White Gold Laborers

The Story of Greeley's Spanish Colony

by Jody & Gabriel Lopez with Peggy Ford


Formats

Softcover
£16.99
£9.30
Softcover
£9.30

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 13/04/2007

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 332
ISBN : 9781425995621

About the Book

White Gold Laborers is a social and cultural history of the men, women, and children who, as "sugar beet tenders" were offered opportunity for  "permanent residency" in northern Colorado, in company-sponsored colonies. Thousands living today in different parts of our country can vividly and intimately relate to the history presented here. While the events described occurred in northeastern Colorado, the individual and collective memories are reminiscent of the Hispanic experiences in America from the 1920's through the 1950's.

   "White Gold Laborers demonstrates that it is not the color of one’s skin, but rather one’s values that determine the course of a life... This book is especially important now as communities across the United States continue struggling with the integration of different cultures, languages, and peoples.  What this book illustrates is that it is possible to live with dignity despite hardship and to maintain heritage while also contributing to the larger community." - Allen M. Huang, Ed. D. Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs University of Northern Colorado


About the Author

Jody and Gabriel Lopez are natives of Cheyenne, WY, but have resided in Greeley, CO since 1996.  In 2000, they decided to conduct genealogical research.  Several ancestors were residents and leaders of Greeley’s Spanish Colony, a 1924 housing project or “colonia” conceived by the Great Western Sugar Company for its “elite” Spanish-speaking workers. 

Peggy A. Ford, Archives and Research Coordinator for the City of Greeley Museums, realized the value of systematically documenting information from first and second-generation residents of the Colony.  In two years, Jody, Gabriel, and Peggy conducted 40 oral and video interviews with former and current Colony residents.  Soon, the idea for organizing the oral recollections into a book gained momentum.  Gabriel and Jody visited individuals, libraries and archives in northern Colorado to locate documents, images, and secondary resources.

This research enabled them to construct a 4’ x 8’ scale model of Greeley’s Spanish Colony, a model of a typical two-room adobe home, and a series of interpretive posters.  These are exhibited in the Hispanic Heritage House at Centennial Village Museum.  As museum volunteers, Jody and Gabriel share their research and knowledge about this region’s Hispanic heritage in programs for museums, schools, colleges, and special community events. 

As “grass roots” historians, Jody and Gabriel logged thousands of hours to seek, document, and publish the stories of the struggles and accomplishments of Hispanic farm workers who lived in one Northern Colorado “colonia.”  Their original intent to prepare a family genealogy quite unexpectedly illuminated the significant and vibrant stories of not only individuals, but ultimately, an entire community.  White Gold Laborers preserves an   important aspect of Northern Colorado’s history and culture for future generations.  

Jody manages the Greeley Museums stores.  Jody and Gabriel are writing a book about the Greeley Grays, semi-pro baseball team that originated in Greeley’s Spanish Colony.