Early Black Settlers
Little is often discussed about early Black Tucson settlers beyond tales of Buffalo Soldiers traversing through the desert. The first recorded Black person to step foot into Southwest Arizona was Esteven (also recorded as Esteban, Estevanico, and Little Steven), an enslaved Black man from Morocco who acted as a guide for a group of Spanish explorers. Ongoing conflicts in the area led to his death, and it would be nearly 300 years until Black folks were recorded to be in the area again.
From the mid-1800s and on, many Black individuals and families found their way to the desert, by chance or for hope of work. Wiley and Hannah DuPont Box, a married couple from Louisiana and Oklahoma respectively, settled in Tucson sometime between 1850-1855 and are thought to be the first Black settlers in Tucson. There is no known reason for their desire to reside in Tucson, but the two made a life by working varied jobs like stage coaching, mining, and different forms of manual labor.
After the arrival of Wiley and Hannah DuPont Box, other Black settlers arrived in the Tucson area and started a life in the desert. For these people, there was no fixed type of work that drove them to Arizona.
Charley Embers arrived in Tucson from California in 1866 because of the demand for Black cooks in mining camps. Joe Mitchell is considered to be the first Black homesteader in Tucson and raised chickens and worked as a barber. He owned 160 acres of land in South Tucson before he was arrested for housing two military deserters.
Charley Williams was a popular musician in town, known to everyone as “Banjo Dick.” He drove the music scene of Black Tucson in the 1870s and 1880s. Mrs. Lee, first name not recorded, was a Black woman from Phoenix who was forced to flee to Tucson after becoming entangled in a love affair. Her cafe in Phoenix was one of the most exclusive places to eat in the city, and once in Tucson, she opened a restaurant in the Orndorff Hotel that became wildly popular.
Early Black Tucson life was varied but rich. Black folks settled into the region and created a life for themselves through music, food, and labor. Many were homeowners and owned local businesses. Some arrived married while others married once settled in Tucson.
Often referred to as Black Tucson pioneers, this group of Black folks helped to set the stage for the Black Tucson community to grow and thrive in the region.