Mama held the envelope to her chest for a moment, then opened it with shaking hands. She scanned the pages quickly, and a smile softened her face. She handed Mihaela a sheet of paper.
Mihaela drew a deep breath. She had waited a long time for some word from her cousin.
Dear Mihaela,
I miss you so much. I’m better at milking than before, but it’s not as much fun without you. I haven’t been practicing my writing. Can you tell?
And I still don’t like to read as much as you! How is Michigan? I hope your birthday is a happy one.
Your loving cousin,
Katarina
Mihaela felt a stab in her heart when she saw the drawing of two girls sitting in a pear tree included in the letter.
Mama was quiet as she read the letter from Aunt Ida.
Papa raised his eyebrows. “What’s the news?”
Mama shook her head slightly, and her smile faded.
Papa paused for moment, then looked at Mihaela. “I’ll have Mama read the letter to me later. It’s your birthday, Mihaela, and my eyes are getting better thanks to the plants you found. So we need to celebrate. How about some music?”
Mihaela nodded but she still felt a little sad. “Of course, Papa.”
“Luka, tell Josip to get his fiddle,” Papa said. “We’ll join everyone after we’re done.”
They finished the last bites of sarma and povitica, cleared the dishes, and washed the pots and pans.
Then Mihaela stepped out into the main room.
All the boarders were assembled, and Josip held a box tied with a big, red ribbon. He presented it to Mihaela. “From all of us boarders.”
Mihaela took the box and sat down on one of the log chairs. She untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. There inside was the beautiful doll with the green dress from the store.
“Sretan Rođjendan!” the boarders cheered.
“Oh!” Mihaela couldn’t find the words for more. To think she would own such a beautiful thing! She loved Dijana and wouldn’t abandon her. But this was the finest doll she had ever seen. The boarders were almost as nice as her uncles.
Josip smiled. “We all chipped in a little.”
Mihaela lifted the doll out of the box. “Thank you! Thank you!” she said. In English.
Everyone laughed. Papa stepped forward, holding his tamburica. “Sarma from your mother. A special card from your brothers. And a wonderful gift from the boarders. Now it’s my turn. Actually, from both your mother and me.”
Mihaela held her breath. So many things had changed. What was next?
“You like to learn,” Papa began. “You know a lot about plants. And you want to know about everything else. What I’m trying to say is, you’ve convinced us that you should go to school.”
Mihaela’s breath caught again. “Oh, Papa! Mama!”
Mama beamed.
Papa continued. “You have to speak more English before you can start school, so it may take a while. Josip said he would teach you. Until then, you’ll still have to help Mama. Some of your aunts and uncles and cousins will be able to join us soon, and then we can share the work here in Michigan like we did in the domaćinstvo.”
“So Katarina will come?”
Mama nodded.
“And I get to go to school?” Mihaela could barely take in everything she was hearing.
“Yes, eventually,” Papa said.
Mihaela swallowed hard. She already knew this new life wasn’t easy. But if they weren’t returning to Croatia, having Katarina and the others come here was the next best thing. And a chance to go to school! She stood up a little straighter.
She had survived so much already. She had always hoped her life could get better. Now she knew it would.
“Hvala! I mean … thank you!” As she whistled the tune Papa was playing, she grabbed her two brothers by the hands. “Now we have reasons to dance again.”
The structure over a mine shaft, a shaft-rockhouse (possibly the south range) with flowers in the foreground.
Five men working near a rock pile, shaft-rockhouse in background.
Copper miners with their lunch buckets. Some are boys.
A car full of miners prepares to descend.
Miners at work. Calumet and Hecla underground–Osceola Amygdaloid.
The Ingersoll Drill advertisement in The Portage Lake Mining Gazette, 1883. An artistic rendering of a one-man drill operation.
Underground scene of miners preparing to drill in the Osceola Mine.
Postcard with artistic rendering of a woman readying dinner (peeling vegetables) on the back porch in Calumet, MI.
A group of people on the corner in Calumet with storefronts visible in background.
Advertisement for a general store on Fifth Street in Calumet, MI, listing some of the merchandise sold and its date of establishment (1869).
Calumet, Hecla, and Red Jacket, Michigan, 1881.
My Family’s Recipe for Pasties
(Four generous servings; recipe can be doubled)
Pie Crust:
2 C. flour
2/3 C. + 2 T. vegetable shortening
4–5 T. cold water
1 t. salt
Measure flour, salt, and shortening into a bowl. Blend with a pastry blender until solid. Add water and mix until flour is moistened and dough begins to gather together. Scrape bowl and divide dough into two balls. Flatten the balls into rounded discs. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough out until each disc measures approximately 10” in diameter. Cut each disc in half so you have four portions of pastry crust. (Save a little dough before you roll it out if you want to try to make the braided edge, as mentioned in the story.)
Pasty Filling:
Pasty filling can be a subject of discussion in the Upper Peninsula. Some argue it has to have one ingredient but not another. In my family, it had to be diced sirloin, not ground beef, and never any carrots, but always rutabaga. What goes into a pasty has become a tradition unique to each family.
1 pound raw sirloin steak, cut into small dice
1 small peeled rutabaga, diced
1 medium peeled potato, diced
1 small onion, diced
Mix together and season well with salt and pepper.
Divide meat mixture into four portions. Place meat filling in each of the four pasty discs, leaving apprx. 1/4” margin from edge, and fold crust over. Crimp edges with your fingers or a fork, or add the braided dough rope and press to attach.
You can pierce the top of the crust with a fork to let out steam. (In the late 1800s in Michigan, the baker would mark the initials of the miner to identify his pasty.)
Place pasties on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 425° oven for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350° and bake an additional 25 minutes. Let pasties sit for five minutes before serving.
My Family’s Recipe for Povitica
(Approximately 10 or more servings)
For the dough:
1 1/2 C. warm milk
1/2 C. sugar
1 t. salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 C. warm water
7 C. all-purpose flour
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy, apprx. 10–15 minutes.
In a separate large bowl, combine the warm milk, sugar, salt, eggs, and butter.
After yeast has foamed, add to the larger bowl and mix all together.
Add half of the flour and mix until smooth. Add more flour until the dough becomes easier to handle. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Put dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour.
Once the dough has doubled, punch down and then let double again. Divide the dough into three parts. Roll out each part into thin rectangles.
For the filling:
2 C. finely ground walnuts
1 C
. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 C. softened butter or margarine
Mix the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon together. Brush the butter on the rolled-out dough. Sprinkle the mixture over the surface of the dough. Roll each rectangle into a tight log, and trim to fit either a greased loaf pan or a greased cake pan, using three pans total. (For cake pans, arrange the dough in a circle.) Cover, and let rise again. Then bake at 350° for 30–45 minutes, depending on pan size, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
My Family’s Recipe for Sarma
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
1 large head green soured cabbage*
1 pound browned ground beef (drained of grease)
1 pound ground cooked ham
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 C. partially cooked rice
1 medium onion, diced
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. garlic powder or 2 cloves diced fine
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 quarts sauerkraut
1 C. tomato sauce or 1 can tomato soup
Preparation:
Rinse the sauerkraut, if very salty, with water and layer approximately one-third of it on the bottom of a large roasting pan or casserole. Set aside. Cook the onion in the olive oil until lightly browned. Add onion to a mixture of the ground beef, ham, crumbled bacon, rice, and egg. Stir to combine and season with salt, pepper, and garlic.
Take a small amount of the meat mixture and place it in the middle of each cabbage leaf. Roll the leaf lengthwise and tuck ends in so that the mixture is secure. Place the rolled sarmas, seam side down, in the casserole on top of the sauerkraut. Alternate sarmas and additional sauerkraut, ending with sauerkraut. Pour tomato sauce or soup on top and cover. Bake at 350° for 1 1/2–2 hours.
*There are different ways to “sour” cabbage. You can core a fresh head, place it in a large pot of water, add 1–2 T vinegar, and boil for 10-15 minutes, or until cabbage leaves are soft. Another way to sour or ferment the cabbage is with salt, but that can take 4–6 weeks. Whole sour cabbage leaves are also available for purchase through the Internet.
Recommended Books for Young Readers
Bierman, Carol. Journey to Ellis Island. New York: Hyperion-Madison Press, 2005.
Bunting, Eve. Dreaming of America. New York: Troll/Bridgewater Books, 2000.
Burr, Dan, and Ruth Hailstone. The White Ox. Honesdale, PA: Calkins Creek-Boyds Mill Press, 2009.
Castaldo, Nancy. The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate and How There’s More of Less to Eat Around the World. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016.
Curtis, Rebecca S. Charlotte Avery on Isle Royal. Mount Horeb, WI: Midwest Traditions, Inc., 1995.
Elster, Jean Alicia. The Colored Car. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2013.
Cushman, Karen. The Midwife’s Apprentice. New York: Sandpiper, 2012.
———. Rodzina. New York: Yearling, 2005.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lilly’s Crossing. New York: Yearling, 1997.
———. Maggie’s Door. New York: Yearling, 2003.
———. Nory Ryan’s Song. New York: Delacorte, 2002.
———. Water Street. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006.
Harlow, Joan Hiatt. Star in the Storm. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2000.
Hart, Allison. Anna’s Blizzard. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 2005.
Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.
Karr, Kathleen. Man of the Family. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.
Lasky, Kathryn. An American Spring: Sofia’s Immigrant Diary. New York: Scholastic, 2004.
Levine, Ellen. If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island. New York: Scholastic, 1993.
McMullan, Kate. For This Land: Meg’s Prairie Diary. New York: Scholastic, 2003.
Mobley, Jeannie. Katerina’s Wish. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2012.
Paterson, Katherine. Day of the Pelican. New York: Clarion/HMH Books for Young Readers, 2009.
Peterson, Cris. Birchbark Brigade: A Fur Trade History. Honesdale, PA: Calkins Creek-Boyds Mill Press, 2009.
Reeder, Carolyn. Captain Kate. Bethesda, MD: Children’s Literature, 2006.
Royston, Angela. Life Cycle of a Mushroom. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2009.
Schröder, Monika. The Dog in the Wood. Honesdale, PA: Front Street-Boyds Mill Press, 2009.
Swain, Gwenyth. Hope and Tears: Ellis Island Voices. Honesdale, PA. Calkins Creek-Boyds Mill Press, 2012.
Taylor, Sydney. All of a Kind Family. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1989.
Thompson, Gare. We Came Through Ellis Island. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 2003.
Vanderpool, Clare. Moon Over Manifest. New York: Random House, 2011.
Wearing, Judy. Fungi. New York: Crabtree Publishing, 2010.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Little House books. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
Annotated Bibliography
Articles/Magazines
Adamic, Louis, “The Woman from Croatia,” Saturday Evening Post, October 21, 1939, 23–46. Print.
This article was written about my great-grandmother and her family and their experiences leaving their Croatian village and settling in Michigan. The author had interviewed her and other members of that generation in the 1930s. I found only two errors in Mr. Adamic’s research, having to do with the actual arrival date of the ship and the age of my grandfather, who made the trip with his mother and an older brother. (The author may have done this intentionally, honoring their privacy request.) His location information, however, was so accurate I was able to find the unmapped ancestral village based solely on his writing.
Whittier, Frank C., ed., Portage Lake Mining Gazette, March 4–September 9, 1886. Microfilm.
General information regarding daily life through the lens of a weekly newspaper “issued in the interest of mining, blast furnaces, manufacturing and the general welfare of the whole Lake Superior region.” Railway timetables, weather reports, advertisements, local news, etc.
Books
Anderson, George E., and Richard E. Taylor. Images of Rail: Copper Country Rail. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2008.
Catton, Bruce. Michigan: A History. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1984.
Catton, Bruce. Waiting for the Morning Train: An American Boyhood. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1987.
Memories of the author’s childhood in Northern Michigan.
Chermayeff, Ivan, Mary J. Shapiro, and Fred Wasserman. Ellis Island: An Illustrated History of the Immigrant Experience. New York: Macmillan, 1991.
Cleland, Charles E. Rites of Conquest. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1992.
Daniels, Roger. Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. 2nd ed. New York: Harper Perennial, 2002.
Desnick, Harvey. Blooming Seasons. Calumet, MI: Cordifolia Publishing, 2009.
Color photos taken by the author along with notes of Keweenaw Peninsula wildflowers and herbs blooming from spring-fall, used for identification and accurate descriptions.
Dunbar, Willis F. All Aboard!: A History of Railroads in Michigan. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans, 1971.
Chapter 7, “The Northlands and Its Railroads.”
Dunbar, Willis F., and George S. May. Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State, 3rd rev. edition. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans, 1995. Chapter 18, “The Mining Boom,” details the importance of copper to the Upper Peninsula.
Harrison, Lorraine. Latin for Gardeners. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012.
Reference source for plants with correct Latin and common names.
Henderson, Troy. Lake Superior Country: 19th Century Travel and Tourism. Chicago: Arcadia, 2002.
Good photos with captions showing period dress, railroads, and nature.
Hubbard, Bela. Memorials of a Half-C
entury in Michigan and the Lake Region. New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1887.
Collection of essays describing Michigan’s geography, geology, and local history that mentions the UP’s long daylight in summer.
Johnson, Rebecca L., et al. National Geographic Guide to Medicinal Herbs. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 2014.
Lankton, Larry. Cradle to Grave: Life, Work and Death at the Lake Superior Copper Mines. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
–––. Hollowed Ground: Copper Mining and Community Building on Lake Superior, 1840s–1990s. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2010.
Details and insights about communities of mine workers and their families.
March, Richard. The Tamburitza Tradition: From the Balkans to the American Midwest. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2013.
History of the tamburitza, based on a dissertation at the Folklore Department of Indiana University.
Taylor, Richard E. Houghton County 1870–1920. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2006.
Images of people, buildings, mines, and transportation.
Tekiela, Stan. Wildflowers of Michigan Field Guide. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc., 2000.
Thurner, Arthur W. Calumet Copper and People: The History of a Michigan Mining Community from 1864 to 1970. Hancock, MI: Book Concern Printers, 2002.
———. Strangers and Sojourners: A History of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994.
Background information about various ethnic groups that lived in the Copper Country.
Correspondence/Scrapbooks
Houghton-Portage Township Schools, Houghton, MI. Notes to the author, April 2004.
Correspondence about educational history and building information from the nineteenth century. Timelines, photographs, and an unattributed report (n.d.) titled, “History of Houghton-Portage Township School District.” Also included was a photocopy of “History of the Schools of Portage Township in the Copper Country” from Michigan History Magazine, 1917–1918.
Lucas, Anthony. Scrapbooks, circa 1906–1960.
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