Iron Mountain in Dickinson County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Italians in Dickinson County

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2010

1. Italians in Dickinson County Marker

Inscription. Iron Mining began on the Menominee range in 1879, and soon after the first Italians arrived. They were primarily from Piedmont, Trentino, Lombardy, Venetia, Abruzzo Molise, Latium, Friuli, Calabria, Sicily, Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria. By 1910 they numbered 1,457 in Dickinson County. The Italians worked primarily in the mines which needed large numbers of unskilled workers. As opportunity allowed many got into their own service-related businesses. Some of the people from Capistrano developed their own cooperative store. Beginning in 1886 in the communities of Norway, Vulcan, and Iron Mountain, twenty-eight mutual beneficial societies were founded. Iron Mountain Italians were served by Immaculate Conception Catholic Church which they constructed. The first immigrant to serve in the Michigan State Legislature was Iron Mountain merchant, John Daprato (1912-1920). Dr. Julius Menistrina served the health needs of the Iron Mountain Community. Today the north side remains an Italian-American Community with a strong Italian Heritage and many shops and taverns.

Dedicated in 2007 by the Paisano Clubs
of the Upper Peninsula

Erected 2007

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by Paisano Clubs of the Upper Peninsula.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Industry & Commerce • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.

Location. 45° 49.494′ N, 88° 4.18′ W. Marker is in Iron Mountain, Michigan, in Dickinson County. It is at the intersection of Kent Street and Fairbanks Street/Carpenter Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Kent Street. Marker is located directly in front of the Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Kent Street, Iron Mountain MI 49801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: James and Ida Goulette

Italians in Dickinson County Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2010

2. Italians in Dickinson County Marker (wide view)

(Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum in background)

(within shouting distance of this marker); Cornish Pump (within shouting distance of this marker); Carnegie Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); Robert C. Hoyle (approx. 0.4 miles away); Dickinson County / Dickinson County Courthouse and Jail (approx. 0.6 miles away); Maria Santissima Immacolata di Lourdes / Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Church (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Ardis Furnace (approx. 1.2 miles away); Menominee Iron Range (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Iron Mountain.

Also see . . . John Daprato (1852-1940) (Find a Grave). Born in Berga, Italy, he emigrated to America & located in Chicago, where in 1867 he became associated with his cousin in making church statuary, with the Daprato Statuary Company. He married in 1884 to Miss Aurelia Ginocchio, a native of Chiovari, Italy from a prominent family. He came to Iron Mountain in 1889. (Submitted on December 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Miner Transport Car (<i>located near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2010

3. Miner Transport Car (located near marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,141 times since then and 118 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 18, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on December 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.