Valley Junction's untold history now on display
There is no shortage of history in Historic Valley Junction, but one piece has gone mostly untold.
For six generations, Rachelle Long's family has called Valley Junction home. Her deep roots in the neighborhood are the exact reason she's working so hard to preserve its culture.
"Every neighborhood has a story. This is ours," Long said.
The story of countless Latino and Black families that came to the once segregated and redlined neighborhood by way of working for the railroad in the 1930s has long been overlooked.
"I was looking for us in books. Our community in books. I kept seeing these books on Valley Junction and turning the pages, and I'm like, I don't see us," Long said.
Last November, Long opened the Gallery. She describes the gallery as her happy place and her purpose. For the past decade, Long has collected pictures and artifacts to include in her museum. From pictures to newspaper clippings and maps, everything in the gallery tells a story of people who gave vibrancy and spirit to the neighborhood.
"I always tell people, take the spirit of the Junction back to your neighborhood, where you live and share that spirit of how we grew up and how we grew up together, respecting each other's cultures and learning each other's cultures," she said.
The Taste of the Junction holds a multicultural festival annually of the Labor Day weekend to celebrate the neighborhood's roots.
"When we are gone, this will be here to let people know that this diversity, this community and the people from Valley Junction will have a place here," Long said.
The gallery is located inside the Eddie Davis Community Center at 1312 Maple Street, West Des Moines. It's open Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The center sits on the John E. and Barbra Long Honorary Parkway. In September, the city of West Des Moines honored the couple, who for decades advocated for the city to invest in their neighborhood. The Longs were the first residents to receive a street designation and the first Black individuals to be named on city-owned property.
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