Mexican history in Redlands needs recording By Toni Momberger, Staff Writer POSTED: 03/16/12 Remember the weather on Saturday? I went for a walking tour in that, and I am a mega cold-weather sissy. The tour, though, was about Mexican Heritage in Redlands, and rain, wind and cold were no match for my enthusiasm. Antonio Gonzalez, whose family history in Redlands goes back a century, is a historian by trade. He said it was only a few years ago that he realized he knew nothing of the Mexican history in this town. Why? Its not recorded. Gonzalez had to embark on this project from scratch, by interviewing people in town, gleaning what stories have been passed down by parents. The six of us who showed up started our tour in the Santa Fe Depot on Orange Street. As I stood there I looked around and imagined peoples first impression of Redlands back in the day. Gonzalez showed us an old black-and-white of a stern looking family. The toddler in the photo was Blas Coyazo, his first interview. The woman shown by his side was pregnant with him when she set out for Redlands on foot from Zacatecas, Mexico, in 1911. She knew about this town, where there was work to be found unloading gravel trucks at the depot, building the downtown or picking and packing oranges, because of a letter Gonzalez had a copy of. The family name was originally spelled Collazo. At some point members had had enough of gringo mispronunciation and put a Y in it. Gonzalez said the tracks were a natural place to start the tour. In many towns, he said, tracks divide the people who work from the people of wealth, and in the 1950s, Redlands was highly segregated. He pointed down the tracks to Texas Street and said thats where the Floral Plunge was. It was a pool where the Mexican kids could swim anytime. It was built by the Presbyterian church. The Redlands Plunge at Sylvan Park allowed Mexicans, but only on Tuesdays. The pools weekly cleaning was Tuesday night. Across the street we saw the Flamingo. In the 40s, this was the only bar on the south side of the tracks that would serve anybody. It was run by a German couple named Schulte, but the Mexicans couldnt pronounce that, so they call called it Shootys. We stepped into the wet and crossed the tracks. Gonzalez opened his arms wide and said this was where most of the businesses that served Mexicans used to be. The Vons center is where Dill Lumber used to be; Aesthetics was Garden Motors. Just past whats now Banned Board Shop was Tal Powells barber shop. Powell was deaf and gave a lousy haircut, but he welcomed anyone. Whats now OReillys, Gonzalez said, was the skating rink. They had Spanish Night on Wednesdays. I stopped at this and stared at the building. One of my favorite family stories is how my grandparents met. It was Spanish Night at the skating rink and my grandpa saw grama wheeling around with a red scarf flying behind her. It was love at first sight. It happened right where I was standing, and I had never realized. We stopped at the corner where Chipotle is and he pointed to the grass slope against the freeway. There were two-story homes, there. The nicest homes on the North Side were displaced by the 10 (the Dime). The families were given money to relocate, but instead of building nice replacement homes on the North Side, they rebuilt out of town. We huddled in the underpass and got a lesson about the freeway. Gonzalez said second to the Wall of China, its the longest man-made structure on the planet. He said there were five options for where to build it, and 90 percent of Redlanders didnt want it running through town. He also intimated that the division it created between the haves and the have-nots was much more detrimental than the tracks. The division of town was a constant theme of my interviews, but it was not what I was looking for, Gonzalez said. I wanted to know what the totality of peoples lives are, not just the part that made them feel bad. He wants to focus on why instead of fleeing the community, people embraced it, putting together churches and marching bands. He pointed out of the underpass to the Stater Bros. market, the site of the Casa Loma Hotel. My great-grandfather worked there as a bellhop. He pointed to the other corner, where the Wyatt Opera House stood. This was not for people of color, but on Sundays they allowed the Mexican American Philharmonic Orchestra of Redlands to perform. He had a photo of the massive ensemble, all in uniform - trombone or clarinet in hand and sombrero on head. It was an outstanding photo. We ventured to the corner, where Gonzalez pointed toward the cake decorating store, which used to be the Five and Dime. Where the opera house stood later was Winns drug store and soda fountain, and the Bank of America. He said everybody knew Tom Winn and his family. This legacy is my aspiration. I hope one day people talk about the Facts, and say everybody knew Toni and Doug, and you were always welcome to pop into Tonis office and talk about town or the paper or your own family. Gonzalez noted that a couple decades ago service businesses got out of working-class areas. The trend was for liquor stores and check-cashing places to come in. He wrinkled his nose in disapproval and challenged us to find a postal center on the North Side. This tidbit made me especially sad: There used to be a mini branch of the library in a church on Union, but in the 80s it was a victim of Proposition 13, Gonzalez said. He had a picture of three children getting books off the shelves. His pictures were safely encased in plastic, and we passed them around in the rain. I tried to Tweet what I was learning, but my hands were trembling and wet, and the touch screen was not my friend. Everyone else was shivering too, so we cried Uncle and went into the donut shop. There, Gonzalez told us about the House of Neighborly Service, a private community center at Lawton and Stuart that served the Mexican population. Ive heard this at home. My grama was one of nine children. They lived on the corner of Webster and Western, where they sang and danced. In 1935 my 18-year-old Auntie MaryAnn organized the neighborhood kids into the Spanish Troubadors. (Auntie Roxie says, no, they were called the Mexican Troubadors.) They performed at the House of Neighborly Service, and were also hired to perform at parties all over Redlands, and at the Country and Contemporary clubs. MaryAnn played accompanied on piano. There were too many girls, so my grama had to dress up like a boy. At the time she was 9 and Roxie was 6. Printed here are my familys photos from that time. Gonzalez showed photos of a pageant put on at the House of Neighborly Service - Redlands answer to the Ramona Pageant. One of the ladies shown was my Auntie Martha Romero. Gonzalez has a book published, but says he has enough information and photos to make a second one. He also has a film, Living on the Dime, which he screens periodically in town. We must make sure another generation of children dont grow up not knowing their history, he said. His book and film can be pre-ordered through him. He will hold History Day on May 4 at the Community Center and give a bus tour on Cinco de Mayo. To contact him, email panchebek@gmail. redlandsdailyfacts/general-news/20120317/mexican-history-in-redlands-needs-recording
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:28:00 +0000
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