PRESS CONTACT:
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
303.866.3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us

Founded in the early 1900s, The Dry is part of the long and often overlooked history of Black accomplishments in the Centennial State. The community traces its origins back to Josephine and Lenora Rucker who, along with George Swink, began convincing Black families from across the nation to claim land in Otero County under the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909.

Originally passed in 1862, the Homestead Act was a crucial piece of legislation in United States history that allowed citizens to acquire parcels of 160 acres from the public domain. This gave land ownership opportunities to a wider range of U.S. citizens, including women and people of color.

A story of Black agricultural excellence, The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community explores how, despite challenging conditions, the families of The Dry persevered,  transformed the landscape of southeast Colorado, established a community that existed outside of a racially segregated America, and forged a legacy of freedom, family and resilience.

“It's all about legacy and really highlighting things that history has forgotten,” said Alice McDonald, the last living resident of The Dry and matriarch of the Craig Family who stewards the legacy of this farming community. “The Dry is the perfect example of that, people from all over coming here for opportunity, to live the American dream. People going out west to make their own way, an example of, against all the odds, man versus nature, and nature just kind of got better.” 

Using photographs from descendants and oral histories from former residents, The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community expands the understanding of the significant contributions of the Black community to farming on the Eastern Plains and the Homestead Act, both of which have largely been presented from the perspective of white homesteaders.

The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community will be on display at El Pueblo History Museum until March 28, 2025. The El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 N. Union Avenue and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission for kids 18 and under is free every day.

About El Pueblo History Museum
History Colorado’s El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 N. Union Avenue in the heart of the city of Pueblo, part of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk District and the Pueblo Creative Corridor. The museum stands on the site of the original El Pueblo trading post, constructed in 1842. The museum site features beautiful galleries, a gift shop, bookstore, gardens, an active archaeological dig, and a recreation of the 1842 adobe trading post. 

El Pueblo History Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org or call 719-583-0453.

Sobre El Pueblo History Museum
El museo de historia El Pueblo es parte de History Colorado y está ubicado en la 301 N. Union Avenue en el corazón de Pueblo, parte del Distrito Histórico Arkansas Riverwalk y el Pueblo Creativo Corridor. El museo se encuentra sobre el sitio del puesto comercial llamado El Pueblo, que se construyó originalmente en 1842. En el museo se encuentran bellas galerías de arte, una tienda de regalos y libros, jardines públicos, un sitio arqueológico, y una recreación del puesto comercial de adobe como se veía originalmente en 1842.

El horario del Pueblo History Museum es martes a sábado 10 am a 4 pm. Para ver más información por favor visite www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org o llame al 719-583-0453.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 145-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado