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Articles 2551 - 2580 of 5519

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

Interview No. 1150, Roberto Garcia S. May 2006

Interview No. 1150, Roberto Garcia S.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Garcia gives a detailed description of his parents, siblings and children; he recalls his father becoming a bracero and the difficulties he and his family faced; they had to work the land and care for the animals on their own; in addition, he describes the various tasks his mother had to perform as well; he later began working illegally in Arizona against his father’s wishes; during the midfifties he went with a coyote in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, and later to Empalme, Sonora, México, to enlist as a bracero; on average, he had to wait there for at least fifteen …

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Interview No. 1151, Lorenzo González May 2006

Interview No. 1151, Lorenzo González

Combined Interviews

Mr. González recalls writing letters to his mother while he was in the United States; he states there was always a lot of work to be done, which always led to a chance to make money; as a bracero, some of his duties included working with machines that picked lettuce and driving tractors and transportation buses; in addition, while he was in Fresno, California, he was a foreman, and he was responsible for picking up braceros at the processing centers; it was difficult, because oftentimes more men than they needed loaded themselves into the truck in the hope of getting …

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Interview No. 1153, Froylan Huerta May 2006

Interview No. 1153, Froylan Huerta

Combined Interviews

Mr. Huerta briefly describes his family and what it was like growing up in a small town; he recalls that in order to get on the list of available workers in Empalme, Sonora, México, he had to pay between six and eight hundred pesos and wait one or two months to be called; while there he worked washing dishes at a restaurant in exchange for food; he explains the entire process he underwent, including medical exams; from there he was transported in a train, like an animal, to Mexicali, Baja California, México; he also describes the centers he passed through …

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Interview No. 1159, Ignacio Serna Gallardo May 2006

Interview No. 1159, Ignacio Serna Gallardo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Serna recalls the small town he grew up in and how it changed over the years; he also talks about his life on the ranch; his uncles and cousins who worked as braceros told him it was easy money; during the late forties, he came to the United States illegally, and while he was in Harlingen, Texas, he was able to obtain a bracero contract; he chronicles the process he went through, including the necessary documentation and medical examinations; furthermore, he was stripped and deloused in public, which he describes as something embarrassing that took away his dignity; although …

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Interview No. 1155, Herminio Martinez May 2006

Interview No. 1155, Herminio Martinez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martinez recalls learning about the bracero program through the television; in 1962, he decided to enlist in the program; his father borrowed five hundred pesos to help him on the condition that he would in turn pay fifty dollars; Herminio describes going through a processing center in Chihuahua, México, where there were many people; he then went to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, where there were so many people that they all slept on the floor; from there, the men were transported by bus to a reception center where they were medically examined, which included blood samples, x-rays, and being …

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Interview No. 1156, Maria L. Menchaca May 2006

Interview No. 1156, Maria L. Menchaca

Combined Interviews

Ms. Menchaca describes growing up in a small town; in 1942, the year she was born, her father, Antonio Ortega Estrada, went to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, to enlist in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in Arizona, California, and Texas on the railroads and in the fields picking carrots, cotton, grapes, lettuce, and tomatoes; although María was too young to remember her father being in the program, he frequently spoke of his experiences; Antonio endured being stripped and fumigated out of necessity; oftentimes, he worked from sun up to sun down, which was especially difficult; he slept on …

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Interview No. 1163, Apolonio Venegas May 2006

Interview No. 1163, Apolonio Venegas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Venegas talks about his family and how they all worked hard to make ends meet; they moved around before settling in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, México; he later went to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, with a group of thirty-five men to enlist in the bracero program; at the time, he was very naïve and thought that the work would be easy, but it was extremely difficult; as a bracero, he worked throughout California picking apples, beets, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, pears, and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, housing, living conditions, provisions, daily routines, duties, treatment, correspondence, payments, and …

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Interview No. 1075, Juan Guerrero Nava May 2006

Interview No. 1075, Juan Guerrero Nava

Combined Interviews

Mr. Guerrero explains that during the late 1950s, he enlisted in the bracero program; in order to get the necessary papers, he had to pick a given amount of cotton; he also talks about the various contracting centers he went through, including Monterrey, Nuevo León, Irapuato, Guanajuato and Empalme, Sonora, México; as part of the process, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; he also went through centers in Calexico, California and McAllen, Texas; from these centers he was transported by bus to the worksites and given a bologna and cheese sandwich for the ride; although he did not really …

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Interview No. 1071, Tarsicio Ortíz May 2006

Interview No. 1071, Tarsicio Ortíz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ortíz talks about his father’s time as a bracero; he initially enlisted in the bracero program during the 1940s, before he married; some of his friends were hesitant to join, because they were afraid of being sent off to war; even so, he had to take the chance; he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; his hands were checked for calluses; some of the men that did not have any work experience rubbed sticks together in their hands to make calluses; he often talked to Tarsicio about how difficult life in México was and how working …

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Interview No. 1078, Arturo Berumen May 2006

Interview No. 1078, Arturo Berumen

Combined Interviews

Mr. Berumen talks about his father becoming a bracero, in the early 1950s; because he was very young, he changed the dates on his papers so he could complete his military service early and get a contract sooner; just as he finished his service, he learned a bus was already leaving for Guanajuato, México; he gathered his things and left without even saying good-bye to his mother; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California picking and packing tomatoes; he also made friends that he traveled with to and from México; one of his employers helped him send …

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Interview No. 1076, Luis Estrada E. May 2006

Interview No. 1076, Luis Estrada E.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Estrada explains that the year after he was born, his father, Miguel, enlisted in the bracero program; Luis recalls his father leaving for the United States; the family went to the bus station in town that was three hours away; he would not let go of his father, which he knows made him feel bad; his father left in order to find better opportunities for his children; Miguel traveled by bus from Michoacán to Sonora, México, with his brother, where they suffered greatly to get the necessary papers to enlist; his brother regretted ever going, because they endured so …

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Interview No. 1077, Elsa Murillo Rodríguez May 2006

Interview No. 1077, Elsa Murillo Rodríguez

Combined Interviews

Ms. Murillo describes her childhood as very sad without her father; he was a bracero until the early 1960s; he labored in the fields of Texas picking apples and oranges; several of her other family members were also braceros; there were times while her father was away that they did not have enough money for food, and their grandparents helped care for them; while he was gone, her oldest brother was killed; they did not have enough money to bury him, but her father was able to return home quickly and help them; her father returned home roughly every two …

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Interview No. 1146, Jesus Bautista R. May 2006

Interview No. 1146, Jesus Bautista R.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Bautista briefly discusses his family and childhood; he was married in 1947, and he and his wife later had four children; by 1956, his wife became very ill, which prompted him to enlist in the bracero program in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México; from there he was transported to Empalme, Sonora, México, then to Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he underwent medical examinations; as a bracero, he labored primarily in California, picking blackberries, cherries, pears, strawberries, and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the different worksites, duties, schedules, living conditions, provisions, housing, accommodations, payments, and remittances; in addition, he describes an …

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Interview No. 1148, Francisco De Casas M. May 2006

Interview No. 1148, Francisco De Casas M.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Casas describes what it was like growing up on a ranch and how he helped with the land and the animals; he initially learned about the bracero program through people that would go to the ranches and charge roughly three hundred pesos to enlist people; in 1948, he enlisted as a bracero and went through a contracting center in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México; from there he traveled by bus to the border; he was later examined, which included getting x-rays and being deloused; as a bracero, he worked in Arizona and California planting, watering, picking, and packing various fruits and …

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Interview No. 1158, Rosario Renteria May 2006

Interview No. 1158, Rosario Renteria

Combined Interviews

Ms. Renteria talks about her family at length, including each of her siblings, and their corresponding occupations and families; her father, Eugenio Rentería, was a campesino, who later enlisted in the bracero program; she describes him as an extremely hard worker, fighter, and survivor; as a bracero, he worked in Calexico, Coachella, and Indio, California, picking cotton and dates; he often traveled back and forth between the United States and México; while working in Calexico, he was transferred to Indio; although he could not write, he regularly had someone help him so he could send letters and money home; Rosario’s …

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Interview No. 1160, Jesus Tellez Sanchez May 2006

Interview No. 1160, Jesus Tellez Sanchez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Tellez recalls his hometown, going to school, and working with his father; in 1953, he was able to get on the list of eligible workers in order to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; from there he was transported by train to El Paso, Texas, where he was medically examined, which including being stripped and deloused; the men who fumigated the braceros, however, wore uniforms for protection as well as masks; while at the processing center in Rio Vista, he was fed eggs, beans, and tortillas; before leaving for his …

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Interview No. 1161, Clemente Velazquez May 2006

Interview No. 1161, Clemente Velazquez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Velazquez recollects the humble home where he grew up with its roof made of grass and rocks; when he was twelve years old, he was responsible for about twenty cows on the hacienda; he was already married by the time he was roughly fifteen years old; not long after, he came to the United States illegally to work; he remembers hearing his uncles talk about the bracero program; in 1956, he was able to get on the list of eligible workers in order to get contracted in Empalme, Sonora, México; when not on the list, he had the option …

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Interview No. 1162, Pedro Velazquez L May 2006

Interview No. 1162, Pedro Velazquez L

Combined Interviews

Mr. Velazquez recalls learning to work the land with his family; in 1959, he traveled to Empalme, Sonora, to enlist in the bracero program, but his name was not on the list of eligible workers; in order he had to get the necessary papers, he had to pick two thousand kilos of cotton, which was very hard work; from then on, he preferred to pay a coyote to get the documentation; from there he went to Mexicali, Baja California, México, and the center there was only open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM; his first contract took him to Arizona, …

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Interview No. 1066, Fortino Covarrubias May 2006

Interview No. 1066, Fortino Covarrubias

Combined Interviews

Mr. Covarrubias recalls growing up and seeing several of the men in his community going to work in the United States, which inspired him to do the same; in 1949, shortly after completing his military service, he enlisted in the bracero program; he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he suffered greatly during the four months he waited for a contract; upon crossing into the United States, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused, like an animal; as a bracero, he completed one contract and labored in the fields of California, picking grapes, strawberries and tomatoes; he goes on to …

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Interview No. 1079, Jose Alvarez M. May 2006

Interview No. 1079, Jose Alvarez M.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Alvarez remembers growing up hearing his father talk about the United States; he was about ten years old when his father was a bracero; he often sent money, and the family lived off of that and what little they could bring in from the fields; his father completed roughly five contracts; after he passed away, José decided to enlist in the bracero program in 1953; he and his two brothers signed up on the list of eligible workers in their hometown of Jamay, Jalisco, México; even though he was only sixteen at the time, he was still able to …

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Interview No. 1080, Ismael Rodríguez May 2006

Interview No. 1080, Ismael Rodríguez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rodríguez talks about his childhood and how sad it was, including his father’s death when he was only six years old; as a young man, he looked for work wherever he could find it; when he learned about the bracero program, he saw it as an opportunity to save money and help his family; in order to join, he had to put himself on the list of eligible workers; as part of the contracting process, he had to present his birth certificate, proof of military service and other documents; in addition, he was medically examined and deloused; as a …

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Howard R. Dufour: The Cold War Aerospace Technology History Project (Interview 2), James A. Kohler, Howard R. Dufour May 2006

Howard R. Dufour: The Cold War Aerospace Technology History Project (Interview 2), James A. Kohler, Howard R. Dufour

Cold War Aerospace Technology Oral Histories (MS-431)

James Kohler interviewed Howard DuFour on May 24, 2006 for the Cold War Aerospace Technologies History Project. In the interview Mr. DuFour discusses his role in the development of military technology during the Cold War. This is the second of three interviews with Mr. DuFour.

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Interview No. 1312, Pedro Rivera May 2006

Interview No. 1312, Pedro Rivera

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rivera Duran briefly talks about his hometown and what his life was like growing up; he briefly recalls his family and his childhood; he remembers hearing stories about the bracero program and decided to join; he went through the hiring process at San Luis de la Paz to become a bracero; he traveled from Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico to Mexicali; he briefly describes the transportation and the required documents; as part of the process, he was medically examined, vaccinated, and deloused; he spent most of his time in the San Fernando Valley and Escondido, California; he worked in the citrus …

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Interview No. 1291, Jesús M. Calles Quijada May 2006

Interview No. 1291, Jesús M. Calles Quijada

Combined Interviews

Mr. Calles Quijada talks about his hometown and working in agriculture and with livestock while growing up; he talks about how his father’s land was eventually taken from him; he briefly discusses how he met his wife, Magdalena Vazquez; he remembers the contracting process and describes the medical exams and required documents; he was stripped, examined, and deloused; he describes the process as humiliating, especially for the indigenous that came from the South; Mr. Calles Quijada talks about working ten hours a day cleaning ditches and irrigating the fields in Imperial Valley; Mr. Calles Quijada also labored in the fields …

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Interview No. 1294, Josefina Fajardo May 2006

Interview No. 1294, Josefina Fajardo

Combined Interviews

Ms. Fajardo vividly describes details of her childhood and adolescence; although she moved around often, she settled for a time in Mexicali, Baja California, México; a few blocks from where she lived people regularly gathered in front of a school during bracero contracting sessions; many of them waited for days, slept outside on the floor, and ate whatever they could or begged for food; she saw what they had to endure and felt sorry for them; later, she unknowingly started dating a bracero; he told her he worked at a bar, because he was too embarrassed and did not want …

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Interview No. 1296, Rafael Hernández May 2006

Interview No. 1296, Rafael Hernández

Combined Interviews

In search for employment, Mr. Hernández traveled from San Luis Potosí to Hermosillo, Mexico where he found out about the bracero program; he was required to demonstrate that he was capable of picking cotton; he picked seven hundred kilos of cotton in fifteen days; he was given a letter which certified that he was a farm laborer and available for employment; he then traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have calloused hands; he and approximately 150 other men traveled by train from Hermosillo to Mexicali, …

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Interview No. 1292, Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. De Flores May 2006

Interview No. 1292, Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. De Flores

Combined Interviews

Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. de Flores met her husband in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; he was visiting his brother; he was forty-two years old and she was sixteen years old; Mr. Guadalupe Flores Avelino and his four siblings were orphans; her husband was from Jiménez del Teul, Zacatecas; she recalls that her husband contracted for the bracero program at Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he labored in the cotton fields and in agriculture picking tomatoes; after he completed his contract(s) he returned to Mexico; Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. de Flores recalls that they lived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for two years and then …

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Interview No. 1298, Adelino López Gutiérrez May 2006

Interview No. 1298, Adelino López Gutiérrez

Combined Interviews

Mr. López describes the long lines and the actions taken by people in order to obtain an eligibility letter at Justo Sierra, Jalisco, Mexico; he traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls the entire process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation; as part of the process, he was stripped and examined, which was embarrassing because their were women present; he traveled to the receiving center; he goes on to detail the camp size, living conditions, provisions, duties, payments, deductions, remittances, treatment, friendships, correspondence and recreational activities; he recalls the use of short-handled hoes …

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Interview No. 1300, Faustino Martínez May 2006

Interview No. 1300, Faustino Martínez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martínez briefly recalls his childhood and the work that his father and mother did; he was in his hometown when he heard about the bracero program; he decided to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he was stripped and medically examined; he details the harsh conditions he and other men endured while waiting there; he was sent by train to Mexicali; upon crossing into the United States, he was deloused and so were his luggage and clothing; he travelled by Greyhound bus to his first contract in the San Joaquin …

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Interview No. 1297, Jesús Humberto Félix Beltrán May 2006

Interview No. 1297, Jesús Humberto Félix Beltrán

Combined Interviews

Mr. Félix acquired his first bracero contract in 1954, which took him to El Centro, California; his first year was the hardest, because he did not know what to do or how to work quickly enough to earn a profit; oftentimes, men who were new ended up owing money after only one week of work; when his contract ended he was given a special workers card, which allowed him to pass through a contracting center in San Luis, Sonora, México, within a day; he also mentions that he was given vaccinations, without ever being told what they were for, and …

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