I will always see Niagara Falls as a delicious melting pot of cultures, languages and traditions.
Just last summer, I found myself at an international crossroads while sitting on a bench at the state park. It seemed the world passed me by as I snacked on an ice cream cone.
Women strolled by wearing colorful Indian saris or Middle Eastern hijabs. Men presented themselves with Hasidic tendrils or donning Sikh turbans. My ears discerned voices speaking every manner of language imaginable. I could even smell the traditional spices of the world’s cuisines mix and mash with the rising mist as these men and women marveled at the brink of the great cataract. Some things never change.
Niagara Falls is a great American story. Throughout the years we have nurtured a sacred tradition in which we have welcomed and embraced people from every corner of the world.
Our history includes the stories of brave refugees of war, genocide and famine.
So many came to Niagara Falls to make a new start. At the dawn of the past century and for many decades afterwards, the factories and the railroads brought in thousands of much-needed workers and their families. They came from the cotton fields of the Deep South, from depression-ravaged towns.
Some came from exotic countries — utterly desperate souls — and occasionally with only false papers, as they would never have been allowed in the lawful way. They crowded onto sea vessels with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They said their last farewells to their loved ones and to their homelands—and most often, never again stepped foot on the land of their ancestors. Niagara Falls was the last hope for so many.
Our new book, "Melting Pot: Niagara’s Rich Ethnic Heritage," published by the Lewiston Public Library, is a celebration of these people and their stories.
Over the past few years, as the local history librarian, I have collected the stories of our immigrant ancestors for the purpose of sharing their struggles, as well as their triumphs. As you read through the narratives, you will see that often times great hardships precipitated remarkable achievements. Despite differences in ethnicity, these Niagarans shared common housing, jobs, and churches and even married into each other’s families.
They shared meals with one another and learned bits and pieces of each other’s languages and traditions. They crafted businesses out of what they did best and introduced our area to unique foods, music and customs. They also valiantly fought prejudice and bigotry whenever it arose — from the violent threats of the Ku Klux Klan to racist intimidations from unkind neighbors.
Some of the personal stories mentioned include insightful histories of African Americans in Niagara Falls. These chapters highlight the importance of “family” as well as leadership in the African American community at Niagara Falls.
Other stories in "Melting Pot" include: the brave and invincible Armenians, heroes and heroines who defied all odds in their own Holocaust before coming to our city; the industrious Germans, who dominated local industry and business; the story of coalmining Italians who ventured into Niagara Falls from a dismal life in Pennsylvania; Polish tales of hardship at Ellis Island, and lost connections with the Old Country; the children of Spanish immigrants who had worn the customary clothes of Spain to American schools; the ancient Ukrainian tradition of the painted Easter eggs, or pysanky; and recipes from a war bride from Wales.
Many of our Irish stories were submitted by the local chapter of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians. Another Irish chapter, written by Niagara Gazette columnist Don Glynn, reveals a modern day friendship with ties to the Lynch and Buttery families. Yet another tells the story of St. Mary’s Church. Melting Pot also contains precious family recipes, collected and written with great care, family photos and nostalgic news clippings.
The front cover of Melting Pot proudly displays the marriage of Lithuanian born Zygmont Puisys and Ursula Anna Zugzda at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in 1912. Ursula, an orphan, had been raised in a church rectory in Igliauka, Mirijampole, Lithuania. It was said that Zygmont had escaped his homeland under a hail of gunfire. Their story is representative of how many of our Niagara Falls stories begin … with despair and gunfire.
"Melting Pot; Niagara’s Rich Ethnic Heritage" will be available at the Book Corner, located at 1801 Main St. in Niagara Falls and through Amazon.com. We welcome any new family stories for future volumes.
Michelle Ann Kratts is a librarian and genealogist at the Lewiston Public Library.