The Lone Wolf

When I was a youngster, my mother would often visit friends and relatives in Globeville. If she took us with her, we were instructed to be on our best behavior and remain quiet unless we were spoken to. We would be introduced, and our hosts would remark on how cute we were, or how we resembled my mom or my grandparents. We would then be offered a cookie and given a magazine to keep us entertained while the grown-ups talked.

While we sat quietly we had plenty of time to observe our surroundings. There were lace tablecloths and doilies, embroidered towels and table runners and frequently, ashtrays. There were photos of relatives in the Old Country and snapshots of family here. 

In many of these homes, a framed print of a painting called "The Lone Wolf" hung in the living room. (My grandmother, her sister and several aunts and uncles also had this print).

The painting depicts a solitary wolf standing on a hill overlooking a small village below. It's nighttime and cold. I imagined the villagers huddled inside to stay warm and safe. They have been warned about wolves. I also felt sorry for the wolf. He keeps a lonely vigil with no other members of his pack. A sad and scary subject for a wall hanging.

The painting certainly would have resonated with Germans from Russia, whose colonies along the Volga were surrounded by danger: isolation, a harsh climate and being increasingly unwelcome strangers in a strange land.

When I began interviewing Globeville residents in the 1990s, there was "The Lone Wolf" again. In Sarah Wolf's house, and her sister-in-law Pauline's home. My uncle still had one above the sofa. Now, I found the image comforting, even reassuring.

The Lone Wolf (c. 1890) is perhaps the most famous painting — and most widely reproduced — of Alfred Von Wierusz-Kowalski, a Polish painter.

Working in a detailed realistic style, many of Von Wierusz-Kowalski’s canvases feature scenes of travel, sporting, and hunting during wintertime, with horses, riders, and carriages featured as popular motifs. 

Perhaps some of Globeville's early settlers were familiar with Wierusz-Kowalski's work. Perhaps it was an affordable piece of art and held meaning for immigrants. My cousins now have the paintings, and I enjoy the warm memories it brings.

Visiting Slovenia, July 2019

We began planning our trip in February and picked two weeks in the middle of July as the date all of us could go. We also met with my cousin, Ginny, a historian and museum curator, who had done a great deal of genealogy work on the Jakins and had names and birth dates of my grandfather’s brothers and sisters. Julie and Teresa contacted their cousins, Petra and Anja, who live in Ljubljana, hoping they could meet us there. Petra and Anja replied that they would delay their family vacation in Croatia to meet with us while we were in Ljubljana. Armed with genealogy information, we made our travel arrangements and hoped for the best.
We arrived in the capitol city late on Saturday evening, July 13 and received a text from Petra and Anja that they would be picking us up for Mass at 7:30 am the next morning! Introductions were made and we snuggled into a seven passenger Toyota for the trip to Gornje Cerovo, some 80 miles away. The cousins, Petra, Anja, Julie and Teresa recalled stories of their family: of an Aunt Lucille who visited Slovenia from Colorado in the 1980s, an Uncle Remigij who traveled to America during the 1970s, and of sixteen-year-old Petra’s vacation in Colorado in 1991. I listened to their memories while taking in the astounding countryside - green, dense forests, mountains, streams, hillsides dotted with villages and church spires. 

 

Lush countryside near Gornje Cerovo

I brought a folder with me, with the 1902 postcards from the Korsic family in Gornje (Upper) Cerovo to Johan Korsic and Andrej Jakin in Globeville, Kolorado. I included letters to Andrej from his sister Aloiza, dated 1948, and 1951, that were in Slovenian. I also had receipts of the money that Andrej sent to his family in “the old country,” the last one from 1920. And photos of Andrej Jakin. 
We arrived in Gornje Cerovo at 9:30 am and the small St. Nicholas Church was full. I was thrilled to hear Mass in my grandpa’s church and to walk in his village. The Mass was an annual memorial Mass for a cousin, Neva, who was killed in a car accident in 1995, so many family members were in attendance. Petra and Anja introduced all of us and I showed my photos and postcards - Ah! family. Introductions, smiles and hugs all around. An older couple, Aristeja and Alfonz Princic, lived next to the church and motioned us to come over - they were very interested in the stuff in my folder. They didn’t speak English, but asked us to return next Sunday where they would prepare a meal and bring out their photos. Although many of the younger family members speak English, most of the older people did not, but welcomed us into their homes....

 St. Nicholas Church in Gornje Cerovo
photo courtesy of Dejan Valentincic

Inside St. Nicholas Church in Gornje Cerovo

 

Side Altar in St. Nicholas Church

Aristeja and Alphonz (Fonze) Princic in Gornje (Upper) Cerovo

 

Old time medicine

Illness was a threat to the immigrant families in Globeville. Many immigrants were somewhat suspicious of doctors, had little money and spoke limited English, so it was up to the mother to do the nursing when a member of the family was sick. Mustard plasters, a paste made from mustard seed and encased in a cloth coating, were used to treat bronchitis, pneumonia, chest congestion and wounds. Healing techniques brought from the Old Country, such as strong tea brewed from sage, chamomile or yarrow were given to those suffering from indigestion, nausea or sluggishness. Ear aches were treated with a sock filled with oats, heated in the oven and applied to the ear. Kerosene, menthol, and the ever dependable whiskey and honey were also useful remedies.
If these methods were not effective enough, medicines could be purchased at the Globe Pharmacy or Harry Heck's Drug Store. Balsamea, a tonic expectorant, promised relief from bronchial colds, chronic bronchitis, croup and hoarseness - for 50 cents. The Martinitz Remedy Company at 3036 Humboldt in Elyria made liniments, cough remedies, formulas that purified the blood and a wonder salve. To appeal to the immigrant population, the company's ad was written in both Slovenian and English. A belief in these methods probably aided in their effectiveness.