A People’s History of the Inland Empire Digital Archive

Items

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  Aurelia Ruiz Reyes Interview

  1994 interview with Aurelia Reyes. Aurelia discusses her life growing up in Redlands, California, and how the city has since changed, including the topics of discrimination, education, citrus, and local businesses.
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  Gilbert Zamarripa Rey Interview

  1995 interview with Gilbert Zamarripa Rey. Gilbert discusses his early life in Redlands, California smudging and picking citrus. He also discusses his participation in World War II and his long career in the military.
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  Lupe R. Yglecias & Margaret Castro interview

  Interview Lupe R. Yglesias & Margaret Castro focusing on their childhood upbringing, the various types of labor their family were engaged with, and their educational progress and social mobility spanning across multiple generations.
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  Rafael Gonzales Interview

  1992 remastered interview with Rafael V. Gonzales, note: audio is of poor quality, the transcript contains many blanks due to this. Rafael Gonzales begins by discussing his work as a cobbler as well as his life growing up in Mexico City. In 1940 he immigrated to the U.S. first arriving first in Arizona and then in Montana where he worked as a bracero before picking oranges in Redlands. He discusses what it was like to work in the citrus industry and his decision to stay in the U.S. rather than return to Mexico.
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  Andres & Reyna Garcia Tape 2

  1997 Interview with Andres & Reyna Garcia. Mr. Andres Garcia accounts for living in the Labor housing and everyday life in Cone camp. He also discusses discrimination by the local police against National Mexicans and Braceros and labor organizing and strikes during the 60s.
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  2008 Calendar Page 14, Orange Pickers of Casa Blanca

  Photo of several Mexican orange pickers in a grove in the Casa Blanca neighborhood of Riverside, California in the early 1940s. They pose with a ladder and orange crate. The photo is courtesy of Semona Valero. The calendar text reads, "Orange pickers of the Casa Blanca area in the early 1940s. Photo courtesy of Semona Valero."
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  Orange Pickers of Casa Blanca

  This photo depicts several Hispanic orange pickers in a grove in the Casa Blanca neighborhood of Riverside, California in the early 1940s. The photo is courtesy of Semona Valero. Calendar text reads, "Orange pickers of the Casa Blanca area in the early 1940s. Photo courtesy of Semona Valero."
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  Blas Coyazo Interview

  Second 1994 interview with Blas Coyazo where he elaborates of his military service, citrus/migrant labor and life in Redlands up until the 1950s. Transcript for this audio begins on page 18 of the transcript document.
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  Edward Barbo Interview

  Interview with Edward Barbo, February 14, 1995. Speaks on his family arriving to Redlands, growing up in Redlands, and his military and aircraft mechanic experience.
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  Isabel "Al" Alva Interview

  1995 interview with Isabel "Al' Alva describing his life beginning with attending school in a segreagted "Latino" elementary and junior high school in Mt. Vernon, CA, his move to Redlands, CA, time spent in the citrus industry, and deploying to Korea during the Korean War after enlisting in the Air Force. Kaiser and Santa Fe railroad and Norton military base are also noted. Al's experience with Lincoln School in Redlands during the 1960's desegregation is addressed as well as his fight to launch Head Start, a community ran program designed to support low-income families and families of color. He describes Redlands "Anglo-Saxon" elites dissent of Head Start.
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  Sierra Vista Label

  The picture is a label from the Sierra Vista citrus plant in which much of the Venegas family, including Joe and Robert Venegas, worked for many years.
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  Robert and Joe Venegas

  Pictured are Joe Venegas (father) and Robert "Junie" Venegas (son). Robert was the eldest son of Joe Venegas and began working with him at the age of thirteen. Robert continued working in the groves until 1945 when he joined the army. The photograph's location is described to be a citrus grove located between Victoria Avenue and Nelson Street in Riverside, California.
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  Robert "Junie" Venegas

  Pictured is Robert "Junie" Venegas, the eldest son of the Venegas family, picking oranges in Moreno Valley. Behind him are several crates full of citrus fruit. Recounted in interviews by Manuel Venegas, workers, such as Robert "Junie," were paid by the crate.
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  John and Alice Castorena, Lee August Interview

  Married couple Alice and John Castorena retell their lives as Mexican American immigrants and describe their work, community, and social life in the citrus industry living in Rancho Sespe.
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  Raquel Aguirre Interview

  Raquel Aguirre describes her early life in Mexico and immigrating to the United States for work opportunities. With no family, she details meeting her husband and the nuances of working in a packinghouse from supervisors, and unions to her personal life aspirations.
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  Floyd Davis and Lee August

  Rancher Floyd Davis' account of rural life in the Inland Empire during the twentieth century working on and owning citrus farms while overseeing Latino workers and living on a small budget.
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  Carmelo Tepezano, Dr. Tobey, Lee August Interview

  Carmelo Tepezano describes his and his family's history in the Citrus industry working at Rancho Sespe. Discusses the Bracero Program, Japanese workers, his time in the army, and racial discrimination at Rancho Sespe.
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  Elanor Hanson, Pan, Whetheral, Olivera Interview

  Elanor Hansen describes growing up in Rancho Sespe as the daughter of the manager of the Ranch in the post-war era.
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  Raymond Karsten, Citrus Redevelopment

  The start of the interview is very unclear the conversation with the older individual is inaudible due to the wind. This issue is present from 00:02:00 till 00:03:48 when the video cuts to just scenery shots of the area. At 00:18:55 the video transitions to an antique and collectibles store that is going out of business the shop may have been known as “Junk-n-Stuff Antiques”. The store owner whose name isn’t mentioned explains where the location of the original highway was and she talks about how gradual its development has been. The interview shifts to a business owner of a fountain business that has been there for 25 years. He sees this new growth as something positive for the area and his business.
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  Epimenio Robles

  Epimenio Robles recounts his experience as a Mexican immigrant. He discusses his experience in the Bracero Program, struggles in labor, construction of the I-10 freeway, and discrimination in the citrus industry in Redlands, California.
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  The Loft: Redlands Elders Speak

  Interviewees discuss the Mexican experience in the Inland Empire from the 1930s to the 2000s as well as experience in working in the agricultural field and racial discrimination in the Inland Empire. Citrus agricultural fieldwork is discussed as well as the racial division further perpetuated by the construction of the I-10 freeway that further separated communities.
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  Bryn Mawr Interviews Nellie Rodriguez, Fred Ramos Part 1

  Bryn Mawr residents Nellie Rodriguez and Fred Ramos discuss life in Bryn Mawr. Nellie remembers moving in 1934 after working at a traveling circus, once settled she worked at the Mission Packinghouse. Fred Ramos recalls the effect of the WWII draft on the area.
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  Concepcion (Concha) Romero at Fairbanks Ranch, 1960

  Color photograph of Concepcion (Concha) Romero standing in front of the orange groves at Fairbanks Ranch. Concepcion Romero was an active member of the Divine Savior Church and was an entrepreneur. She ran restuarants and made tamales and tortillas. Her daughter Eunice Romero (Gonzales) noted, "My mother had a restaurant right here on Colton Avenue, on Lawton and Colton. There was a gas station and then a little restaurant up on old Third Street, and then her final restaurant was on Stuart and Third Street, and they were all Romero restaurants."
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  Sam Coyazo at Western Fruit Growers

  Black and white image of Samual R Coyazo standing on the bed of a truck. Taken in 1947 the image shows Samual known as "Sam" at Western Fruit Growers where he was a foreman. Handwritten on the photo is "Sam Coyazo, 1128 Lawton Street. Redland California, Best wishes to you always, phone 25636"
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  Concepcion (Concha) Romero at Fairbanks Ranch, 1960

  Color photograph of Concepcion (Concha) Romero standing in front of the orange groves at Fairbanks Ranch. Concepcion Romero was an active member of the Divine Savior Church and was an entreprenuer. She ran restuarants and made tamales and tortillas. Her daughter Eunice Romero (Gonzales) noted, "My mother had a restaurant right here on Colton Avenue, on Lawton and Colton. There was a gas station and then a little restaurant up on old Third Street, and then her final restaurant was on Stuart and Third Street, and they were all Romero restaurants."