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Photographed is Albert Alvarado, presumably in combat or training. Alvarado is shirtless but is wearing the rest of his military uniform. Next to him is his helmet rested on top of machinery that reads "Bad News" in cursive font. He is also standing in front of some type of weapons and gear.
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A black and white photograph of a woman holding onto a young man in service attire as they are posing for the camera in front of a tree. Another person, who looks to be a younger child, is in the background to the left of the two, facing away from the camera and sitting down on a bench made of rocks.
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A group of people gathered around the sidewalk of a street block, watching a man dressed in a sombrero and pantalon charro on a horse walking along the street. It is a sunny day as some of the people have hats, sunglasses, and are shielding their eyes from the sun with their hands.The onlookers are standing in front of buildings including some with the signs "Nevada Hotel" and "Lovely Lady." There could be a celebration or cultural parade happening.
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Simona Valero has been part of the Casa Blanca Community for decades since she was a little girl until much later into her life. She lived in Casa Blanca with her parents and family member during the boom of citrus in Southern California. She and her husband John met as a result of the bracero program that allowed John to come and work in the United States. She dedicated much of her life to the development of much of Casa Blanca’s culture and social programs. Not only was she part of Casa Blanca’s development but she also experienced many of the effects of citrus work during that time like many of Casa Blanca. Simona discusses the various cultures, religions, and people that were apart of Casa Blanca since her time as part of the community. Simona also provides various anecdotes of family events and experiences that made her who she is to this day.
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Richard Rubio discusses his family history and upbringing; his grandparents were displaced by the Mexican Revolution and fled to the United States. From there, they became involved with the citrus industry from a more administrative level, given their upper-class Mexican background and coinciding education. He discusses numerous odd-end jobs his family pursued throughout mainly California, while occasionally touching upon the controversial politics surrounding the Bracero Program of the 1930s. Rubio's interview provides a good description of the Bracero camp amenities, rules, varying conditions or camps around California, and the apparel of those arriving at the camp.
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Ray discusses his experiences working within packing houses in the Inland Empire's Citrus Industry.
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This interview in Spanish recounts the life of Guadalupe as she worked in California's citrus industry throughout southern California. She discusses the nuances of this work, such as gender roles within the industry that dictated women work in packaging and men in the fields.
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This interview focuses on the citrus industry from a nontraditional perspective-that of an Afghani immigrant. The interview details the wars experienced by Bashid while living in Afghanistan prior to his arrival in the USA. It also expands upon the challenges faced by Afghani agriculturalists in the Nangarhar Provence of Afghanistan.
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This interview revolves around the storied life and varied experiences Esther Ambriz had growing up in Riverside, California. Topics discussed include immigration, deportation, the earnest yet still difficult pursuit of higher education for Latinos, and discrimination. There is an emphasis on triumph and pride in the interview on the part of Esther, who raised an accomplished, educated family with little resources or privilege at her immediate disposal. Her family was first spurred to move to the U.S.due to the violence enrapturing Mexico during yet another one of its many revolutions, as well as perceived economic opportunities present in the U.S.
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Doctor Lulamae Clemons with her son Frank McClanahan came to Riverside in 1955 and began to participate in a series of civil rights movements, dedicated to desegregating the schools in Riverside, as well as those in Rialto. In this interview, Doctor Lumamae Clemons discusses the struggles she went through during her early life, and her experiences in her involvement in various social groups such as NAACP, the Urban League, and so on. Frank McClanahan, who spent more than thirty-five years in Riverside with Doctor Clemons, also shared his experience
in witnessing how Riverside transformed from orange groves into a sizable and comprehensive city.
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Doctor Lulamae Clemons was born in Weiner, Arkansas on December 27th, 1917 and moved to Pueblo, Colorado when she was young. After moving to Colorado, Lulamae attended Pueblo Elementary School. She graduated from Centennial High School, Pueblo, Colorado in 1984, and later in her life, she met with Doc Ray W. Johnson, who decided to give colored students a chance, in New York during an interview, and moved to Riverside to continue with her career. In this interview, Doctor Lulamae Clemons discusses the hardship and struggles she went through in her early life. As the pioneer African American educator in Riverside, she faced many oppositions from some local board members. Despite the difficulties and obstacles, she ended up earning her doctorate degree in Education, as well as publishing books for the local educators. In the end, she also shared some interesting moments of her interactions with Riverside County students, and some fun facts about herself.
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Dallas Holmes is interviewed about the transition from citrus groves to the large housing developments in Riverside, California. He speaks about the local politics and fiscal greed that ultimately shifted Riverside from the agricultural sector/area to a more industrial, service, and suburban area. He is also proud that he was able to salvage some of the citrus groves from Riverside's past.
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In the 1940's Bob Lynn, was a former citrus grove owner in Riverside County. Both his grandfather and his father worked for the industry throughout the early 1900s. He recalls having owned more than one hundred acres of navel oranges in the City of Riverside. His grandfather was first involved in the Sunkist industry when he became a manager for the Arlington Heights packing house, where he inspected citrus wooden boxes and shipped them to different states. Lynn's father became an inspector for Sunkist, making sure fruit had been properly waxed and wrapped. When Lynn was six, he worked for his family’s citrus groves, killing gophers in the fields. At the height of the citrus acreage decline, he recalled a change in climate; the air became hotter and there were less trees, as buildings and blacktops replaced navel groves. With the decline of the citrus industry in Riverside, he worked to preserve the groves and became one of the founders of the Riverside Historical State Park, providing tours to the locals and establishing the Sunkist and gazebo areas, and was one of UCR’s first varial tree growers.
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Helen Armstrong, Eunice Lisberg and Thelma King discuss their lives in Riverside and Monrovia. This interview mainly focuses on the economic disparities faced by the black community. They recount their experiences growing up in segregated schooling in Southern California, as well as how her family survived the great depression. Lastly, debates revolving around the origins of citrus emerge in which the region's history comes into dispute.
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This interview largely focuses on the practices involved in working in a citrus grove. Steve Reyes recalls his time as a "rata" a child laborer working in the citrus industry. The main practice outlined in the interview was smudging, a process in which smoke was used to prevent frost accumulation on the citrus plants. Reyes emphasis on a united family unit being core to the old values of Mexican American life.
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The interviewee goes into great depth and detail describing the nature of mid-twentieth-century American citrus industry practices and culture in Southern California among primarily Mexican immigrant communities (Filipinos are occasionally mentioned). He describes what it meant to be a child laborer (termed ratas) experiencing discrimination, and political impacts on the citrus industry over time. There is also an emphasis on resilience and making the best out of less than optimal situations, such as remaining steadfast in obtaining an education while simultaneously facing the ongoing threat of deportation.
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1997 interview with road layer Manuel Reynosa and his wife Patricia Reynosa. The interview begins with a discussion of Reynosa's family history including immigration from Silao in Guanajuato and building a home in Colton, CA. The Reynosas discuss Manuel's stepfather, Elvenjez Nuñez's work selling fertilizer and magazines from Mexico for extra money, working in agriculture with citrus and walnuts, and working on the canals in Riverside. During the depression, Manuel's first job was picking mustard plants out of the alfalfa fields in Cooley Ranch for 25 cents a day, then putting fertilizer on orange groves, irrigating and picking oranges in Highgrove, Agua Mansa, and Bryn Mawr. After WWII Manuel worked laying roads in San Bernardino and at a winery in Colton, construction, and irrigating for Western Fruit Growers. Patricia Reynosa discusses some of the local organizations they were involved in including the Progrestista and the Feminil which started in 1970 and was still in existence at the time of the interview. Patricia also discusses her work at Norton Airforce Base. At the conclusion of the interview, they discuss the 1938 flood and other floods in the region.
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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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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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1994 interview with Rose Ramos. Rose discussed her life growing up in East Highland and her participation in community efforts to improve Redlands. Additionally, she discusses her and her grandparents' participation in the citrus industry.
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2000 interview with Jose M. Ramirez. Ramirez discusses his life in both Southern California and Mexico, including his time working in citrus fields and navigating finding work.
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1997 interview with Rita Richardson Radeleff about her Mexican and Scottish family background. From Antonio Vasquez' interview preface: ""Her family story provided insights into the depth and diversity of Mexican settlement in Redlands. Up to the time Rita and I spoke, all of my interviews included people primarily of Mexican descent, most of whom lived, worked, or spent some point of their life in the barrio of north Redlands. With her interview, my efforts to gather stories and history widened in scope and geography to include information about 19th and early 20 th century settlement in south Redlands by working class Mexicans and people of European descent like her father, Palmer Leland Richardson, a chauffeur and a small business owner. Rita’s story as well as that of her mother Tomasita, whose strength and determination first as a young widow, then in an interracial marriage, and finally as a working single mother are fascinating to read. They also contribute to an emerging multi-faceted historical portrait of Mexican women in and out of their homes, a subject this series only begins to touch upon. I had several conversations with Rita about her family and her experiences and in this interview, she reads sections from her self-authored family history."
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1997 Interview with Connie Mcfarland. Connie talks about her experience in high school and church choir in Redlands CA.
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Interview with Oddie Martinez on April 18, 1994. Oddie discusses his life growing up in Redlands, California, his experience serving in the Navy during World War II, the Redlands citrus industry, his career in education, his local activism, and his involvement in local politics (first Mexican Mayor of Redlands, 1978-1982).
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Interview with Armando Lopez on February 9, 1995. Armando discusses his early life in Redlands, California, including the sharp divide between the Presbyterian and Catholic communities. Additionally, he discusses his career as a teacher and administrator and the struggles for equity in the public school system. Also speaks about his local activism.