“Within twenty minutes, son,” she said, her face beaming with joy.
Everyone in the cantina cheered and clapped.
Walter, inebriated, followed the young man outside. Not far from the cantina was a natural well that gave the rancho its name.
“Damian!” Walter heard the young man call to another who contemplated the gurgling water. “Let’s go home. It’s time!”
Directly across the cantina on the other side of the well, both men approached a small adobe thatched-roof house. A warm light came from within. Several women waited outside in case the mother and her assistants required help. Walter had understood that this child was to be the couple’s first-born. He had deduced that the man called Damian was the father-to-be and that Milagros labored with the cosmos inside her body to bring forth life.
While Walter waited, music and poetry pushed out the noise from the cantina and the murmurings of the men and women who guarded the expectant mother’s door. Down a rocky path, not far from Damian and Milagros’ home, was a church. The music and poetry grew louder. A procession of men, women and children who wore colorful costumes and carried shepherds’ staffs advanced down the path leading to the plaza. Walter realized it was a religious play whose actors were the townspeople. Periodically, the company would stop and someone would step forward and recite a verse. Devils who tempted the spectators and spoke of the delights of sin, old hermits who prayed for the salvation of the townspeople, angels who sanctified the crowd, two jesters who tumbled and made the townsfolk laugh, shepherds who walked solemnly with staff in hand and pilgrims who encouraged the spectators to join the procession constituted a chorus of El Rancho Ojos de Agua.
When the people came upon the house where the child was to be born, the procession stopped and faced Damian, the relatives, and the neighbors who accompanied him in his wait. After he congratulated Damian, the leader signaled to the players, from among whom stepped forth a shepherd and an angel who recited a poem of celebration.
Before pronouncing the last verses, the angel began to lead the procession to the center of the plaza facing the cantina. Walter had forgotten about the Rural and the woman. His concern was for the woman who was about to give birth. He recalled Laura and James, and worried about complications. A doctor was constantly at Laura’s side, but the Mexican woman Milagros had only relatives and neighbors. There were no doctors who would come to the Rancho Ojo de Agua.
A fire burned in front of the expectant parents’ house. Men gathered to warm their hands and speak about the land, the animals, the weather and the tragedies which occurred throughout Mexico. The men compared the violence to a disease brought about by decades of injustice and hunger. Walter comprehended some of the conversation.
“We can’t stand much more. Something is going to happen.”
“La violencia.”
“We’re miserable and we have nothing.”
“Damian, this will be your first-born. You almost hit it on the twenty-third. It would have been nice for your birthday. Well, what can you give your first-born child?”
“The strikes, the massacres, the bandits.”
“Many are leaving.”
“Damian, you have relatives in Los Unites.”
“This situation will explode.”
“It will be charged to the general and his government.”
“Be careful, friends. Strong ears are lurking about.”
Walter was listening intently. He observed the Rural and the woman guiding the horses toward him. As the three visitors mounted and passed the workers, the wail of a newborn infant came from Damian’s house. At that instant a child had entered his creator’s earthly garden of delights.
Chapter 4
In the short time Walter had been away, Joseph and Rosendo saw the company grow. Rosendo had hired twenty-five more men, built more houses for the workers’ families, installed two more machines, sped up excavation of the pit which grew deeper and larger, and increased daily production of brick. Walter found Joseph and Rosendo satisfied as the Simons Brick Company prospered. Nonetheless, there was one urgent situation which Joseph immediately discussed with Walter upon his return. Convinced that within a few years the Pasadena yard would not be able to handle the growing demand for brick, Joseph wanted to purchase a portion of land in Rancho Laguna owned by Harriet W. Strong. The land, which contained perfect red earth for brick, became an obsession for him. Rosendo had seen the area and he, too, thought that it was superb for the establishment of a yard much bigger than the Pasadena enterprise.
When Rosendo took Walter to visit the land, Walter touched the red earth and was impressed by the consistency of the clay found in the area. Many of the surrounding properties were agricultural, farmed by Japanese and Anglo-American tenant farmers. Mexicans commuted from colonias near the center of Los Angeles to work in these fields. As Walter let the soil fall from his hand he knew that here he and his brother would build a brickyard. Walter contemplated the immensity of the place, the unlimited possibilities, the millions of bricks they could produce and the hundreds, thousands of men who would work for him. Here they will be happy, he thought as he grabbed another handful of red earth. It was as if hundreds of people fell from his hand. Rosendo looked toward the four points of the directional mandala and planned the layout of the brickyard.
At about three that spring day they came upon a well, one of the natural artesian wells that Harriet W. Strong was so impressed with. Rumors indicated that she had bought the land to develop an artesian well water system to serve Los Angeles. She believed the water could be bottled and sold as naturally purified medicinal water. Mrs. Strong had planned to build a series of dams and sell irrigation rights to the local farmers, but during the short time she owned the land the plans were abandoned, for she had more formal interests that demanded her attention. Finally, she decided to sell her part of the Rancho Laguna to the Bartolo Water Works. She hoped that the company would continue with the projects she had planned.
Walter and Rosendo rode back to Pasadena with a strong sense that the land they had surveyed was to be a great force in their future plans. Walter wanted the land and promised himself that he would have it. He asked Joseph to send a letter to Harriet W. Strong and to the Bartolo family expressing their interest in purchasing the land.
The Bartolo Water Works Company had had various skirmishes concerning water rights with farmers and the city of Montebello, California. But not until after the death of Mr. Bartolo, who was shot by an assassin, did the Bartolo family decide to sell. Previous to the murder of Mr. Bartolo, several pitched battles had occurred between the Bartolo family’s employees and the tenant farmers, some of whom had died. A series of attempts on the lives of several Bartolo family members followed. The county coroner recorded the cause of Mr. Bartolo’s death as a result of an incurable disease known as violent vengeance. The consequences of this horrible sickness could be fatal to the entire Bartolo family.
Immediately after the murder, a family representative sought advice from Mrs. Strong. She suggested that the Bartolos sell the property. She mentioned that the Simons brothers from Pasadena were interested. The preliminary discussions began and proved to be successful. Finally, the Bartolo and the Simons family reached acceptable terms. It was decided that the final documents and deeds should be signed officially at the Theodore Roosevelt campaign picnic to be held at the Pio Pico residence on September 16, 1904, Mexican Independence Day.
Joseph, Orin Elmer and Walter arrived at the Pio Pico mansion, were served the “Whole Ox Barbecue a la Mexicana” and were introduced to people who had lived on or near the mansion and who had personally known Don and Doña Pio Pico. Hundreds of people wandered about the run-down mansion. Some peered through the windows; others tugged at the permanently shut doors and kicked them in frustration. Political dignitaries circulated through the crowd asking the people to support Roosevelt. Flags and banners were carried and agitated up high by Anglo-American youths. One by one the speakers passed onto t
he platform spouting a river of words which at the time meant little or nothing to the Simons brothers.
The day was hot and the guests perspired easily. The strong odor of the human male and female animal mixed with the aroma of barbecued beef gave the picnic a sensual, spice-filled spirit. The picnic continued into the night when a small band arrived to perform for the group who were now quite animated. Joseph, Orin Elmer and Walter waited. From among the Support Teddy commotion appeared a woman guiding an old woman who was escorted by two men. The female guide was Mrs. Strong, whom Joseph recognized. After the appropriate introductions Mrs. Strong led the party to a long room in whose center was located a long, narrow, black table and six black chairs.
While the five men positioned themselves around the table, Mrs. Strong helped the old woman sit. As Mrs. Strong took her seat, a man dressed in a black formal suit entered and placed several notebooks on the table. The contracts were read and agreed upon. They had been drafted to satisfy all parties present. Doña Santa Bartolo signed first, followed by the two men who had accompanied her. Joseph and Orin Elmer, in that order, also signed the documents. Outside, the music and song continued along with cheers for Theodore Roosevelt. The signing was over; there was nothing left to say. The Simons brothers observed silently as Doña Santa Bartolo struggled to rise. The two men assisted her and moved toward the door. As she passed through the doorway she grabbed the door jamb for support. She stood motionless for several moments. In those seconds, Joseph and Walter noticed that on the lace at the bottom of her full dress were two large brown insects. As she released herself from the door, one insect fell to the ground and followed her out, dodging the eight feet that stepped forward into the celebration.
For the Simons brothers there was no need to stay at the Pio Pico mansion. The three thanked the hostess, mounted their horses and rode to Pasadena. The brothers rode in silence, each one lost in himself and in his specific dreams and fantasies. They felt proud of their accomplishment. They had purchased close to three hundred acres of prime brick-making land. Their dream of establishing the biggest brick company in Southern California was on the edge of becoming reality. After long hours they arrived at Glenarm Street.
“Walter, tell Rosendo to start moving men and equipment to Rancho Laguna. We need to start building right away,” Joseph said.
“Where do we start?” Walter asked, giving his horse to Orin Elmer.
“At the end of Vail Street there’s a little road, Rivera Road. On the corner of Vail and Rivera by the railroad tracks is where we will build our main office,” Joseph declared. He smiled at Walter and went into the house.
Walter walked alone. Far off he heard the faint sound of gunshots in celebration of September 16. It was an important day for the Simons family. As he opened the door to his house he noticed that the volleys had multiplied. The shooting continued into the early morning.
It was Walter who carefully directed the moving of equipment from the Pasadena plant to the Rancho Laguna building site. In six months, Walter Rosendo, and a new man, Gonzalo Pedroza, transported the equipment and materials needed to set up one machine to produce brick for the company buildings. Walter modeled the plant and town after Rosendo’s directional red mandala, the successful design for the Pasadena brickyard. Rosendo’s plan, along with what Walter learned about the hacienda system in Mexico, projected his dream for the future. Walter spent hours late into the stillness of many nights designing and drawing buildings, plotting and mapping the grounds for the brickyard. With him he always had his favorite map: a simple sketch of his initial idea. It showed the north and west axis of the mandala extending out from the center of his company and his “Simons Town,” he whispered to someone not present. His loneliness packed itself with the excitement of the beginning of the construction of the first building of the brick company.
The rains began early in October of 1904, became stronger toward year’s end, and continued into March of 1905—a bad six months which found materials and equipment deposited on the corner of Rivera Road and Vail Street. The rain, mud and the disposition of the men and mules made the move happen slowly, at times crawlingly so, dangerous and costly. But April passed and the red mud dried.
Three men observed the area where the Simons Brickyard Office would rise. Walter pulled out his map and a drawing of the structure. He showed Rosendo and Gonzalo Pedroza the L-shape of the building and where he planned the doors. Nearby, stood a crew of twenty-five men waiting for the order to begin digging. Here at the new yard, Gonzalo was crew chief and foreman. He hired and fired and answered only to two men: Rosendo Guerrero, his mentor, and Walter Robey Simons, his patron. Gonzalo’s crew accomplished the job well, did what they were told and never criticized the foreman. He demanded respect and insisted that the workers address him always as “mister.”
Gonzalo Pedroza’s place of birth remained a mystery to both him and to his parents who had given birth to eighteen children. They had forgotten exactly when and where their son had entered the world. Gonzalo didn’t know whether he was younger or older than his brothers and sisters, but he understood that he was stronger than any of them. He depended on strength and brutality to achieve what he desired. This pattern of life, his innate knowledge of how men and women react to fear, and his intelligence made him extremely effective as a foreman.
Gonzalo had worked well in the Pasadena brickyard for several years when he entered in Rosendo Guerrero’s favor. When he heard talk of the new yard to be constructed in Rancho Laguna, he volunteered to lead the work crew. Rosendo brought him on as foreman. During the initial months of organization Gonzalo stayed alone on the site to guard materials and equipment. Periodically, on weekends, he would ride to Pasadena to visit his wife, Pascuala, and return with supplies that sustained him through the lonely nights. He had constructed a one-room dwelling in which a bed, table, chair, lamp, a string of nails in the wall and one square mirror made existence bearable. Square mirrors obsessed him because his jaw and face, square like a Simons brick, never suited a round mirror. No matter the size of the mirror, immense or minute, his face was forever too large. In spite of these unique facial characteristics and his short stature, Gonzalo Pedroza perceived himself as an extremely desirable man.
That morning in May he looked into his nine-by-nine mirror, put his salivated tongue to his thumb and index finger, sharpened and curled the ends of his thick black moustache, slicked his hair back, slipped his hat on and walked out of his wooden cubicle. The twenty-five-man crew had arrived before Rosendo and Walter. Gonzalo ordered them to set up six tents: five sleeping tents and one large mess tent. He prepared coffee and observed the crew. By seven, Rosendo and Walter dismounted from their horses and served themselves a cup of coffee. Walter waved the crew closer and explained where they would dig the foundation. When he finished, he looked at Gonzalo, who stepped toward the crew, and the construction began.
The crew transported thousands of bricks for the construction and installed machine number one which began to produce the day the building began. Walter believed in always having more than enough materials as well as producing a surplus for future sales. He also planned to trade brick and labor for the other building materials he needed. The company store and pool hall were the first structures to rise from the red soil. Walter planned a company store which would supply the basic living commodities that his workers might need. A post office would be situated in one corner along with Walter’s personal office. As Walter perused several postal application forms, he noticed that his post office required a name. He did not hesitate one instant when he wrote “Simons, California,” into the identification space. He smiled as he surveyed his workers, his property.
May ended with the furnishing of the office and the building of counters, stands, and wall cases inside the general store. As the months passed, Walter’s dream took physical shape. Other dwellings were also started during the raising of the general store. The bunk house, blacksmith shop and amusement hall, all of brick, were co
mpleted one after the other through the months preceding October, 1905. Gonzalo’s crew built twelve drying racks next to machine number one, and as the production of brick increased, two large kilns were formed along Rivera Road. In September, Walter ordered the building of a large supply room, a machine shop and a handball court. By this time, Gonzalo’s hard-working crew numbered fifty-three, all from the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
By year’s end, Walter gave orders to add twenty-five more men to the crew. Gonzalo now directed approximately one hundred men. The company and town grew. Caught in the exuberance of the re-elected President Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal, Walter decided to build individual family dwellings for the workers. By mid-December, twenty-five four-room wooden houses had been completed on Vail about one mile from the general store. Gonzalo chose the best house and was the first to bring his wife. Later that week he gave permission to his best and most dedicated workers, nineteen men, to indicate privately to him the house they desired. A few days after, Gonzalo made his choices and distributed the homes. There were no complaints; everyone seemed satisfied.
The first Christmas in Simons, California was celebrated with a spirit of mutual caring among the workers. In the middle of December, a severe cold spell struck and continued through Christmas day. Gonzalo had ordered ten wood-burning stoves which arrived three days before Christmas. The ten families that did not get the stoves went to Gonzalo and politely requested that he make some kind of arrangement to hurry up the delivery.
“Who do you think I am—Christ?” Gonzalo answered the woman who came to him.
The next day he gathered the men whose families had shivered in the night. Out of steel barrels they constructed ten makeshift temporary stoves which they installed in their homes. By Christmas Eve morning, everyone in Simons had heat.
On Christmas Eve, the last day of the Posadas, the Mexican families of Simons gathered at the general store. The women had worked through the day meticulously preparing the holiday delicacies: tamales, buñelos, menudo, flan, sweet breads and candy. Chocolate, café de olla and different liquors were in abundance. The brown faces felicitously escorted San Jose and the Virgen Maria to the entrance of the general store where inside Walter, Joseph, Laura, James Simons, Rosendo Guerrero and Gonzalo Pedroza waited to bid welcome to the Holy Couple. When the request for shelter was made, the door opened and the innkeepers who waited inside looked out to hundreds of candles carried by the workers and their families. The candles flickered in the cold blackness of the starry night as they waited for the response from the innkeeper. Rosendo and Gonzalo led the singing of the responsorial. So off-key were their voices that the crowd applauded loudly to hide the laughter. With a grin and nod of thank you, Walter stepped forward and invited his workers to come in and share food, drink, song and happiness. In the warm social atmosphere the people ate, drank and sang. Children ran and played amongst the crowd, and laughter and cries floated through the aroma of delicious food. Periodically, the men and women glanced over to assure themselves that the patron and his family enjoyed the festivities. Near the Simons family were the two foremen, but few workers said hello or wished them a Merry Christmas. About an hour into the celebration, Gonzalo asked for silence. Rosendo stepped forward.
The Brick People Page 6