National Park Service

Pacific West Region

San Francisco, California

March 2012

Cesar Chavez Special Resource Study

and Environmental Assessment
Abstract

The National Park Service (NPS) conducted the Cesar Chavez Special Resource Study to evaluate the significance, 

suitability, and feasibility of designating sites significant to Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement in the western 

United States as part of the national park system, and to determine whether such sites are eligible for listing on the 

National Register of Historic Places or designation as a National Historic Landmark. Congress authorized this study in 

2008. 

Through the study process, the NPS is making the following determinations: 

The study team evaluated over 100 sites significant to Cesar Chavez and/or the farm labor movement in the 

western United States. Of these sites, five have preliminarily been found to be nationally significant: the Forty 

Acres National Historic Landmark ( (NHL) Delano, CA); Filipino Community Hall (Delano, CA); Nuestra Senora 

Reina de la Paz (Keene, CA); the Santa Rita Center (Phoenix, AZ) and the 1966 Delano to Sacramento march 

route. The 1966 Delano to Sacramento march route also meets eligibility criteria for designation as a national 

historic trail.

The nationally significant sites associated with Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement in the western United 

States depict a distinct and important aspect of American history associated with civil rights and labor movements 

that is not adequately represented or protected elsewhere and are therefore suitable for inclusion in the National 

Park System. 

A partnership-based national park unit or technical assistance program which provides opportunities for 

collaborative management to protect cultural resources, provide public access, interpretation, and educational 

opportunities at certain sites associated with the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement is a feasible

addition to the national park system. 

There is a need for NPS management to achieve partnership-based protection of significant resources and 

enhanced visitor appreciation of the important resources and stories associated with the life of Cesar Chavez and 

the farm labor movement.

Five management alternatives were developed to explore a range of approaches to manage, protect, or restore 

significant resources and to provide or enhance public use and enjoyment. 

Alternative A: Continuation of Current Management. Sites, organizations, and programs significant to the life of 

Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement would continue to operate independently without additional NPS 

management or assistance other than that available through existing authorities. 

Alternative B: National Network. Congress would establish a farm labor movement network to facilitate 

preservation and education efforts related to the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement. Coordinated by 

the NPS, the program would consist of an integrated network of historic sites, museums and interpretive programs, 

coordinated with national, regional and local organizations. 

Alternative C: National Historic Trail. Congress would establish a new national historic trail (NHT) that would 

commemorate the 1966 Delano to Sacramento march. 

Alternative D: National Historic Site. Congress would establish a national historic site (NHS) at the Forty Acres in 

Delano, CA as a unit of the national park system that would preserve and interpret resources significant to the life of 

Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement. 

Alternative E: National Historical Park. Congress would establish a national historical park (NHP) that would 

incorporate nationally significant sites in California and Arizona related to the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm 

labor movement. These sites would include the Forty Acres, Filipino Community Hall, Nuestra Senora Reina de La 

Paz (La Paz) and the Santa Rita Center. The Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to add significant 

associated sites or districts to the national historical park that would be owned and operated by park partners. 

The Selected Alternative 

The actions encompassed in the selected alternative include those identified and analyzed in alternatives E and B, with the 

exception of minor modifications made as a result of information and comments derived from public review. The national 

historical park in the selected alternative would add McDonnell Hall in San Jose, CA which appears to be the best location to 

tell the story of Cesar Chavez’s early education as a community organizer. The selected alternative does not include the 

provision for adding “associated sites,” to the national historical park, but does provide for the establishment of a national 

network where the NPS would coordinate a network of sites and programs outside of the park. The NPS would also establish 

an oral history program with park partners or universities to further document the story of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor 

movement.
Cesar Chavez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment 

Contents i 

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii 

INTRODUCTION 1 

 Purpose and Need 1 

 Issues Addressed in the Study 2 

 Study Sites 2 

 Study Process 2 

 Public Involvement 2 

 Development of Alternatives 3 

 Related Plans and Studies 4 

HISTORIC OVERVIEW AND RESOURCE DESCRIPTION 5 

 Introduction 5 

 Historic Context Overview 5 

 Historic Contexts and Resource Descriptions 38 

 Resources Associated with Cesar Chavez and the Farm Labor Movement in the American West 49 

RESOURCE SIGNIFICANCE 59 

 Criteria for National Significance 59 

 Significance of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Labor Movement 60 

 Nationally Significant Sites 64 

 Nationally Significant and Potentially Nationally Significant Sites-Additional Research Needed 84 

 Special Resource Study Criteria Analysis 101 

 National Trails Act Criteria 104 

 Sites Potentially Eligible for Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places 112 

 Other Protected Sites 114 

 National Significance Conclusion 114 

SUITABILITY 115 

 Introduction 115 

 NPS Thematic Framework—Cultural Themes 115 

 Conclusion—Finding of Suitability 124 

FEASIBILITY AND NEED FOR NPS MANAGEMENT 125 

 Introduction 125 

 Evaluation of Feasibility Factors 125 

 Feasibility Conclusion 133 

 Need for NPS Management 134 

ALTERNATIVES 135 

 Introduction 135 

 Alternatives Overview 135 

 The Selected Alternative 135 

 Alternatives Presented in the Draft Study Report 140 

 Management Alternatives Considered but Dismissed 154 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 155 

 Introduction 155 

 Physical Resources 164 

 Biological Resources 171 

 Cultural Resources 176 

 Recreational/Social Resources 188 
Cesar Chavez Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment 

Contents ii 

CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION 205 

 Public Involvement 205 

 Agency and Tribal Consultation 206 

 Contributions and Technical Review 206 

 List of Agencies and Organizations to Whom Copies of the Draft are being Sent 207 

APPENDICES 209 

 A: Cesar Chavez Special Resource Study Legislation 209 

 B: New Area Studies Act 211 

 C: 2006 NPS Management Policies (Sections 1.2 and 1.3) 213 

 D: National Historic Landmark Criteria Sec. 65.4 217 

 E: National Historic Trail Criteria 219 

 F: Historical Context, Cesar Chavez and the Farm Labor Movement 220 

G: Sites Requiring Additional Research and Sites Not Determined Eligible for National Historic Landmark or 

National Register of Historic Places Nomination 275 

H: Finding of No Significant Impact 281 

ACRONYMS 297 

REFERENCES 299 

PREPARERS 307