a thesis by Flora Jane Satt - Shealtiel

Flora Jane Satt—annotated by Miles Saltielability to farm, there is a deeper and broader significance, historicallyand sociologically. The gain, since 1890, in numbers of Jewson American farms, during a period when the trend of populationwas to further urbanization, is an important indication, not to bemeasured in quantity alone. These numbers represent a positivegain in normalization, and the Jewish farmers found for themselvesand their descendants a precious lode of self-satisfactionand self-respect in rediscovering the advantages of life on the soil.Of the effect of the Cotopaxi Colony on Colorado, it will be notedthat nearly all of the members remained in the State, or nearby, infarming, stock-raising and allied fields, or quickly became independentand prosperous in business and commerce. They were notdiscouraged by their failure in Fremont County, but tried again, onan individual or family-group basis, in widely-scattered areas, onhomestead land or purchased farms. These ‘pioneers’ became thenucleus of small Jewish communities in such cities as Longmont,Pueblo, Rocky Ford, Montrose and Grand Junction and helped attractlater Jewish immigration to these places. Those who settledin Denver and nearby towns were quickly Americanized and assimilatedin the business and political life and were in a position, adecade later, to help in adjusting and advising the vast numbers ofJews who flocked to Denver for their health.Too much blame for the Cotopaxi Colony’s failure has been attributedto the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society’s lack of foresight andcareful investigation, but it must be remembered that the planswere undertaken just at the moment when Russian pogromscaused thousands of destitute refugees to crowd into New York,completely absorbing the time and funds available. Too little attentionhas been paid to the unfortunate role played by the Society’serstwhile investigator, Julius Schwarz, whose complicity withthe motives of Emanuel H. Saltiel prevented an adequate forewarningof the problems ahead More emphasis should be placedon the labor-procurement aspect of Saltiel’s offer…33