Yugoslavia

The last listed pioneer, Paul Vlautin, from Konavlje, Dalmatia, was
perhaps typical of many of the earliest pioneers. He is known to have mined
gold in 1851-52 in Amador County and, having made a strike, returned to
Sacramento to acquire the Universal Coffee Saloon, but prior to that returned
to San Francisco where he was a director of the Slavonic Society in 1860. He
returned to San Francisco in the early 1870's and purchased a coffee saloon
and boarding house on Davis Street. This saloon on Davis Street became the
center of local Dalmatian fishermen and gold miners. He married a Portugese
girl, and they had their first child, Paul, in 1872. His brother, Jacob
Vlautin, a restauranteur, was buried in the Slavonic Plot in San Francisco in the
year 1885. Paul died in 1894 at the age of 74 and was also buried in the
Slavonic Plot. Although the above list of pioneers does not represent all of the
Jugoslavs during this period, it does give some indication of their activities.
Many more passed thru Sacramento on their way to the gold mines and worked
as waiters, cooks, bar keepers and various other occupations. The below list of
families is believed to be the first in the Sacramento area. It is most
interesting to note the number marrying Irish girls. This proved to be the case
throughout California. Statewide, the majority married Jugoslav girls, then
Irish, Mexican and Californians of Mexican descent.
Batich, Thomas
Mary
Colombo, Martin
Anne
Louise
Ivanis, Drago
Cath.
Jacob
1870
1871
1860
28
29
23
18
38
32
YUGOSLAV GOLD MINERS
Laborer
Wife
River Pilot
Wife
Daughter
Merchant
Wife
Son
Austria
Ireland
Dalmatia
Ireland
California
Slavonian
Slavonian
Slavonian
With the discovery of gold in the tailrace at Sutter's Mill at Coloma in
1848, the greatest movement of Jugoslavs to the Western United States was to
begin. This single factor which was to change the history of California and
shape her destiny also changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yugoslavs
from the coastal areas of Istria, Slovenia, Croatia, Dalmatia and Montenegro.
The 'Slavonians' who came were not followers, but leaders in the hardy group
of pioneers who were later to establish one of the richest states in the Union.
The Yugoslavs came as single men off the many sailing ships that landed at
San Francisco. Others may have come overland through the southwest from
New Orleans. The majority of the first who came were seamen by profession
and upon hearing of the gold discovery, simply left their ships and ventured
into the gold fields of Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Manposa, Nevada,
Placer, Plumes and Tuolumne Counties. On that momentous day in 1848, when
gold was discovered, John Sutter had in his employ at the mill a person
whom he called the 'Sailor Man.' The 'Sailor Man' later stated he was a
13