Washington

Elizabeth Rink

1774 The Spanish explorer Juan Perez arrives on the Santiago in Washington State with a crew primarily of Mexican sailors.

1790-1792 The first non-Native American settlements Washington, Neah Bay, and Vancouver Island are established with Mexican crew members.

1792 Two naturalists, Ariano Mozino and Anastasio Echeverria, make expeditions to Washington to sketch the landscape, plants, animals, and birds.

1819 The United States and Spain sign the Adams-Onis Treaty, in which the Spanish sell Florida to the United States and give up their claim to Washington.

The Mexican mule packing system, which transports materials and foodstuffs for the gold trade in the Pacific Northwest, is established in Washington.

1853 The area that is now Washington becomes Washington Territory.

1850s The discovery of gold in Idaho and British Columbia establishes Washington as the center for purchasing provisions.

1850-1856 Mexican mule packers are used in the Rogue River War.

1870 Walla Walla becomes known for its large Mexican population.

1889 Washington becomes a state.

1910-1917 The Mexican Revolution results in a large migration of Mexicans to Washington.

1942-1947 The Bracero program is established in Washington.

1960s The Muralist Art Movement emerges in Washington.

1968 Latino students at the University of Washington establish United Mexican American Students (UMAS) at the university.

1968-1970 UMAS joins forces with the national Chicano Movement and becomes Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) at the University of Washington.

1969-1970 Wildcat strikes in the Yakima valley lead to the establishment of the United Farm Workers Co-op in Toppenish.

1970 Wildcat strikes at hops ranches in Granger and Mabton are successful in getting better pay and working conditions for the Mexican laborers. 1986 Cesar Chavez, a Mexican American farmworker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who cofounded the National Farm Workers Association (which later became the United Farm Workers), visits the Yakima valley. The United Farm Workers of Washington State is established.

1995 The first union contract is established in Washington State as a result of a strike at Chateau Sainte Michelle.

2006 On April 11, 2006, fifteen thousand Latinos march in Seattle for migrant rights.