By Christian Sanchez, History Major, Class of 2027
Eugene, Oregon, is a small, populated city with white families maybe surrounded by it. At the start of the 1900s, the Mexican Revolution caused immigrants to migrate up north toward the United States. The railroad industry was booming at the time but vying for more laborers as other sources were depleted due to strict immigration quotas. Mexicanos were arriving in abundance and were economic refugees which led many to working the railroads, often for lower pay. The Luna Family consists of Albert Luna, Juana, and later Jesus, Maria. Albert was born in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico in 1889 while Juana was born in 1898 somewhere in Mexico. Juana and Albert Luna’s journey started in Texas but they ended up going to Oregon and ended up in Eugene, Oregon a small city by the Willamette River. They lived at 232 Lincoln Street where Albert was the head of the house and had a job while Juana would take care of her children and support Albert while out working.
Albert Luna Directory 1927
Juana Luna Border crossing crosspoint
Albert worked as a Salesman going door to door in nearby neighborhoods. He was selling kitchen appliances and would convince customers to buy. He had given a shot at a life at middle-class family life. Most Mexicans arriving in the US would be railroad or agricultural workers. Albert and Juana had children born in Oregon. Jesus Luna was the oldest born in 1925 and Maria was the youngest being born in 1927. Albert Luna was a Salesman throughout the 1930s but in 1940 he moved to Portland, Oregon. Albert would go on to register himself to the army years later after World War II began. This experience was marked on Jesus with tattoos of the USS Coral Sea on both of his arms.
Out of 142 Mexicans and Mexican Americans identified in the 1930 Census by Ancestry, only 10 lived in the city of Eugene, as opposed to outlying areas. Which is surprising for Mexican families coming from other states that show how isolated one family is from others.
Also, Albert had moved up there to potentially be close to the company he was associated with selling appliances. “Electrolux” was a company in Sweden which manufactured the products that Albert was selling. 10 years later in 1950, Albert moved to Palo Alto, California. However, his son decides to go up North to Seattle, Washington while Albert is off to California to start anew. Jesus arrived in Seattle, Washington where he would be arrested after harassing a 71 year old man for money and would receive a jail sentence of 20 days. After serving his sentence, Jesus would work on the railroads in eastern Washington while travelling from Seattle where he lived at 711 Dearborn Street. Tragically, on December 16, 1958, Jesus would die of a stroke at the age of 33. He was buried in Spokane and his parents would later travel to see his grave.
Jesus Luna Criminal Record. Washington State Archives; Olympia, WA, USA; City of Seattle, Mug Books, 1947-1948; Access Number: NW000-00-0-0
Jesus Death Certificate. Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Death Index, 1940-2017
Albert had lived in Palo Alto, California where he lived in 663 Alma St. A location that was toward the east side of San Jose. Throughout Albert’s life in Palo Alto, not much information is known about it but he is still working as a salesman trying to provide for his family and a place to live. The area was experiencing an uprise of organizations that had been made by Mexicans. One of them The Community Service Organization was ahead by the majority of Mexicans in popularity encouraging the organization to be the leading figure among Mexicans. Their idea was to be seen as an essential civil rights organization, and it wanted to comply with what residents wanted: economic development and new political power. Albert possibly could have gone with the help that the CSO offered to experience his knowledge in certain things. With this occurring Albert and his family decided to go up north in Seattle, Washington where they grieved the loss of their son Jesus going to their son’s grave. Albert and his family would end up at 917 James St in Seattle a street which is outside of Seattle. Albert would be employed from a Salesman to a Construction Worker in Seattle. Albert had this opportunity to the middle-class family life but ultimately lost it to an uncertain circumstance which made him become a Construction Worker.
But after a few years in Seattle Albert sadly passed away on January 15th, 1975 in Seattle of cardiovascular disease. At the age of 80 Juana passed away eventually a couple of years after while her daughter Maria died on July 7th, 2007 in Eugene, Oregon at the age of 80. Luna Family was isolated from Mexican families. They had no friends and other family members living there or close by. Albert was given a job that not only was different from what other railroad Mexican workers obtained but was given a shot towards the middle-class family life since it was a fairly paid job. With all these moving back and forth they were isolated and placed in highly populated white communities which showed that no matter where they were placed, they still got back up from their feet to make a living out of it. They were vulnerable after Jesus decided to go to his roots, that is where the cracks in the family were seen happening with the death of his son, losing his job as a salesman, and working as a construction worker, where he died at the age of 84. Middle-class families in other parts of the US like for example Texas experienced discrimination by the way they looked or where they came from since thousands of Mexicans would arrive and some would leave to go on to different states.
Albert Luna Death Certificate. Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Death Index, 1940-2017
Mexican families or communities in Oregon show that even being isolated from other Mexican communities can show a difference in how determined and persistent you are with your family. They were financially stable with what Albert brought but ultimately lost that privilege. Mexicans are people too and should be treated with the respect and courage they brought to affect our day-to-day life experiences.
Bibliography:
1930; Census Place: Eugene, Lane, Oregon;
- Fujita-Rony, Dorothy B. American workers, Colonial Power: Philippine Seattle and the Transpacific West, 1919-1941. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 2005.
- Pitti, Stephen J. The devil in Silicon Valley: Northern California, race, and Mexican Americans. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2004.
- Gonzalez. Redeeming la raza. Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
- Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
- The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 77
- Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
- Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Death Index, 1940-2017
- Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011
- Washington State Archives; Olympia, WA, USA; City of Seattle, Mug Books, 1947-1948; Access Number: NW000-00-0-0
- National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Oregon, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 71