Last week, Dr. G, Council Member and well-known Historian and Community Advocate, was the guest speaker for the monthly Colton Chamber of Commerce “Rise n’ Shine” Networking Meeting.
The public and interested business leaders were invited to the guest speaker event to hear Dr. G talk about the legendary Caldera Sports Complex. The early morning session began with a brief welcome by Christina Gaitan, Director of the Colton Chamber, followed by general announcements, and then the presentation.
As an introduction, Dr.G was quick to point out that, “The history of Colton is important to promote,” and continued to elaborate, “many of our citizens have deep roots that need to be remembered.” For these two reasons, and the fact that the City of Colton has been promoting a Colton Sports Park in So Colton, the timing of this presentation was ideal.
When the Chamber Director, Christina Gaitan, approached Dr.G to give this presentation, the sports complex buzz was already in the air. Recently, the City celebrated the receipt of state grant funds for a sports park, through the efforts of Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Reyes Gomez. Additionally, Dr. G gave a live-streamed presentation in July which attracted broad interest and received wide acclaim from the Caldera family. “The topic was perfect for this event,” responded Cynthia Calderilla, one of the attendees.
The focus of the presentation was on Juan Caldera, a beloved promoter and developer in So Colton, who created the sports complex idea in the 1920s. Starting with his first business venture in So Colton, a grocery store called “La Independencia,” Juan Caldera went on to purchase six acres of land in 1922 on Fifth Street, just south of Agua Mansa. On that property, Caldera went on to build the Colton International Stadium, a baseball park (Cubs Park), the Caldera Plunge, a bullring, and a boxing arena.
As part of the closing comments, Dr.G delighted the audience with a few “homespun” stories involving Juan Caldera, such as being a radio announcer, having a jukebox business, knowing the family of Pancho Villa, and the development of Seventh Street. “These stories have been passed down through the Caldera family,” said Auggie Caldera, Juan Caldera’ Grandson. Dr.G also had the opportunity to talk with Frank Caldera, Juan Caldera’s son, who lives in Alabama, who was able to provide additional details for the presentation. “This was a great event,” exclaimed Auggie.
Each part of the sports complex was introduced and was supported with a photo, a news article, or an original document. The most significant extant piece was a site map, provided by the family of the location of each venue within the complex.
This presentation was well worth the research and certainly well-received. Juan Caldera devoted much of his life to promoting these programs and developing facilities for the benefit of the people, especially those who lived in So Colton. He left a permanent mark on the history of So Colton, in terms of culture, community, and economic development. He was certainly a visionary, and an individual ahead of his time.
“The presentation at the Rise n” Shine event was very interesting,” commented Christina Gaitan, who added, “We learned lots of new information about Juan Caldera and the influence he had in the development of So Colton.” For more information about the networking events and the Colton Chamber of Commerce, contact Christina Gaitan @ 909-699-3326, or the Chamber office @ 909-825-2222.