Eastern European hospitality

Whenever we would visit my grandparents in Globeville, we would leave with cookies, home-made bread and leftovers. Mom said it was that Eastern European hospitality, and it was something we got to experience for ourselves in Gornje Cerovo. 

 

Cousin Petra Korsic, Teresa Dreiling, Davoren Korsic,
Mary Lou Egan, Russ Markowski and Julie Von Lintel
in front of St. Nicholas in Gornje Cerovo

After Mass on Sunday, July 14, and visiting with relatives and most of the village, we went to the home of Petra and Anja's parents, Davoren and Bozica where they were preparing to feed us.
There were glasses of their home-made red and white wines, a salad of tomatoes, spinach and basil - all from their garden. More wine, a fantastic soup, crusty home-made bread, fresh peaches, apricots and a pastry that featured cherries from their orchards. The fresh fruit and vegetables were such an intense sensation.
We walked around a bit to let the first layer of food settle and to hear a bit about the history of this beautiful area.

 

View from the deck of the Korsic home

 

Gornje Cerovo has a Mediterranean climate

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

 

A century of celebration 1919 - 2019

The very first Holy Rosary Parish bazaar was a doozy. The event lasted more than a week, starting on Saturday, November 8, and ending on Monday, November 16,1919. The church was still under construction and the festivities were held at the Slovenian Hall at 4468 Washington. There were games, prizes, food, concerts, competitions and plays. Mrs. Mary Kovac, Mrs. Joe Videtich, Mrs. Marcus Videtich, Mrs. Anna Popish, Mrs. Anna Starsenic, Mrs. Mary Grum, Mrs. Anna W. Kelly and Miss Mary Lessar formed a committee that solicited money, prizes and donations. Father Cyril Zupan, who had established both St. Mary's Parish in Pueblo and St. Joseph's in Leadville, directed the event. Parishioners from the other ethnic churches in Globeville attended and contributed to the bazaar. The occasion was a great success, enabling the completion of the church building.

The Holy Rosary festival this Sunday, September 8, will offer the same opportunities for fun and fund raising, from 9:00 am in the morning until 5:00 pm in the afternoon. As we approach our centennial, let us enjoy our diverse congregation and celebrated a century of our faith.

The Preseren Choir provided entertainment at the initial parish celebration.
First row, Charlie Blancar, John Papez, Anton Zalar, George Miroslavich, Adolf Anzicek,
George Pavlakovich, Frank Smole.
Middle row, John Kucler, Anton Jersin, Steve Mausar, Edward Thomas, John Yelinich, Joe Grubesic.
top row, Louis Cesar, Frank Glivar, Anton Gornik, Joe Perme. Photo courtesy John Pavlakovich

Finding Andrej Jakin

Everyone in Globeville called my grandpa “Andy Jackson.” He and my grandma lived in a small house on Sherman Street in the shadow of I-70, with its constant traffic, noise, vibration, and dirt. Nearby meatpacking plants provided both jobs and a stench that would keep residents indoors, even during the summer. 
But their tiny back yard was a bulwark against its gritty, industrial surroundings. There were cherry, pear and peach trees, and grape vines that wound along a fence. Raspberry bushes and strawberry plants were arranged in tidy sections, and beans, peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes climbed a hand-made trellis. There were phlox, dahlias, roses, daisies, pansies, violets, geraniums and the exotic oleander that grandpa carefully coaxed in Colorado’s arid climate. Chickens aggressively ate the feed grandma scattered from her apron and dutifully provided handsome brown eggs. Grandpa said it was just like his home in “the old country,” a magical place with vineyards, orchards and olive groves. I loved listening to his stories, but was too young to ask him more meaningful questions about his growing up or his family. When he died in 1961, it was the end of that world. My grandma died in 1967 and all the stories evaporated.
But there were photos in the piano bench, some labeled, some mislabeled and many with no identification. There were postcards from family in Goriza, Cerovo and St. Florian from 1902 to 1906 to Johan Korsic and Andrej Jakin, who shared the same address on Watervliet Street in Globeville. Copies of receipts show that money was sent to family back home, and there were a few surviving letters from relatives in Slovenia.

Andrej and Ida Jakin are best man and maid of honor
in the 1906 wedding of Leopold and Teresa Korsic.

 

1906 postcard to Johan Korsic and Andrejo Jakin in Globeville 

 Money sent to relatives in Cerovo, Slovenia 1902

My husband Russ and I attend Holy Rosary Church and that is where we met sisters Julie and Teresa, whose maiden name is Korsic. This led to many discussions about our families. Leopold Korsic and Andrej Jakin were close friends who arrived the same year (1902) from the same town (Gornje Cerovo) in what was then Austria Hungary. Both settled and worked in Globeville, raised their families in the neighborhood and attended Holy Rosary Church. Korsics were able to maintain contact with their family in “the old country,” whereas the Jakin family lost touch after the Germans burned their home during World War II. 
For several years we joked about going to Slovenia and finding out more about our background. The more we talked, the more real the idea seemed. Julie and Teresa renewed their contacts with the Korsics in Slovenia and plans were made to visit in July 2019. More to come...

Ethnic Festivals in Globeville

Globeville knows how to celebrate its heritage. The three remaining ethnic parishes will hold festivals that draw on the neighborhood's ethnic roots. The first of these will be held on Saturday only, July 20th, 2019 on the church grounds at 349 E 47th Avenue, from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm. The fabulous food offerings are all handmade and include Greek, Russian, Romanian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Mexican, and Italian dishes. There will be libations, entertainment, crafts and activities for the kids. Don't miss the opportunity to tour this exquisite Orthodox Cathedral at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. Or attend the beautiful Vespers Service at 5:00 pm, with questions and a history lesson to follow.
Orthodox food festival 

 Learn the history of this Cathedral and its precious icons

 

Next is the Polish Food Festival at St. Joseph Polish Parish at the corner of 46th Avenue and Pearl Street - this is the red church spire visible from I-70. The two-day event is August 24th and 25th - Pierogi, Polish beer, cabbage rolls, Polish beer, potato pancakes and Polish beer! Krakowiacy Polish Dancers and Swojskie Dziołchy Polish singers, Jurek Kamiński and Ania Janik and Sons will entertain you. Check the program for prices of food and Polish beer, and the schedule of entertainment. Polish Food Festival

 

 

Holy Rosary Church will begin its festival with a catered dinner on Saturday, September 7 that includes wine, dessert and entertainment. A bazaar will follow on Sunday, September 8 with Mexican specialties, potica, strudel, games for the children and entertainment. Tickets for the dinner on Saturday can be obtained at the parish office. Admission to the bazaar is free and tickets for food and games can be bought on Sunday. Holy Rosary Denver

 

Slovenian Potica! 

Corn holes are popular with everyone

 

 

Preserving the home ties

They had come to escape religious persecution and mandatory service in the armies of their oppressors - Austria-Hungary, Prussia and Russia. They were treated like second-class citizens in their own country, and their language and culture suppressed. But in America, they were free to express themselves and in Globeville they took every opportunity to celebrate and preserve their heritage.

Lydia Heck remembered, “St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was at 4438 Grant and that’s where we went to German school. We went after regular school a couple times a week. It was the same as Bible School, where we would learn catechism and to read and write in German.” Pauline Rodie added, “Our German people also had their Volga Gesangbook. The songs were long and people knew them from memory.” 

 

Volga Gesangbook courtesy of Virginia Laber

 

In 1889, Globeville’s Poles established the Polish National Alliance (PNA). In addition to providing burial insurance, the lodge offered a place to hold events like Polish Constitution Day, and for young people to perform plays and concerts in the Polish language. In 1902, due to the fund raising and promotional efforts of the PNA, St. Joseph's Polish Catholic Church was dedicated. In 1920, the resourceful Father Jarzynski was able to purchase the Colorado and Southern Depot for use as an elementary school, ensuring the continuation of old country faith and customs.

 Children's concert, PNA Hall. Photo Courtesy of Cathy Gizeski

 

In 1920, Globeville’s Slovenes built Holy Rosary Church and, in 1927, Holy Rosary School. Several fraternal organizations, the KSKJ, the American Fraternal Union, the Slovenian Women's Union and the Western Slavonic Association, provided financial services and a place for athletic teams, dramatic groups and choirs to express their Slovenian heritage. This child’s book was published in 1917 and carries the imprimatur of Father Cyril Zupan, OSB from Pueblo. It teaches the Slovenian alphabet, and provides simple descriptions of Slovenia, fairy tales and Bible stories.

 Jezus prijatelj otrok. Jesus is a friend of the children.

Helen Kohut Capron grew up in Globeville’s Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church. “They tried, really tried, to teach us to speak and write in Russian. We had to go to Russian school once a week after regular school. It was like Sunday school. When my grandmother Anna passed away in 1950, we no longer spoke the language and I’ve forgotten most of it.”  
These pioneers and the fraternals are gone. Their descendants have grown up away from the neighborhood and are unaware of much of their heritage. Only the churches remain.
 

Rocky Mountain Land Library in Globeville

Globeville’s North Washington Street is a hodge podge of auto repair shops, salvage lots, and cannabis and liquor stores. Nestled in this industrial mix is the newest branch of the Rocky Mountain Land Library, who’s tagline proclaims - A resource linking land and the community. An oxymoron? Globeville is not often associated with open space and it’s been a long time since the community had a library of its own.
First, a little history.
In the 1870s, the area was sparsely settled by homesteaders and ranchers. Within a decade, the arrival of railroads, smelters, foundries and meatpacking transformed the region into an industrial town.

 

 Sanguinette farm at 51st and Washington about 1880
Photo used with permission from Nora Duryea

The building at at 4800 Washington was once home to meat packers like Mountain States Packing (1924) and K & B Packing and Provisions (1934) that provided blue-collar jobs in the neighborhood. The packers were also major polluters, dumping their refuse directly into the Platte River, and generating a smell that would take your breath away.
But things are looking up.
Since the 1970s, with the founding of the Platte River Greenway the Platte River has received the care it deserved. Polluters were pressured to clean up and fined for dumping, while volunteers and municipalities pitched in to create trails, parks and recreation areas. A former sewage treatment plant at 54th Avenue and Washington has been transformed into Carpio Sanguinette Park, an oasis of cottonwoods, cattails and wildlife. Nearby is Heron Pond, home to herons, avocets, red-tail hawks and waterfowl.
Globeville’s library was founded in 1920 and located in the Globeville Community House at 45th and Grant Street. Eighty-five years ago, during the Depression, Denver closed the library. Although the Valdez Perry opened in 1996, Globeville citizens avoid crossing the railroad tracks to Elyria and rely on the little library in front of the Rec Center.
Enter Jeff Lee and Ann Martin, founders of the Rocky Mountain Land Library, who are restoring a former ranch near Fairplay to house their collection of 40,000 books about nature and the west. In March 2019, the couple opened a branch library in the urban frontier of Globeville, complete with books, events, a Book Club, book discussions, author signings and the cozy, civilized atmosphere of a real library.
Join the conversation. Nick Arvin will lead a discussion about Globeville’s first Book Club pick, The Summer Book written by Tove Jansson. Come by and get acquainted on Sunday, April 28th, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Register for this event on the website:
https://landlibrary.wordpress.com/