Archives West Finding Aid

The Italian archives (1897-1978) are a collection of material primarily dealing with Italian fraternal organizations in Utah, particularly in Salt Lake City and Carbon County. The material here includes ledgers, minute books and financial records of these lodges, and an odd assortment of paraphenalia usually related in some way.

By far the most material is found on the Stella d'America Lodge No.77 in Helper, Utah and is fairly complete, containing detailed minute books of lodge meetings and other, usually financial, affairs from 1920 to 1970. The financial records of the lodge are nearly complete for the period between 1920 and 1970, and the collection also contains two early copies of the "Statuto E Regolamento".

A second collection revolves around a few of the Societa Italiana Cristoforo Colombo organizations that existed in Utah around the turn of the century. Most of the items appear to be from such societies in Sunnyside, Utah, but there is one extensive record book from a society in Salt Lake City, and a medal from another in Bingham Canyon.

These societies sprang up a quasi-relief organizations for Italian members, other Italians, and in some cases, other workers. Most of them reflect the intent found behind the letterhead of one society found in this collection: "Societa Italiana de Mutuo Soccorso Benneficia Cristoforo Colombo".

The Columbian Federation grew out of a coalition of these societies, and for that reason, the financial records of that organization from 1974 to 1977 are included in this collection.

A third collection involves the parish of Notre Dame de Lourdes in Price, Utah, and the monsignor of that church in the 1920s and 1930s, Alfredo F. Giovanni. Programs from the church's golden anniversary and the Monsignor's silver jubilee and investiture as Cameriere Segreto are included along with Italian copies of mass and inspiration.

A fourth portion is concerned with the trial of Charles Demolli, a United Mine Workers strike organizer in Price in 1903, who was charged with writing obscene articles in Colorado in 1904. This collection includes copies of the trial documents (complaints, affidavits and verdicts, etc.), and copies of the newspaper Il Lavoratore Italiano, published in Trinidad, Colorado.

The final portion is that of the National Italian-American Civic League in Utah; a later organization designed to promote patriotism to the United States and camraderie between Italian-Americans. The items here are rather sketchy, and the gist of the collection is given over to a sampling of programs from the All-State Italian Day from 1934 to 1974. Also included in the collection are two Italian newspapers from different parts of the country with articles relating to business conducted by the Salt Lake City chapter of the League.

Much of this material is written in Italian. The dividing line between records kept in the language of the old country and records kept in English seems to be around 1945 to 1950. The early records in Italian appear to be very legible, but a working knowledge of the Italian language is needed.