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“COMO TE LLAMAS PALOMA?”

What is your name dove?

Our amigo Martin Zavala from Asherton (also known as Cheto or Ashinto) in Dimmit County, Tejas will be with us at the Grange Hall in Fairfield, Marion County, Oregon known as the Cradle of Migrant Life” in Marion County. He will be there to entertain us with his new release.  A ceremony to acknowledge the arrival of Migrants from Texas will be conducted; this will include personal accounts from many guests who will be there to share their MEMORIES!

Martin is well aware of the sacrifice migrants endured in the 1940’s as many families from Asherton, Texas began their journey to EL NORTE – Oregon!  By the 1950’s most of the Migrant Spanish Speaking Families in the Fairfield and St. Paul, Oregon area were from Asherton, Texas or from 2,180 miles as remembered by Ponchito Benavidez, now 102 years old and who still resides in Asherton (Ashinto, Cheto these are names used by local folks).  Visit our website texmexorusa.org to hear his story (enter Ponchito in the find-cell).

Where is Fairfield, Oregon? FIND THE INTERSECTION of River Rd. and French Praire Rd. or Hwy 219 drive on River Rd (towards St. Paul) a 1/4 mile and you will see the Grange Hall (left). Fairfield used to be a town, but over time much has disappeared..☹..so don’t look for a town. Be careful when parking (look out for the parking guide).

“OUR  HISTORY A-LA -TEX-MEX”

We have collected many personal accounts, photographs, and audio video clips over the last 40+ years.  Many families have contributed to this effort which has helped form a PANORAMA of information.  The project is independently sponsored and supported by the Saldaňa-Salinas Family.  At the moment we have only 1% of the information posted on our website.

I will officially submit for consideration and acceptance to “The Oregon Encyclopedia” two introductory Articles which deal with the two most historically relevant subjects in Marion County if not the State of Oregon:  “The beginning of Bilingual Education”-Woodburn School District and the “Fiesta Mexicana of Woodburn from 1964-2009” under the auspices of the Woodburn Club Latino Americano.

Few factual articles have been written on these two topics; however, this work will be presented uniquely from the 1st person singular (my accounts and those by many collaborators) which is unprecedented.  We are blessed to have people who were present during the beginning of these events as they unfolded and developed more than 50 years ago.

Written accounts are limited or non-existent by Tejano-Mejicano migrants from seven decades ago. The majority of migrants lacked the skills, interests, education and often the free time to engage in writing memoires as did the people who came to the NW to colonize; except for Lewis and Clark and many others;  as their journey to the NW had a contrasting purpose.  The void of information in the academic and historical archives reflects a benign neglect on the part of the Migrant Population and the Academics of the time.  Today, the great-grand-children (age, 70 years-plus) of the families who first populated Marion County get to tell their story.  Vital information regarding an important and PIVOTAL period in history.   Nuestra gente (our people) considers the accounts as:

The TRUTH- Y- LA- VERDAD!

We acknowledge the work by others who have written about The Migrant Journey to Oregon. We are also privileged to have “Oral History” on our side told from the (1st person singular) as we visit topics that need to be TOLD, APPRECIATED, AND SAVED FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES.  Six decades as residents and observers gives ALL OF US a vantage point that we gladly share!  Most stories are preceded by: I, We, US…which indicates personal presence and witness to the events that unfolded from 1943-1978.

It is with the utmost respect, sincerity, affection and appreciation that my wife Lidia and I continue to keep our promise to the Migrants of yesteryear which is to collect, and share OUR OWN STORY.  Only GOD knows how we will endure this journey of collecting and sharing our account of a SPECIAL ERA about The Oregon Cultural Landscape.

The activities and setting on Saturday, October, 12, 2013 to share the two articles: “Fairfield the cradle of Migrant Life; and Woodburn, the place where a group of mainly Tejanos and Mejicanos sustained the most recognized FIESTA in the State of Oregon sponsored by the Woodburn Club Latino Americano.  Additionally the first official Bilingual Education Program began in the Woodburn Schools in 1969; later known nationally as  Bilingual Project S.E.R. (Spanish, English, Russian) designed by Miguel A. Salinas and Project S.E.R. Staff.

AND Entertainment and refreshments at ………………Wellspring Center, in Woodburn Mt. Hood or Hwy 214 by the 99-E Mall across McDonald’s
From 5:00 – 8:00 MUSIC, PRESENTATIONS BY VARIOUS GUESTS AND
MUSIC BY MARTIN ZAVALA AND THE REBELDES “HERMANOS SALINAS”….ALSO SOME IDEAS ON HOW TO SUPPORT OUR BROTHERS/SISTERS IN THEIR GOLDEN YEARS! 

www.texmexorusa.org