Immigration

Immigration. . , Discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountains in 1859 lured thousands of prospectors to the area eventually known as the Colorado Territory. This first wave of fortune seekers triggered the development of farms, ranches, businesses, and railroads which soon encouraged others to venture west., A visit to Colorado Territory in 1869 inspired Nathan Meeker, agricultural editor of the New York Tribune, to promote and establish a model agricultural colony known as "Greeley." Believing that the town's success depended on a talented and moral citizenry, Meeker chose affluent, educated, and like-minded individuals who practiced temperance and cooperation. Several hundred Union Colony immigrants arrived by train in 1870. , Since then, a succession of immigrants with diverse ethnic backgrounds have followed the Union Colonists to Weld County. Many factors, including crop failures, famines, poverty, mandatory military service, revolutions, and wars, pushed immigrants to the abundant opportunities in northeastern Colorado. Scandinavians first sought work in the mines but soon worked on farms, ranches, and large-scale irrigation projects. Germans from Russia, Japanese, Hispanic-Americans, and Mexican nationals filled the agricultural ranks at the turn of the century. , In the 1920s, Hispanic laborers were recruited by the Great Western Sugar Company to live as year-round residents in company-sponsored "Colonia." Germans from Russia created a "Little Russia" enclave between the railroad tracks and the sugar factory in Greeley. Pressure to assimilate prompted immigrants to become proficient in the English language, organize clubs and churches, purchase farms, and establish businesses. Traditions brought by the German-Russian, Hispanic, African-American, Chinese, Japanese, and others continue to enrich the community today.