Polish Immigration to Milwaukee from 1870-1920
Hayley Jasinski, Urban Studies Undergraduate Student, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Association of Poles in America Banquet, 1920 // Photo citation: https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/mke-polonia/id/33068/rec/82
Abstract
This paper investigates some of the push and pull factors that brought Polish immigrants to Milwaukee during the 50 year period of 1870-1920. It also examines the assimilation process of these immigrants, the dwellings they built in Milwaukee, and the four dominant Catholic parishes they built. Many of these migrants made an easy transition to Milwaukee because of the family connections they had in America. They were able to find housing and employment through migrants who had come to Milwaukee before them. These Polish migrants were used to working in Polish, so they were able to learn new job-related skills after moving. The prevalence of Polish flats meant that migrants were able to live with family members, which most often were located on Milwaukee’s South Side. Lastly, the prevalence of Polish Catholics gave migrants new religious freedoms that were not available in their homeland, which was part of the repressive German Partition. The research for this paper was conducted through online sources, mainly published by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as print sources.
Keywords: immigration, Milwaukee, Polish immigrants, 1870-1920
When people think of Milwaukee’s earliest residents, they think of French missionary trappers, beer-brewing Germans, or former southern slaves escaping to find refuge. Polish immigrants were not present in early migration to the Upper Midwest and Wisconsin, but later on, they became a large sector of the population. With the plethora of industrial jobs available and family connections present, it was a logical step for those wanting to get out of Poland to move to this area. Today, many Polish traditions are still carried on by residents in Milwaukee, and Polish Fest is often frequented by anyone who likes to eat and dance the polka. Additionally, the kielbasa is one of the racing sausages for the Milwaukee Brewers. Polish migration to Milwaukee surged during 1870-1920, forming the majority of first- and second-generation settlements, communities, and public images.
Polish migrants came to Milwaukee for a wide variety of reasons, including push factors that convinced them to leave their home country and pull factors bringing them to the Midwest. More than three and a half million people came to Milwaukee during this fifty year time period from 1870-1920. This resulted in a ten times population growth for Poles, exploding from 7,000 in 1870 to 70,000 by 1910 (Pienkos, n.d). 80% of these migrants came from three provinces in the German Partition, including Posen, Silesia and Pomerania (Gurda, n.d.). Judith Kenny (1999) remarked that this “immigration into Milwaukee paralleled the city’s post-Civil War transformation from a commercial trade center to an urban economy based on processing and heavy industries” (p. 243). Poles formed the backbone of many heavy manufacturing and industry jobs in the Midwest; they chose to move to this location because of the job shortage in Poland. Since immigrants were already accustomed to working regular jobs in Poland, the move to a new job in America was not a difficult transition. Many Poles chose the Midwest not only for its jobs, but also for their relatives that lived there. In addition to giving them a place to live, these vital family connections also gave them access to employment, social groups, and other resources. Living standards in their home country were much lower than they were in the Midwest, especially with the little political and religious liberty allowed in the German Partition. There were many clashes between the occupying Protestant Germans and Catholic Poles. Many Poles were forced into military conscription to defend a country they did not belong to and felt little loyalty to.
William George Bruce, a scholar on immigration, wrote the following about Poles when they came to Milwaukee by train: “They were travel-stained, poor, and uninformed, but they were hopeful, courageous, and ambitious as they looked toward the wooded lands south of Greenfield Avenue” (Kenny, 1999, p. 250). Indeed, many Poles made their way to the South Side of Milwaukee and settled there for generations. Wards 11, 12, and 14 contained at least three-quarters of the Polish population. Astoundingly, Ward 14 had about 53% of all Polish immigrants during this period (Pienkos, n.d.). Both Poles and Germans had a desire to own their homes instead of simply renting them, and this led to rapid and continuous city development. With the rise in demand and popularity, Polish flats became a symbol of population density; more people were able to live on the same residential lot. By 1902, Milwaukee was one of the most densely populated cities in America, trailing behind only Baltimore and Boston (Gurda, n.d.). In Poland, land was the source of wealth and security, not owning a business or having money in the bank. This attitude transferred to America; the land hunger of this group urged them to build and finance relatively inexpensive houses. Demand greatly outweighed supply in this system, especially because renting was considered a last resort. “Usually the first money they can call their own is put into the purchase of a lot,” reported the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1874, “on which they mean to erect a house as soon as possible” (Kenny, 1999, p. 245). A standard lot was a mere 25-30 feet wide and 100-120 feet long. Considering how much was built on this space, residents had to get creative with house layout and placement to maximize the number of inhabitants.
Because many Polish migrants knew each other and lived very close to their neighbors, the desire to create a community arose naturally. Parishes united the majority of the population that practiced Catholicism; immigrants were free to worship in America because German restrictions obviously did not transfer. Four long-standing parishes that remain influential define the main Polish settlements in Milwaukee. Today, their congregations have expanded beyond Poles to include many different races and ethnicities. The first is St. Stanislaus, which was established in 1886 and is located on Historic Mitchell Street (Jablonsky, n.d.). This location is relatively close to the Rockwell Automation clock tower and the next parish, the Basilica of St. Josaphat. It was founded in 1887 in the heart of the South Side on South Sixth Street (Pienkos, n.d.). Both of these parishes were options for South Side Poles to establish roots in America and practice Catholicism. St. Hedwig is the hub for East Side Poles, and it was founded in 1887 (Three Holy Women Catholic Parish, n.d.). Lastly, St. Casimir, founded in 1894, is nestled in Riverwest on North Bremen Avenue (Our Lady of Divine Providence, n.d.). The first three were built within two years of each other. They began at this time because there was high demand from immigrants to construct these buildings. There are obvious similarities between all of these parishes, but they also have distinctions that set them apart. These distinctions mirror the character of the surrounding neighborhoods. However, establishing and maintaining robust congregations and buildings did not always come naturally. There were many disputes about debt payments, the ethnicities of bishops and other clergy, and differing opinions on how to run a church. Very few of these disagreements ended with a satisfactory compromise (Pienkos, n.d.). Despite today’s increasingly secular society, all of these parishes are frequented often and remain central gathering places in their communities.
In summary, the majority of first- and second-generation Polish settlements and communities in Milwaukee were formed in the fifty year span of 1870-1920. These migrants definitely left their mark on the city; in fact, some of their children and grandchildren can still be found in the area, passing on traditions and gathering for holidays. Like many of the ethnic groups in Milwaukee, Poles take pride in their heritage and celebrate it. Some may continue to make their own kielbasa, while others may wear traditional stoje ludowe clothing. It is evident that Poles continue to shape Milwaukee’s past, present, and future.
References
Gurda, J. (n.d.). Milwaukee Polonia: The Roman Kwasniewski Photographs. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries. https://uwm.edu/mkepolonia/Jablonsky, T. (n.d.). St. Stanislaus
Parish. In Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved from https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/st-stanislaus-parish/Kenny, J.T. (1999). The Homebuilders: The
Residential Landscape of Milwaukee’s Polonia, 1870-1920. In T. Jablonsky (Ed.), Milwaukee Stories (pp. 243-256). Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press.
Kuzniewski, A.J. (1978). Milwaukee’s Poles, 1866-1918: The Rise and Fall of a Model Community. In T. Jablonsky (Ed.), Milwaukee Stories (pp. 228-241). Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press.
Our Lady of Divine Providence. (n.d). About Us. Our Lady of Divine Providence: The Catholic Parish of Riverwest. https://www.ourladyofdivineprovidence.org/about-us/
Pienkos, D. (n.d.) Basilica of Saint Josaphat. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved from https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/basilica-of-saint-josaphat/
Pienkos, D. (n.d.). Poles. In Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved from https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/poles/
Three Holy Women Catholic Parish. (n.d.) St. Hedwig. Three Holy Women: A Milwaukee East Side Community. https://www.threeholywomenparish.org/locations/st-hedwig/