What was life like for the Polish immigrants in Pe Ell, Washington, one hundred years ago? As told in the words of their descendants today, this book preserves their experiences; their joys, their sorrows, and their struggles to make a better life for themselves and their families as they assimilated into a new country and became Americans.
Foreword
“Pioneer: One who goes before, preparing the way for others; an early settler; a colonist. To open up, to explore in advance of others.” Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
They came from Harta in Austrian Poland, from Prussian Poland, from Silesia and from Russian Poland. They were a small part of one of the great migrations in history, from Europe to America, the last great wave of which was from southern and eastern Europe. Why did they come? Their motivations were varied: lack of opportunity in the old country, lack of employment, avoidance of military service, oppressive rulers, over population, but most of all the promise of a better life with good jobs and free land to homesteaders. Many may not have realized until years later that America is a class-free society where individual opportunity is unlimited and not dependent on one’s birthright. Most of the immigrants who came to Pe Ell were young; single or newly married. They were neither professionals nor skilled laborers. They came to farm the land, to work in the saw mills and the forests, and were filled with the hope to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Other immigrants also came to Pe Ell: Germans, Swiss, Italians, Irish, and Americans from the eastern states. However the Poles were the largest ethnic group, and their heritage remains today. With a common religion and language even though they came from Russian, Prussian, and Austrian Poland, they eventually melded into American society.
This period of immigration was during the late 1800s and early 1900s when the Northwest was rough and unsettled, a time when one had to make a living in the wilderness, using only one’s hands and muscles, farming with animal power, and with little machinery. None of the technology and conveniences of today existed.
Some of those early immigrants spent only a short time in Pe Ell, many stayed while jobs were plentiful, and when the mills closed down during the great depression, moved on to other places and other opportunities. Still others put down their roots and their descendants remain in the general area, if not in Pe Ell itself. During Pe Ell’s town incorporation centennial celebration in 2006, many returned for old times’ sake.
This work is intended to document some of the verbal history of these Polish immigrants who took the initiative and had the fortitude to endure hardships in a new land where they didn’t speak the language, and to record their experiences as handed down to their descendants. Several times I have been told, “Oh, I wish so and so were still alive—they knew a lot more than I do.” I’ve found that many memories don’t survive more than one generation. There is hardly any memory passed down about their lives in the old country. Perhaps some wanted to forget the life they left behind. Many don’t know exactly where their ancestors came from. Nor do they know very much about what must have been a difficult trip crossing the ocean by immigrant ship, and crossing the country, by wagon in the early days, later by train, in not the least bit comfortable or accommodating circumstances. My hope is that some of these life experiences from about 1885 through the early part of the 20th century can be enjoyed by current and future generations. Their lives and times were so different then, that is hard for us to comprehend how it was.
Every effort has been made to contact their descendants. I first created a data base, based on my own knowledge as a third generation Pe Ell-ite and the census records for 1910 and 1930, both of which are readily available on line. However some of the census takers’ original handwriting is illegible. I also relied upon school yearbooks, word of mouth from friends, and sources obtained from the Lewis County Historical Society Library in Chehalis. The many sources available on the internet were of invaluable assistance. Trying to find present day descendants of the original immigrants turned out to be a daunting task. I am sure there are some whom I have been unable to locate. Thanks to those who have replied with information about their families, as well as others who remembered their friends and family connections in the Polish community, this book was made possible.
While compiling the memories that others have submitted about their parents and grandparents lives, I found many of them familiar from my own experience. We, the older generation may remember how life was then--much simpler and less complicated. Today I believe conditions and customs are quite changed, I hope for the better. I also hope this book will be a record for our descendants to remember how their ancestors lived.