“J.B. Curaza and Family, migrated to California, 1923” - a tile inlaid in Heritage Walk of Santa Maria's Town Center
In search of economic opportunity, the Curaza family migrated to America in 1923. The newlyweds, Jacinto and Rosario Curaza left the Philippines in search of a better life. They arrived in San Francisco and, since Filipinos they were considered nationals, were able to avoid interrogation at the Angel Island Detention Center. They spent a few years in Stockton and Delano, then moved to the Santa Maria Valley in the late 20’s. They stayed in the Guadalupe area briefly before they finally settled in Casmalia. As a farm laborer, Mr. Curaza was able to upgrade to a contractor for the Betteravia Sugar Beet Company. When World War two started he served as a local civilian militia. Due to California alien land laws, Asians were prohibited from owning property, so the Curaza’s used the name of their American-born child to buy a house on Foxen Canyon Road; the house still remains today in Sisquoc. In 1942, Mr. Curaza launched an agricultural business called “The Valley Farming Company”. His company flourished in large-scale farming and contributed plenty to the war effort. With the success the family moved to Santa Maria. Mr. Curaza passed away in 1946, while his wife, who remarried and was naturalized in 1961, passed away in 1965.