Jesus Garcia’s Selfless Actions Saved an Entire Mexican Town

A photograph of a steam locomotive from a 1912 book. A speeding train, accidentally lit dynamite, and a hero named Jesus Garcia all feature in the tale of the town Nacozari de Garcia. (Public Domain).

One day in the early 20th century, railroad worker Jesus Garcia’s quick-thinking actions saved several lives when a train exploded. Although Garcia died that fateful  day, his selflessness turned him into a national hero.

Jesus Garcia (1881–1907) was the eighth child born to a family in Hermosillo, Mexico. At the age of 17, Jesus Garcia went to work for a local railroad company in Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico. His first job was to haul supplies in and out of a nearby copper mine as a water boy. His hard work ethic earned him several promotions from brakeman to fireman to engineer.

Garcia’s hard work was celebrated so much that in 1904 his employer paid for him and several co-workers to attend the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. By that time, Garcia was a very popular figure in Nacozari. He was well-known in town as being a romantic who would often pay bands to serenade his fiancée.

Jesus Garcia in a photograph taken just a few days before his untimely death. Public Domain

A Turn for the Worse

But on Nov. 7, 1907 Garcia’s skills as an engineer would be tested. The conductor didn’t show up for work that day, leaving Garcia to pick up the slack. The young engineer made a mistake by loading cars full of dynamite at the front of the train instead of the rear because he was not well-versed in a conductor’s duties.

As the train left town, the crew noticed that a box full of dynamite inside a train car was smoking due to sparks flying from the engine’s smokestack. The train’s fireman tried to remove the smoking box, but he couldn’t because it swelled from the heat.

Jesus de Garcia was a local hero who gave his life to save his town. The town, which renamed itself in his honor, assembled this train to commemorate his sacrifice. CAJUGA/CC BY-SA 4.0

Garcia’s fireman begged the engineer to jump off the train, but Garcia refused. He knew that if he left the train it would roll back into town. The explosion could ignite other dynamite storage facilities in Nacozari and destroy much of the town. 

Instead, Garcia jumped into action and put the train in full throttle out of town. Many believe Garcia’s plan was to jump off the train once he led it far enough away from Nacozari.

However, the train only traveled a short distance before it exploded with Garcia inside. Luckily though, only 12 people perished as Garcia was able to reduce casualties by driving the train far enough away from town to reduce the effects of the blast.

After that tragic day, Garcia was remembered as a hero. Two years after the tragedy, the town constructed a statute in Nacozari as a permanent memorial. Shortly after, the town changed its name to Nacozari de Garcia to honor its fallen hero.

A monument to Jesus Garcia in the newly renamed town Nacozari de Garcia. PD-US

Ever since Garcia gave his life to save his town, he has been commemorated by having stadiums named after him and songs written about his story. Garcia is remembered nationally in Mexico every year on Nov. 7 when the country celebrates Dia del Ferrocarrilero (National Railroad Workers’ Day) in his honor.

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