Italians in California

After gold was discovered in 1849, the first Italian immigrants left northern Italy, and settled in the Mother Lode near Sacramento. Domenico Ghirardelli was a Genoa confectioner’s apprentice. He arrived in California during the Gold Rush and opened a general store for miners. Eventually, his chocolate making operations occupied what is now Ghirardelli Square. Andrea…

Italians on the Iron Range

The Minnesota Iron Range, Vermilion, Mesabi, and Cuyuna mines, produced the majority of the iron ore in the United States. from 1900 to 1980. By 1920, the Iron Range exceeded a hundred thousand people, with immigrants half the population and 85% of the mining workforce. The largest group of immigrants were Finnish (25%), then Croats,…