Boxcar Villages in Richmond, Calif.

​Journey To California

Mapping Native Epistemologies as Praxis for Dismantling European Spatial Hegemonies (excerpts)
By Emily B., Devin L., Dominick L., Royale P., Kaory S., Maddie V. December 18, 2019

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​In 1862, Congress passed a bill for the Transcontinental railroad to stretch from West Omaha, Nebraska to East Sacramento, California. The first phase of the Transcontinental railroad was completed during the year of 1869 in Promontory, Utah which was defined by the connection of the Western Union Pacific Railroad and Eastern Central Pacific Railroad. The second phase caused the creation of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, which built a railroad line connecting Isleta Pueblo in Grant New Mexico, Flagstaff Arizona, Barstow California, and Los Angeles California. Later, transitioning into the third phase, connecting the railroad line to Atchison Topeka and Sante Fe Railroad company. In 1880 through 1992, Congress passed a grant to build a sixty mile railroad across the Pueblo Laguna land, based upon a handshake and oral agreement, known as the “Flower of Friendship,” Agreement. This agreement would come into effect In 1922, as the railroad endured a labor strike along with a loss of Japanese laborers due to Pearl Harbor's effect of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Following the Chinese Exclusion Act and other immigration laws, there was difficulty for railway companies to contract cheap labor.

This led to the increase of Native Americans working on the railroads. The Santa Fe Railroad Company reached out to the Laguna people, and sought to move native people to Richmond California through an oral agreement. The negotiations between the

Laguna and the Santa Fe railroad was referred to as the “Flower of Friendship.” This was an oral agreement between the Laguna people and the railroad company, and specifically targeted the Laguna people because they provided cheap and accessible labor in the time of a shortage. As a result of the “Flower of Friendship,” Acoma and Laguna people began to arrive in Richmond, California in the 1920s to live at the Santa Fe depot. This Richmond point was one of significance because it was the western terminal of the Santa Fe Railroad. As the Laguna and Acoma Pueblo began to arrive in Richmond to work for the Santa Fe Railroad company, they were forced to live in boxcars turned into living quarters. Eventually, the boxcars became so populated that a satellite village of laguna and acoma pueblo people was created in this space, which came to be known as the “Boxcar Village.”

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Work Citied​
​https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bb1de4156c9146bd88996cacdbf3deca

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