For more than 350 years, Italian immigrants have played important roles in the opening and development of the land that is now Michigan, from their participation in the French fur trade up to the present day. Through an emphasis on the family as the essential institution in ethnic group success, Russell M. Magnaghi celebrates the accomplishments of Michigan's famous and not-so-famous Italian sons and daughters as he documents their struggles and achievements. Through the tenacity and hard work of the immigrants and their descendants, Italians in Michigan have progressed from unskilled laborers to some of the highest positions in business, politics, culture, and education.

This paper describes the Italian-American community in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and the institutions that grew up within the community to keep its heritage and traditions alive. Part of the paper reviews the book Miners, merchants, and midwives: Michigan's Upper Peninsula Italians by Russell M. Magnaghi.

For almost four decades, from 1890 to 1924, many European immigrants came to the Gogebic Iron Range of Michigan and Wisconsin to work in the iron mines, farm, and to establish businesses. Among them was a sizable group of Italian immigrants from various regions and provinces of Italy. This book is a history of a particular group of Italian immigrants that came from the Asiago Plateau in northern Italy. Their lives and experiences are given meaning in this book, bringing their families, friends and the general public, knowledge of their origins and background in northern Italy and the contributions they made on the Gogebic Iron Range. A thirty year research project, this book is a resource of information for families of the Asiago Plateau immigrants throughout the United States who wish to do historical or genealogical work. Furthermore, this book is a link with the people of the Asiago Plateau today and hopefully will be an aid for them to discover their

People of Italian descent have been present in Detroit since Alfonso Tonti, second-in-command to Antoine Cadillac, participated in the founding of the city in 1701. By the close of the 19th century, the trickle of Italian immigrants had become a torrent, as thousands rushed to the growing industrial center. Settling on the lower east side, the community grew rapidly, especially north and east into Macomb County. Italians in Detroit did not remain in a "little Italy," but mingled with the diverse population of the city. Through a combination of hard work and strong family and community ties, the Italians of Detroit have achieved their dreams of a better life. They have met the challenges of living in a new land while nurturing the culture of the old country. The challenge that remains is to nurture a love of heritage among young Italian Americans as the immigrant generation fades.

A mirror of great changes that were occurring on the national labor rights scene, the 1913–14 Michigan Copper Strike was a time of unprecedented social upheaval in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With organized labor taking an aggressive stance against the excesses of unfettered capitalism, the stage was set for a major struggle between labor and management. The Michigan Copper Strike received national attention and garnered the support of luminaries in organized labor like Mother Jones, John Mitchell, Clarence Darrow, and Charles Moyer. The hope of victory was overshadowed, however, by violent incidents like the shooting of striking workers and their family members, and the bitterness of a community divided. No other event came to symbolize or memorialize the strike more than the Italian Hall tragedy, in which dozens of workers and working-class children died. In Community in Conflict, the efforts of working people to gain a voice on the job and in their community through their unions, and the efforts of employers to crush those unions, take center stage. Previously untapped historical sources such as labor spy reports, union newspapers, coded messages, and artifacts shine new light on this epic, and ultimately tragic, period in American labor history.