My father bought a good wagon that would hold the few things we could take that we would need to start a new life in the United States. He also bought two good horses to pull the wagon. The plan was to first go to Chihuahua, then to Juarez and finally crossing the border into the United States and settle in El Paso. I remember that the wagon had a false bottom and in that false bottom my mother put a big box that had all her treasures, dishes, family pictures, her wedding dress, and many other things that meant something to her that she just could not leave behind. To hide the false bottom my father put a mattress on the bed of the wagon and we all sat on the mattress.
Those who were to make the trip to El Paso were my father, my mother, my mother’s sister Lupe, my mother’s niece Choloe, who was the daughter of a sister who died, me—I was six years old, my brother Hector who was four, my sister Natalia who was three, my sister Dalmaria who was two, and my sister Berta who was only three months old and made the trip in my mother’s arms.
We traveled at night because my father was afraid we would be seen by Pancho Villa and his murderous bandits; I’m sure we would have been massacred had we been found. It took many days for us to travel from Camargo to Chihuahua. During the day my father would find a safe place that was out of sight for us to rest. Likewise, he would find a place to hide the wagon and horses. Then my father would keep a lookout for bandits while we tried to stay quiet; it must have been a harrowing experience for my parents but for us children it was a great adventure.
When we got to Chihuahua we stayed with family. My father consulted with his cousins about the whereabouts of Pancho Villa and his bandits. After several days, when my father was sure the way north was bandit free, we began our trek to Juarez. Once again we traveled only at night, following the same daily route we had during the first leg of our escape. Our wagon ride to Juarez took much longer that it normally would have had we been traveling during the day, and our entire trip took I think three or four week to cover the one hundred sixty or so miles between Camargo and Juarez.
When we finally reached Juarez my father contacted some of his family that lived there but we did not stay with them because there was so many of us—three adults, a teenager—I believe Choloe was fifteen or sixteen, four little children and a baby. We spent the next ten days in a boardinghouse while my father made arrangements for us to cross the border into the United States. I remember we had to have our pictures taken, one with our parents, then one with our mother, then one with our father, and then several others. I remember it took a long time to get the photographs. After we got the photographs my father went to the immigration office in El Paso where he had to pay a passport fee; it was eight dollars for anyone over fifteen years of age.
We were finally given permission to cross the border into El Paso, and on that day we had to take a shower at the immigration office, the men having to go to the right and the women having to go to the left. We showered with water that was laden with disinfectant and had a strong smell of Chlorine. I guess they wanted to make sure we did not bring any bugs into the United States.
We had to leave our wagon and horses in Mexico and since Tio Nicolas did not bring a wagon to pick us up my father had to make arrangements to leave the box with my mother’s treasures at the immigration office, telling the immigration officers he would be back the next morning with a wagon to get it. We all then walked to Tio Nicolas’ house, where we stayed for two or three months.
Those who were to make the trip to El Paso were my father, my mother, my mother’s sister Lupe, my mother’s niece Choloe, who was the daughter of a sister who died, me—I was six years old, my brother Hector who was four, my sister Natalia who was three, my sister Dalmaria who was two, and my sister Berta who was only three months old and made the trip in my mother’s arms.
We traveled at night because my father was afraid we would be seen by Pancho Villa and his murderous bandits; I’m sure we would have been massacred had we been found. It took many days for us to travel from Camargo to Chihuahua. During the day my father would find a safe place that was out of sight for us to rest. Likewise, he would find a place to hide the wagon and horses. Then my father would keep a lookout for bandits while we tried to stay quiet; it must have been a harrowing experience for my parents but for us children it was a great adventure.
When we got to Chihuahua we stayed with family. My father consulted with his cousins about the whereabouts of Pancho Villa and his bandits. After several days, when my father was sure the way north was bandit free, we began our trek to Juarez. Once again we traveled only at night, following the same daily route we had during the first leg of our escape. Our wagon ride to Juarez took much longer that it normally would have had we been traveling during the day, and our entire trip took I think three or four week to cover the one hundred sixty or so miles between Camargo and Juarez.
When we finally reached Juarez my father contacted some of his family that lived there but we did not stay with them because there was so many of us—three adults, a teenager—I believe Choloe was fifteen or sixteen, four little children and a baby. We spent the next ten days in a boardinghouse while my father made arrangements for us to cross the border into the United States. I remember we had to have our pictures taken, one with our parents, then one with our mother, then one with our father, and then several others. I remember it took a long time to get the photographs. After we got the photographs my father went to the immigration office in El Paso where he had to pay a passport fee; it was eight dollars for anyone over fifteen years of age.
We were finally given permission to cross the border into El Paso, and on that day we had to take a shower at the immigration office, the men having to go to the right and the women having to go to the left. We showered with water that was laden with disinfectant and had a strong smell of Chlorine. I guess they wanted to make sure we did not bring any bugs into the United States.
We had to leave our wagon and horses in Mexico and since Tio Nicolas did not bring a wagon to pick us up my father had to make arrangements to leave the box with my mother’s treasures at the immigration office, telling the immigration officers he would be back the next morning with a wagon to get it. We all then walked to Tio Nicolas’ house, where we stayed for two or three months.
The next morning my father went back to the immigration office to get my mother’s treasures but the box was gone; and none of the immigration officers knew anything about the missing box so my mother's treasure was lost. I remember my mother crying, lamenting the loss of her treasure.
My father was able to quickly find a job in El Paso because he was bilingual, being able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish. My father went to work for Swartz Importing, where he worked for the next fourteen years.
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