Basic Information
- Type of Place
- Independent City or Town
- Metro Area
- Politics c. 1860?
- Unions, Organized Labor?
Sundown Town Status
- Sundown Town in the Past?
- Surely
- Was there an ordinance?
- Don't Know
- Sign?
- Perhaps, Some Oral Evidence
- Year of Greatest Interest
- Still Sundown?
- Probably Not, Although Still Very Few Black People
Census Information
| Total | White | Black | Asian | Native | Hispanic | Other | BHshld | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | ||||||||
| 1870 | ||||||||
| 1880 | ||||||||
| 1890 | ||||||||
| 1900 | ||||||||
| 1910 | ||||||||
| 1920 | ||||||||
| 1930 | ||||||||
| 1940 | 5104 | 0 | ||||||
| 1950 | 8112 | 3 | ||||||
| 1960 | 9695 | 14 | ||||||
| 1970 | 10554 | 82 | ||||||
| 1980 | ||||||||
| 1990 | ||||||||
| 2000 | ||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2020 |
Method of Exclusion
- Unknown
Main Ethnic Group(s)
- Unknown
Group(s) Excluded
- Black
Comments
Despite having a university in town, Portales kept out
blacks until at least the 1950s.
“I have spoken to several faculty members, most of
them retired, to see what they know about the topic of
a sundown town. It seems that many remember
hearing that Portales was and that there was even a
sign on each end of town stating Black man, don’t let
the sun go down on you here. Of course, I haven’t
found any pictures or documentation to that effect
and only one person who ‘remembers’ actually seeing
the signs. Most have stated ‘I’ve always heard rumors
to that effect, but I don’t know of any actual incidents.’
I spoke to the wife of the farmer who first hired a
black man in Roosevelt County in 1950. She reported
that several residents said hateful things to them
personally, but doesn’t know of any unkind remarks to
the black family.”
-university employee, 2004