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In the early part of the 1900’s, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway made its way across the United States and into and through towns like Winslow.
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According to an exhibit at the Old Trails Museum in Winslow, the Pueblo people were given jobs by Santa Fe in exchange for crossing their Pueblo lands in New Mexico. Some of those employed by the railroad moved their families to Winslow and lived in a section of town called The Laguna Colony.
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The Laguna Colony was situated where the BNSF Railway yard is today, between First and Second streets. The homes were built from two railroad box cars joined together. Deborah Stacey, who lived in the Laguna Colony until the mid-1980’s said, “When the families first came here, some of them tried to live in houses in town. But, just like anyone who is being relocated or that is coming off of the reservation, they didn’t know the cost of things like bills, or rent. So, the Santa Fe basically wanted to make life more convenient for those workers and that’s how the box car houses came to be.”
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The colony was comprised of about 50 box car homes. According to Stacey, “We were a community, like one big family. When someone was gone, or fell on hard times, the other families made sure the kids were fed and taken care of. We had deer suppers often. When the men would bring home deer from their hunts, we would all help prepare the meat and share the meal. It was a really great place to grow up and to be able to teach the next generation our ways is an honor that the Laguna people have. In the colony, it was like a mini reservation.”
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Life was sometimes difficult in the colony, at least in relation to modern comforts. Stacey said, “We had no indoor plumbing, some of us had butane gas but most still had wood stoves. We didn’t have showers in our homes, so we had a public shower. The building the showers were in used to be a Japanese bathhouse. A lot of people don’t know that the Japanese were held here in internment camps during World War II, so some of the buildings we had were originally used for that purpose.”
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However, Stacey and others who grew up in or lived in the colony have fond memories. Stacey recalled, “One of my favorite memories growing up there, was being woken up by my dad, who worked the late shift on the railroad, to see the animals on the train when Barnum & Bailey’s Circus would come through town. There was no fence separating our house and the railroad tracks.”
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The Pueblo people, who populated the colony began a relationship with the Catholic faith early in the colony’s existence. Stacey said, “The Catholic religion and the Pueblo religion came to an agreement on how to work together and accept each other’s religions. The Pueblo people kept the agreement by honoring different Saints during certain times of the year. We have what we call Grab Days. It’s like a feast of the saints. Everyone that was named or baptized or confirmed with the name of the saint is invited to throw various items from the rooftops of the boxcars or whatever tall building there is. Things like household items, food, pottery or bread gets thrown to the people. You should come out and watch the movie, “Grab” so you can see what we mean. Then come to the Grab on Saturday, of course.”
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People lived in the Laguna Colony until 1990, according to former resident Larrilynn Oso. She said, “I am the last boxcar baby. My family was the last to leave the colony and I was the youngest of the children. My mother lived in the colony with her 12 brothers and sisters, and mother and father from the time she was born until we left in 1990. The best part about helping to put this event together, for me, has been reconnecting with the families that lived in the colony. We have been having great conversations on our Facebook page about life in the colony, but also about life now. The Laguna Pueblo are a hard-working people that contributed a great deal to Winslow and what it has become.”
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Stacey added, “Once the rail workers retired, the majority of them moved back to where they had come from, mostly New Mexico. But some stayed and we are still in contact with a lot of them. We hope that some of those families come to this reunion. It is really about recreating that sense of community and family that we had in the colony.”
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The Laguna Colony Days event is slated for Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, in the Route 66 Plaza on Second Street. Events planned for Friday are a colony reunion potluck and a public showing of the documentary, “Grab,” written and directed by former Winslow resident, Billy Luther.
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The movie will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Winslow High School Student Union, located at 600 E. Cherry St. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 27, a Mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Church, located at 220 W. Second St. Parishioners will proceed from there to the Route 66 Plaza. Beginning at 11 a.m., a cultural dance exhibition will take place, and is open to the public. Following the dance groups, a throw for St. James will be held. For more information on the event, follow their Facebook group, Laguna Colony Days, or email at lagunacolonydays@yahoo.com.
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