By Soloman Westcott, Museum Intern
Hidden Histories is an exhibit that was made to promote a more diverse history present in Windsor. Windsor has an extensive history, but it wasn’t until recently that we began focusing on the stories that haven't been told. The Hispanic diaspora has had an incredible and long lived history here in Windsor. From migrant laborers who worked here seasonally to migrant farmers who settled here and farmed on the land. Windsor would not be Windsor without the contribution of these people
The exhibit started with a lot of secondary research using newspapers from the Windsor Beacon to the Greeley Tribune to roughly sketch out the background information. It was quickly apparent that there was not nearly enough information to tell a compelling and complete story. This led to the primary research for the purpose of the exhibition through oral history interviews. The oral history interviews were conducted over the course of a month, involving several Mexican families that lived and worked in Windsor from as early as the 1950s. These families included the Martinez family, Apodaca family, and Hinojosa family. These families shared their stories in multiple interviews that covered all aspects of history from religious backgrounds, to education, to working in the fields. From these stories we put together an exhibit that does its best to explore what living and growing up Hispanic in Windsor was like. This exhibit text was written in both Spanish and English to make it not only more accessible to the public, but to also highlight the importance of the Spanish language in the Windsor community.
The exhibit is on display and the Windsor Community Recreation Center until October 6th. Be sure to check it out!
Image 1: Lucy Apodaca standing in front of framed graduation photographs of her 12 children wearing high school caps and gowns, circa 1976.
Image 2: Soloman Westcott standing proudly after installing the Hispanic Heritage Here exhibit, part of his museum intern project this summer.