Church Festivals Return to Globeville

Oh how we missed these gems last year! There are two extraordinary ethnic parish festivals in Globeville within blocks of each other.

On Sunday, August 29th, Holy Rosary Parish at 4688 Pearl Street will host its bazaar from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Check out amazing tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork sandwiches, flautas, enchiladas, churros, sodas, ice cream, snacks and desserts. There will be games for the kids, face painting, the Wick School Irish Dancers, Matachines Dancers, a DJ, musical performances, raffles and prizes.
FREE admission! Affordable, family-friendly fun. Tours of the historic church will begin at 1:00 pm in English and 3:00 pm in Spanish.

https://www.facebook.com/HolyRosaryChurchDenver

Get in touch with your inner Slav at the granddaddy of church festivals: the Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days held at Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral at 349 E. 47th Avenue. Mark Saturday, September 11th on your calendar. From 11:00 am until 7:30 pm there will be an extravaganza of ethnic food, drinks and desserts from Greece, Romania, Russia, Eritrea, Mexico, Serbia, Italy, and the Ukraine. Musical and dance performances. Crafts, art, iconography, books and games for the children will keep everyone entertained. Take a tour of the exquisite 120-year-old Cathedral. One day only - don't miss it.

https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxfoodfestival

Lest We Forget

Memorial Day in 2021 will be commemorated with wreath, flower and flag ceremonies at cemeteries in Denver and across Colorado. Car parades, picnics, concerts, fireworks and activities for veterans are also planned. 

The Globeville Veteran's Club, which was organized in 1947, didn't want a parade or even recognition for their recent service, but to honor and commemorate those from Globeville who had died serving their country. In their meetings, it was suggested that a memorial honoring veterans be erected in Argo Park and the idea grew from there. The club's 200 members, former servicemen of both World War I and II, spoke to neighbors, businesses, fraternal organizations and churches to raise funds for the project. The 12-foot-high granite monument was dedicated in Argo Park on August 25, 1948, with Denver Mayor Quigg Newton, Governor Henry Knous, Councilman Ernest Marranzino and Congressman John Carroll in attendance. The Denver Post reported, "It is believed to be the first monument dedicated to the dead of the last war." 1.

The memorial was inscribed with the names of two men killed in World War I, twelve men lost in World War II and one Korean War casualty. The monument is located in a quiet spot in the shade, a perfect place for visitors to pause and honor the men from Globeville who sacrificed their lives for their country.

Veteran's Memorial Dedicated August 25, 1948

Ku Klux Klan and Globeville

The first Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee by former Confederate Army veterans with the goal of preventing African Americans from using their rights as citizens and voters. Acts of violence, lynchings and the passage of Jim Crow laws also disenfranchised blacks. This original version of the Klan was most active in the South.

Inspired by the film, “the Birth of a Nation,” William Joseph Simmons of Georgia called for the resurrection of the Klan in 1915. This new organization was more inclusive in its hatred than its predecessor, targeting not only blacks, but also Catholics, Jews, immigrants, minorities and organized labor. 

In predominantly Protestant Colorado, the Klan developed a new recruiting message that focused on the “nation’s Protestant ideals” and Americanism. Against the backdrop of prohibition, bootlegging, rampant crime, loose morals, and “free love,” the Klan also stood for law and order and a restoration of “Old-Time Religion.”

Catholics were denounced as followers of the Pope, who controlled a secret Catholic government. There were conspiracy theories about Jews, money and power. Eastern European and Russian immigrants were portrayed as dangerous, possibly anarchists, and unlikely to become loyal citizens. 

The Klan organized community events, including picnics, concerts and auto races, in order to be seen as similar to benevolent groups like the Elks Lodges. 

Globeville’s population included two of the Klan’s targets: immigrants and Catholics. The resurgence of the Klan occurred at the same time as the “Red Scare” following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. 

While no fiery crosses were seen in Globeville, the community was aware of the power of the organization. Leopold Korsick and his fellow workers at the Globe Smelter were advised to walk in a group to and from their shift. Many people “Americanized” their names (Starsinovich became Star), and prominently displayed American flags on their porches, or in the windows of their businesses.

Globeville survived this version of the Ku Klux Klan, but the group has resurfaced several times and portrays itself as defending American ideals.

Leopold and Teresa Korsic in Globeville

The Spelling Bee

Before television and the 24-hour barrage of news, sports and entertainment, there was the National Spelling Bee. And it was a really big deal. 

Inaugurated in 1925 by Kentucky’s Louisville Courier-Journal the National Spelling Bee was a way to generate “general interest among pupils in a dull subject.” The first national champion was 11-year-old Frank Neuhauser of Louisville, who correctly spelled “gladiolus” to claim a prize of $500, a lot of money for an 11-year-old. The idea caught on with parents and teachers, and with students who could excel at something other than sports.

By the time the Great Depression arrived, the competition gained new appeal (cash prizes have a tendency to do that). In 1938, Denver would boast its first national winner. 

All Colorado students would take the same 100-word written test, and, in anticipation, teachers, parents and students perused lists of words and rehearsed for months. (There was an additional, unspoken rivalry between Catholic and public schools). The 82 pupils with the highest scores would represent their districts in an oral contest on Friday, April 29th, at the Denver City Auditorium. The sessions were broadcast on KLZ radio.

Students from outside of Denver stayed at the Brown Palace Hotel. Contestants were given a tour of Denver by the Denver Cab Company and treated to a luncheon at the Hoft-Schroeder Cafeteria. Honoring the spellers at the bee were Colorado governor, Elias Ammons, and Denver mayor, Benjamin Stapleton. Prize money was $100 for 1st place, $50 for second place and $25 for 3rd place. 

Loretta Jackson of Holy Rosary School represented the Globeville neighborhood, but it was Loretta Quinn of Presentation Catholic School in Denver who became the first Colorado champion. By correctly spelling “equanimity” and “occasion,” she and her family were sent to Washington, D. C., to represent Colorado and the Rocky Mountain News at the National Spelling Bee. Before WWII, the awards at the national competition were: $500 first prize, $300 second prize, $100 third prize.

The Denver Catholic Register proudly proclaimed “Denver Cinderella Discovered in Spelling Contest,” and reported that Loretta was an “outstanding pupil,” the oldest of eight children, and that her father had died three years before. A Denver department store gave her a complete outfit for her eastern trip and several businesses offered cash prizes as well. (The Register included her home address in the article). Although Loretta Quinn did not win the national competition, she and her mother enjoyed the trip and the experience. 

For years, the national finals were broadcast live on NBC and are now televised on ESPN. The National Spelling Bee is still a really big deal.

Denver Catholic Register, May 5th, 1938

Gene Amole, columnist for the late Rocky Mountain News, advised, 
“Always sit next to a Catholic girl in the newsroom,
because they know how to spell.”

 

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The National Western Stock Show

Ever since the National Western Stock Show was officially established in 1906, Globeville enjoyed the trickle-down economic bounty from the event. During its ten-day run, the Stock Show was a source of jobs and a boon to local taverns, restaurants, hotels and merchants. School children enjoyed a day away from the classroom to see farm animals, mutton busting, horse shows and numerous rodeos.

Ad from January 1927 issue of the Denver Catholic Register

In 1960, the nearby meatpacking industry was Globeville’s and the city’s largest employer. But the decade that followed saw mergers and acquisitions that resulted in a loss of jobs. Soon feedlot operators built out-of-town facilities to slaughter and process meat, shipping directly to stores and bypassing the packing plants. The change affected the “Big Four:” Swift shut down in April 1966 and Armour in 1968. Cudahy continued to operate until it was acquired by Bar-S in 1981, and Wilson limped along until closing in 1981. The stock pens were deserted and the Stock Show Complex began to deteriorate.

Empty stock pens in the 1980s.

Every January, the National Western Stock Show continued to generate excitement and revenue. But for the rest of the year, the run-down complex struggled to stay relevant, hosting tattoo conventions, model trains exhibits and bridal shows. Meanwhile, in 2011, the city of Aurora offered tax incentives to relocate the Stock Show as part of the Gaylord Hotel complex. Thankfully, in 2015, Denver voters approved 2C. 

                  John Zapien, member of the Citizens Advisory Committee

The measure extended a 1.75 percent tax on hotel rooms and rental cars in Denver, generating $622 million for the project. CSU pledged another $250 million to construct facilities for education, and the Stock Show donated 75 acres of land and $50 million in cash.

Longtime Globeville resident John Zapien once worked as a “lugger” for Wilson, lugging lamb off a hook and onto a truck. Zapien has also represented the community’s interests for decades. Now a member of the National Western Citizens Advisory Committee, he is the only community member who gets a vote on the authority’s board. He and other residents look forward to the jobs that construction and new facilities will bring and the CSU educational opportunities for children.

“Who would have thought we’d have a college campus right where the stockyard was? They’re not just dealing with animals, but information and water, which is terribly crucial. I see this as a wonderful opportunity for young people,” Zapien said. “I think one of the biggest bridges is the food on the table. Whether you live in Globeville or Elyria or Swansea or Burlington or Clifton or Palisade or Rifle, there are some real similarities that we can work on together in the future with our rural neighbors. They’re the same as we are, they just live out of town.”

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.