Former Arvin resident Ruth Leon Barba presented her book, Images of America: Arvin, Lamont and Weedpatch, with Mary Louise Durham, foreword by Dr. James “Fizzer” Young, to the community on August 8.
She presented the stories of three distinct yet connected communities and the importance of recognizing local history. The pictorial history book, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2019, covers about 200 years of history through vintage photos. Barba selected images from the Arvin Historical Society, the Dust Bowl Foundation, private and public collections, and interviewed many community members. She shared with the community that the story only tells the early history through photographs that were available to her and clarified that it is not a comprehensive history.
Barba was inspired to become an author and write this book because she is proud to be from Arvin, loves her community, and wanted to give back.
“Arvin has poured so much into me and into my life, professionally and in my personal life as well. I’ve worked in these communities and been in these communities most of my entire life, and I wanted to leave something behind as a gift to these communities that is going to outlive me,” said Barba. “I just get so much joy from sharing this work, this pictorial history with the residents. They light up. People who have lived here in the past light up, and they’re just so proud of the work. I did it because I knew that it would make them proud.”
She shared her journey in writing this book. Barba stated that Arcadia Publishing had first contacted her to write only about Lamont. She explained that she had first contacted Arvin Historical Society, Dust Bowl, Don Burkett, Mildred Blackburn, and other community members, and then came across a book by Eugene Burmeister and decided that all three communities should be included, as she was inspired by all these people.
She dedicated the book to her parents. Barba mentioned that Mary Louise, president of the Arvin Historical Society, played a role in the book as the publisher requested someone who lived locally, and Louise provided connections to Barba within the community and the Arvin Historical Society.
She shared that one thing she aspires the community to take away from the book is that although populations shift and community members leave the area, their history is still here and that still matters to people living there now.
“There is a common link between that first wave of migration and the second wave of migration, and that really is the purpose why we came here, our families came here, searching to work hard and make a better future for their families.”
Barba emphasized that even when the stories are about a different community that lived in Arvin, and readers may not see themselves in the photos, the stories of migration are still similar.
“So I want to push that and tell people that although people that you see in the book may not look like you because they’re the ones that came prior to you coming, and I’m speaking as a Latina, whose family came in the 90s here to the United States, and where we settled here in Arvin, that although the children may not all look like me, right,” said Barba “Because they’re coming in the 30s and the 40s. That, their history, and our history- there’s a common link, and that’s migration. And just trying to improve the lives of their families, going forward, right?”
Barba spoke about how street sign names carry a legacy and encouraged community members to look into the history of the area they are from.
“One thing that I hope that the public takes from this is that when you see street signs, they might not mean anything to you, but you grew up on that street. And if you see the book, if you read the book and you start to learn about the people that were here, settling down. Opening up these family farms, then those names are going to come to life. So seeing those street signs, that street you grew up on your entire life,” said Barba. “There’s a name, there’s a person behind that name, and they were ordinary people, just going about their daily business, but trying to improve the community. So then they leave behind a legacy of service. And I think that we can take something from that.”
Barba discussed some historical facts that stood out in her presentation, including background and local stories that contributed to the development of the communities.
She said that the Yokuts were the first to settle in the Weedpatch area and that they still exist, followed by Spanish settlers, Mexicans, and then the US settled in that territory. She mentioned that California became the 31st state and then Kern County was formed, followed by Bakersfield, which was named Havilah before.
Barba explained that Lamont was the first community to settle in 1874, followed by Weedpatch in 1888, and Arvin in 1907. Additionally, she spoke about how the communities got their names: Lamont got its name from the founder, Arthur McFadden, in 1923, after his Scottish clan, or from his daughter’s name. Weedpatch received its name due to the abundance of weeds and was discovered by Joseph Cuda and Calvin Alexander, who were the first white settlers. Arvin was named after George Arvin Richardson, a farmer and businessman who settled in 1907.
Barba shared a story about postmaster Birdie Heard, who first arrived in Arvin in 1993. Heard advocated for a post office and was the first to open one in 1914. Barba explained that Heard was the first to suggest names for Arvin, such as Heard, Arvin, and Bear Mountain, to the US Postmaster General.
Barba emphasized in her final story that Migration and labor are something that connects everyone. She demonstrated a photo from Don Burkett of children who were smiling at Di Giorgio Camp in the 1930s. She stated that despite the challenges they are facing, the kids are happy.
She added that there is still much more to discuss about the second wave of migration in 1970, and she hopes to inspire someone to write about it. She encouraged the community to grab a copy, which is available everywhere.
She emphasized that everyone is ordinary, just like those she spoke about in the presentation, and that she wanted to give back so people could learn about history.
“We’re ordinary people too. I’m an ordinary person. There’s nothing special about me. But I wanted to give back to my community, and I did this, and now we get to learn about those names. On the street signs, why Haven Drive is called Haven Drive was because Ralph Haven was one of the 1st people here, and why Tucker Street is Tucker. Because of J.D. Tucker, you know? It’s just really cool when they come to life like that.”
