Thanks for the awesome photo as I don't have this one ! Part of the package I was handed on Tuesday morning is a several hundred page doctoral Dissertation by an NIU doctoral candidate on "the Romanian and Mexican immigration to Aurora,il 1900-1940. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about Auroras history but must say I am learning Many things that will be shared in the "Mexican Village" article as well as well the upcoming Presentation in March on the intertwined growth of Aurora and the Q. The data in the Dissertation is really detailed down to what percent of which nationality the Q employed and in What jobs !
By the way my wife asked what I was reading, after I told her,she responded "I knew you were a history Nerd but now you've gone over the edge".
Leo
August 25, 2016
Leo - That being the case, then here's another inserted/attached image
showing many of the Mexican laborers employed at the Q's Eola Reclamation Plant.
The image is dated September 2, 1931:
<CBQMexicanCampWestEolaILReclamationPlantEmployees9-2-31.jpg>
These Mexican laborers would've been the ones who walked the "five minute
distance" between the box car camp and the reclamation yard. Another small piece
of Q history. Thanks for researching - Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
Thanks Glen great job ! If you enlarge the photo in the fuzzy background
you can make our the erection bay buildings for Austin Western and the water
tower. It all fits in place, the switch is for the "Austin lead".
All those " old heads " that pointed to the east
end of the west yard were pointing at another box car setup. Apparently much
smaller. The site you've identified is a 5 minute walk to the scrap dock. I
wondered about the other reported site as it was at least a mile away. I'm
thinking the Eola site was for the section crew.
For the guys who are thinking this village was set
up as part of the '22 shop strike, I'm not saying your wrong, but everything
I've read about strike and housing replacements they were ensconced in the
property where they worked in order to protect them. The village we're talking
about was accessible from two public roads. So I doubt the Q put up "scabs" 3
miles from the shops.
Leo
Sent from my iPhone
Leo:
About your concern below for the photo location. When I looked at
the photo, I had the same concern, so I looked at the entire Eola map to see
if I could find the track.
I found it! The photo is of a spur off of the yard lead of the
East Yard at the WEST end. Photo is looking west toward McClure.
I wish I had looked this far west to begin with, because the linen
shows the entire Mexican Village, unfortunately ALL erased, but I can see
enough detail to re-draw it if I can't get it to show up in a scan.
It's going to be a couple of days before I can get to it. Will keep
you posted.
Glen Haug
Dave,Hol and Randy according to the il.gov site from Randy the
camp was started in 1921 when immigration from Europe became difficult. I
will research the local paper during the '22 strike period to see if it
reveals anything. By the way the various photos being sent are the same I received this
morning. But the article is going to contain those details that can't be
shown.
I am a little trouble by the photo of the "village" cars in a row next
to the track as that is different from my understanding of the layout. Also
the reference to W. Eola would be out the camp much closer to Aurora than to
the the little village of Eola.
Hopefully When Glen scans the map the location will be settled.
Leo
And of course there was the large boxcar bunk house camp for "scabs" at
West Burlington during the 1922 shop workers strike
Hol
I'd be almost willing to bet that
the camp had its origins in the 1922 strike and was then used later by the
Mexican workers. I don't know that but I do suspect it. There was a
"Mexican" camp, at Centralia that used boxcar bunk houses left from the
'22 strike.
The timeline says that he camp was closed
by 1934, which unfortunately predates any of the USDA aerial photos by a
few years.
Randy
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Posted by: qutlx1@aol.com
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