Poles in Minnesota

The People of Minnesota

by John Radzilowski

Polish Americans have been part of Minnesota history since before the state's founding. Taking up farms along newly laid rail networks, Polish immigrants fanned across the countryside in small but important concentrations. In cities like Winona and St. Paul, Northeast Minneapolis and Duluth, as well as on the Iron Range, Polish American workers helped drive a growing industrial and agricultural economy. In this highly readable volume, author John Radzilowski tells the story of the Polish Americans, many of them political refugees, who created and sustained community institutions across Minnesota. He describes how they developed a significant literary tradition, published newspapers, and built distinctive churches that still adorn the landscape, and he traces the career of individuals who immigrated with little and built businesses and new lives. This deft overview, filled with intriguing details, shows how Polish Americans established their own cultural identity within the state.

102 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2005

Reviews

[Paul Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was attracted to Poles in Minnesota by John Radzilowski's work with the history of Lincoln County, Minnesota. My ancestors were among the first 40 families who bought land from the railroad near Wilno.

The benefit of this book is it places my personal history in a broader context of Polish immigrant life in the Midwest.

Must reading for anyone interested in the history of immigration from Poland to Minnesota.

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a genealogy read. I keep hoping that I will find a direct line ancestor in books like this, but it never happens.

It made me think twice about th destructiveness of a simple "Polack" jokes I remember from my youth and the persecution faced by many ethnicities (not just in the US). The author focussed a lot on Lincoln county (Winona) which didn't do much for me. Although I am only 1/4 Polish and I've never been to Minnesota, I will know my way around once I get there.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting overview of Polish people moving and settling here in MN.