700 Hill
Posted by saintandie on September 23, 2007
Film Producer David Mendez plans on telling the story of Mexican immigrants traveling to and settling in Logan County, West Virginia in the film “700 Hill.” The film will tell the story of his great grandfather Sebastian Mendez, originally from Mexico, and his grandmother Nancy Mendez, a Southern Appalachian woman. The film will tell the stories of their lives at Omar, WV. living in the coal camp houses on 700 Hill. For a more indepth look at the movie check out the links below:
Charleston Gazette Article “700 Hill”
“700 Hill” Monterrey Pictures Offical Site
“700 Hill” Blog Site: for those who remember 700 Hill and would like to share stories…
When my grandparents Rafael and Delfina Rios Santos moved to Omar, West Virginia they too moved to 700 Hill along with a few other Mexican families who had traveled here to work in the southern coalfields. My Aunt Chana and I were talking about the treatment of Mexican Americans in the 1940’s in Logan and she remembered my grandfather saying, “I will never return to Texas.” My non-english speaking grandparents lived in Texas before venturing to WV. Apparently, the people of WV were much kinder than other places they had lived before…Here they could go into restaurants and bars, and seek medical attention from the doctor that everyone else saw… In Texas, this was not the case. In Texas, my grandparents suffered because of their skin and language. Of course, I am sure they encountered the strings of resentment and hatred which still painfully dangled after the Alamo . My father remembers fighting after school everyday due to racial and cultural slurs, but over all the people of Logan were generous and good…I guess because there were so many other immigrants; Italians, Hungarians, Greeks, and others flooding into this area for the mining opportunities…Anyway, My Abuelito and Abuela died in these mountains full of years. I have been blessed to have received the heritage my family has passed down, not only the Mexican customs and language, but also the sacredness and refuge that these mountains possess. Below are pictures from my personal family collection of my Grandfather and Father on 700 Hill and a few mining pictures from the Omar Mining Company:
Mi abuelo y mi papi…
Mi abuelo, Rafael Santos…
Mi papi…
700 Hill
Omar Mining Company
Omar Mining Company
