920 LaFarge Ave Historic Survey - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Resource Number: 5BL 7999 Temporary Resource Number: 157508404003 European immigrant families flocked to Colorado coal mining communities, including Louisville, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in search of economic opportunities they could not find in their own countries. Louisville's Welch Coal Mine, along with other mines in the area, recruited skilled workers from western Europe. In the early years before 1900, most of the miners who lived in Jefferson Place came from English-speaking countries. Immigrants from England brought a strong tradition and expertise in coal mining. The English are widely credited with developing the techniques of coal mining that were used locally, and they taught these techniques to other miners. The British mining culture was instilled in the early Colorado coal mines. English immigrants also brought expertise in other necessary skills such as blacksmithing and chain forging. Later Jefferson Place residents arrived from Italy, France, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia, among other places. The Italians eventually became the largest single ethnic group in Jefferson Place and in Louisville as a whole. About one-third of the houses in Jefferson Place were owned and occupied by Italian immigrants. Italian immigrants left their mark on Louisville in the food and beverage industries. To the present day, downtown Louisville is known throughout the Front Range for its tradition of Italian restaurants. The impacts of the heritage and customs of the other European ethnic groups could be significant, but are not well documented and need further investigation. 14. Management Recommendations: The property is worthy of nomination as a Louisville Local Landmark. 15. Photograph Types and Numbers: 5BL7999_920LaFarge_01 through 5BL7999_920_07. 16. Artifact and Field Documentation Storage Location: Electronic files of forms with embedded photos and maps at Colorado Historical Society. Electronic files of forms, and electronic files of photographs at City of Louisville, Colorado, Planning Department. 17. Report Title: Historical and Architectural Survey of Jefferson Place Subdivision, Louisville, Colorado 18. Recorder(s): Kathy and Leonard Lingo, and Bridget Bacon, City of Louisville 19. Date(s): 2013 20. Recorder Affiliation: Avenue L Architects, 3457 Ringsby Court Suite 317, Denver CO 80216 (303) 290-9930 Colorado Historical Society, Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203 303-866-3395 Celia Bottinelli Fenolia, who married Tony Fenolia, appears with their son, Ron, on Louisville's World War II film, Our Boys and Girls in the Armed Forces, 1943-44. 6