EXAMINING PATTERNS OF ITALIAN IMMIGRATION TO ...

It is not possible to establish a significant relation between occupation and
proveniences because the number of Italians is still too small and their origins not
completely clear for this year.
3.2 Occupations in 1880
In 1880 the Italian community increases to 220 individuals. According to the census
163 of them work outside the household.
As Table X shows many Italians are working in the mines (60), with a predominance
of laborers, thirty-five, over miners, twenty-three.
TABLE X. OCCUPATIONS IN 1880
GROUP
MINING GROUP AND RELATED
60
Laborer/copper mine 35 Miner/copper mine 23 Timberman/copper mine 2 (34.7%)
TRASPORTATION 0
BOARDING
0
BOARDING
BUILDING
3
Mason 3
BUILDING
(1.7%)
FARMING
1
Farmer and contractor 1
(0.5%)
FOOD & DRINK SELLING
8
Saloonkeeper 6 Saloon and boarding 2
(4.5%)
PROFESSIONALS AND SKILLED TRADESMEN
4
Shoemaker 2 Timberman 2
(2.2%)
GENERAL OFFICE JOBS 0
GENERAL SALES
2
Clerk/store 2
(1.5%)
UNSKILLED 86
(49.7%)
Housekeeper 24 Laborer 62
OTHERS
9
Student 9
(5.2%)
TOTAL 173
The category with more people is Unskilled. However it includes sixty-two laborers
for which the census does not specify anything, but likely they are mine laborers. In fact the
category of Unskilled almost disappears as the enumeration of the work categories gets more
specified by the census takers in the following years.
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