oil Organization. Oil was first found in southeastern New Mexico in 1907, acquiring the district the epithet “Little Texas,” however the main fruitful business wells started creating in 1922.
In 1919, “Blackdomites” [Dr. Nelson’s coined term] profited with the hypothesis bubble that happened before the principal all around was bored when a portion of its residents fused the Blackdom Oil Organization. Conspicuous families locally including the Boyer, Ragsdale, Eubank, Entryways, and Collins families consented to store their territory with the Roswell Picacho Venture Organization to open it to oil investigation.
Blackdom started in September of 1903 when 13 African American men, driven by Isaac Jones and Blunt Boyer consolidated the townsite organization. The early years were tormented with dry spells in a dry-cultivating farming society. By 1918, for those delayed to demonstrate upland, possibilities for an oil blast in the area expanded their desperation to demonstrate up (acquire power) over their homesteaded lands.
Two ladies were noticeable in these endeavors in 1919. Ella Boyer was quick to exploit the hypothesis, finishing her patent on 160 sections of land neighboring Blackdom’s 40-section of land townsite (land prior licensed by her significant other Straightforward). Sometime thereafter Mittie Moore Wilson [Dr. Nelson’s research and work] homesteaded a square mile of land three miles south of Blackdom. Moore was a peddler who ran a place of prostitution twenty miles north of the town and was one of the space’s most affluent residents.
In January of 1920, Blackdomites reported in the Roswell Every day [Daily] Record, “Will Bore at Blackdom,” welcoming wildcatters and other oil examiners to take part in the blast that guaranteed wealth for Blackdomites who had lands made accessible for oil penetrating.
The whirlwind of promotions for Blackdom Oil [Dr. Nelson’s research and work] topped in the late spring that year as nearby occupants marked agreements with oil investigation organizations from New York to California. On September 1, 1920, The Roswell Day by day Record detailed that an unidentified California organization had “Made Area at Black dom.” The number of wells and barrels were created by Blackdom’s venture is at present lost to history.
During the 1920s, the actual town shriveled even as Blackdomites in the locale accumulated oil sovereignties. Eustace and Francis Boyer Jr., of the Boyer family, were a piece of The Second Great War partner of returning troopers who demonstrated up residences for the oil blast. Their dad Forthcoming Boyer, nonetheless, left Chaves Province where Blackdom was found and resettled in Vado, Doña Ana District, New Mexico in 1920. The Ragsdale family, in any case, remained and benefitted from the windmills they built on close-by properties and the oil income they acquired from the well on their property.
By 1930—and the beginning of the Economic crisis of the early 20s—Blackdom stopped to exist. Blackdom Oil, be that as it may, kept on creating sovereignties for conspicuous dark families nearby. Nearby papers detailed in 1930 that the Blackdom Oil Organization bored investigation wells no less than 1,600 feet down. Forthcoming Boyer, in a 1947 meeting, said that sovereignty installments to Blackdomites streamed all the way into the post-The Second Great Wartime.
University of Northern Iowa Department of History alumnus, Dr. Timothy E. Nelson the Historian, is passionate about the significance of the Afro-Frontier in American history, and he uncovers the forgotten history of Blackdom, New Mexico.
Dr. Nelson merges Blackdom’s history with New Western History, Borderland Studies, Diasporic Studies, and Blacks in the West, placing Afro-Frontierists at the center of their histories, rather than as footnotes of other people’s histories. Through his dissertation as well as his current outreach, Dr. Nelson’s goal is uncovering and advocating for untold stories. He unequivocally raises the voices of Afro-Frontierists.
Pushing forward.
That’s one way Vince McDaniel likes to live his life.
The New Mexico-based filmmaker is making waves with upcoming projects – all planned to film in the state.BY ADRIAN GOMEZ / JOURNAL ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Sunday, November 1st, 2020 at 12:02am
Albuquerque actor and filmmaker Vince McDaniel as Maceo Daily in Blackdom: The Mittie Moore Chronicles is currently filming the project, “The Commando” in Albuquerque. (Courtesy of Vince McDaniel)
Over the years, McDaniel has been working with New Mexico-based filmmaker Chris Ranney on a lot of different projects.
One of the upcoming projects is “Blackdom.”
“Blackdom” is set in the Jim Crow-era South. It tells the story of a Black man who is falsely accused of murder and he flees to the New Mexico Territory and starts an all-Black town, only to be hunted down by the man who framed him.
Blackdom is an actual ghost town in Chaves County that was founded by African American settlers around the turn of the century and was abandoned in the mid-1920s.
The town experienced significant growth in the first decades, with settlers from throughout the United States moving to the community, although a drought in 1916 caused many settlers to relocate.
It stands out
They used a blonde “white” woman for the poster?!
It was founded by Frank Boyer, who was raised hearing stories from his father about New Mexico before being educated at Morehouse College and Fisk University.
McDaniel says this is a film in which Black actors can take hold of their image again.
In many films, even in New Mexico, McDaniel has been cast as a gang member or thug.
“With this film, many of these people are educated,” he says. “This man was from Morehouse and made a difference. We want to make a difference with this film.”
McDaniel was raised in Albuquerque and calls the city his home.
“Chris and I have a slate of movies that I plan on shooting here in New Mexico,” McDaniel says. “I’m working with Buffalo 8 to help me get ‘Blackdom’ done in the spring.”
In 2016, DR. NELSON contacted Vince McDaniel to consider a pivot from his Blackdom script to Dr. Nelson’s Spec Script and they (Carrie Thompson, Vince McDaniel and Hank Byrd) later renamed with Dr. Nelson’s influence (email exchange receipts available): Blackdom: The Mittie Chronicles based on his spec script and his research. Vince McDaniel is playing the character Maceo (Dr. Nelson’s dissertation named the character in honor of his initial dissertation chair Dr. Maceo Daily who passed away). When Dr. Nelson began to be irregularly and inconsistently credited, not introduced to the production team(s) or invited to the set or any events, a cease and desist was placed on Vince McDaniel and the New Mexico Film Foundation in November 2018 prior to the Jean Cocteau NM Film Foundation event. Chris Ranney’s involvement was not disclosed to Dr. Nelson until February of 2020. Chris Ranney found out about Dr. Nelson about the same time.
Cease and Desist issued to Vince McDaniels and Dirk Norris, November 2018. After several months of trying to find a win-win agreement. It appears Carrie Thompson of Stiffhand Productions still has not received a copy of Dr. Nelson’s Cease and Desist from McDaniels. (This trailer is still on her website.)
As of 2020, we have found McDaniels and Ms. Thompson transferred and registered copyrights that belong to Dr. Nelson who has a tangible means it all belongs to him going back to 2013 when he was working with his high school teacher on the spec script.
Stiffhand and Dream Team Productions have been unwilling to be explicit that they used Dr. Nelson’s spec script and added the part for Chris Ranney, the money man, who didn’t know Timothy was the spec script writer. Byrd and McDaniels kept all of Timothy’s characters and the main storyline. Plenty of email receipts to prove the exchanges. [WGAW and WGAE.]
Email receipts on file.
November 2019 email from Carrie Thompson
Welcome to Blackdom Townsite Corp.
