Czech Immigration to Iowa
The Journey from Bohemia to Winneshiek County in the 1850s
Oct 23, 2009 William L. Wunder
The Czech immigrants generally followed the Elbe River, either by boat, foot, or train, to the German ports of Bremen or Hamburg. Those lugging hand carts would sell them before embarkation. Since there were no regular schedule, the immigrants sometimes had to wait weeks before a ship destined to North America became available. The John Novak family waited several weeks and it put a dent in the family's finances.
Living in Steerage
Once on board, after paying $17 to $25 per passenger, the Czechs found their living quarters cramped. Hundreds were packed "between decks" or steerage in the hold of the ship, which was usually around six feet high. Author Cyril Klemish described the mattress bunks, which the immigrants had to share, as "shelf-like," stacked three high on each side of the hold.
The crowded ships led to unsanitary conditions and disease. The meager water ration was used for thirst, not washing. Sanitary facilities were virtually nonexistent. Combined that with seasickness and poor ventilation, a powerful stench was created below decks. During 1854, one out of six passengers became seriously ill or died, cholera being the main culprit. The Martin Lukes family, for example, left Bohemia with six children. When they arrived in the U.S., just two survived.
The food also contributed to illness. Sustenance could become scarce, especially if the voyage took longer than expected, and the quality was course and unpalatable. Hunger became prevalent. The food on board included salted meat, potatoes, soup, rice, bread, and oatmeal. The immigrants rotated cooking duties, often done on deck and exposed to the rough Atlantic weather.
Cleveland, Ohio
After an average of five to eight weeks on water, the Czech immigrants arrived at an American or Canadian port. A new set of hardships faced them. The John Dostal family, misunderstanding that their baggage had been shipped to their destination, found out that their belongings were stolen by the ship's crew. In New York, Jacob Vopava wrote of "scalpers" claiming to have a cheap hotel, then they would proceed to forcibly "loot" the immigrants.
The first destination for many Czechs after arrival was Cleveland. Czech residents of the city, most notably Leopold Levy, had previously sent enthusiastic letters to their villiages in Bohemia, enticing others to come. It became a pit stop for Czech immigrants- to recover financially and physically- before going further west. John Novak, with his wife and children ill, lodged in Cleveland with a family he knew from Bohemia. He planned to find work and wait out the winter there.
Reaching Iowa with little money, the Czech immigrants continued to work to earn the necessary estimate of $2,000 to start a farm. In Davenport, Vopava worked at area quarries, a farm, a butcher shop, and railroads to save over $100. Novak worked at a mill earning 50 cents a day. Frank Prochaska worked on a farm of a harsh taskmaster near Postville, but learned farming methods and the language. Czech immigrants knew how to work harder and live on less than Americans, according to Klimesh.
Having survived an ocean voyage characterized by hunger and disease, then a trek to Iowa marked by crime and subsistence labor, the Czech immigrants to Iowa eventually acquired farmland. The federal government was selling land in southwestern Winneshiek County when the first Czechs arrived in the mid 1850's. By the 1885 census, 888 Bohemian lived in the county.
Source
Klimesh, Cyril M., They Came To This Place, Methodius: Sebastol, CA, 1983.
Immigrant registration, Castle Garden, New York
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