L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY T he great wave of Italian immi- gration, which b e g a n i n t h e 1880s and last- e d u n t i l 1 9 2 0 , b r o u g h t more than four million Ital- ians to America. About 75 percent of them settled in c i t i e s o n t h e E a s t C o a s t , including lower Manhattan, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. After moving in with family or friends first, a small contingent worked their way west, tempted by images of wide open lands, looking for a better life. T h e s e e a r l y I t a l i a n s a r r i v e d i n t h e N o r t h w e s t physically exhausted and c u l t u r a l l y o v e r w h e l m e d . Many were unskilled, illit- erate or unable to speak the language. They took what- ever jobs they could find – from digging ditches and pouring cement, to mining c o a l a n d l a y i n g r a i l r o a d track. To make the transition easier, they often settled in c o m m u n i t i e s w i t h o t h e r Italians where they could s p e a k t h e i r n a t i v e l a n - g u a g e , f i n d f o o d s t h a t looked recognizable, wor- ship at services that were c o m f o r t i n g a n d f a m i l i a r , a n d a c c e s s a n e t w o r k o f amici to find housing or a job. By 1910, Washington was home to less than one percent of Italians living in A m e r i c a . S e a t t l e h a d t h e state's largest population – nearly 3,500 Italians lived in Seattle's Garlic Gulch. T a c o m a ' s H i l l t o p a n d S p o k a n e ' s M i n n e h a h a n e i g h b o r h o o d s d r e w a smaller number, and a few w e r e s c a t t e r e d a l o n g t h e P r i e s t R i v e r . R e a d o n t o l e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e s e t h r e e o t h e r L i t t l e I t a l y communities. Tacoma H i l l t o p s t a r t e d a s a n e n c l a v e o f G e r m a n s a n d Scandinavians who arrived in the 1880s. The area was named for its location high above a bluff overlooking C o m m e n c e m e n t B a y a n d the Port of Tacoma. When the Italians arrived in the e a r l y 1 9 0 0 s , t h e y w e r e warmly welcomed by these northern Europeans. I n 1 9 1 0 , a b o u t 1 , 1 0 0 I t a l i a n s , m a n y f r o m Calabria, lived in Tacoma. They worked at low-paying jobs on the railroads, in the m i n e s o r o n t h e d o c k s . C a l l e d p i c k - a n d - s h o v e l l a b o r e r s , t h e y w o u l d d o w h a t e v e r m a n u a l j o b s needed to be done that day. Hilltop housed the usual assortment of small ethnic businesses: Italian grocery stores, shoe repair shops, barbers and meat markets. In 1923, the neighborhood welcomed S o n s o f I t a l y Lodge No. 1175, an orga- nization to help immigrants adjust to their new lives in America. Members worked to keep the language and heritage alive and partici- pated in celebratory events s u c h a s t h e D a f f o d i l F e s t i v a l , i n i t i a t e d i n t h e 1930s, which allowed them to become an integral part of the community. In 1922, a Jesuit named Achilles Bruno journeyed from Spokane to Tacoma to establish a parish for the I t a l i a n s . H e p u r c h a s e d a h o u s e o n t h e c o r n e r o f South 14 th and Ainsworth and began holding Sunday Masses there. In 1924, the house was torn down and r e p l a c e d b y a c h u r c h n a m e d f o r S t . R i t a o f Cascia, an Italian nun born in Spoleto, Italy, in 1386 and canonized in 1900. C o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s worked hard to build the church. Those handy with h a m m e r s a n d s a w s c o n - s t r u c t e d t h e p u l p i t a n d c o m m u n i o n r a i l i n g ; pedestals were created to h o l d t h e s t a t u e s o r d e r e d f r o m I t a l y . M a s s e s w e r e offered in Latin but weekly announcements were made in both English and Italian. Pastors who followed in Fr. Bruno's footsteps were also of Italian heritage, carrying t h e n a m e s o f B i a g i n i , B a f f a r o a n d S a c c o w h o s e r v e d a s p a s t o r a t S t . Rita's until 2011. Spokane The early Italian immi- grants arrived in Spokane between 1900 and 1920 to work on the railroads or in the lumber mills. For the most part, they settled in one of two neighborhoods: Minnehaha or Hillyard by the rail lines. A s i n T a c o m a , t h e Italians had their own food shops, neighborhood stores and clubs. One of the more well-known establishments was Mauro's Grocery at t h e c o r n e r o f T h o r a n d E u c l i d . M a u r o ' s w a s a f a v o r i t e n e i g h b o r h o o d haunt, and on cold winter m o r n i n g s , t h e o l d m e n w o u l d g a t h e r a r o u n d t h e stove to visit. O w n e r C h a r l e s M a u r o s o l d m a n y g r o c e r y i t e m s h a r d t o f i n d i n t h e Northwest, such as olive oil a n d b l a c k o l i v e s . H e ordered grapes so families could make their own wine; the store was famous for its homemade sausages. After 75 years, in 1994 the Mauro f a m i l y s o l d t h e s t o r e b u t the new owners, aware of t h e s t o r e ' s p l a c e i n t h e c o m m u n i t y , r e t a i n e d t h e name. By the 1930s and 1940s, t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n o f I t a l i a n A m e r i c a n s h a d m o v e d i n t o S p o k a n e ' s m a i n s t r e a m a n d t h e o l d neighborhood faded away. In the 1990 census, nearly 6,000 people, or 1.6 per- c e n t o f S p o k a n e C o u n t y , claimed Italian heritage. Priest River About 50 miles north of Spokane, just over the bor- der into Idaho, lies Priest R i v e r . A r o u n d 1 8 9 2 , a group of men, most from the village of Grimaldi in Calabria, arrived to work as " g a n d y d a n c e r s , " m a k i n g railroad ties from the abun- dant timber stocks in the a r e a a n d l a y i n g t r a c k f o r the railroads. Others were lured by jobs in the lum- beryards and camps. The valley around Priest R i v e r r e m i n d e d t h e m o f Italy. They loved the open l a n d , p e r f e c t f o r s m a l l farms and raising livestock. After a few years, married m e n s e n t f o r t h e i r w i v e s a n d s i n g l e m e n s e n t f o r b r i d e s . S o o n t h e h o m e - steads east of Priest River b e c a m e k n o w n a s T h e I t a l i a n S e t t l e m e n t , l a t e r s h o r t e n e d t o j u s t T h e Settlement. By 1900 the community had more than 50 families who kept the old traditions and language alive. A com- munity oven was used by t h e w o m e n f o r b a k i n g b r e a d , a n d t o g e t h e r t h e families built St. Anthony's M i s s i o n C h u r c h a n d t h e Settlement School. Priest R i v e r w a s k n o w n a s a n Italian district until well in the 1950s. But like small rural com- munities everywhere, The Italian Settlement began to d i s a p p e a r . F a r m i n g a n d ranching became less prof- i t a b l e ; c h i l d r e n g r e w u p a n d m o v e d a w a y . O n l y Evergreen Cemetery tells t h e s t o r y o f t h e e a r l y Italians who lived in The S e t t l e m e n t , i m m i g r a n t s who gave up everything to start a new life in the new world. RITA CIPALLA This photo, taken in Tacoma around 1914, shows Rosellini's grocery store, owned by brothers John and Vittorio Rosellini (Washington State Historical Society) Little Italy communities helped early immigrants adjust to new lives

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