A History of the Italian Immigrants from the Seven Towns of the Asiago Plateau In the Region of the Veneto In Italy On the Gogebic Iron Range of Michigan and Wisconsin from the 1890s to the 1950s

By Peter Oberto

For almost four decades, from 1890 to 1924, many European immigrants came to the Gogebic Iron Range of Michigan and Wisconsin to work in the iron mines, farm, and to establish businesses. Among them was a sizable group of Italian immigrants from various regions and provinces of Italy. This book is a history of a particular group of Italian immigrants that came from the Asiago Plateau in northern Italy. Their lives and experiences are given meaning in this book, bringing their families, friends and the general public, knowledge of their origins and background in northern Italy and the contributions they made on the Gogebic Iron Range.

A thirty year research project, this book is a resource of information for families of the Asiago Plateau immigrants throughout the United States who wish to do historical or genealogical work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jun 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483447889

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Oberto

Copyright © 2016 Peter Oberto.

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ISBN: 978-1-4834-4787-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-4788-9 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 6/9/2016

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The Asiago Plateau

Chapter 3 Surnames and Nicknames

Chapter 4 The Plateau Immigrants

Chapter 5 Some Family Connections

Chapter 6 Some Arrival Stories

Chapter 7 Religion

Chapter 8 Citizenship

Chapter 9 Welfare and Mutual Aid Societies

Chapter 10 National Prohibition 1920-1933

Chapter 11 Iron Mining On the Gogebic Range

Chapter 12 Self Employment

Chapter 13 Farming, Gardening and Grapes

Chapter 14 Public Servants

Chapter 15 Travel

Chapter 16 Education

Chapter 17 Sports and Activities

Chapter 18 The Civilian Conservation Corps

Chapter 19 European and Pacific Wars

Chapter 20 Various Topics of Daily Life

Chapter 21 Visitations and Social Gatherings

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Map of Italy - The Asiago Plateau

(Source: Free blank maps of Italy – bing.com/images)

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The Symbol of the Asiago Plateau

Dedicated To

My Mother

Marian Dalle Ave Oberto Bugni

PREFACE

From 1985 to 1987, I studied in Rome, Italy. This gave me the opportunity to visit my mother’s first cousins, Antonio and Maria Lobbia, who lived in Bassano del Grappa, Italy and their brother, GianPietro Lobbia, who had a small hotel in Asiago, Italy called the Pensione Bassano. While in the town of Asiago I managed to do some family research from old civil records dating back to the 1700s.

What began as a genealogical search of my Italian family and subsequently the making of my family tree evolved into a larger project. On my return to the States, I wondered how many Asiago Plateau immigrants came to the Gogebic Iron Range of Michigan and Wisconsin. Subsequently, I wrote my first book about ten years ago with limited resources available. Since then more reliable resources appeared via the Internet: from newspapers, ship manifests, E-mail correspondence, personal letters and county and state records from Michigan and Wisconsin.

Therefore, I decided to write this second book with the hope that some interest and knowledge would be generated, even in a small way, concerning the immigrants that came from the Asiago Plateau. This second book is not the final word on this subject which is an ongoing project.

1

INTRODUCTION

This book is a history about the immigrants from northern Italy who traveled from the L’Altopiano di Asiago (the Plateau of Asiago) to the Gogebic Range of Michigan and Wisconsin from the 1890s until the 1920s. Approximately 700 Plateau immigrants arrived over a period of thirty-five years. The largest percentage arrived from 1900 until 1915. Sixty percent left the area and forty percent remained permanently on the Gogebic Range.

The Asiago Plateau, also called the L’Altopiano dei Sette Comuni (the Plateau of the Seven Towns) and named after the principle town of Asiago, is found in the region of the Veneto in the Province of Vicenza. It is northwest of Venezia (Venice), immediately within the Dolomite mountain range and south of Trento (Trent) in the Province of Trentino in the the region of the Trentino-Alto Adige. It is 3281 feet above sea level.

The Plateau immigrants were a part of the immigration phenomenon known as The Italian Diaspora from the1860s until the 1920s. Many of them first immigrated to other European countries, such as Germany, Austria, France and Hungry and then to Argentina and Brazil in South America before they came to America and Canada. For example, some members of the Finco family, who were from the town of Gallio, immigrated to Oberhausen, Germany before they arrived on the Gogebic Range. Born in Argentina was Giacomo Gheller, who came to Bessemer, Michigan in 1910; his parents had immigrated to Argentina from the town of Foza in the early 1890s.

From 1861 to 1880 many northern Italian intellectuals, refugees, professional artisans, businessmen and merchants arrived in America. A few Italians were farmers especially in California. By 1870 the three meccas for Italians were New York City (2,749 Italians), San Francisco (1,622 Italians) and New Orleans (1,571 Italians).

Prior to the 1870s, due to a lack of freedom and turmoil on the Italian peninsula, some Italians immigrated to North and South America as political exiles. For example, exiling himself intermittently from the Kingdom of Savoy, the Italian rebel and military hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882), lived for a time on Staten Island, New York during 1850. Garibaldi returned to Italy to continue helping the Risorgimento (Resurgence), the political struggle and movement that began in 1848 and ended in 1871 with the unification of the various regions of the Italian peninsula.

After 1880, Italian immigration surged. Italians arrived in three waves. From 1880 to1900 the majority came from northern Italy from the mountainous regions of the Alps in Piedmont and Lombardy and from the Dolomites in the region of the Veneto. This movement changed overwhelmingly in the second wave from 1900 to 1914 when vast numbers of Italians from the mezzogiorno (south) arrived from Sicily and Calabria representing three-fourths of all Italians. The other one-fourth, still a significant group, came from northern Italy. Austrian Italians, too, arrived from the Trentino area of the region of South Tyrol which belonged to the Austrio-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. The third wave came after World War I. The war interrupted immensely the flow of immigration. Nevertheless, by 1920 New York City populated almost 400,000 Italian immigrants, one quarter of all Italian born immigrants in America. By 1924 Italians represented the fifth largest ethnic group in America (4,195,880 Italians), three-fourths of them from the south of Italy. The historian, Roger Daniels, observed that no other ethnic group in American history sent so many immigrants in such a short time.

Different reasons known as pull/push factors were motivations that effected most immigrants. Pull factors were incentives that drew immigrants to another country, for instance, lower taxes, better health care, better ways to obtain farmland, reuniting family and friends, better educational opportunities and employment. Push factors were reasons to leave their country of origin, for instance, a lack of employment, failing economy, poverty, a shortage of farmland, low wages, high taxes, disease and isolation. Many of these factors were motivations, especially after the 1880s, for most Italian immigrants that arrived to experience the American dream of success and wealth.

Italians journeyed to various ports of departure in Europe by means of the extensive railroad system. They encountered many other European immigrants speaking different languages ready to embark on the same ships for America. The most frequent ports of departure were: Le Havre, Boulonge-Sur-Mer, Cherbourg and Bordeaux, France; the British ports of Liverpool and Southhampton; the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the Belgium port of Antwerp; the German ports of Hamburg and Bremen; and the Italian ports of Naples, Genoa and Trieste. From these ports many ships transported the Italian immigrants to America.

New York City was the main port of entry into America. Other ports of entry were Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Galveston, New Orleans and San Francisco. For instance, Giovanni Passuello arrived from Bremen, Germany through the port of Baltimore on the ship, Brandenburg, on January 24, 1907 to join his brother, Antonio Passuello in Ironwood. Italian immigrants also arrived via Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, from the Canadian ports of Halifax, St. John and Quebec City. For instance, Pietro Alberti arrived on the ship, Montezuma, on May 17, 1905. He entered America through Sault Ste. Marie to join his brother, Giovanni Alberti in Bessemer. Pietro later moved to Shasta County in northern California in 1913 to join his cousin, Pietro Gheller.

From 1855 to 1890 the first center to receive immigrants was Castle Garden in the Battery area in lower Manhattan in New York City. That point of entry changed on January 1, 1892 when Ellis Island became the center of entry. On arrival, immigrants would leave their luggage in the main lobby and then proceed up the stairs to the second floor where their formal inquiry of twenty-nine questions began. About one-half of them were political and historical questions. Their entry approved, they went to the Central Railroad Terminal or the Hoboken Terminal, both in New Jersey, to travel to their various destinations.

While proceeding up the stairs, the immigrants were carefully observed for any signs of illness. If anything was detected, they would be held for special inquiry and detained in the medical hospital on the island until recovery. For example, placed in the Ellis Island hospital and discharged was Matthew Joseph Rigoni, six years old, son of Antonio and Giovanna Rigoni. He had arrived on the ship, Rochambeau, on February 4, 1913 with his mother, brother Sante and sister Antonia. This also happened to Rudolph Landretti, two years old, son of Virgilio and Giovanna Landretti who arrived with his brother, Umberto and sister Maria, on the ship, France, on April 27, 1912.

Deportation did occur due to health issues. One of the few Plateau immigrants to be deported for an illness (senility) was Giovanni Passuello, fifty-six years old and single, from the town of Asiago who arrived on September 8, 1906 on the ship, La Lorraine. He was on his way to Ironwood to join his cousin, Antonio Passuello.

For the most part, Italian immigrants settled in the cites and small towns of the Northeastern and Midwestern states. A few formed exclusive Italian neighborhoods called Little Italy, but most dispersed themselves among other euro-ethnic groups. For instance, the Plateau immigrants on the Gogebic Range lived among the Finnish, Cornish-English, Croatian and Austrian Tyrol Italian immigrants. Furthermore, Italian immigrants from the same region or towns in Italy congregated in one town or area. There were many immigrants from the region of the Abuzzo and the Cadore area in the region of the Veneto in Hurley. Most of the Plateau immigrants from the town of Asiago settled in Ironwood and Bonnie Location; those from the town of Foza lived in Bessemer; those few from Gallio lived in Ironwood and those few from Lusiana lived in Kimball.

In the Northeastern states the destination for the Plateau immigrants was the town of LeRoy, New York where limestone quarries were found. In the Western states the destinations were the towns of Raton, New Mexico and Trinidad, Colorado that had coal mines and Shasta, California where mines produced copper, zinc, silver, and gold.

Nevertheless, it was in the Midwestern states where most of the Plateau immigrants settled. The city of Chicago, Illinois, the rail center of America with steel mills, stock yards and manufacturing was the mecca of Plateau immigration. Other smaller areas and towns also drew the Plateau immigrants. For instance, the town of Lockport, Illinois (which became the sister-city with the town of Asiago in 2014) along with Joliet, Illinois where the Illinois and Michigan canal went through was a center of Plateau immigration. Also, south of Chicago were the the towns of Staunton, Illinois and Clinton, Indiana that were centers of coal mining. Further north from Chicago were several iron ore ranges that became centers of Plateau immigration in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin.

Plateau immigrants were predominantly young men, ages between fifteen and thirty-five. Sixty percent were single and forty percent were married. For example, living in Carey Town near Hurley in 1910 was Crist [Christ] Rigoni who arrived in 1907. He was a fifteen years old single boarder living with an English family; three other single English boarders lived in the same house, so his ability to speak English was an important language skill. Christ worked in a mine.

Another young man was Bortolo Munari, who lived with the Nicolo and Giovanna Finco family in Bonnie Location. He arrived on the ship, La Provence, on October 23, 1909, sixteen years old, to join his uncle, Pietro Sambugaro in Bessemer. He was a miner. Matteo Basso, a married boarder, fifty years old, lived with the Francesco and Giovanna Cunico family in Newport Location. He was a track-man in the mine.

There were different scenarios of movement for the Plateau immigrants in America. Many saw life in America as temporary. However, once they married and began to have children, it was hard to uproot their families who were formed in American culture and language and return to Italy. Nevertheless, some returned. For instance, Nicolo and Santa Bertoncello and their children, who lived in Jessieville returned to the Asiago Plateau in the 1920s.

Some Plateau immigrants found a stable place immediately to