By Gabriela G. Padilla Ruiz, Human Physiology Major, Latinx Studies Minor, Class of 2026
Migration was not something uncommon for Felipe Gonzalez, a young and single man, with the dream to achieve better things in this world. Born on February 5, 1902, in Jalostotitlan, Jalisco, Felipe always had a high drive for becoming someone better each and every day. Being born in Mexico at the time was very difficult, with social classes being highly separated and society starting changing due to the Mexican Revolution. Much is not known about his childhood in Jalisco, but from previous general information about Mexico, Jalisco was still receiving the positive effects of a changing government. Due to this, many people moved to bigger cities, especially Mexico City, which seemed to be a place of opportunity.
In the 1900s, Mexico was suffering from the negative effects of modernization and urbanization. For instance, according to a book by Pablo Piccato, “Lower-class neighborhoods were identified as zones of danger and disease. City authorities placed the police in charge of punishing behaviors that challenged their idea of modernization- although policemen themselves had to cope with low wages and little prestige… It was easier and less costly to punish deviant behavior and to resist the urban poor to the socially marginal areas of the capital” (pg.48). It goes to show the great amounts of inequality present in Mexico at the time which led Felipe to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas on April 22, 1924.
At the time, Mexican workers were strictly seen as tools to support economic growth in the U.S.. However, Mexicans still seemed to have a slight sense of belonging in the United States as their hard work was recognized by some in society. Thus, Felipe did not think of migration to this country as a terrible idea. Additionally, migration from Mexico to the U.S. was very high during those times to the point where people were casually asking about how a family member was doing “on the other side.”
However, this did not mean that discrimination was not present. Oregon was a much harder and uncomfortable environment for single men like Felipe, compared to a place like New Orleans where Mexicans were considered at the same societal level as white individuals.
Since several issues in the society one lives in heavily influences their everyday life, Felipe most likely began to suffer from them, including drinking and using “Loco weed,” making him more vulnerable to the hostile treatments.
Photo of Siuslaw Workers Next to Train and Railroad from Siuslaw Pioneer Museum Exhibit
When Felipe arrived in the United States, he probably spent some time enjoying and getting to know Texas, before settling in Oregon. The exact time is not known, but by 1930, he was described as living and working in the Swisshome District, a living area along the Siuslaw River and northeast of Mapleton. Both Felipe and his roommate, Pedro Ramirez, worked together in a private railroad company known as the Siuslaw Railroad. Within this company, Felipe and Pedro held the position of a section hand, which was a better position than the average worker on the railroad in the 1930s as about 80% were laborers at the time. The company they worked for was different from the bigger railroad project, the Southern Pacific. To start off, this railroad was never supposed to happen, but William Wisley, the promoter of the project, traveled to Europe in high hopes of finding investors. After issues with another company, the Siuslaw Railroad finally began its construction. Since the company was private, there was not much information about the experience of these workers, but from the variety of positions, not just “labor” workers like other companies, one can imagine the pool of opportunities. Since this was a smaller project, the possibility of working up the ladder of positions was probably more likely. However, after the completion of this project, it was known by the 1940 and 1950 censuses that he resided in Portland. Through it can be assumed that he probably moved for job reasons. Here, he began working as a laborer in a lumber company, and then as a powder man in logging. Since the railroad work ended, he was pushed to go out and look for something else. This demonstrated his strong determination to keep working and make money, to therefore make a living for himself. Not much is known about his time here, but after all this hard work, it is known that he registered himself for WWII on February 16, 1942. However, since he was around forty years old, the likelihood of him being recruited was very unlikely. He received a social security number by 1951 though. Since officials would not track you down for your social security number, he just lived with that permit, especially to work legally and receive benefits from the country. Not much is known after this time of his life, but he passed away in 1982, at the age of around 80 years old in California.
In 1930, Felipe was part of the community of workers who lived in Swisshome District and worked on the Siuslaw railroad next door. However, he was not like the rest. He and his roommate were one of the few Mexicans working in this private company, with others being US-born, from states such as Alabama, Nebraska, and Idaho. They were not the only foreign-born ones though, one of their coworkers for example was from Greece. This seemed to be a company more focused on white workers, unlike other companies such as South Pacific Railroad Co.
Photo of Finished Siuslaw Railroad Project from Siuslaw Pioneer Museum Exhibit – The Early Railroad (2023).
Mexicanos in Oregon came here at their prime age and their main goal was to work as much as they could and make a better living out of it.
Although his life did have a bit of a different route than the rest of Mexicanos coming here, he still demonstrated the possibility of bettering himself and making it possible to put himself in environments that were not built for him. Just like many environments and systems today that were obviously not built for us, we still try to work around them.
Bibliography
“Mexican Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica, April 16, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/event/Mexican-Revolution.
Piccato, Pablo. City of suspects: Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham: Duke University Press, 2001.
Weise, Julie D. Corazón de Dixie, 2 Nov. 2015, https://doi.org/10.5149/9781469624976_weise.
“Florence, Oregon Pioneer History.” Siuslaw Pioneer Museum, April 8, 2024. https://www.siuslawpioneermuseum.com/.
Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File