The History of Latino People in Washington County: Weaving
Community
Amie Thurber, M.A.Ed
Abstract
This paper explores the pre-conditions which led to the
establishment of a vibrant Latino community in Washington County, Oregon,
focusing on 1960-1980. In the 1960s migrant agricultural workers from Texas and
Mexico began settling in the Tualatin Valley of Northwestern Oregon. In this
rural agrarian region grew a vibrant Latino community. A half-dozen founding
families were involved in starting dozens of social welfare organizations –
from community centers to health clinics, migrant worker unions to gas station
co-ops. Today, the Latino population (15% county wide, and nearly 50% in some
towns) has helped make Washington County the most ethnically diverse county in the
state of Oregon. Through analyzing oral histories and archival documents, this
paper explores the legacy of the founding Latino families in Washington County,
including the bricks and mortar infrastructure they left behind as well as an
ethic of family, industry, interdependence and allyship that informs the
community today.
