Tony Montagna Interview

Tony Montagna Interview

Transcript at 0 seconds: (00:00)

INTERVIEWER (I): How old were you when you came to the United States?

TONY MONTAGNA (TM): Fifteen and a half.

I: Where did you come from in Italy?

TM: From the province of Vicenza.

I: Oh.

TM: North part of Italy. We’re far north.

I: Okay. You came alone or with family?

TM: I came with my dad. My dad came with me, which my dad has pursued twice before. He had a trip working here. My dad, first he came to this country in 1895, [18]96, or something like that. Then he stayed here four or five years, saved a hundred dollars, and go back, and come back again. So the third time, he took me with him, but then he got sick. 1917, the World War I had started. Immigration closed. We figured to get my mom and my other two brothers and my sister to come over here. They couldn't come anymore. Immigration closed. And so, he went back, and I stayed here. I promised him, me promised to go back with him after the war. I didn't fulfill my--I like it here. So, I done pretty good. I stayed here.

Transcript at 1 minute and 22 seconds: (1:22)

I: What did--what kind of a job did you and your father have when you came here? Were you--

TM: He went to work in lumber camp for the…for the Wisconsin Land Lumber Company in Hermansville.

I: Oh, my goodness.

TM: Yeah.

I: And then you…you worked with him in the same camp or…?

TM: No, no. The second--the last time when he--we came over here. The last, there’s--I’m saying that he done that the first two times he [inaudible word] at the beginning. He worked for the Wisconsin Land Lumber Company. When I came with him, we stopped in Chicago. We had some friend there. So, I got a--I couldn't--they said it was hard to get a job. But anyway, I went--I was walking around one day, walking along the shore when I come across to a brickyard and meet a fella. “Hey boy, you want a job?” I said yes. He said, “Take that wheelbarrow, pick up all the broken brick, and wheel the brick in there.” I got a job. I worked there for about three, four months. Again, I don't know the words, you know. But, anyhow. But then, my dad got kind of lonesome for Hermansville. So he says, “Son,” he said. “I'm gonna go back to Hermansville.” He said, “You want to come with me?” I said yes. So, I came up here, went to work at Hermansville. I worked there. Water boy, carry water in the sawmill. Then, I start to work in a…in a drive carriage in a sawmill, worked in a flooring factory. Got along pretty good. Worked all the time.

Transcript at 2 minutes and 52 seconds: (2:52)

I: Was that anything close to what your family had done in Italy for work or…?

TM: No. No, no.

I: What did your family do in Italy?

TM: Pardon?

I: What did your family do in Italy? Were they farmers?

TM: Farmer. Farming. A little bit of land, you know, a home. They make a living. Yeah.

I: So, lumbering was kind of a new experience for them.

TM: It was kind of a new experience in a way, yes. Because we don't see no lumber over there. There is no timber or anything like that, see. Yeah.

Recording note: [TAPE SKIPS]

Transcript at 3 minutes and 32 seconds: (03:32)

I: Here it goes. Mechanical, I imagine. (??) [laughs]

TM: Be patient. Be patient.

I: Well, who did you… You weren't that… You were a pretty young little thing over here. Who did you stay with then when your dad went back to Italy?

TM: Then, they--well, when my dad went to Italy, we--he had to quit the Hermansville. We had to went back to Chicago. Let me see. Yeah. And my dad started working bricklayer, and he made it…he made it…he was making pretty good. He's a good mason by trade from Europe, see, and I guess he went to bricklayer. And I went to work for Pullman people in a lumberyard. I couldn't even talk hardly a word of English, yes or no, but I was pretty good with a pencil. So in no time at all, I got a job. They promoted me as a lumber inspector. Yeah, scaling lumber, which you go right over in here now, they got a gang in here. They sell lumber for--lumberyard for all of their life. They don't even know how to scale a board of lumber. And I, I learned that trade, and I done pretty good. I stayed there all during the World War I. It was me and a fucking sweet guy by the name of Oscar. There was no men. The rest was all women. I had eyes of 40 women working with me. I had to keep a track (??), obviously. A kid. But they all liked me. I was--we got along good, you know, and we worked there together. Then when after the war was over, I was supposed to go in the Army, in the Army. But the last minute, they sent me a card to stay home. So, I got a--I went back. I got my job back again. They come to take me out. For Pullman people, from the same people. And I worked there until they settled down. Then all at once, they got pretty slack, and just like it is now. There was no order. The Pullman people wasn't doing anything. So, I had an auntie in Crystal Falls, one of my mother's stepsister or sister. I used to correspond with her a little bit, see. So one day…one day, they said that--wait a minute--they said they were gonna lay off--Pullman people were going to lay off so many. And I--there was two fella ahead of me, younger than me. They were gonna lay them off. One of them was Herman. He was a Hollander, and he was a real nice guy. I said, well, what the heck, they lay him off--and he was, you know, crying because he had a big family, and I didn't have nobody. So, I put up in my mind. I says to Mr. Collin--he was my superintendent. One day he was in the office, I went in there. And he's laughing. He was in good mood. So, I said to Mr. Collin, I says, “I understand,” I said, “that we're gonna get laid off.” He said, “There’ll be somebody laid off, “but, yeah,” he said, “you don't need to worry, my boy.” He slapped me on the shoulder. I said, “No.” I said, “I'll tell you what. I came in here on purpose.” I said, “Instead of laying”--I knew that I wasn't gonna be laid off because they used to like me, and maybe I was a little bit older than they--on the job than they were, see. I says, “There's the two guys there.” I says, “Hank, especially. Henry.” I says, “He's got a big family.” I said, “I ain't got nobody.” I says, “Why don't you lay me off and keep him so he take care of his family?” And I says--he said, “What are you gonna do?” “Well,” I says, “I don't know.” I says, “I got an auntie.” I don't know if I said--how I said it, but I remember I got an auntie working here, wire (??) mine (??) I never forget it because he laughed his head off. Hey, wire (??) mine. (??) He said I didn't know…I didn't even know the difference. You know what I’m saying, what I mean?

I: Yeah.

TM: I remember this. So, he says, “You really mean it, Tony?” I said yes. “Well,” he said, “you're a good boy.” He says, “You want--so you want Hank to stay?” He says, “And you go?” Yeah. He said, “Well, we hate to miss you, but,” he says, “anytime you want to come back,” he said, “you write me a card.” I said okay. So, I went to Crystal Fall[s]. And on the way to Crystal Fall[s]--wait a minute. Yeah, I was left Chicago. I had a beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycle. 19 years old. About 19, yeah, I was there.

Transcript at 8 minutes and 27 seconds: (08:27)

I: What year was that?

TM: Huh?

I: What year was that about?

TM: 1919, probably. 1919, the world war peace came in. Yeah, 1919. So, I--on the way up, I stopped overnight in…in Menominee, Michigan, and I was just—motorcycle. I was just a smart aleck, as the lads (??) often is today. I'm not ashamed to say so. So, I think I got a bowling (??) out from the chief of police riding there. Then he took me in in the city hall. The next day, instead of giving me a fine or anything like that, he gave me a job, asked me if I want to go policeman on a speed car on…on…on…on the road. I said, “My God,” I said, “I don't know nothing about it.” He said, “We'll show you how to do it.” So, the chief of police, his name was Bob Peter [phonetic spelling]. Robert Peter, no (??) man. I said, “I don't know.” It comes Friday or Saturday. They used to give me the morning--in the morning, say, they gave me a slip with the number of the car that they want to be pitching or somebody from town. He said, “You watch it on the highway when this fella come by.” He said, “If he go too fast, you give him the slip. Tell him to come see us.” I didn’t know. He had a big gun on the side. I…I was scared to touch it. So, it comes Saturday--Sunday. He called me in. He said, “Tony,” he says. “I'm going to church this morning, so,” he says, “you take charge of the county jail.” It was a time when it was Prohibition. They used to pinch a fella for moonshine, you know, stuff like that. And so, he says, “Okay.” I thought everything was all right. He said, “Everything's all right here as far as I know.” But he left the five or six door or kitchen, whatever you call it, open. I didn't know. I sat down at the desk there with one foot on top of the other one. I could never cross my leg, but anyhow. I had to put one foot--I don't know what I done. And the other fellas moving around, moving around, so there's five guys skip out of the jail that morning.

I: Ohh…

TM: So when Bob Peters come back in the afternoon, he come back up. He said, “How's everything going?” I said pretty good. He wasn't looking around. He didn't know what was going on. Because them fellas, all they were sentenced--they had for 25 or 30 days in jail. You understand what I mean? So, if they…they got away, Menominee and Marinette, it's just like a--from here, go across the street, there's a river, you know?

I: Right. Mm-hm.

Transcript at 11 minutes and 23 seconds: (11:23)

TM: Okay. I’m not lying. So he said, “They all went.” “So,” he says, “where did them boy go?” I said, “I don't know.” I says, “They were walking around here this morning.” So he started to swear at me, “That man is an old son of a gun.” I says, “I thought you locked the door this morning.” I said, “I didn't even know they were open.” “Oh,” he said, “you're a hell of a man,” he said, “to have a watch in the county jail, watching the jail.” He said, “You don't even--you don't know nothing.” Okay. So, the day passed. At night, at three o'clock, another, he took over, or somebody took over. I went…I went over to a hotel where I stayed. I stayed—oh, no. I stayed with a fellow by the name of Lino Faccio [phonetic spelling] from Hermansville. I had got a condo with him ‘cause he had a room. So I rented the place, and I stayed with him there. And then, he’s out, whatever, just like the bums do today. So Monday morning, I went--I was up in county jail. I was in there. Bob Peter comes in about ten o'clock. It was kind of cold, in the fall of the year, and it was October, November. He had a little open cut Model T car. He says, “I'm going to make the run with the city.” He says, “I'll be back.” I said okay. He goes over to--in the corner, he says, he's supposed to have a sheepskin coat lining hanging on the wall, with the collar, sheepskin collar. I remember I seen him--see, I seen him there. It wasn't there. So, he started mad as hell. He started swearing at me. He says, “What's the matter here?” He said, “Where did my coat go?” I said, “I don't know.” But he says, “It was the other side of the--I put it here.” “Well,” I says, “it might have been.” I says, “I never look at it.” He said, “You're a hell of a god damn--did you get to have a run here?” So, what did he do? He said, “You're fired.” “Well,” I said, “good thing I’m fired ‘cause I was gonna quit anyhow.” Me quit, that's something. Pretty rough English. Anyhow, so we settled like that. That was--I never forget it.

Transcript at 13 minutes and 32 seconds: (13:32)

TM: And then from there, I went to…I went to Crystal Fall[s], laughing, joking, what the heck. And I went to Crystal Fall[s], and they wanted…they wanted to give me a job on motorcycle cop ‘cause [inaudible word] was first open, yeah. And then, they had no motorcycle. Nobody had a motorcycle. I had a nice machine. I said, no, I don't want it. Well, anyhow, what the hell. I tried to chase one guy one night, a little Jew. He had--they had a show, a traveling show. So, Bob--Bob Wilson [phonetic spelling] was the chief of police. He said, “Boy, come here.” He says, “You know.” He said, “That son of a bitch,” they says, “he'd make fun of all us policemen.” He said, “We ain't got nothing.” He said, “I'll give you the ticket,” he says, “and you, when you…you go up on the highway,”--what they…they call them now. They used to call them then--by the pool house, Crystal Fall--Iron County pool house. Today, they got a senior citizen, all this and that, that building. So, he said, “When this guy come by, if he going any speed”--I told him--he said, “You watch him.” He said, “Give him the ticket and tell him to come and see me.” He said, “I want to give him--I want to pinch him. I want to laugh at him. Then, we pinch him.” I said okay. I sit there, down hidden behind the tree with my machine, all nice and warm. He come by. He was going pretty good speed, 35, 40 miles an hour. Then, there was a lot of speed for them road, you know. So, I started right behind. I brought the horn to stop. He look at me and laughed, laughed... We got into a curve going like--a curve would go like that, and he hang on on the other side, and I was right on the other side. They took (??) for the wood. I went (??) through (??) the wood. We slumped from here over the middle of the--there. I says, that's enough for me, that stuff. No more. So, I quit right there.

Transcript at 15 minutes and 24 seconds: (15:24)

TM: Then, I got a job in--stayed with my auntie. I think it was 14, 15 day. They open up a mine, what they call the Dome Mine [uncertain—I cannot find any mine in the Iron County area with a name similar to this], the deepest iron ore mine there was in Iron County at the time, about a mile-and-a-half underground. I went down there, and I work in the mine. I work there about 6, 7 months. Then one night, town clerk--it was a night shift. They was a man short up on top of running the motor up on landing. It was cold night. So, he asked me if I want to go up on the landing and run the motor. I said, “Well,” I said, “I ain't got no clothes to go to work outside.” He said, “We'll dress you.” So, they dressed me up, and they gave me a…a helper. I didn't even know who he was or anything like that. He was a neighbor there. So, he, this helper, went after around midnight. He said he was going to go to the bathroom, from the toilet or somewhere up on--we were afraid of cold. He went to the bathroom. He sat down on…on the toilet board. He must have fell asleep because he didn’t come back till after three o'clock, and I couldn't do nothing all alone. And the mine downstairs, everybody was waiting for me upstairs, didn't know what…what the deal was. So, what did I do? I didn't do nothing. So, I stood there waiting. I couldn't go, didn't know where to go looking for him. So, he comes along. He sat there laughing. He says, “Oh, I fell asleep,” he says. Well, he was a neighbor to the…this…to the boss, the superintendency. The neighbor, they know each other. I was a stranger. So when the boss asked him what happened, he said there was a delay. He says several hundred tons of iron ore was to be pulled out. It wasn't pulled out.

Transcript at 17 minutes and 12 seconds: (17:12)

TM: So, he says, “Oh,” he says, “I don't know.” He says, “Tony,” he says, “he went to the bathroom,” he says, “And he said it was too cold to work.” So, he said, “He didn't come back.” He says, “He stayed there.” He put the blame onto me, see. He just reversed the case onto me. But at night, I go back to go to work, and he called me in. He says, “You done that?” I said, “No, I didn't.” I said, “He's the one that's doing that.” But he said, “It's”--he said, “He said it was you.” Well, I says, “You's all go to hell.” I says, “I quit in here.” So, I…I quit right there. Well then, what the heck is--there's another mine opening it up.

Transcript at 17 minutes and 51 seconds: (17:51)

TM: I stayed around there a few day. I used to play in a band. So one night--I used to play clarinet, see. So, somebody heard that I play clarinet, so he went down to Mr. Pingeli [phonetic spelling]. Mr. Pingeli was the superintendent for the same company in another mine--that's the mine they call the Tobin Mine--and he heard. He said, “Tell that boy to come over. I'll give him a job of putting the mines up.” So, I got a job there. I worked there till that mine closed. In 1922, they closed all the mine. So, I left it there, yeah, in the middle of the [19]22. Because in the fall, my old first son was born. I got--in the meantime, I got married up there. I met a little girl. I was tired to…tired to go around boarding house from one place to another. So one day, I says--we went to a [inaudible word] on the way home. I says… I says, “Can you pack the dinner pail,” I said, “for a man?” “Sure,” she said. “I can pack the dinner pail.” “Well,” I said, “will you marry me?” She said, “Sure.” We got married, young.

Transcript at 18 minutes and 55 seconds: (18:55)

I: Was your wife Italian too?

TM: No, Scottish and English. She was born right here, right up the street here, right up on Division Street.

I: Ohh…

TM: Yeah, we got along pretty good. So after I got…I got…there was no more work for me there, and she was pregnant to have a baby. So, I went back to Hermansville, and I got a job right away there. The first day, I start to work. I worked there till 1925. In [19]25, I got disgusted. I says I want to go back to Chicago. So, I--she wrote a letter for me to Mr. Collin, and he told me, so and so, the day you come down. He says--I think he said I can put you in, put you to work. Well, I came. At the meantime… [pause] Yeah, that was in July, July or August. I came to Marquette in 1925, so. Well, before going to Chicago, so I brought my wife. She had to stay with our father, and her father was--my wife's mother had died, and they--my father-in-law had three kids, three small kids. So, she took care of the house for a little bit of time. I said, “I'm going to Chicago soon. I'll get a one or two payday,” and I said, “I'll rent in a little apartment,” I said, “and I'll call you to come on down.” Yeah, at the meantime, yeah, we had that…that baby, yeah. I happen one day take the--yeah, that baby was born. He was born at Hermansville, yeah, before I got into Marquette in [19]25. He was born 1922, my baby, yeah. And then, I went to Hermansville in the beginning of [19]23, I think. So yeah, I worked there two years. So then, I quit there. I was going to go to Chicago, and I can get to Marquette.

Transcript at 21 minutes and 0 seconds: (21:00)

TM: One afternoon, I was home with my wife. She says she's gonna do the washing. Well, then they didn't have no, no washing machine. Had to put a boiler, a water boiler--you might…maybe you remember--put it on a stove, put water in it, you know. I went to help her take the boiler off the stove and spilled the water, and I scalded both my feet. Okay, what the heck can I do. Both my feet were a blister. I was crying. I said--and now I said to my dad, to Mr. Parker, I said, “What am I going to do now?” I said, “My God,” I said, “look at here what happened to me.” He said, “Don't worry.” He said, “You stay here.” He said, “You got nothing to worry.” He said, “Mimi,”--which was my wife—“She’ll take care of the other kid, take care of the house.” He said, “Don't worry for nothing.” I said okay. You couldn't buy a job here in Marquette in the fall of [19]25. It was just as bad as it is now. [inaudible word] here—maybe…maybe not as bad, but anyhow. So, I stayed there till I got my feet all healed up pretty good.

Transcript at 22 minutes and 8 seconds: (22:08)

TM: Well, I said, now I ain't got no more job in Chicago. What am I going to do? So, I walked right around--I seen the South Shore shop up there. I seen it when I worked for Pullman people. I seen a lot of people working around the bus car [or maybe boxcar?], you know, building. It was a real car shop. See, Pullman, at the time where I was working, that apartment. So, I seen that they were working there. I said I'm gonna go up there and see if I can get a job there. I says I'm able to drive. “You ever done steelwork?” And I said I never done it, but I lied myself in. So, I worked up on Fifth Street where there…there's no--it's no very high as it now. It used to be all track from there go into the yard, South Shore yard, all the way up. I walk right in there, that mit--there's three, four brother here, Croschere [phonetic spelling], Crossetier [phonetic spelling]. They were Canadian Frenchman. “Hey, where you going, boy?” I said, “I gotta go see Mr. Leo Ring.” “I know that you shouldn't…you should hire…Leo Ring,” he said. “What for?” “I want a job.” “Oh no, you can't get no job here. You can't get no job. You get out of here. Get out of here.” I said, “You go to hell.” I said, “I'm going to see”--so, I walk up a little bit, little farther. I met a fella by the name of Edward Tipedeau [phonetic spelling], great big son of a gun about six foot something, tall, heavy set man, rough as it could be. Hey, where you going?” “I'm going to see…I'm going to see for a job,” I said. “Leo Ring, I'm going to see to get a job.” “Oh, no. Oh, no. My boy come first.” I said, “You go to hell.” And you know that he…he was going to hit me with the--he had acetylene, that torch you use. You've seen it, with the hoses. They use it for torching, the welding. He was going to hit me with one of them. I said, “My God.” I said, “What kind of goddamn outfit is this? What do all them for themselves?” You know, the…all the…it was just our own group. So, okay.

Transcript at 24 minutes and 16 seconds: (24:16)

TM: Then, I heard they were…they were building the…the coal dock on there. So the next morning, I went down there. They said Spears coal dock, so I went over to Spears office. It was just at the foot of Baraga Avenue. There used to be a building. They tear it down now. They're—so, I went in, and I asked them. “Mr. Spears,” I says, “they're building the coal dock over there.” I says, “I'm a steel worker.” I said, “I can work steel, in the steel.” “You can?” he said. “Yeah.” So, he gave me a slip. I went over there to see Mr. Cox [phonetic spelling]--I think was his name--the superin--the general superintendent. He was up in the iron ore. He took a sip. He looked out, and he says…he said that, “You got this from Mr. Spear?” He said, “Come back at one o'clock this afternoon.” I went back, and I got started to work. I'd never done a drop of steel work, but I…I…I found a pair of tongs, and then--and there was a razor (??) on the ground. I grabbed the razor (??), and I threw him like that. Naturally, she went fine. God was on my side. Said you end up nice and come back right down, you know. I got a job. I was the last man hired there and the last one to be fired. I spent 40 years there.

I: [inaudible comment]

TM: Yeah, after he got the machine, the dock complete, I went there. I started on the job of fireman. And then from fireman, I went to engineer. And after five, six years there, that I was there, I got the job of engineer, and I've been there ever since. I spent 40 years.

Transcript at 25 minutes and 52 seconds: (25:52)

TM: In 1965, I quit. I retired, and I came here. And now, now I'm not retired, but I'm tired. [interviewer laughs] That, that's my life. I never--I don't know too much about any sport, any game. I went, couple, three time, I went to hockey game at the Palestra. Remember the old Palestra?

I: No, I wasn’t here yet.

TM: Well anyhow, it was right at the end of Third Street, right in front across--there's this big building over where they used to play hockey. There was no, no, no heat, and not even in there, you know. You had to go [inaudible word]. I froze myself a couple of times. I said, “To hell with it.” I never went to any--I don't know anything about any game or any sport. I'm interested in a way, yes, but then not too much. I won't walk across the street to go see any game. That's all I ever know. I work all my life. All I done is work, work, work. And now, here I am. Well, I can't--I can't complain. I had good health up until this point.

Transcript at 27 minutes and 1 second: (27:01)

I: When you came here, were there very many Italian people?

TM: Huh?

I: Did you have any Italian friends?

TM: I have lots of them. I have lots, but [pause] at that time--and my wife was English. She didn't want to--if I get out, when I’m on the Italian side of town, I talk Italian. My wife used to get mad at me. She said, she, “Go (??) on (??) your (??) game. (??)” She said, “I can't understand what you say.” I don't want--so, I stick more on her side. Well after…after Crystal Fall[s] came here to Marquette, there was…there was a few family, DePetro and DeFalco [both phonetic spelling], somebody out there in Marquette. They used to work for the--they used to call it a furnace, yeah, at that time--the Cliff[s]-Dow there where they used to melt the iron ore. But I…I just say hello and how do you do, hello and how do you do. That's all, and then--but then, at the time I went back to Crystal Fall[s], I had a lot of friends over there. But now… Then me, I was--the one that I associated with, if you go up there now, they're all dead. I know one family that— Bandaccari [phonetic spelling]--they would go up there. They had certain dinner. Come on, stay here for dinner with us. Them boys, it's alright, they're all in their 60s, but they remember me and my wife because we used to live neighbor. And I got a relative in Norway [Michigan]. There's a…there's a lady there. Her mother and my mother were stepsister, and so their children, they would be like--we knew--we know each other as a cousin. That's all I got.

Transcript at 28 minutes and 48 seconds: (28:48)

I: Did you ever--when your father went back to Italy--did you correspond then with your parents and childr--or sisters or…?

TM: I never missed them--a month of corresponding with them. I corresponded all the time. In fact, I'm--here today and yesterday, it's about three weeks I haven't got a letter from them. I'm kind of worried, wondering--because both my brothers, they're younger than me, but they're sickly, you know, and I'm worried about them, you know. Always, always corresponding with them, yes.

Transcript at 29 minutes and 19 seconds: (29:19)

I: Did you ever get a chance to go back to Italy?

TM: I made… I made… In six years, I made five trips.

I: Is that right?

TM: In [19]73, my wife died in the spring of…in April. She died in April, and in August or September, I took a notion. I went to see my brother. So, [19]73, [19]74, [19]75, I went three times. And then [19]76, I skipped. It was [19]78, [19]79, I made two more trip. Every time I went over there, I stayed about three months. See, there's a girl, a woman… [cut in tape]

Transcript at 30 minutes and 25 seconds: (30:25)

TM: It must be three or four years, we hold a reunion. I think it was in Iron Mountain. Yes, in Iron Mountain, we hold a…a meeting together, you know, that got together. And I said--well, after…and then after--at the meeting, Father Monsignor Spelgatti [phone rings]. So this year, [inaudible word], he got sick. So, he said he's gonna go up to the hospital. Otherwise, he's coming down here pretty near every afternoon, come here and have a nice time about an hour, hour and a half all the time.

I: Oh.

TM: And they tell me--last night, he had supper with his son, and two of the city police was over there. And they had supper at the…at the… [cut in tape]

Transcript at 31 minutes and 17 seconds: (31:17)

I: How did your father know about the Upper Peninsula? To--you know, the first time he came from Italy. Were there others from your hometown in Italy that had come here, or…?

TM: Let me tell you something. I--I don't know, tell you the truth, but it seems to me at those days--I got it figured out--there was an agency, like the company. The company was--it was a new (??) and…and company. A group, like Dr. Earl [phonetic spelling] and all and…and another fellow by the name of Meier [phonetic spelling], they went up to Hermansville. And then, there was a river, through line, and a…a northwestern river track, so they must have got a whole…all that land there. My dad worked for them two years for nothing—not…not for nothing, but never got no money, only a bite to eat and once a…a month, they got a little--they used to buy him a…a little keg of beer. I heard him say that. And then after two years, that they started--they built a sawmill. They built up a factory, and then they…they… The first car, a little rumor, that they sold, they sat down. They had a big celebration, seriously. And then, they…they come--just like a…a contractor come in here and…and build this here, this here shop, now. Well, you gotta have a--there was no immigrant around, no people around there…there, to call…to call a Hermansville. There was a…was a…right in the wood. So, it seems to me that so that they applied to an agency for so many employees, so many people to come there. Well, that…that agency called up the other over there--because the people, they used--it was a Hermansville there. They all came from practically from the same town, just like a Marquette, Harvey, Skandia, they all know each other. If they weren't cousins, they were brother-in-law, you know. They got them all, they come over here, and they got…went to work there for—well, I don't know. Ten hour a day, I guess it was, for two-and-a-half or three dollars a day or--I worked for nine cents an hour, 10 hour a day, 90 cents a day at the…at the flooring factory in Hermansville. But after I worked there two, three months, I had a--I saved 13 dollars, bought myself a nice pair of shoes or clothes. Today, I can't even get a pair of pants. [interviewer laughs] You know, it was a different time. You see. So, I mean to say, then they…there was a… They come over here from over there all in group. It was a…an agency--what do you call them--an employer agency. They pick up so many people, you know, and show them. They meet them I don't know where. Anyhow, they're all…they're all… I see some coming over later, after me. They all got a tag, you know. They’re coming on the train, and…and there’s somebody there to meet them. It ain't like nowadays that you gotta have a—oh, I don't know. Then, they--but anyhow, I think they had agency. They came over here in a group, just like a--just like the Cuban now. They're coming from the other side there, down here, the Cuba, the--what do you call it--Puerto Rico. They coming over in bunches like that, see, and only the… They were welcome to come here because they were invited to come and the job were promised. See, that's all I…that's all I can figure.

Recording note: [TAPE ENDS]