Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hi, My name is Amy Miller, and I am doing a project for a continuing education class at a GATE conference (WV). I've chosen to create a presentation about Spelter and the Zinc plant and the influence it had on the Asturian-Americans who came to WV in the early 1900s and their ancestors. (I hope I was politically correct!) Although I am not Spanish, my mom and grandmother both worked at the plant.

This project has to be completed quickly, so I would like any help or information as soon as possible. I would also like permission to use some of the photos in my presentation. I will give appropriate credit and provide access to my completed project.

I appreciate any help you are willing to give me!

Sincerely,
Amy Dutchess Miller

Hi Amy,

I would suggest searching our website for appropriate posts (you will find many), writing to Ron Gonzalez, a member of this website, and obtaining a copy of Luis Argeo's documentary film, "AsturianUS" (multilingual but with English subtitles). My father was born in Spelter and grew up there. As unofficial family historian, I may be able to answer some of your questions.

It is best to contact the individual copyright owner for photos use permission. In most cases the name of the owner is superimposed on the photo itself. Under the fair use doctrine (I'm not a lawyer, but I have been in academia as a professor since 1972), however, you can probably use some of them without formal permission for an academic project, provided that you give proper credit. Feel free to use any of mine as you please for any academic purpose.

hi Amy, and welcome to the Asturian-American forum (yes, that's the PC term to use as opposed to Spanish-American).

The reason for the qualifier is that the workers in WV were originally from Asturias, a region in northwestern Spain with a very distinct culture. As you may have read on a few posts, the place they came from was similar to WV, sociologically and topographically (climate and physical landscape are similar).

Feel free to post any queries for the GATE program and we will try to find the appropriate people to address.

Bob,

Thank you so much; I have been reading this site most of the day, and I have enjoyed everything so much! I have contacted Ronnie--he is good friends with my grandma (Mams). We plan to chat tonight, and I am so looking forward to our talk!!

I will give credit to anything or anyone who helps me, and like I said, I will post a copy of my project.

Just out of curiosity, what is everyone's opinion about the DuPont lawsuit? How much good do you all think came from the plant? Did it allow your families to achieve their "American Dreams?" What would your ancestors think about the lawsuits?

I want to remain unbias!

Thanks again.

I know nothing about the lawsuit, but I do know that working at the zinc smelts in Spelter, WV, and later at equivalent heavy industry in Niagara Falls, allowed my grandfather and grandmother (who took in boarders, cooked for them, did their laundry, etc.) to build their own two family house in Niagara Falls (paying cash), to buy their sons a new car to share (again, cash only), and to pay for the college education of the youngest two kids.

The work was hard and dangerous, but it did have advantages over most modern industrial jobs. When you finished your work for the day you could go home and still be paid for the entire day. My grandparents and their friends and neighbors were frugal people: it was not easy to accumulate wealth, but they managed to do it. On balance, I think they were very happy with their lives, especially compared to what would have happened had they remained in Asturias.

Thank you for your insight...I think I have the focus for my story, but I need to figure out how to start. I want to talk about how the ugly, unsightly, dangerous zinc plant helped your ancestors achieve the American dream. I'm just not sure how to approach it...I've thought about writing from the perspective of a grown decendent or from the perspective of the zinc plant itself.

The class I am taking is called digitales, and the assignment is to "show" not "tell" the story of something related to WV History. I am a 7th grade Language teacher, and I plan to incorporate the technology that I'm learning in my classroom this fall. Everyone has a story. I am honored to tell your story. Oh, my other struggle is that I am supposed to write my story in first person.

I am very excited. I spoke with Ronnie earlier, and he gave me some insight into the importance of the zinc plant.

I've enjoyed reading all the threads, and I hope to make you all proud with my end result. I am still open to suggestions.

Hello friends! I thought I would post my "working" script. I will give credit at the end of my movie...Now, I'm working on the story board. I'd love any feedback. I hope I've captured the reality!!

When I look in the mirror, I still see myself as I once was: Young, Vibrant, Thriving. Land of Opportunity. Part of the American Dream.
I am small town West Virginia. Powder Hill, Ziesing, Spelter. Call me what you want, but don’t call me dead. I am the West Virginia town that most people think of when they hear “Country Roads.” But I am not dead. I am like the old man in the nursing home who’s not gone—yet—but his children are fighting over his belongings. I’m watching my offspring fight over their right to achieve the American Dream.
You see, it wasn’t always this way. The people—my people—those who founded me—a small, rural WV town, sought the REAL American Dream. Those courageous men of the 1900s left their families behind in the small town of Austurias, Spain and sailed to the Americas—WV specifically—to provide a better life for their families. They wanted more. And they were willing to work for it. The men left everything they knew behind. Only after saving their money, could they finally sent for their families.
The zinc plant was just the beginning. Sure, to modern day people, living in a company town, working in a treacherous environment, doesn’t sound luxurious or like the achievement of the American Dream. However, that company provided jobs and possibilities. Families prospered. Generation after generation called me, Spelter, home, and each generation had more opportunites than the generation before. Eventually—around the 1950s—the company owner sold the men their own homes. Can you believe it? The men owned their houses. The people of Austurias were hardworking and frugal. One family—I remember fondly—paid cash for their home, car, and their two youngest children’s college education. They achieved the American Dream.
I was happy to be part of the American Dream. Sure—the zinc plant was an eye sore—the remnants are still offensive—But nothing’s perfect. There were multiple owners—the economy changed—the zinc industry became outsourced. Many of my people left. They sought bigger and better things. Technology advanced.
Sure, some people still live here. And yes. There is some pollution, but where isn’t there pollution?
Most of my people remember me and love me for the good I’ve provided. They’re happy to leave me alone and let me be—They’d even be willing to help rejuvenate me and bring me back to prosperity.
But the others….the others, they won’t leave me alone. They don’t want the American Dream of their grand fathers. They want the new American Dream. They don’t want to work for what they get. They want to prosper from the mess that’s been left behind. They want a fast buck and a quick fix. Lawsuits—lottery—scams.
In retrospect—As I lay dying –I am STILL the American Dream. I want only the best for my people. I don’t want them to suffer. I want them to build me up or leave me alone. I want them to give back and quit taking. OR, I want to die in peace.

Hello, Dage0507. Welcome to the forum. You've got an interesting project and you've talked to our main Spelter expert: Ron.

Be sure to spell and pronounce "Asturias" correctly. It's not spelled like the (Germanic) Austria. Some people mistakenly assume that Asturias is a town in Italy. Asturias is a small, little known place, so it's no wonder this happens.

I'd pronounce Asturias: ah-STORE-e-us in English. (I'm trying to find ways to write it using English words and sounds.) But Asturians say it with sounds that we don't use much in English, something more like this: ah-STuuR-y-awss or as-STEWUR-e-yass. Maybe someone else can come up with a better way to show the sounds.

When you mentioned Spelter being a typical "Country Roads" place, I realized that there are probably very different ideas about what a "Country Roads" town would be like. As you say, it was a company town populated with many people who were born outside of the US. That strikes me as very different from most of WV, and certainly different from our usual associations of WV and "Country Roads."

I like that you've focused the narrative from the point of view of the town. That's an interesting twist.

You've written a very short piece, but it has two very different focuses. It goes from facts and poetic images about the community to emotional diatribe about a political issue. I'd drop the rant at the end, but if that's where your allegiance really lies, you may instead want to drop the quaint, ethnic part at the beginning. They don't fit together well.

I doubt that you'll find much support here for the political slant you give the piece, especially at the end. You dismiss the pollution concerns and dismiss the lawsuit as being the work of lazy people. That's you speaking, but you do it behind the mask of the town. Certainly this forum won't support that stance (or take any stand). I personally consider it unbalanced, biased, and polarizing. Did you notice that there are no facts at all in the last two paragraphs?

I'm sure that someone will point out that what you (Spelter) want in the last paragraph could easily be construed as being pro-lawsuit. As it's written the logic is weak.

I don't know much about the lawsuit. I do know that the land at Spelter was heavily contaminated. And it's probably still contaminated to some degree. I believe it was Ron who told me that there was no grass in much of Spelter (when he was young, I think). That may have been because of the heavy metal contamination of the soil. If so, eating a tomato grown in Spelter may still be hazardous.

That was probably the "way it was done" back then. To the degree that it was the best practice of the day, it's hard to imagine how it would be fair to sue today, although fairness isn't the main principle in law.

I also know that people who worked at the factory their entire lives were left without pensions. That's unjust and un-American. But I don't think that had much to do with Dupont or this case.

Part of the problem is that our laws are a mess. We and our government have a responsibility because we allowed the pollution in the first place. Present denial is costly in the future.

Obviously, class action lawsuits have been abused for the financial benefit of lawyers, at the expense of the sued and sometimes even those who actually suffered the damages. Since they also write the laws, it's easy to imagine that the law itself is abused for the benefit of lawyers.

Suing Dupont could be viewed as a convenient means of passing the buck. All of the companies that ran the Spelter plant bear some of the responsibility, along with us citizens and our government. Many of those companies are probably gone or bankrupt today. That the lawsuit passes all responsibility on to Dupont does strike me as unjust. But as I said, I don't know much about the case.

-------------------
[I'm not going to translate this.
No voy a traducir éste.]

Hello, Art...Thank you for your perspective and your welcome; I will be sure to change the spelling and pronounce it the best I can based on your key.

You have given me food for thought, and my intention is not to offend anyone or misrepresent...I am an outsider...I do have my mother and grandmother's perspectives, and some of their voice is included, some is my voice only...the outsider's voice...I will revise...I will need to absorb, and my intention wasn't really to be political...I wanted to point out the good...that came from the town...the fact that many have moved on to bigger and better things...I don't know much about the pensions...also, I believe (my voice) that the town should be cleaned up....but just giving people money won't solve the problem...the people should be involved to improve their town...taking money and running isn't the solution...I guess from the land's perspective, I want to say..."fix me" or "leave me alone" In reality, how safe is anything, really?

No one intended to harm anyone...the purpose of the plant and the usage of the land...was to allow others to achieve the American dream...money was important for the company owners and the workers...where would the workers be had they not come to work in the town of Spelter...how do the pros stack against the cons for your ancestors?


What is your view of a Country Roads town? West Virginians, I believe mostly are from somewhere else...Outsiders think of West Virginians as Mountain Men, but a lot of WV towns were settled by immigrants from multiple European countries....now, a lot of Indians (not Native Americans) have also settled here, and those who I know and have become friends with consider themselves West Virginians...Having lived here my whole life (except for a brief stint in Oh and Tn) I never looked at the nationalities...I looked at West Virginians as West Virginians...See, I grew up in Bridgeport, and I remember going to school with many Italians, but I really just thought of them as Bridgeport kids...

Excuse my rambling. I hope I don't appear to be ignorant or rude....That is not my purpose!

Sincerely,
Amy

I would write the pronunciation as "ah stoo dee ahs" with a comment that the "s" sounds are shifted very slightly toward the English "sh." Neither "s" has a "z" sounds, which "ahs" would normally suggest in English. The "d" sound is a tongue flap (as opposed to a rolled "r."

I don't think my grandparents ever thought that they were pursuing the American dream. They lives among Asturian neighbors, spoke English only when they had to, and ever became wealthy, although they did accumulate enough money to make their lives and their children's lives easier. They were always firmly and proudly planted in the working class. In his later years, my grandfather would give away money to his sons because he didn't need a lot of money and would lose some government benefit if he had too much in the bank. If it we're for the labor situation in Asturias in 1913 and the quinta (something like a draft that entailed lengthy military service) they probably never would have left Asturias. Neither of my grandparents became American citizens until they left West Virginia for Niagara Falls.

My grandparents came to the US together, and with their first son, then 6 weeks old. My great-grandmother insisted on this (and gave them money to enable it) because, as she maintained, too many men forgot their famlies once they left Asturias.

The zinc plant was there first, followed by the Asturian zinc smelters, who followed that and other heavy industry to many places.

Hi Amy,

Yeah, it's true that a payment is a crude form of remuneration for damages. Someone who is injured can't really be made whole and certainly can't be taken back to the point in time before the injury.

One purpose of those lawsuits is to change future behavior. The McDonald's lawsuit about hot coffee, even if it may have been over the top, did create an awareness with restaurants that they need to consider the hazards of hot foods and drinks. Ideally, it would also have made the public more cognizant of the risks. I wonder if it did?

The lack of intent to harm is an interesting point. That'd be a "sin of commission" in religious talk. Most of the time we don't intend to harm others, but there are plenty of examples of failure to prevent suspected or known hazards, which would be a "sin of omission." The tobacco industry's knowledge of the dangers of tobacco is a good example. That kind of behavior is also despicable and can result in righteous legal action. In a case I witnessed, a church member knew that there was probably a broken-off piece of a knife blade in the dish they prepared. They decided to serve the dish so as not to waste the food. Apparently, no one was injured. But had they been, oh, my!

When I think of "Country Roads," I think of little places outside of any towns, like the farms and tiny settlements I've seen in Ritchie and Gilmer County. But they can be found in most regions of the state. And I think of the Scots-Irish, English, and German people who are descended from the first waves of European settlers and who still live in these "nowhere" places. I suppose that these were the same people who wore white sheets when they tried to get the Asturians to leave Harrison County.

Ask Ron how to pronounce Asturias. If I remember correctly he doesn't have the trouble I do saying it! (I'm assuming that you're going to do a voice over.) If you can get to Spelter, ask Ron for a tour. He knows it well.

dage0507 wrote: Those courageous men of the 1900s left their families behind in the small town of Austurias, Spain and sailed to the Americas—WV specifically—to provide a better life for their families. They wanted more. And they were willing to work for it. The men left everything they knew behind. In retrospect—As I lay dying –I am STILL the American Dream.

Here's my two cents. You need to make it clear that it's a specific town you are personifying in the first person. It's otherwise unclear. Maybe you can hint/give more details about who these people were who came from distant Arnao (the name of the township where a zinc plant existed in the early 20th century; it's a picturesque place with smokestacks and a factory abutting the wild sea). And then use the town as a host town to these people that becomes a home-away-from-home.

If you included details about Asturians, their way-of-life (mostly rural, pastoral), it would be more real. These are farmer types who are suddenly moonlighting at factories springing up around them. They drink hard cider, play the bagpipes and have a melancholic, poetic streak when they look out at the sea (they are Atlantic people, not Mediterranean).

I also think you can easily make a link between the quick industrialization of Asturias in the 19th century and the similar phenomenon in WV in the early 20th century. Both WV and Asturias/Galicia are known as backwater areas. People's attitudes (in Spain and the US) are slightly condescending. But that may be getting down to a deeper level. Either way, it was interesting to read your piece and appreciate your interest.

It is clear that I have undertaken a task that is MUCH bigger than the short week (at this point, three days) I've had to prepare it...I will do the best I can..with the different perspectives that I've heard...to complete my project. Some stuff that I've read suggests that living in WV was better than staying in Spain...From the perspective of the land...not the People who lived there before the Asturians arrived...I'd like to think the land, God's land...would welcome the immigrants and want the best for them...

I've pasted the modification that I made to the end of my script below; however, with every posting I read, my mind changes and so does my perspective...so, be patient with me! I am not a historian...I am an English major (with very poor spelling) and an education major...with that being said, I am a life long learner!!!

Modification

Most of my people remember me and love me for the good I’ve provided. They’re happy to leave me alone and let me be—They’d even be willing to help rejuvenate me and bring me back to prosperity.
But the others….the others, they won’t leave me alone. They don’t want the American Dream of their grand fathers. They want the new American Dream. They want to prosper from the mess that’s been left behind.
In retrospect—As I lay dying –I am STILL the American Dream. I want only the best for my people. I don’t want them to suffer. I want them to build me up or leave me alone. I want them to give back and quit taking. OR, I want to die in peace.

More food for thought:

I have been to the Zinc plant...but I've not toured Spelter. I will ask Ron to take me there...or drive through there myself when I visit my mom this weekend.

I'm saddened that people wore white sheets and tried to "run" out the Asturians...People still do the same thing today...but we all ended up here from people who left their home lands...

I'm also fascinated that some didn't consider their move to America as the way to pursue the American dream...Did they consider America a refuge? Also, what would life have been like had your ancestors stayed in Asturia?
Learning more about "your" history has made me want to learn about mine...

Thank you again for any insight you may have and for allowing me to flounder through my exploration of your culture and influence on my culture.

It's good that you have listened to everyone, but in the end you have to follow your own muse.

Is wrote:

dage0507 wrote: Those courageous men of the 1900s left their families behind in the small town of Austurias, Spain and sailed to the Americas—WV specifically—to provide a better life for their families. They wanted more. And they were willing to work for it. The men left everything they knew behind. In retrospect—As I lay dying –I am STILL the American Dream.

Here's my two cents. You need to make it clear that it's a specific town you are personifying in the first person. It's otherwise unclear. Maybe you can hint/give more details about who these people were who came from distant Arnao (the name of the township where a zinc plant existed in the early 20th century; it's a picturesque place with smokestacks and a factory abutting the wild sea). And then use the town as a host town to these people that becomes a home-away-from-home.

If you included details about Asturians, their way-of-life (mostly rural, pastoral), it would be more real. These are farmer types who are suddenly moonlighting at factories springing up around them. They drink hard cider, play the bagpipes and have a melancholic, poetic streak when they look out at the sea (they are Atlantic people, not Mediterranean).

I also think you can easily make a link between the quick industrialization of Asturias in the 19th century and the similar phenomenon in WV in the early 20th century. Both WV and Asturias/Galicia are known as backwater areas. People's attitudes (in Spain and the US) are slightly condescending. But that may be getting down to a deeper level. Either way, it was interesting to read your piece and appreciate your interest.

Is--I really like your idea...I am going to go back to the drawing board and revise...I'm glad you told me about bag pipes, because I may use them as background music...Also, I like the idea of the town being a "home-away-from-home."

I am confused...I thought that WV was a lot like Asturia....Now, were the people traditionally farmers, but then the factories sprung up in Asturia? So the people changed their careers?
Then the factories sprung up in WV so the Asturians came to WV? (I know they were leaving a draft of sorts) I thought that they were used to working in the factories...I also thought the climate and landscape was similar?