Unfortunate Colorado History: Fruita Was Once a Sundown Town

While historically, most of the racism against African Americans in the United States has been connected to the South, one Western Colorado town once had a law that prohibited black people from being present in the town after dark.

Read More: Unfortunate Colorado History: The Colorado Coal Wars |

Places like this were known as 'sundown towns' and, as mentioned above, were primarily located in the southern states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, to name a few.

However, until 1952, Fruita, Colorado, had a law that echoed this unfortunate part of the United States' past.

Fruita, Colorado, Was Once a Sundown Town

According to the Wikipedia page dedicated to information regarding sundown towns of the past, Fruita had an unfortunate law for a while:

Fruita, Colorado, had a law stating that all Black people had to leave the city limits before dusk; the law was repealed in 1952

Unfortunately, this wasn't the only example of blatant and legal racism in the Centennial State's past.

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It has also been noted that, as recently as the last century, Colorado was home to a sign that read the following:

"No Mexicans After Night"

This information comes from the Wikipedia page dedicated to information regarding the term 'sundown town,' and it does not specify exactly where this unfortunate sign was located, how long it was up, or when it was ultimately taken down.

Luckily, today, Fruita is known for its ranch and farmland, its robust scenery that serves as an outdoor playground for mountain biking and hiking, the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, and plenty of other positive attributes.