by Natalie Alamo, Business Administration major, class of 2024
The period of time between 1920’s and 1930’s was filled with innovation, labor strikes, and new rights for traqueros and Mexicanos. Most political events during this time period did not happen directly in Lane County, but lasting effects of world events caused poor work and livings conditions, as well as the deportation of Mexicanos. At this time, the Union Pacific Railroad was not heavily disturbed but many traqueros got laid off or took a wage cut due to the depression.
Diving deeper into this narrative, the crew we will refer to is the Front Street Crew. Regarding geographic location, this crew was based in Junction City which was comprised of about 7,407 people at the time. The head of the crew was Paul Richards, a white man, and the crew comprised of thirty-four Mexicans. At this time, it was pretty typical to have a white man as the head of the household since they had a lot more respect than any other race.
Through reading Barbara Driscolls the Tracks North, it was stated that most workers came through El Paso from Ciudad Juarez due to how fond most were of laborers from there.
Laborers from Ciudad Juarez were considered to have useful labor skills which meant less training had to be done for them and they could get to work right away. Oregon was a more sought out place to work since wages were higher than other states such as Arizona or New Mexico. Being able to travel up North also meant upward mobility. Soon enough, the track workers in Oregon were comprised of sixty to ninety percent Mexicans than any other race (Garcilazo). The crew may have planned to start working on the tracks then move to better work environments.
Little is known about The Front Street Crew, but much can be assumed by examining the 1930 census of only Mexican American individuals and researching Lane County at the time. Their crew was large, comprising of thirty-four individuals, and were primarily men with the acceptation of Paul Richards wife Florence. Looking at the 1930 census of only Mexicans, this crew seems to fit in among the other individuals. Most were single, aged 21–42, and immigrated around 1924. Mexicans were an acceptation due to how cheap it’d be for their labor and writing up their contracts was typically easier. Although they were an acceptation, they were not treated as equals. They faced discrimination and racism. Finding housing was also a difficult task.
According to Jeffrey Garcilazo, most were offered to live in a boxcar but not for free. They had the “rent” deducted from their weeks’ paycheck. These boxcar homes were not efficiently equipped with necessities such as running water or toilets.
It is unsure where the entire crew stayed since it was so large, but it can be assumed that some of them took advantage of this opportunity to have some sort of roof over their heads. Newly found “brotherhoods” on the tracks aided in demanding improvements but the depression was another roadblock they were unable to overcome at the time. Once the depression hit, many lost their jobs or took a wage decrease to save them.
This picture depicts workers going up and down the tracks while they are working. Oregon Encyclopedia c. 1930
It wasn’t long before workers on the tacks started leaving to work in the mines for better pay and living conditions. This leave stirred up heads of households since it created extra work for them. Once they left, new contracts would have to be made up and new workers were needed to fill the place of the last laborer. This could be one of the options the Front Street Crew did once they immigrated over. Lack of information on this railroad crew leads historians to speculate that some may have migrated back to Mexico, found upward mobility, or never married to continue their story.
This railroad crew represented the typical Mexican immigrant or story of a traquero in Oregon in the 1930s. In a snapshot, immigrants were hired from Ciudad Juarez and traveled to wherever they saw opportunity with little pay and inadequate living situations. They had to figure out life from the ground up as opposed to the White population. Mexicans at this time tried their best to keep up and contribute to political concerns but with regions such as Lane County being so isolated it sometimes didn’t make enough of an effect to change social norms.
Even though this story is told as an aggregate, each individual person had their own stories and reasons for working in the US. The Union Pacific railroad was less than favorable work, but nonetheless provided opportunity for many immigrants that wanted to earn some income. Oregon itself is known for having a racist history. Even the University of Oregon has been working towards a more positive history than it had previously been. I think that it’s important to make note of this when learning about our local history.
Canned goods being transported by train. Oregon Digital c.1930
Bibliography
Driscoll, Barbara A. The tracks north: The railroad bracero programm of World War II. Austin: Center for Mexican American Studies, Univ. of Texas, 1999.
Garcilazo, Jeffrey Marcos. Traqueros Mexican railroad workers in the United States, 1870-1930. Denton, TX: UNT Press, 2012.
“All 1930 United States Federal Census Results.” All 1930 United States Federal Census Results – 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/?race=Mexican&residence=_lane-oregon-usa_1685&residence_x=_1-0.
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center Photo Archive, Oregon State University. “WCPA 165-24” Oregon Digital. Accessed 2024-05-20. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df70f342d