EXAMINING PATTERNS OF ITALIAN IMMIGRATION TO ...

The Immigration History Research Center at University of Minnesota in
Minneapolis keeps the country’s largest collection about Italian immigrants in general and
also of Italians in Upper Michigan. Most important, the only available issues of newspapers
and other publications such as L’Indipendente and Pro Nobis are preserved there.
Chapter I, Italian Emigration, is a general introduction to the history of Italian
emigration, with a particular focus on Italian emigration to the United States. It also includes
an overview of the different stages that emigrants had to go through to reach their
destinations: recruitment, travel, laws of emigration in Italy and laws of immigration in the
United States.
Chapter II, Provenience, examines the number and the provenience of the Italians who
settled in Houghton County from 1870 until 1930. It also gives a general description of the
Italian provinces from which most of them came: Torino and Lucca.
Chapter III, Occupations, considers the occupations that Italians had when they first
arrived in Houghton County and examines how these changed through the years. It tries to
verify previously assumed ideas about the occupations in which most of the Italians were
involved. It compares the occupations of the two main groups of Italians - Torinesi and
Lucchesi - to find out if there is a relation between provenience and occupation.
Chapter IV, Settlements, analyzes the patterns of settlement of Italians in the
townships and villages of Houghton County through the years. It also shows a comparison in
the pattern of settlements of the Torinesi and Lucchesi.
Chapter V, Organizations, discusses Italian organizations of different kind - cultural,
business, religious, and social - established in Houghton County and in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan.
Chapter VI, Conclusion, sums up what it has been possible to discover about Italian
immigrants to Houghton County and suggests further research.
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