A People’s History of the Inland Empire Digital Archive

Redlands Floral Plunge

2022.006.111

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This is one of the only known photographs of the Redlands Floral Plunge. Located on Oriental Avenue, the "Mexican Plunge" was built and run by the House of Neighborly Service, a Presbyterian community service orgnanization that provided everything from cultural enrichment to after school programs, childcare, and laundry facilities. Located a short distance up the railroad tracks was the Sylvan Plunge, a much larger and better-equipped facility open to Mexicans one day a week - the day the pool was cleaned. Although the Floral Plunge was used by many in the Mexican community, some parents refused to allow their children to patronize segregated facilities in a town where they "paid taxes, worked hard, and owned homes," as noted by Carl Sepulveda. In the 1960s, the aging Sylvan Plunge was desegregated, and the Mexican Plunge was turned into a private swim club for Anglo youth. By the 1980s, both pools had been demolished. In the photo is Richard Alvarez, the lifeguard who is standing with arms crossed.

Desegregation

Mexican American History

Segregation

Sylvan Plunge

Redlands (Calif.)

1960s-1980s

unknown

unknown

Inland Mexican Heritage, Courtesy of Armando Lopez

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English

Vasquez, Antonio Gonzalez, and Genevieve Carpio. Mexican Americans in Redlands. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Publishing, 2012, 37.