Overview
Sugar Beet Farming and Community in Colorado. The history of sugar beet farming in Colorado, the development of adobe colonies, and the role of community, particularly baseball, helped to foster social connections and resilience among sugar beet workers, especially the Hispanic community.
Author
Dave Peachtree
Topics
Sugar Beet Farming; Adobe Colonies; Baseball; Hispanic Communities
Theme / Focus
Community Building, Resilience, Agricultural Labor
Learning Outcomes:
- Literacy
- Social Studies
- Writing
- Social/Emotional
Materials and Resource Sets
Lesson Plan
While the lesson plan grade level is designed for Fourth Grade, it is scaleable to adjust to different audiences.
Inquiry/Essential Questions:
- What were the living and working conditions like for sugar beet farmers in Colorado, particularly in the adobe colonies?
- How did the sugar beet industry shape the social and cultural landscape of communities like Fort Collins?
- What role did community activities, such as baseball, play in the lives of sugar beet workers and their families?
- How did the growth of the sugar beet industry impact the demographics and cultural diversity of Northern Colorado?
- How did the seasonal nature of sugar beet farming affect the lives and social interactions of the workers?
- How did the establishment of adobe colonies contribute to the formation of distinct cultural identities and social structures within these communities?
- In what ways did sugar beet workers overcome challenges and discrimination, and how is their resilience reflected in the community today?
Standard Alignment (Evidence Outcomes):
Colorado State Social Studies Standards:
- History Standard 1: Students understand the chronological development of human society.
- History Standard 3: Students understand the role of geography in shaping human history.
- Civics Standard 2: Students understand the purposes, structures, and functions of governments and how they can serve individuals and societies.
- Economics Standard 1: Students understand how the allocation of scarce resources affects the economic well-being of individuals, societies, and nations.
Common Core State Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
Key Vocabulary:
- Adobe Colony
- Sugar Beet
- Seasonal Labor
- Migrant Workers
- Great Western Sugar Company
- Camaraderie
- Resilience
- Discrimination
- Cultural Heritage
- Primary Source
- Secondary Source
- Industrial Agriculture
- Labor Movement
Place/Location:
Activity
Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to understand the history of sugar beet farming communities in Fort Collins, compare past and present community dynamics, and explore the role of camaraderie in building community resilience.
Sugar Beet Communities: Past and Present
1. Introduction (15 minutes)
- Begin by showing students images of sugar beet farming in Colorado and asking them what they observe.
- Introduce the topic of adobe colonies and their significance in the history of Fort Collins.
- Present the essential questions for the lesson.
2. Primary Source Analysis (30 minutes):
- Divide students into small groups.
- Provide each group with a set of primary source materials: photographs of farming equipment and historical documents.
- Distribute the Primary Sources Analysis Tool
- Consult the Library of Congress Teacher’s Guide and Analysis Tool site for additional tools to support primary source analysis.
- Instruct students to analyze the sources, focusing on:
- What do the sources reveal about the lives of sugar beet workers?
- What were the working conditions like?
- How did the community develop over time?
- What evidence of camaraderie or community building do they find?
3. Comparing Past and Present (30 minutes):
- Provide each group with a Venn Diagram.
- Instruct students to use the information from the primary sources and the interview/video excerpts to compare and contrast the sugar beet farming communities of the past with the Fort Collins community of the present.
- Encourage students to consider:
- Demographics and cultural diversity
- Economic factors
- Social structures and community activities
- Changes in the landscape and built environment
- Legacy of the adobe colonies
4. Class Discussion (20 minutes):
- Bring the class back together for a whole-group discussion.
- Facilitate a discussion using the following questions:
- What were the most significant challenges faced by sugar beet workers in the past?
- How did they build community and support each other?
- What are the connections between the history of sugar beet farming and the present-day community of Fort Collins?
- How has the role of community changed (or stayed the same) over time?
- What lessons can we learn from the history of the adobe colonies about building inclusive and resilient communities?
- How does the concept of “camaraderie” contribute to community resilience and social cohesion, both in the past and present?
5. Wrap-up and Reflection (10 minutes):
- Summarize the key points of the lesson.
- Ask students to reflect on what they have learned about the history of their community and the importance of community building.
- Optional: Have students write a short reflection on one of the essential questions.
Primary Source Analysis Tool
Beets & Baseball
The Beets and Baseball video is a teacher created 10 minute video which can be used as a stand along lesson. The video includes primary sources images/photographs, secondary source excerpts, and classroom-ready discussion questions.
Teacher’s Guide
- Provide an overview of the history of sugar beet farming in Colorado, including the arrival of migrant workers (initially from various ethnic backgrounds, later primarily Latino) and the role of companies like the Great Western Sugar Company.
- Explain the establishment of adobe colonies as a means of providing housing for workers and stabilizing the workforce.
- Discuss the social and economic conditions of the time, including issues of discrimination and labor rights.
- Emphasize the importance of community building activities, such as baseball, in fostering social connections and resilience among the workers.
- Highlight the cultural contributions of the Latino community to the history of Colorado.
Gabriel Lopez, From Sugar to Diamonds
- This book, and excerpts/summaries, serves as a key resource, documenting the history of sugar beet farming and its impact on the community. It emphasizes the cultural significance of baseball within the adobe colonies and its role in fostering community.
- A video featuring Gabriel Lopez, author of “From Sugar to Diamonds.” This video discusses the history of sugar beet farming, the establishment of adobe colonies, and the role of baseball in community building. It provides historical context and highlights the cultural significance of this history.
- An in-depth interview with Betty Aragon, a Latina woman who grew up in Fort Collins amidst the sugar beet fields. This interview provides firsthand accounts of community life, resilience in the face of discrimination, and the importance of valuing the labor of past generations. It offers a personal perspective on the social and emotional aspects of this history.
Beets & Baseball
The Greeley Grays ¡Pleibol!
Interview: Betty Aragon
Extension
Discussion Questions
- How did the seasonal nature of sugar beet farming shape the daily lives of the workers and their families?
- What were the advantages and disadvantages of living in an adobe colony?
- How did the workers maintain their cultural traditions in a new environment?
- What forms of discrimination did sugar beet workers face, and how did they resist them?
- How did the experience of working in the sugar beet fields contribute to the formation of a distinct Latino identity in Colorado?
- What is the legacy of the adobe colonies in Fort Collins today?
- How can we connect the history of sugar beet farming to contemporary issues of immigration, labor rights, and community development?
- How did baseball and other forms of recreation provide a sense of community and belonging for the workers?
- In what ways did the workers’ experiences contribute to the cultural and economic development of Northern Colorado?
- How did the physical environment (climate, landscape) impact the development of the adobe colonies and the lives of the people who lived there?
Videos
How Latinos Changed Baseball in America
Activity Ideas
- Field Trip: Organize a field trip to the locations of the three original adobe colonies in Fort Collins. Before the trip, have students research the history of each colony. During the trip, have students document their observations (through photos, sketches, and written notes) and reflect on how the sites have changed over time. After the trip, students can create a presentation or exhibit about their findings.
- Historical Mapping Project: Have students create a map of Fort Collins that overlays historical information about the adobe colonies (location, size, demographics) with present-day features (neighborhoods, landmarks, community centers). This project can help students visualize the historical footprint of the sugar beet industry and its lasting impact on the city’s geography and development.
- Oral History Project: Students can conduct oral history interviews with residents of Fort Collins who have connections to the history of sugar beet farming or the adobe colonies. Students can record and transcribe the interviews, then analyze them for themes related to community, resilience, and cultural heritage. They can present their findings in a podcast, video documentary, or written report.
- Community History Walk: Design a walking tour of the area where the adobe colonies were located. Students can create a brochure or website that highlights significant historical sites, shares stories of the people who lived there, and connects the past to the present.
- Then and Now Photo Essay: Students can research historical photographs of the adobe colonies and then take contemporary photographs of the same locations. They can create a photo essay that compares and contrasts the past and present, reflecting on the changes and continuities in the community.
Bonus Activity
Part 1: Observation and Selection (15-20 minutes)
- Introduction (5 minutes):
- Briefly introduce Spalding as a significant sporting goods manufacturer with a long history.
- Explain that students will be examining excerpts from a 1916 Spalding magazine, a primary source offering a glimpse into the past.
- Emphasize the importance of careful observation and drawing inferences from the visual evidence.
- Individual Exploration (10-15 minutes):
- Distribute the two images of bats and gloves from the 1916 Spalding magazine.
- Instruct students to individually examine the images closely. Encourage them to notice details such as:
- The different styles and sizes of the bats.
- The materials and construction of the gloves (as best as can be determined from the image).
- Any accompanying text or descriptions (if available on the original page).
- Have students answer the following questions:
- Which bat(s) would you choose? Why? (Encourage them to consider factors like size, shape, apparent weight, intended use, etc.)
- Which glove(s) would you choose? Why? (Encourage them to consider factors like size, padding, style, position they might play, etc.)
Part 2: Deeper Reflection and Discussion (25-35 minutes)
- Introducing the Gender Question (5 minutes):
- Direct students’ attention to the fact that the advertisement features bats marketed towards boys/men but seemingly no equivalent equipment specifically marketed towards girls/women.
- Pose the central deeper question:
- Reflect on why there are bats for boys/men depicted in this 1916 advertisement, but no comparable sporting equipment (specifically bats or gloves for baseball/softball) explicitly marketed towards girls/women.
- Individual Reflection (10 minutes):
- Have students individually brainstorm and write down their thoughts and potential explanations for this disparity. Encourage them to consider:
- Societal expectations and roles for men and women in 1916.
- Prevailing attitudes towards female participation in sports.
- The types of activities and roles considered “appropriate” for girls and women at the time.
- Potential limitations or barriers that might have prevented girls and women from participating in baseball or similar sports.
- The influence of advertising and marketing on shaping societal norms.
- Have students individually brainstorm and write down their thoughts and potential explanations for this disparity. Encourage them to consider:
- Class Discussion (10-20 minutes):
- Facilitate a class discussion based on students’ reflections. Encourage them to share their ideas and respectfully engage with different perspectives.
- Use probing questions to deepen the discussion:
- “What does the absence of girls’ sporting equipment suggest about the opportunities available to them in sports at this time?”
- “How might societal beliefs about gender have influenced the products that were manufactured and advertised?”
- “Do you think girls and women played sports in 1916? If so, how might they have obtained equipment?”
- “How have things changed for girls and women in sports since 1916? What evidence do we see of this today?”
- “Can we see any echoes of past gender stereotypes in sports or other areas of life today?”
- “How does advertising today sometimes reinforce or challenge gender roles?”
Part 3: Wrap-up and Extension (5 minutes)
- Summarize Key Insights: Briefly summarize the main points that emerged from the discussion, emphasizing the connection between historical artifacts, societal norms, and gender roles.
Primary Sources
Extension Activities Slideshow
