Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-09-01
JEWISH COLONY ASUCCESS
ARPIN, WOOD COUNTY, A REAL
HAVEN FOR PEOPLE PERSE-
CUTED BY RUSSIA.
THEIR FARMS PRODUCTIVE.
Families OF Little Settlement Are Salts
fed and IN Few Years Will More
Than Make a Living

Were 1T not for the fact that the nam
let of Arpin, in Wood county, Wis is
the railway station and the postotiice OF
one of the most interesting colonies oi
people in this state as well MS one of
the most carefully scrutinized in; the
northwest, little if anything would be
known by the outside world of Arpin;
for, aside from its colony feature, there
is nothing there to interest, writes c. :,
Clark in The Evening Wisconsin. An
abandoned lumber camp of the ear
lier days, when Underwriting and
the manufacture of lumber formed
important features in that part of Wis
consn, Arpn today would be merely
small agricultural township, some eleven
miles from Marshhcld. aud aboHt the
same distance from Grand Rapids. with
nothing TO distinguish il from hundreds
of country districts Of similar natural
conditions in lie state but Tor the col
ony.
An Experimental Jewish Colony.
An experimental settlement of refugee
Jews from the prosecuted districts of
Russia, thai present h0tbed al FeyOfu
tionary strife and national dsafectiOn
and from parts OF R0umania, where
earlier deeds of persecution clOudCd the
sky Of her destiny and greatness, the
work being undertaken here, under the
auspices OF the Milwaukee Agricultural
assocIa ton. which is working under the
general supervision Of the Jewish Agri-
cultural and Industrial Aid Society of
New York created as a result Of the
Baron de Hirsch fund in Paris, for the
aid of unfortunate Jews ia all parts OF
the world, has been carefully watched
by public philanthropiSS everywhere, j
since it was started less than two years
ago.
An Unbiased Description.
little less than year ago The Even
ing Wisconsin published a special article
from this place, descriptive of the colony,
aimed 10 be a fair, unbiased account of
exact conditions in the little settlement
of eight Jewish families, it was repro
duced in daily papers us well as in many
Jewish and philanthropic publications in
the world, which fact simply demon
strated the great amount of public inter
est taken in that kind of philanthropic |
work.
With q desire to observe the present
condition, and the Announcements being
made by the farmers of the colony, the
writer came here few days ago TO take
notes, and to ascertain what they might |
seem to lack; how near sclf-SuppOrting
they had become, and what some of the
most intelligent colonists had themselves
la say of their efforts in what was pure.
H. an experimental line of existence,
aimed to test great proposition, that of
paving the. way for helpless and homeless
people to solve their own earthly saliva
ton. The results of this investigation
are here noted:
Farms of Forty Acres Each.
There are at present about twelve fam
lilies In the colony to each of whom is as
signed n 40-acre tract. Each farmer has
during the past year, cleared an average
OF eight to ten acres on his forty ms
against an average of two and one-haf
acres on each forty the first year. There
are piled up III the colony at this time !
700 cords of wood ready for the fall
market with an average value of So TO !
%4 cord. An average of five acres each
is now seeded with timothy and clover |
Tor hay next year, from which sufficient
reed for the cattle will be secured for |
winter. The colonists have total OF |
about thirty head of milch cows and |
Stee's, and ten horses. together with |
farm implements of various kinds w. i |
Damerow, from Hanover, Rock county, |
has just started "A creamery here, which |
VIII take all the milk aud cream the col !
onists desire to sell. Other entprprises
such as canning factory, possibly n |
pickle factory, etc, will undoubtedly fol |
low as result of new and growing |
agricultural community.
What Settlers Personally Think.
Surrounding each of the neat little |
frame dwelling houses on the farms now |
occupied is a garden, in which the fam |
- hos this year raised almost all of the |
vegetables required. There are now |
some fifty children in these families, five !
ot whom are young native Arpin chill |
dren including n pair OF twins recently !
born 10 Mr.. aud Mrs. Jacob Benjamin. |
1t is noted that all are healthy; the pa
rents, too, are rugged, strong and seem
mgly happy Not one head of family
was found who expressed desire to re-
llnquish his chance to gain home. tho
sentiment of all being to secure farm
ana to become independent, A few vol
untary statements by the men will show
their feeling generally:
Il am well satisfied with this country
and my chances to make Il living here"
said Morr $ Weinberg, an intelligent Rus
Slan jew. who took an active part in
the RuSsian-Iapanese war and who was
III Port Arthur for fourteen months He
has one Of the best gardens here. as we'll
as a promising farm crop.
Il came here from Glasgow, Scotland
TO learn farming and to make home for
my family IN America and | am glad |
came" declared NJ. Cohen, who arrived
IN September last and who already has
an excellent little farm under Cultiva-
zion, lie is the one exception here of
not being refugee from y prosecuted
section of the old world.
Il am now the happiest man IL this
country remarked Jacob Finkelstein,
whose wife arrived recently from Odes-
sa, wnere she passed through the hor-
rors Of the uprising and massacre of
Jews. A I-year-old son. also now here.
was thrown from Il third-story window
by rioters, who started To murder Mrs
Fmkelstein, but desisted because she car
ried as her breast a golden-haired baby.
her assailants believing the babe was Il
Christian and not n jew. Samuel Pit
teman and wife were also found. happy
and contented now that their 2-year-old
child. which had to he left behind in
Russia q year and half ago on account
Of sickness which precluded its passage
ny government inspectors, is here having
been brought over several months ago
by Mrs. Finkelstein, through assistance