The Slovenes represent a small but important microcosm of Michigan history. Thousands followed the pioneering missionary Frederic Baraga and settled in the mining regions and forests of the Upper ...Peninsula before many of them scattered to the auto industry of the Lower Peninsula in the early twentieth century. Everywhere they traveled and settled, they left a detectable imprint that was clearly Slovene. The first Slovene in Michigan, Bishop Frederic Baraga, traveled extensively throughout the state. In his wake, families such as the Vertins and Ruppes followed, each playing an important role in their communities. In many regions of the state, the most recognizable names, buildings, and businesses bear their names and illustrate the long-lasting influences of Slovenes on the history of Michigan. To understand the history of Slovene immigration in the Great Lakes is to better understand Michigan history.
Today Slovenia encompasses nearly 7,896 square miles and is half the size of the Upper Peninsula. Approximately two-thirds of the country is comprised of the Alps, while the eastern third declines ...onto the Plains of Pannonia. Italy lies to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east, and Croatia to the south. The population is slightly more than two million, and the capital is Ljubljana as the capital.
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human habitation in the area that is now Slovenia that dates back to 250,000 years. Furthermore, the ruins of 4,500 year-old dwellings were found near
The future third Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette, and the third consecutive Slovene to hold that post, was also born in Carniola, on July 17, 1844, to Joseph and Mary Vertin. ...He had three siblings: Joseph, Mary, and George. His siblings spelled their surname as Wertin. Rezek states that the discrepancy is due to the fact that the original spelling in Slovene is with a “V,” but the bishop’s siblings, unlike the bishop himself, chose to spell the name with the phonetic “W.”⁷¹
Prior to their immigration to America, the Vertins were rich in land
The Slovenes who came to Michigan were involved primarily in four occupations: mining, manufacturing, lumber, and commerce. The Copper Country was home to thousands of Slovene immigrants who were ...originally attracted to the region by the information provided by Frederic Baraga, and by the economic boom that had set in with the opening of copper mines. Although most were employed as miners, a number of them became entrepreneurs and community leaders. Two of the most prominent early settlers were Peter Ruppe and Joseph Vertin, and throughout their lives, both families interacted greatly.
It is somewhat difficult to find good first-hand
Slovenes in Detroit Seelye, James E
Slovenes in Michigan,
11/2017
Book Chapter
Like so many other immigrant groups, the Slovenes that moved to Detroit generally settled together. They chose the suburb of Highland Park to congregate, and their social, religious, and cultural ...lives centered around a Catholic church. The first Slovene in Detroit was Joseph Faletich, who arrived in 1903 and opened a saloon.¹²⁵ More arrived to work in the automotive industry. In the early 1920s, those newly arrived immigrants attended services at the Croatian parish, St. Jerome. However, the Slovene community missed having a priest preaching in their native tongue. By the middle of the 1920s, a group of men including
Every ethnic group that encounters the American environment has its own impact on the people and the nation, and the Slovenes were no exception. Slovenes arrived in British America before the ...American Revolution, and their surnames appeared on General George Washington’s payroll rosters during the American Revolution.
One of the major driving forces of the Slovene story in the nineteenth century was the role that the clergy played in the development of Catholicism in the Upper Great Lakes. The number of Slovene clergy stayed small until a migration of Catholic priests traveled to the Great Lakes and began to proselytize
