Book on Calexico History highlights city’s unseen heroes

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) - A new book on the history of Calexico, covering 1930 to 1969 is now available at the Calexico Cultural Center.

The book delves into the tales of people who lived, worked, and made history in the city.

Jimmy Dorantes, a native to Calexico, said he wanted to highlight the unseen heroes of the southern most part of the Imperial Valley. The book tells the stories of locals, from hometown sports heroes to war heroes.

"People that go unheard of. A lot of people don't know about, but they made a difference nation-wide," he said.

One goal of the book is to take the reader back to a time where Calexico was a small desert town where everyone knew their neighbors.

Jimmy Duron, from the Calexico Arts Council, explained, "What this book is about is having those people share their stories with their children, grandchildren, or whomever and bringing them to what Calexico was."

The team spent roughly one and a half years sifting through photographs, conducting interviews, and fact-checking stories.

"You have to fact check everything. Make sure that their story, their historical story is actually correct. And once again the picture process is who owns that picture," Duron said.