History Colorado

Sam Guerrero, Juanita Guerrero’s father, receiving a plaque from the Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner in honor of his life long service to the community (2009)

Activism is an essential part of Hispanic communities in Colorado. Residents of Dog Patch remembered having to advocate for themselves in order to see improvements like the highway overpass and handicapped accessible sidewalks. They also remembered the determination it took to accomplish those goals in the face of negative stereotyping from people outside of their community.

Juanita Guerrero described how in the past, residents have had to fight to see the improvements that they deserved.

Listen to her oral history from 3:35 to 4:26. Her words are written out below.

And I remember as a child always having to protest and fight for what we needed. We weren’t handed stuff the way other people in the city got whatever they wanted: their lights, their roads paved. I’ve felt like we’ve always had an injustice here, that we’ve always had to prove ourselves, that we needed it, that we were entitled to it. And I felt like we were neglected all these years. 

And I feel that it’s coming full circle. People are seeing that kind of like - how would you say it? - a rough gem in the sand. Or we’re coming to be like a diamond. And because of that, great things are going to happen.

Activism in Dog Patch

Take a tour around the Dog Patch neighborhood to see some of its most important locations. If you made a map of your neighborhood, what would you include?

Around the Neighborhood

Sylvia Fransua’s family in their home in Dog Patch, with many other family photos hung on the wall behind them (2006)

Family in Dog Patch

Use this timeline to explore how Dog Patch has changed over time.

Dog Patch Over the Years

Six kids, including Bertha and Vera Valenzuela and Darlene Gallegos, pose in front of a car in Dog Patch

Changing Times

Many primary sources from Dog Patch show or tell about the activities people did for fun. In their pictures, kids play with kites and pinatas or make snowmen. Music and art helped connect the neighborhood through shared culture. Sports like basketball and cheer, and holidays like Halloween, Memorial BBQs, Christmas, and the 4th of July are often pictured. 
The St. Anne’s Festival was a community wide event that everyone played a part in. Some residents believe events like this will be how they are able to make their community stronger today. 

Fun in Dog Patch

Many residents remember the importance of religion in Dog Patch. Religious events like baptisms, weddings, communions, and funerals were reasons for the whole community to get together. Listen to the clip linked below from an oral history interview with sisters Elaine Madrid, Marsha Montoya, and Priscilla Hernandez. Then add in speech or thought bubbles to this picture of Elaine and Priscilla to imagine what they might have been thinking about as little girls preparing for Easter.

Religion in Dog Patch

What does the name Dog Patch have to do with life in the neighborhood? Longtime resident Thelma Moore explains that Dog Patch was the name of a movie and that the neighborhood got the nickname because people used to drop their dogs off there when they didn’t want them anymore. She told a story of how her mother insisted she call the neighborhood its official name, Eiler’s Heights. A 2006 Pueblo Chieftain article says it was named Dog Patch because of the lack of sewer and electricity services in the early days of the neighborhood.
No matter what the reason it’s named Dog Patch, many dogs are featured in pictures of the early neighborhood. If photographs were much more difficult to take, like they used to be, what would you take a picture of when you had the chance?

What's In a Name

Dog Patch is a neighborhood in the East Side of Pueblo, CO, founded in the 1950s. Its majority Hispanic and economically disadvantaged residents live there still, advocating for fair treatment and working to combat stereotypes about their community. In many ways, the themes discussed by Dog Patch residents reflect other majority-Hispanic communities across Colorado.

Nuestras Historias: Mexican American/Chicano/Latino Histories in Denver

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Dog Patch- Exploring Change in a Colorado Hispanic Community

Activism in Dog Patch