Boulder County Latino History
Boulder County Latino History
Teaching Our Stories
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  • Housing and Neighborhoods, 1900-1980

Housing and Neighborhoods, 1900-1980

These materials present information about the kinds of houses in which Latinos have lived and heavily Latino neighborhoods, including interactive town maps.

Full Text PDF: Chapter 2: Housing and Neighborhoods

Account of Alfredo and Donaciana Arguello and Family, p. 1

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Account of Alfredo and Donaciana Arguello and Family, p. 2

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Clip from “Lafayette Film of Places of Historical Importance to Latinos”

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Clip from “Boulder, Film of Places of Historical Importance to Latinos.”

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Clip from “Longmont, Film of Places of Historical Importance to Latinos, made in 2013,”

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Farm family and Secundino Herrera in front of house, with cistern

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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House at 1718 Water Street, Boulder purchased by Juan and Clofes Archuleta in 1945

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Old Man in front of a Log and Adobe Building

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Photo of Suazo Family House, 1912 9th Avenue,Longmont, CO

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Screen shot of interactive map showing Latino-headed households in Boulder, 1955

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Screen shot of interactive map showing Latino-headed households in Lafayette, 1955

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Screen shot of interactive map showing Latino-headed households in Longmont, 1946

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Screen shot of interactive map showing Latino-headed households in Longmont, 1965

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Tafoya family in front of their Water Street home, 1956

February 9, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Historian Comments

The homes in which Boulder County’s Latino families lived between 1900 and 1980 covered a big range in terms of size and comfort, depending largely upon what kind of work their residents did and whether they were located in rural areas (mining camps or farms) or in towns. Although much housing early in the century was very basic–sometimes clearly substandard to modern eyes—it gradually improved over time for all Latinos except migrant workers. Latinos were eager to own their homes and saved up money to do so. Each of our three towns had an area in which Latinos families clustered. Characterized by inexpensive houses with minimal facilities located near a railway line, these were generally regarded as undesirable neighborhoods by Anglos. But they offered sociability and community to their Latino residents. Housing was not segregated in a legal sense, for some Latinos lived elsewhere in each of the towns, but many Latinos preferred to be among neighbors with whom they felt comfortable. Further, at least during the 1940s through the early 1960s, real estate agents used their influence to discourage Latinos from moving into the “better” neighborhoods where many Anglos lived. That was especially true in Longmont. Lafayette had a neighborhood marked by Latino and Italian families who interacted well, and the Goss-Grove area in Boulder contained a tightly knit group of Latinos who lived on good terms with their African-American, Italian, and Anglo neighbors. Those neighborhoods are shown in videos made in 2013. This topic also introduces interactive computer-based maps that display the location, names, and sometimes occupations of Latino-surnamed families living in the three towns once each decade between 1904 and 1975. These maps are an outstanding resource for teaching.

Teaching Boulder County Latino History is an extension of the Boulder County Latino History Project. This site provides resources for those interested in teaching Boulder County Latino History. The teaching resources are grounded in the books written by CU Boulder’s Distinguished Professor Marjorie McIntosh.

There are three central components to this site. The Lesson Database provides lessons for K-12 teachers. Each lesson uses primary sources and is grounded in the books by Prof. McIntosh. Beyond the curated lessons teachers are encouraged to explore the Primary Source Sets and access the full text of Prof. McIntosh’s books. The book outlines link lesson plans and primary sources to each chapter. Teachers and students are welcome to download all or parts of the books to support their learning.

Our Work

Lesson Topics

Businesses Celebrations/ ceremonies Children Civil rights activity Culture/ identity issues Deportation Education/ schools Employment, manufacturing/ unskilled Employment, professional/ skilled Families Farm work/ agriculture/ ranching Food/ cooking Government/ government programs/ laws Health/ medicine/ healing Houses/ living places Immigration Interviews done in 2013 Labor unions/ strikes Languages (Spanish and English) Mexico/ Mexicans Migrant workers Mining Music/ dancing/ art/ recreation Neighborhoods New Mexico/ New Mexicans Organizations/ clubs Police/ Sheriffs/ I.C.E. officials Political or community participation Quantitative information Racism/ discrimination/ segregation Religion/ churches Soldiers/ wars/ veterans Sports/ outdoor activities Transportation/ cars University of Colorado/ college students Women Work done by women and children

© 2023 Boulder County Latino History

CU School of Education

CU Office for Outreach and Engagement/ University of Colorado Boulder

The Colorado Health Foundation
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