|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
Juan Carlos:——Juan Carlos Balandran—— Gustavo:——Gustavo Alvarez—— Jan:——and Jan Schulte-Bisping, student historians from the Anderson Valley High School’s North Coast Challenge Network Oral History Project. We are here today at the house of Tony Sanchez. Thank you, Mr. Sanchez, for inviting us in to your home. Erika: You have been living in Anderson Valley since 1966. Will you tell us how you ended up coming here? Mr. Sanchez: The way I come; my father and my mom immigrated all of us to Anderson Valley, in ’66. Juan Carlos: Were there many other people from Mexico living here when you came? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, a few families. Santana family, Gilberto Cruz’s family, Camachos family, and I don’t remember the last name, but José, he live in Yorkville. He’s an old guy——oh——it was José Vargas. Gustavo: What are some of the jobs you’ve had since moving here? Mr. Sanchez: I worked with Archie Schoenahl, in apples. I worked in the logs and I logged a little bit, set chokers in 1978 and 1979. Then I moved here on the Day Ranch. Erika: Did you enjoy logging? Mr. Sanchez: Yes, I did, the only thing I didn’t like is that it’s seasonal jobs. You just work about four or five months a year, I didn’t like that. Jan: Has the Valley changed a lot since you have been here? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, the Valley’s been changing a lot. Before there were sheep and apples, you know, and then the cattle, that’s all they have. Each little ranch had its own apple farm. Now it’s all vineyards, yeah, so it’s change a lot since then. Jan: What do you think will happen in the future? Mr. Sanchez: Well, I think the wine’s gonna stay here, because there are more vineyards. They’re just gonna keep on moving along with the Valley. Gustavo: What are you do here at the Day Ranch? Mr. Sanchez: When I started here in ’79 they only had apples and a few pear trees. Then they planted a little orchard across the road with pears. Then they started planting the grapes in 1990. Erika: Do you think the Valley is more or less prejudiced than when you arrived? Mr. Sanchez: It’s less, but it’s getting better and better every time, yeah. Juan Carlos: Can you tell us about your family? Mr. Sanchez: Well, my family——we’ve been pretty happy here since my dad brought us here in 1966. All of us work for Archie, in the packinghouse. All my sisters ended up marrying here. Debbie and I met in 1971, I think, at the Fair and then we get married, the next six months. We worked for Archie a little bit until 1978. Then we moved to Ukiah, and then from Ukiah to Arkansas, I think it was five months and then we come back in ’79. Then we lived in Willits. Then from Willits we was movin’ here, to Day Ranch. We’ve been here twenty years; all our boys grew up on the ranch. They all graduated from Anderson Valley High. It was fun to watch them grow up. They all played sports; we watched a lot of games over the years. Gustavo: How did you learn English? Mr. Sanchez: Well, I practice a little bit with my sisters going to school in Mexico. Then when I got married I practice a lot with Debbie and my sons. It’s the way I learned. Jan: Did you work for Ray Pinoli? Mr. Sanchez: No, I never did, but my father did. Jan: Do you speak English, Spanish, or both at home with your family? Mr. Sanchez: Well, mostly English, because I want to learn the language. Then Debbie, she wants to talk in Spanish so she can learn Spanish, so we really talk both languages in my family. All our sons talk in both languages; even our grandsons are learning both. Gustavo: What part of Mexico are you from? Mr. Sanchez: I come from Guanajuato State and León. We lived in a ranch first and then we lived in León for four years. Then from León we moved here in Boonville in 1966. Jan: You said you moved to Arkansas for five months. Why did you move to Arkansas? Mr. Sanchez: Well, because I was tired of working in the ranch and I wanted to try something else. Debbie’s family come from Arkansas; she has a lot of relatives in Arkansas. Yeah, that’s why we moved there, but I didn’t like it, so we came back. Jan: Do you think you’re going to stay here the rest of your life, living in this Valley? Mr. Sanchez: Hmmm, I think so. I was going to move back and forth, back and forth, but all my kids are here now, so there is no way I can move forever. Gustavo: What kind of job do you do here at the Ranch, now? Mr. Sanchez: Well, mostly we work on the grapes and the pears. We have to prune and then pick; there’s always something to do on the ranch. Jan: Do you also press the grapes or you only like pick them and prune them? Mr. Sanchez: No, we don’t have a winery in here yet so we just pick and prune. We just work on whatever you need to do to grow the grapes. Erika: What’s your job here? Mr. Sanchez: Hmmm, my job, I guess, it’s to deal with the workers a little bit. Gustavo: Do you like your job? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, I love it. Yeah, I love my job here. Gustavo: What will you do when you retire? Mr. Sanchez: I was thinking, like I said, all I have to do is move back and forth and keep on working and try to have a little fun with my grandkids and sons and wife, try to be happy that’s all——I don’t have big plans. Erika: Do you spend a lot of time with your grandchildren? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, they spend a lot of time with me, yeah, they come a lot here. We only have two so far. The oldest is Jason, five, then Victor——he’s two. We walk around the ranch; they like to pick their own apples and pears and grapes. Gustavo: Can you tell us what your kids are doing? Mr. Sanchez: Well, my oldest son works for Navarro Vineyards, Tony, and Jason, he lives in Redwood Valley and works for Pepsi, and then, Vinny, he lives in Boonville and he is working for Davey Tree, then Noah, he is pruning with me here at the ranch. Jan: What was it like when you still lived down in Mexico? Mr. Sanchez: It was pretty nice down there, a small ranch, you know, happy when you are growing up and you knew everybody, just going to school and play with your brothers and sisters. We moved to León when I was about eleven years old. Then we lived in León, in the city, four years, and then my daddy brought the five of us over here in Boonville. Then the next year he went back and brought my other three sisters and that’s the way we end up here in ’66, over at the Archie Schoenahl’s ranch. Erika: Did you want to move here? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, I didn’t have any complaints with my mom and dad; we were always happy. Erika: Was it hard for you when you came to start working? Mr. Sanchez: No, I’ve always been healthy and strong, and I have always enjoyed working. Jan: How were the living conditions in those days? Mr. Sanchez: Well, we moved from the ranch to León to try to get ahead, try to get some education and make a better living. Gustavo: Was it hard for you over at the ranch in Mexico, for school and stuff? Mr. Sanchez: No, at the ranch you know——one teacher, she teach all the way to third grade, from seven-year-old to maybe thirteen. They only teach to third grade. Your daddy let you go to school until you wanted or until you were old enough to work. Yeah, it was easy. Jan: Did you learn any English in Mexico? Mr. Sanchez: Not at the ranch, I just take a few classes in León before I come over here. I just learned a few words. Juan Carlos: Who teach you how to speak? Mr. Sanchez: We went to this, we call it academia–there was this guy from Canada, and he didn’t speak a word of Spanish. So he had a Mexican helper and both of them moved to León. And so they put this little room in there and they teach. They had it on the newspaper, you know, "Classes in English," you know. They charge, I think, about two hundred pesos for a month, for two hours a day, five days a week. This Canadian guy hired this guy from León, and he worked for him. But this guy——he quit——so this Canadian guy had to give the classes. So most of us, we didn’t go because there was no communication with the guy, because he didn’t speak in Spanish. That is the way my dad tried for us to learn English, so we had to take a few classes. Me and my sister, Maria, the one working in the clinic in Boonville, that’s where we start learning English, her and me. Jan: Did you went to school after you moved here? Mr. Sanchez: No, no. I just come straight to work. Jan: Did your siblings went to school here after you came to the Valley? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, all my young sisters went. Well, let’s see——let me think…three of the oldest kids, two of my sisters and I, I guess we were too old to go to school, but the rest of my sisters and my brother, they did go to school, through high school here in Boonville. Jan: Did they ever tell you any stories from school, maybe how it was like in those days or something? Mr. Sanchez: Oh yeah, my brother, he used to have a hard time with some of the kids at school, ’cause they would try to pick on him all the time. But it wasn’t bad you know, little kids, they don’t fight hard (Laughs). Yeah. Gustavo: Who’s like the oldest one and the youngest one in your family? Mr. Sanchez: Well, I have a sister, her name is Consuelo, she is the oldest one and the baby of the family is Irma. She is the only one that was born here. Jan: Do they all live here? Mr. Sanchez: Well, all of us live here in California. My oldest sister lives in Woodland, and my younger brother, José, he lives in L.A., and the rest of us live here in the Valley. Gustavo: Do they have any children? Mr. Sanchez: The oldest sister, she never had any kids. And then my brother, José, he don’t have any kids. But all my sisters, they have some. Erika: Can you name your sisters and your brothers? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, my oldest sister is Consuelo, and then my next sister is Juanita, Maria, Tina, Yolanda, Martita, and Irma. And my brother José. Gustavo: When you were kids did you guys ever, like, get along? Mr. Sanchez: Oh, yeah. All my youngest sisters, they always respect me because I was the oldest one. The only real wild one was Juanita, and she was always ready to fight (laughs) with her sisters. Yeah, she always did. My mom was always chasing her because she had a big mouth and she was always fighting. Juan Carlos: How did you end up coming to the Valley? Mr. Sanchez: Well my daddy always——he liked to come to the United States and work, and he used to work down below in the San Joaquin Valley and Imperial Valley and all over the place, y’know. Then he moved to Sebastopol, because there were a lot of apples and pears and plums and everything like that. And then he ended up coming here, working for Ray Pinoli. Pinoli used to go to Sebastopol looking for workers. That is the way my daddy meet Ray Pinoli here in the Valley. And after that he came over here looking for a job, and he end up working for Archie Schoenahl in Boonville. He’s the one that wanted to help to fix the immigration, and that’s the way we end up here in the Valley. Erika: Can you tell us about your mom? Mr. Sanchez: Well, my mom, being a housewife, she always cleaned the house and do all the work like washing our clothes and cooking a lot. Because, like I said, my dad and I worked for Archie and then three of my–no–two of my sisters work in the packinghouse, so she mostly did the housework, yeah. Gustavo: Does your dad like it here since he moved? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, my daddy, he always liked it here, ’cause he always tried to go north all the time, because, down below, the valley’s too hot in the summer, and he was trying to get out of the heat. He like it here a lot. Jan: Who owns the Day Ranch now? Mr. Sanchez: The family Oswald owns the Ranch. They take good care of the Ranch. They planted all the grapes and also redwoods and fir in the hills. Jan: When you married your wife, Debbie, were there some prejudiced people in her family because you were from Mexico? Mr. Sanchez: Oh, yeah. The way she said, her dad was the worst one. She said one time that her dad asked her, "Debbie, can’t you do any better?" (Laughs). She said, "No. I’m the one who’s gonna marry, not you." (Laughs). So there was a little prejudice in there, yeah. Jan: Did it get better after a while, or is there still some prejudice? Mr. Sanchez: Well, they always loved Debbie, so they never make any harder life for her, so it’s gotten better and better. Jan: So they accepted you after awhile? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, as a matter of fact, after awhile they all accepted me. I get along pretty good with my mother-in-law. She even lived with us for awhile, to help with the kids. Jan: Do they like your children too, a lot? Mr. Sanchez: Oh yeah, yeah. Even Joe, my father-in-law, he used to take my kids, Tony and Jason, to trips because he was a truck driver. And one time he drive for Archie, and he used to take my kids for trips on the truck to Ukiah. To them he was pretty nice, yeah. He loved my kids a lot. My mother-in-law, Verna, is very good to my kids; she spoils them. Erika: Have you been denied service anywhere because you were Mexican? Mr. Sanchez: No, I never–I been lucky all along, you know. I never had any problems with anybody. They always liked me, and I was happy about that, you know. No, I never had any trouble at all. Erika: Has anyone in your family? Mr. Sanchez: My brother, one time after he finished high school and he was old enough to go to the bar, he went with one of his friends, and they didn’t want to serve him in there. So his friend, Errol–he’s American–he had a fit, he even walk on the counter because they wouldn’t serve him in there. You know how could you tell? The kid went to high school and he don’t even look Mexican–he’s whiter than me. Anyway, they didn’t serve him. That really surprised him, I guess. Jan: Do you know who was the first Hispanic person in this Valley? Mr. Sanchez: Hmm…let’s see. Well, like I said awhile ago, this guy in Yorkville, he worked for Mailliard–his name–in Yorkville. Mr. Mendosa: Mailliard, yeah. Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, he worked for them. His name was José, I think. As a matter of fact he used to come to ranches and sell us some working shoes ’cause people——you didn’t go to town here——so he come and show us books so we can pick up the shoes we like, so he can order those work shoes. Gustavo: Have you ever taken, like, your grandchildren to any trips? Mr. Sanchez: Well, we had a trip to Mexico in ’87, the first time all of us went, Debbie and four boys in ’87, and then–they loved it over there. We don’t have enough money to go every year. That was the only time that all of us went together. We went back a couple years ago with Tony, and our grandson, Jason, but we never went back all together like we did in ’87. Gustavo: So do you think of going again with your whole family and stuff? Mr. Sanchez: That’s what we are hoping for, yeah, maybe someday all of us can get together and go. Jan: How did you meet your wife, Debbie? Mr. Sanchez: Well, the place I work, over at the packin’ house with Archie Schoenahl, Debbie’s sister, Carolyn worked there packing apples and then I guess she talk about me to her sister, Debbie. Then finally we met at the Fair in Boonville, my brother-in-law, Ronnie, introduced us And then after that we start going out; I guess we were together for six or seven months and in ’72 we end up getting married. And that’s the way we met. Erika: How do you guys communicate? Mr. Sanchez: Well, like I said, I just start taking classes in English and then I knew few words so, somehow, you know, you just start communicating and one word here and then there and with your hands. Gustavo: How long have you been married? Mr. Sanchez: We married ’72, so it’s about twenty-seven years. I think we were the first Mexican-American wedding in Boonville. Gustavo: Have you guys did like an anniversary?
Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, we had a little party. We had it on the twenty-fifth anniversary. It was very nice. Our four sons did a toast and thanked us. Jan: When did you have your first child? Mr. Sanchez: In ’74 and after that, three more (laughter), in ’75, ’77, and ’80. Jan: What did your wife do for living? Mr. Sanchez: Well, she start…you know when you’re growing your family you know that you need more things, so she started packing apples too, with Archie. And then she does little jobs here and there. She worked at the Clinic for six years. Then finally she gets a job at the elementary school. She start there and now she works at the high school as a bilingual aide. She is helping all the Spanish-speaking kids there at the high school. Juan Carlos: Do you think it important for people from Mexico to learn English? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, I think so——it’s pretty important because if you learn the language, it’s better and easy for you, you know to get a job whereever place you go. So it’s very important to learn how to speak English. Gustavo: Where there a lot of houses back then in the Valley? Mr. Sanchez: Well, then——the nice thing then was that all the small ranches and big ranches had places for the workers to stay. So the thing was easy then because they give you houses to stay and you get up and go to work or you just get on the bus. They used to have these things–they called them crummies. The ranchers help people——it was easy then because when they really need you, they give you a place to live and sometimes they give the bed and blankets and everything. When they need you, they give you everything you need. They let you have money, let you borrow money ahead–you know, it was nice. Jan: How where the roads like in those days when you came here from Mexico? Mr. Sanchez: There is a lot of difference here because there are always good roads in here. In Mexico is just dirt road, so that is the difference. That’s why you like it here because first time you come here, you see the difference. So is hard for you to go back. If you like it, you’ll stay and if you hate it, you just go back and stay. Gustavo: Was it hard coming from Mexico to United States, like crossing? Mr. Sanchez: It was really very hard if you did not have papers, but what I know and what my daddy says it was pretty hard because there was small places, but full of people, like close to the border. There was a big place where you come in there and then, I guess, where you got your permit; no papers, just permits. You don’t need papers, you just get your permit for forty days at a time. You know if you’re a good worker, the boss will renew your forty-days permit and if you are a bad worker you just finished your forty days and go back, and sometimes you don’t make enough money to go back to your own state. That is why a lot of people stayed in Tijuana or Mexicali or close to the border because they don’t have enough money to go back all the way. Now it different than it was then. Jan: Did you ever have any problems in the Mexican-American border? Mr. Sanchez: No, because I don’t have any experience. I never came across with no papers. See I always came with my papers. All of my friends told me all these bad stories, you know. Now sometimes they catch you ten, five or six times, but they don’t hurt you, the only thing is that they send you back. The immigration don’t hurt you here, they just send you back to the other side of the border. Then you just come back, you come back until you come across. Gustavo: Do you, like, go into town and stuff? Mr. Sanchez: Well, I always been a pretty calm guy. I’m not hyper or nothing, probably once a week back then I went to town. We used to go to the movies. Me and my sisters, you know. Not every Sunday, just once in awhile. Then my sister was old enough to buy her own car so it was different. Erika: How about now–do you go out? Mr. Sanchez: Well, no. I don’t go out. When you need something you just go into town, shopping, y’know. No, but I don’t go out now, no. Erika: Do you go with Debbie to Ukiah? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, sometimes we go together to Ukiah for dinner, shopping or just little things that you need. Jan: Do you remember what the Fair was like in those days? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, the Fair has always been nice. They always have the parade and the rodeo. I think one time they even had a little show. Rainbow and the teacher at the high school–Dina–but they used to have an old building there, but now a new building is in front, right——they had a little show–like a little theatre, it was an old building. I remember almost all of that show that they made. That was the last time they showed the show in there. Everybody knew everybody at the Fair you know. Every Fair, every year, you take your kids to those rides. It was nice, y’know. We never had any problems at the Fair, never any accidents or fire or anything. We always had a nice Fair. Gustavo: Did you take your children to the Fair, too, every year? Mr. Sanchez: Yeah, yeah. If I don’t take them, Debbie or the school would——you know the school——Thursday or Friday they always got free rides. I’m pretty sure everybody’s happy with that Fair over the years. Gustavo: Do you go with Debbie out to the movies? Mr. Sanchez: Oh, yeah. Sometimes, you know, you get a little crazy, and you go to the movies, if you feel like going to see a new movie. (Laughs). Erika: Thank you very much, Mr. Sanchez, for talking with us. This has been Erika Alvarez—— Juan Carlos:——Juan Carlos Balandran—— Gustavo:——Gustavo Alvarez—— Jan:–and Jan Schulte-Bisping, for the NCRCN Oral History Project. |
