A World of Its Own: Race, Labor, and Citrus in the Making of Greater Los Angeles, 1900-1970

CONTENTS, Illustrations

Contents acknowledgments xiii abbreviations xix introduction 1 PartOne 1. the ideal country life The Development of Citrus Suburbs in Southern California 17 2. the ‘‘colonia complex’’ revisited Racial Hierarchies and Border Spaces in the Citrus Belt, 1917–1926 47 3. friends of the mexicans? Mexican Immigration and the Politics of Social Reform 87 4. just put on that padua hills smile The Mexican Players and the Padua Hills Theatre, 1931–1974 121 PartTwo 5. citrus in the war years Gender, Citizenship, and Labor, 1940–1964 157 6. memories of el monte Dance Halls and Youth Culture in Greater Los Angeles, 1950–1974 189 7. sol y sombra The Limits of Intercultural Activism in Post-Citrus Greater Los Angeles 223 epilogue 257 appendix 263 notes 267 bibliography 305 index 323 This page intentionally left blank
llustrations Typical postcard of Los Angeles, 1952 79 Citrus pickers in San Dimas, ca. 1930 79 Citrus pickers in La Verne, ca. 1920 80 Citrus pickers in La Verne, date unknown 80 Mexican baseball team, La Verne, date unknown 81 Ku Klux Klan members in Pomona, ca. 1922 81 Ku Klux Klan Konklave in Pomona, ca. 1922 82 Americanization class at La Habra Mexican colonia, 1921 82 Escuela Mexicana, Pomona College, September 16, 1928 83 Escuela Mexicana parade, Arbol Verde colonia, 1928 83 Sacred Heart Church, Arbol Verde colonia, 1947 84 Bess Garner and the Mexican Players, 1936 84 Padua Hills Theatre, Claremont, 1930s 85 Paduana Manuela Huerta, dressed in the huipil grande 85 Paduanos Casilda Amador, Alfonso Gallardo, and Sara Macias, 1935 85 Paduana Rebecca (Camilla) Romo (Wolfe) entertains guests at a postproduction jamaica, 1936 86 Dining room at the Padua Hills Theatre complex, ca. 1936 86 Candelario Mendoza as a deejay for kpmo 215 Rainbow Gardens, Pomona, ca. 1950s 215 Big band leader Les Brown at Rainbow Gardens, ca. 1950s 216 Beto Villa and his singing duo, 1950 216 Legendary ‘‘mambo king’’ Dámaso Pérez Prado at Rainbow Gardens, ca. 1950s 217 Candelario Mendoza with Little Richard at Rainbow Gardens, ca. 1961 217 The Mixtures, ca. 1962 218 Rosie Mendez-Hamlin and Noah Tafoya, ca. 1961 219 Typical weekend crowd at El Monte’s American Legion Stadium, late 1950s 219 x • ILLUSTRATIONS College Heights Orange and Lemon Association Packing House, Claremont, ca. 1920s 220 Interior of College Heights Orange and Lemon Association Packing House, ca. 1920s 220 College Heights Packing House crew, May 4, 1949 221 Temporary worker papers for Manuel Ortega Ortega, 1941 221 Intercultural Council housing project in Arbol Verde colonia, Claremont, early 1950s 222 Well-Baby Clinic in the Arbol Verde colonia, 1950s 222 Maps 1. Los Angeles, 1871 20 2. Path of Southern Pacific Railroad’s ‘‘Inside Track’’ 22 3. Arbol Verde colonia, drawn by Alfonso Sevilla 70 4. Brochure advertising the Padua Hills Theatre 122 5. The proposed Los Angeles freeway system, 1941 200 This page intentionally left blank ...