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Poles in Omaha, Nebraska arrived relatively early in the city's history. The first Polish immigrants came in the 1870s, and the community grew past 1000 in the late 1890s. By the 1930s there were 10,000 of Polish descent, and Omaha claimed the largest such community of the Great Plains.〔Radzilowski, J. (2004) "Poles", p 243 in Wishart, D.J. (ed) ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains'', University of Nebraska Press.〕 According to the 2000 United States Census, Omaha had a total population of 390,112 residents, of whom 18,447 claimed Polish ancestry.〔("Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights: Selected Population Group: Polish (142-143)" ), United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 5/7/08.〕 The city's Polish community was historically based in several ethnic enclaves throughout South Omaha, including Little Poland and Sheelytown, first dominated by Irish immigrants. ==History== Poles have had a presence in Omaha since the late 1870s, when they started arriving to work in the meatpacking, stockyards, smelting and railroad industries. More arrived in the 1880s, but most after 1900.〔Peattie, E.W. (1895) "How they live at Sheely: Pen picture of a strange settlement and its queer inhabitants", ''Impertinences: Selected Writings of Elia Peattie, a Journalist in the Gilded Age'', University of Nebraska Press, reprint 2005, p. 61.〕 The state of Nebraska, and Omaha in particular, was advertised heavily in Poland as a destination for jobs starting in 1877 by the Chicago-based Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. Ralph Modjeski, a Polish-American civil engineer, helped build the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge in Omaha in 1872.〔Duszak, T. ("A Tribute to Ralph Modjeski" ), Polish-American Center. Retrieved 5/7/08.〕 Poles continued to immigrate to Omaha, with most coming in the early 20th century, before immigration was reduced by World War I and new laws in 1923. By the 1930s South Omaha counted more than 10,000 Polish residents. As with other early 20th-century European immigrants, their industrial jobs contrasted with their traditional farming and rural pasts.〔Gladsky, T.S. (1992) ''Princes, Peasants, and Other Polish Selves: Ethnicity in American'', University of Massachusetts Press, p. 81.〕 Many were employed by the Omaha Stockyards and the meatpacking plants throughout the area.〔Radzilowski, J. (2004) "Poles," p 243 in Wishart, D.J. (ed) ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains'', University of Nebraska Press.〕 Numerous Polish immigrants lived in the Burlington Road neighborhood〔("BRNA History" ), Burlington Roads Neighborhood Association. Retrieved 5/8/08.〕 Sheelytown, and the city's "Little Poland". This neighborhood extended west from South 25th to South 29th, F Street south to L Street. It eventually extended west to South 45th Street, earning the name Golden Hill.〔Casper, H.W. (1960) ''History of the Catholic Church in Nebraska.'' Volume 3. Catholic Life Publications. p 183.〕 About 1895, only two hundred Polish families lived in Omaha. With close-knit ties to their families, the Polish community was Roman Catholic. As their numbers grew, the immigrants and descendants supported three ethnic Polish parishes in the city.〔Peattie, E.W. (1895) "How they live at Sheely: Pen picture of a strange settlement and its queer inhabitants," in (2005) ''Impertinences: Selected Writings of Elia Peattie, a Journalist in the Gilded Age.'' University of Nebraska Press. p 61.〕 Few spoke English well, and few were skilled laborers. Their social lives revolved around a number of heritage societies. They included the Polish Roman Catholic Union, the Polish Union of the United States, the National Alliance, the Pulaski Club, the Polish Welfare Club and the Polish Citizens' Club.〔Larsen and Cottrell. (2002) ''The Gate City: A history of Omaha.'' University of Nebraska Press. p 161.〕 Neighboring enclaves included concentrations of other immigrants, such as Little Bohemia and Greektown, as well as a Jewish neighborhood. Immigrants tended to settle together where they were linked by language, culture and religion.〔(1918) ''Nebraska History.'' Nebraska State Historical Society. p 405.〕 Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman to serve as governor of an American State, taught at a school in one of Omaha's Polish neighborhoods in the late 1890s.〔Scheer, T.J. (2005) ''Governor Lady: The Life and Times of Nellie Tayloe Ross.'' University of Missouri Press. p 225.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Poles in Omaha」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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