Southern Slavs, comprising Slovenes,
Croats, and Serbs, formed another aspect of the "new"
immigration that arrived in Utah in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. As with other southern
and eastern European groups, South Slavs were drawn
to Utah for its mining and railroading opportunities.
The first wave arrived in the late 1890s, congregating
in the coal-mining regions of southeastern Utah, particularly
Carbon County. These peoples, labeled as "Austrians,"
were a significant force in the Carbon County coal mines
in the 1903-04 strike. Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs came
from Austria-Hungary, from the provinces of Croatia-Slavonia,
Carniola, Dalmatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. They generally
came from farming villages that were homogenous in their
particular culture, language, and religion. Serbs were
Serbian Orthodox, while Slovenes and Croats were Roman
Catholic. Slavic immigration into Utah was but one manifestation
of a general Southern Slav population movement in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
First attracted to the East and Midwest, many Southern
Slavs left communities there to seek greater opportunities
in the American West, including Utah. In addition to
Carbon County, these immigrants traveled to Ogden, working
for the Union Pacific Railroad, and to the mines of
Bingham Canyon, Alta, and Park City, as well as to the
smelters of the Salt Lake Valley. A second wave came
to Utah in the period prior to World War I. A pattern
of migration developed between the mining areas of Utah,
Colorado, Montana, and Nevada. The flow was based upon
the seasonal demand for coal, causing men to migrate
to metal-mining areas when coal mines experienced a
slowdown.
As families were formed, many made the decision to stay
in the area. Institutions were solidified or formed
to help deal with a new environment; they included the
idea of godfatherhood and the extended family, while
fraternal organizations and boardinghouse life also
created bonds. The extended family proved of particular
importance, providing a needed sense of security. The
clustering of these groups was evident in Utah, particularly
among the Serbs and Croats in Bingham Canyon and Midvale,
and among the Slovenes in Carbon County.
The metal-mining community of Highland Boy attracted
southern Slav miners and became an area of settlement
for various extended families. By 1908 more than half
of the town's population was comprised of Serbs and
Croats, who held "old world" grudges and hatreds
against each other. The situation became especially
exacerbated because they were living in close proximity
without the benefit of other immigrant groups present
to lessen the tension, which began to wane after World
War I. Joe Melich, owner of the Serb Mercantile Company,
became an ardent spokesman for the Serbs in Bingham
Canyon. In 1920 he was elected president of the Serb
National Federation. The community of Highland Boy proved
significant in that it contained a large number of Southern
Slavs, outnumbering other groups, and the area remained
a fertile ground for inter-group strife.
Midvale, with its American Smelting and Refining Company
(ASARCO), attracted numerous Slavs. Young single men
came to work in the smelter and lived in boardinghouses
or with married southern Slavic couples. Women especially
bore the burden of caring for these boarders. While
necessary, both landlords and boarders viewed this as
only a temporary condition. Industrial life caused a
change in old-world institutions such as the saloon.
In Midvale, the Slavic saloon often operated on a day-long
basis instead of with an emphasis on evening hours as
in the old country. Also, such places functioned as
havens from the unfamiliar world. Within their confines,
discussions could take place and decisions made in a
familiar environment.
One development of these encounters was the creation
of social and fraternal organizations. In 1908 the Croats
of Midvale affiliated with the Croatian Fraternal Union.
The Serbs organized an independent organization called
the Serbian Benevolent Society, which eventually affiliated
with the Serb National Federation of Pittsburgh. Among
other things, these associations provided needed life
insurance to immigrants. Unlike the saloon, they functioned
in a formal way and carried with them the respectability
of the national organization. Leaders grew from the
ranks: John Dunoskovich in the Croatian community, and
George Lemich among the Serbs.
Religious life also adjusted to existent conditions.
Croats, being Catholic, utilized various Catholic churches
throughout the valley. In 1918 Ykov J. Odzich, a Serbian
Orthodox priest, arrived in Midvale to tend to the needs
of the Serbs; but through a series of unfortunate events
his tenure did not last. However, the celebration of
Christmas and Easter were important holidays among the
South Slavs in Midvale, as elsewhere. The barbecued
Easter lamb continued as an important cultural symbol.
Midvale held a central significance to southern Slavic
settlement in Utah. It served as a place for both the
arrival and dispersion of many Southern Slavs who immigrated
to northern Utah. Carbon County was also important.
Helper, a division point on the Denver and Rio Grande
Western Railroad's main line, became a primary area
of Slavic settlement. Work on the railroads brought
Serbs, Slovenes, and Croats to southeastern Utah in
the late 1890s. As the years progressed, the need for
unskilled labor increased. By 1914 more than 500 Slav
miners lived in the coal camps of Clear Creek, Winter
Quarters, Sunnyside, and Castle Gate. Others settled
into farming.
Helper grew as a town of immigrants; thus, business
opportunities there were greater for Southern Slavs
as well as for other nationalities. For example, the
Mutual Mercantile Company was a joint venture of several
partners, including J.P. Rolando, an Italian, and John
Skerl, a Slovene. Fraternal and social organizations
also rose to prominence. In 1904 the Slovenska Narodna
Podporna Jednota (Slovene National Benefit Society)
was created in Cleveland, Ohio, and soon local lodges
were founded in Carbon County as well as in Bingham
Canyon and Murray. This group served Slovenian workers.
In the post-World War I period a large number of Slovenes
came to Carbon County to join relatives. In addition,
sizable numbers of Slovenes and Croats immigrated to
Helper from the coal regions of southeastern Colorado.
Political and labor union involvement cut across intergroup
lines. Southern Slav involvement in the strikes of 1903,
1922, and especially in 1933 proved significant. In
1933 Slavs were the main supporters of the National
Miners Union strike that eventually led to the recognition
of the United Mine Workers of America. The strike heightened
awareness of the role of unionization, with Slavic women
also taking an active part in the event.
The restrictive immigration legislation of the 1920s
curtailed Southern Slavic immigration into Utah. However,
the adaptation and accommodation of Southern Slavs to
their conditions in Utah have been and continue to be
dynamic. As has been the case with other immigrants,
institutions often have been changed in form, but the
values expressed continue to be basically the same.
Since the early 1950s the Croats and Slovenes of Helper
have supported the Slovenian National Home, a means
to substitute a more useful and responsive community
center for the local lodge. They have also established
a yearly local folk foods festival, celebrating ethnic
foods as well as dance, music, and art.
Philip F. Notarianni
