The Little Rectangle & Beyond: Exploring Boulder's Historic Black Community

Welcome to a journey into the world of Boulder’s early Black citizens, a history that is unknown to most people, even most Boulderites.. Read the Introduction!

Beginning in the 1870's, Black settlers began to arrive in Boulder, and Colorado, where the climate for equality was more favorable than they found in the Southern and border states where they came from, and milder yet from Kansas where some made an intermediate stop. By 1893, O.T. Jackson, a Black restaurateur, was listed as one of the city’s leading businessmen. However, the early 20th century brought increased racial hostility, discrimination in employment and housing opportunities, and for a period a strong Ku Klux Klan presence. This tour focuses on the lives of some of the people who lived through these events, where they lived and attended church, and their accomplishments.

Walking Tour Notes

This walking tour will take approximately 90 minutes. The Goss Street and south of Canyon Boulevard portion takes approximately 1 hour, and the north of Canyon Boulevard segment in which the buildings are more spread apart takes approximately 1/2 hour.

Start the tour at 22nd and Goss streets. On-street parking is available on the residential neighborhood streets of this tour. Please stay on the sidewalk and do not enter onto private property respecting the privacy of residents. Use the crosswalk when crossing Canyon Boulevard.

Photos for each Stop on the tour appear at the top of the page for each Stop. Scroll to the left to scroll through all of the photos available for each stop.

The first photo is a current photo of the building or site. With one exception, the second photo is a historic photo of the building or site. Most Stops have an additional third or more photos. Scroll the first photo to the left to see additional photos.

Sources:

• Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado
• A Legacy of Missing Pieces: The Voices of Black Women of Boulder County, 2002, edited by Polly E. Burgos McLean, Ph.D
• “The Black Community of Boulder, Colorado,”1996, unpublished paper by Dan W. Corson
• History of Second Baptist Church, Boulder, Colorado from its website
• Goss-Grove Neighborhood History and Survey Results
• 1985-1986 Boulder Survey of Historic Places, Conducted by Christine Whitacre and R. Laurie Simmons, Surveyors, 1986

Photo Credits:

• Historic photos are courtesy of Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado except as otherwise noted below.
• Contemporary photos were taken at the direction of Historic Boulder, Inc. by Ann Cooper and Darcy Sherman.
• Historic photo of Chautauqua Dining Hall is courtesy of Carnegie Library for Local History/Museum of Boulder Collection.
• Historic photo of Lillian Wheeler in her barber shop is courtesy of Polly E. Burgos McLean, Ph.D. from A Legacy of Missing Pieces: The Voices of Black Women of Boulder County Cover page of the "Negro Motorist Green Book" is courtesy of the New York Public Library.

Appreciation:

Special thanks for this project go to Kathryn Barth, Ann Cooper, Dan Corson, Wendy Hall, Nicole Docimo and the staff at Carnegie Library for Local History, Natalie Feinberg Lopez, Michael Matts, Polly E. Burgos McLean Ph.D., Kenneth McVey, Melanie Julian Muckle, Minister Glenda Robinson, Kayann Short Ph.D, and Carol Taylor.