EXAMINING PATTERNS OF ITALIAN IMMIGRATION TO ...

2.9 Why they came to Houghton County
Most of the Italian immigrants in Houghton County came from just two provinces in
Italy. The reasons for this are not immediately clear. A plausible explanation comes from
some descendants of the immigrants themselves who still live in Houghton County or
nearby. Doctor John B. Marta, 28 whose grandparents were among the first settlers from the
province of Torino, came up with an interesting story. He said that he did not know all of the
reasons why Torinesi came to Houghton County, but that his grandmother told him about the
Italian counsel, Attilio Castigliano, contacting people in Italy with the information that he
had jobs for about 300 people. He contacted people from the Canavese because he was born
in that area and had immigrated to Houghton County earlier. These emigrants sailed from
Italy to New York where they boarded a train and were taken to the Upper Peninsula. Many
more Torinesi came to join their relatives.
There are no sources to support Marta’s explanation and again the fact that the Italian
counsel for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - that was under the jurisdiction of the Regia
Agenzia Consolare (Royal Consular Agency) of Duluth - was from the area of Canavese
could as well be a consequence of the fact that there were many Torinesi in this area, even
before he was elected counsel and recruited more of them.
Other descendants of the first settlers interviewed by Professor Magnaghi gave a
similar explanation. In this case the connection between Houghton County and the Canavese
is Bartolomeo Quello, one of the very first Italian immigrants to this area. He was from
Locana Canavese and apparently brought many Italians from his area to work with him in
the woods when he had a lumbering company, and then in the mine when he started to work
there. 29
Another hypothesis that Italians arrived here just because “the train went as far as
Keweenaw and they couldn’t go any further”, but it seems quite anecdotal. 30
Whatever the reasons for the pioneers to settle in Houghton County, one thing is
clear. They were the starters of a chain immigration that followed intertwined regional and
familial connections. Evidences of that are on many ships’ manifests of the Ellis Island
28 rd
E-mail of John Marta to the author, March 23 , 2004.
29
Magnaghi, Russell. Interview with Peter and Charles Vitton. Franklin Mine, Houghton, Michigan, 12-10-
1982.
30
Magnaghi, Russell. Interview with Louis Lombardi. Calumet, Michigan, 12-03-1982.
29