Remembering a divided past: Former Spanish school on National Register

The old Worland Mexican/Spanish school at 100 South Third Street, now Supreme Motors, was accepted onto the National Register of Historic Places in October 2023. 

Now Washakie County Museum Curator Stefanie Kowalczyk, the Washakie County Preservation Commission and historian with local familial ties, Gonzalo Guzmán, with the help of the building owner, Khan Muhummad, are working toward putting signage outside of the building through the Wyoming State Parks Signs and Markers program,

The building was built in 1936 to serve as a segregated school for Hispanic kids. Guzman used this fact to file for the National Register. It was filed under criteria A, which, according to the National Register of Historic Places registration form, is defined as "Property associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history." The areas of significance are education and ethnic heritage: Hispanic.

Guzmán said, "In the original application we wanted the school building to be added to the National Register based on two criteria: historical significance and architecture design.

"The school was designed by a famous Wyoming architect (Leon Goodrich). Because too many modifications were made to the original interior and exterior the school building didn't qualify for the National Register based on architecture design, so we had to just focus on one criteria of historical significance when we sent the application in." 

Per the registration form, "Known most commonly as the Mexican or Spanish School it was also known as the West Side School. The Mexican school in Worland was in operation until 1956, following the immediate aftermath of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954/55) Supreme Court decisions and Wyoming's repeal of its permissive educational segregation law in 1955. The school was in use for Mexican descent children until 1956, when it was temporarily used to house middle school students, served as the Worland school administration building, a bank, Wyoming Highway Patrol, and is currently used as an office building."

Guzmán said his interest in getting the school on the National Register of Historic Places was professional as a historian and personal.

He said, "I'm a historian so I knew that the school had historical significance being so far away from areas usually associated with segregation in schools and the experience of Mexican Americans. That the federal government assisted in building the school was also significant because it showed the state, local and federal cooperation in making segregation. Also, it is one of the only few intact segregated schools still standing and this is especially the case involving Mexican Americans. There are only a handful that currently have said designation and they are all in the Southwest states mostly in California, Texas and Arizona.

"The school in Wyoming is currently the only one of its kind that is on the National Register outside of the Southwest states. In fact, I'm pretty confident that it is the only intact former segregated school still standing in Wyoming. I do know for sure it is the only segregated school in Wyoming that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

"On a personal note, my grandfather, Pilar Vasquez, attended the school in Worland as well as a number of his siblings. So my family connection was also a major reason why I wanted to see the school building added to the National Register of Historic Places."

According to the National Register of Historic Places registration form, Wyoming has a rich history of Mexican presence dating back to the late 19th century, with a significant increase in the Mexican population during the 1920s and 1930s due to the growing sugar beet industry. The state's economy benefited greatly from Mexican labor, leading to protests against restrictive immigration laws.

Those submitting the registration form wrote that Wyoming Governor "John P. Kendrick stated, 'I say to you in all sincerity that if you do prevent us from getting that Mexican labor you are going to destroy the beet sugar industry of my State.'"

According to the National Register of Historic Places registration form, Mexican colonies were established in areas like Sheridan and Worland, where Mexican residents made up a large part of the population. Educational challenges arose as Mexican children attended school alongside white Americans, prompting efforts to integrate them without racial segregation. In the 1930s, anti-Mexican sentiment was widespread in the US, leading to discriminatory policies and deportations. Wyoming saw a rise in anti-Mexican bias, with moves toward racial segregation in schools. The Great Depression exacerbated conditions for Mexican laborers, with relief programs favoring white workers. Federal intervention in 1934 brought changes to the sugar beet industry, impacting child labor and educational programs for Mexican children.

During the Depression era, Mexican children became the focus of education in Worland, leading to the construction of segregated schools for them. This shift symbolized the growing racial factor in education policy, solidifying segregated schooling for Mexican children in sugar beet districts by 1941. This segregation was not about addressing educational needs but rather a race issue, reinforcing racial boundaries and maintaining Mexican Americans' subordinate status. The segregation of Mexican children in Wyoming has been compared to the racism experienced by African Americans in the Jim Crow South, highlighting the discriminatory practices and separate schooling faced by the community.