From 1880 to 1977, thousands of men and women from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds worked at the Albuquerque Railyard. Seeking a better way of life, they pledged their loyalty - and sometimes their lives - to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway for a steady wage and a greater life for their children. Because of their efforts in building and repairing steam locomotives, they became the backbone of the city, stimulating the economy and opening the doors toward westward expansion.

In this presentation, Cecilia Navarrete will share her findings from the US Census (1880-1940) and the Albuquerque City Directory about the occupations, age, and birthplace of these hardworking men and women. She will further discuss the role native New Mexicans, people of color, and women had at the rail yard before and during World War II.

Cecilia Navarrete comes from an extended family of rail yard workers who thrived in the communities of San Jose and Barelas. She grew up listening to their stories and later compiled information about her relatives and the impact the rail yard had on them.

Cecilia is a 45-year education professional who started her career as a kindergarten and migrant education schoolteacher for the Albuquerque Public Schools. Striving to improve the education condition of underserved populations she became an educational researcher at Stanford University while completing her Ph.D., and then worked for the US Department of Education providing technical assistance in the evaluation and design of education programs for schools and state departments of education across the country (including Alaska and Hawaii) and in the Pacific Island Trust Territories. Cecilia spent the last 10 years of her career as a project coordinator, grant writer and program evaluator at New Mexico Highlands University.