Synopses & Reviews
Polish Americans have been part of Minnesota history since before the state's founding. Taking up farms along newly laid rail networks, Polish immigrants fanned across the countryside in small but important concentrations. In cities like Winona and St. Paul, Northeast Minneapolis and Duluth, as well as on the Iron Range, Polish American workers helped drive a growing industrial and agricultural economy--and established their own cultural identity within the state. Polish Americans, many of them political refugees, created and sustained a wide range of community institutions from churches and schools to cultural groups and social clubs in Minnesota. They developed a significant literary tradition, published newspapers, and were instrumental in establishing the state's early labor movement. Author John Radzilowski tells the stories of individuals like Stan Wasie, a Polish immigrant boy who grew up to become a pioneer in the trucking industry, founding Merchants Motor Freight in Northeast Minneapolis in 1927. By the 1950s the successful company had 800 vehicles and its own terminals.
Synopsis
A concise history of the Poles in Minnesota and the influence they have had on the state's religion: history: and cultur
Synopsis
A concise history of the Poles in Minnesota and the influence they have had on the state's religion, history, and culture. Polish Americans have been part of Minnesota history since before the state's founding. Taking up farms along newly laid rail networks, Polish immigrants fanned across the countryside in small but important concentrations. In cities like Winona and St. Paul, Northeast Minneapolis and Duluth, as well as on the Iron Range, Polish American workers helped drive a growing industrial and agricultural economy. In this highly readable volume, author John Radzilowski tells the story of the Polish Americans, many of them political refugees, who created and sustained community institutions across Minnesota. He describes how they developed a significant literary tradition, published newspapers, and built distinctive churches that still adorn the landscape, and he traces the careers of individuals who immigrated with little and built businesses and new lives. A personal account from rural Lincoln County recalls challenges involving harsh weather and early housing options but also the warmth and joy of community gatherings, whether at church or school, for games or dance, or to relish traditional Polish dishes from the Old Country. This deft overview, filled with intriguing details, shows how Polish Americans established their own cultural identity within the state.
About the Author
John Radzilowski is a senior fellow at Piast Institute: A National Center for Polish and Polish American Affairs and president of the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota. He lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Bill Holm Poles in Minnesota Rural Settlement Urban Settlement Family, Home, and Parish Parish and Community Community and Organizations The Cause of Poland and the World Outside The Interwar Period and World War II Minnesota Polonia after World War II Personal Account: For Further Reading Notes Index