Dreams & Life on the Prairie

Panel Discussion - Agenda

Dreams and Life on the Prairie - The History of Latinos in McLean County - 1880 to the present

Sueños y vida en la llanura - La historia de los latinos en el condado de McLean desde el 1880 hasta el presente

A Project of the McLean County History Museum

Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. in the Governor Fifer Courtroom

Bloomington, IL

I. Welcome and Introduction of Moderator - Greg Koos, Executive Director, McLean County History Museum

II. Moderator - Ingrid Ramirez

a. Brief comments

b. Read Artist’s Statement (Rebecca Hawkins-Valadez)

c. Recognition of corporate support from Country Financial & support from Illinois State University’s Latin American and Latino Studies

Program directed by Dr. Maura Toro-Morn

d. Introduction of Panelists

III. Panel Discussion

a. Paul Segobiano, McLean County Board Member - A descendant of the "early" Mexican arrivals in the County, Paul will share his

thoughts on growing up in Bloomington.

b. Sal Valadez, MA - Will provide a summary of research and oral histories related to the project (PowerPoint Presentation)

c. Mark Wyman, PhD - Professor Emeritus, History, Illinois State University – Maura will discuss the early history and background of

Mexican migration into the US, the early beginnings in railroad work, then in agriculture and mining and thoughts about how Mexicans

reached Illinois.

d. Maura Toro-Morn, PhD - Director Latino Studies Program, Illinois State University - Maura will discuss ISU Latino Studies Program’s

present and future involvement in the project. She will also share her perspectives on what it means to be Hispanic/Latino.

IV. Question & Answer Session

V. La Despedida/Closing Comments - Greg Koos - Thank you for attending, please take the opportunity to visit the Fiesta! Exhibit on the

third floor.

Artist’s Statement

This painting entitled Dreams and Life on the Prairie/Suenos y Vida en la Llanura was ―commissioned‖ by

my husband Sal Valadez to represent the project and discussion. Sal told me of images he had in mind, what

he envisioned the piece to portray and then trusted I would use my talents as a painter and my experience as a

member of my Mexican family to tell a story through art.

I took the information Sal offered into consideration as well as memories of his father and mother telling their

story of how they came to the United States, and the many stories I have heard from others who came here

for a better life.

The sky, with the sun setting and twilight approaching is representative of dreams; dreams of better things to

come, dreams that family will be reunited. The train - Alton Railroad’s Abraham Lincoln (circa 1930’s) -

represents those that worked for the railroads.

The corn is a familiar and important image of both McLean County and Mexico. The man, a worker, is seen

with a photo of family in his pocket, family he hopes can join him soon.

I wanted to show only half of his face, but I could not articulate why. Dr. Maura Toro-Morn did that for me

when she first viewed the work. ―It is allegorical, many who came here, left part of themselves and their lives

behind.‖ Maura, gave me the words for what I as an artist tried to project, but did not have the personal

experience to say.

It was an extreme honor to be asked to do the piece for my husband and for the McLean County History

Museum’s Latino History Project to use the image.

Rebecca ―Bec‖ Hawkins-Valadez

Dreams & Life on the Prairie - The History of Latinos in McLean County, Illinois 1880 to the Present

Presented by: Sal Valadez, MA

Lead Researcher - Latino History Project

McLean County Museum of History

3 November 2012

Project Overview – The Story of A Journey

Who is the Latino community?

Why did they come to McLean County?

When did they get here?

Where did they work?

How did they live?

What did they contribute?

I. Research of the Historical Record (census and immigration

records, newspaper articles, photographs, birth, marriage, and death

records, military service records, employment records)

II. Oral Histories

III. The telling of the story (research papers, publications)

IV. Additional research

The people that we know as ―Latino‖

today, began arriving in McLean County in the

1870’s.

The first arrivals were of Spanish and Portuguese descent.

The earliest record is an entry in the 1880 U.S, Census.

The ―record‖ tells stories of hardship, struggles and

sometimes, of untimely death.

It is a story of hope and dreams.

And for many, it is a story of ―becoming‖ American.

McLean County, IL

1876 Railroad Map

Latinos & Railroads in McLean County

C&A Shops 1920

Work – Canning FactoriesSource: Souvenir of Bloomington Illinois 1912 CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois http://www.archive.org/details/souvenirofbloomi1912comm

http://www.archive.org/details/souvenirofbloomi1912comm

Key Events Impacting Mexican Immigration

The Chinese Exclusionary Act 1882 & the Mexican Revolution 1910–1930

World War I 1914 -1918 Poster image (left) Courtesy of http://hobnobblog.com/ Soldaderas Photo (Right) Courtesy of www.latinamericanstudies.org

http://hobnobblog.com/

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/

Mexican Revolution

Execution by the dreaded Rurales

Enforcers for the President of the Mexican Republic, Porfirio Diaz Photo courtesy of www.latinamericanstudies.org

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/

WW II & The Bracero Program 1942 – 1964Left photo courtesy of www.examiner.com

Right photo courtesy of www.santafenewmexican.com

http://www.examiner.com/

http://images.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0PDoVxDIKpQ5QMAtzqjzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBtdXBkbHJyBHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmw-/SIG=13cup8s9b/EXP=1353355459/**http:/www.santafenewmexican.com/Local News/Recording-a-history-of-backbreaking-work

U.S Railroad Ties to MexicoPublished: November 27, 1907

Copyright © The New York Times

Shonts May Head the Alton –

FELTON GOES TO MEXICO

United Mine Workers Journal

July 11, 1918

Attitudes to Mexican Labor

Railway Age Gazette July 1, 1912 to December 31, 1912 Issue, p. 519, (Google Books)

1928 -Death on the Rails

Cristobal Montañez

McLean County, IL U.S Census Data

Finding:

A preliminary survey of original U.S. Census forms

from 1880-1940 indicates that there were Latinos

(primarily people of Mexican origin) living in

Bloomington, Normal, Towanda, Bellflower, and

Chenoa.

1880 U.S. Census – Bloomington, IL

Anthony & Catherine Frances

Born in Spain & IrelandSource: Ancestry.com

The mystery of the boxcar community on the Alton Railroad right of way (see

reference to the boxcars at the lower left margin). Source: Ancestry.com

WW I Draft

Mexicans in McLean CountySource: Ancestry.com

WW I Draft


WW I Draft


WW II Draft


WW II & Korean War Veterans

• Lorenzo Garcia (WW II & Korea) - Chenoa IL

• Paul Segobiano (Korea) – Bloomington, IL

(more Latinos have served, additional research

is needed)

Arthur & MattieVasconcellos arrived in B/N around 1912.

Son Arthur (shorter of the two men pictured below) and his wife Antionette were the Flying Concellos. Family is of

Portuguese descent.Circus poster (left ) Courtesy of www.mearsonlineauctions.com. Photo (right) Courtesy of the Circus Historical Society www.circushistory.org

http://www.mearsonlineauctions.com/

http://images.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0PDoQ7RHqpQL2EA5tajzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBtdXBkbHJyBHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmw-/SIG=1298t5vp3/EXP=1353355089/**http:/www.circushistory.org/Bandwagon/bw-1964Mar.htm

Agapito ―Pete‖ Garcia & Felicia (Flores) Garcia

Settled in Chenoa, IL around 1915Source: Pantagraph Newspaper

• CHENOA — Lorenzo Garcia, 86, of Chenoa passed away at 10:16 p.m. Saturday (March 26, 2011)

• Lorenzo was born Aug. 10, 1924, in Chenoa, the son of Agapito and Felicia (Flores) Garcia. He married Precentacion Ramirez on Dec. 5, 1953, in San Carlos, Mexico.

• Lorenzo served our country in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. He was employed for more than 45 years by GM&O Railroad and later Illinois Central Railroad, retiring in 1986.

• Presentacion Ramirez Garcia, 83 of Chenoa, passed away at 10:00 pm, Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at her residence in Chenoa.

• Presentacion was born November 21, 1928 in Crowell, TX the daughter of Tiburcio and Maria Ramos Ramirez. She married Lorenzo Garcia on December 5, 1953 in San Carlos, Mexico. He passed away March 26, 2011.

• Survivors include one son; Ernest Garcia and two grandchildren, Anne Marie and Paul Lorenzo Garcia all of Fairbury; three sisters, Francisca Borrego of Plainview, TX; GilbertaMartinez of Bloomington; and Teresa (Domingo) Carranza of Chenoa and many loving nieces and nephews.

1920’s -Pedro ―Pete‖ and Graciana Chavez

Arrived in El Paso, on foot in 1910 – U.S. Certificate of Arrival

Pedro travelled a total of 2,000 miles from Moroleon, Guanajuato, Mexico to McLean County

George Segobiano

At age 11, left El Paso as a Water Boy on the Santa Fe RR

From Guanajuato, Mexico to El Paso, TX to Bloomington IL (1,900 miles)

Bloomington Railroad Days, July 15, 1936(Courtesy of the McLean County Museum of History)

Salvador ―El Conejo/Rabbit‖ Sandoval Galvan

& Maria Alfaro Sandoval

Patricia, Sylvia, Sandra & Luis Sandoval 1975

Latino Stories

Hardships

Hard work and faith

Latino heritage and proud Americans

Family, friends, church and community

Celebration of life events

Education

Humor & Optimism

The telling of Latino stories has just begun.