Jim Pugel and other Slovenian pioneers of Pueblo, Colorado

Topics: American Slovenians | USA | Colorado

COBISS.SI-ID: 267858688

This book tells the story of one of the immigrants, Jim (Ignac) Pugel, and the history of the Slovenian immigrant community in Pueblo. The Pugel family joined the local Slovenian community, which was established in the 1880s, perhaps even earlier. At first, most immigrants settled in an area known as Grove. Many also chose to live in Bessemer. They attended Mass at St. Mary’s Church, read newspapers in their native language, and owned businesses that included taverns, barber shops, grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries. If you open any page, you will find interesting facts: the Ku Klux Klan in Pueblo and its anti-Catholic orientation; the floods of 1921 and their catastrophic impact on Grove; prohibition and alcohol smuggling; and much more.

From a review by Marry Jean Porter, Pueblo Chieftain