[Xelebes]

Inspired by the Toronto's Greek village thread, I thought I would create this thread to discuss all the diasporas out there - ranging from Edmonton's "Chuck" (Ukrainian & Polish) diaspora, Minneapolis' Scandinavian diaspora, Fargo & Bismarck's German diaspora and the sort.

I'll see what pictures I can offer for this city.

[Xelebes]

Edmonton's Ukrainian and Polish diaspora presence was so strong in the 30's that Edmonton was given the nickname of Edmonchuk, in reference to the Polish/Prussian-root last name suffix found in many Ukrainian's last names (Ilya Kovalchuk, Johnny "Big Chief" Bucyk, Dale Andreychuk). Edmonton is one of the few cities in North America where you can walk into a mall and get fast food perogies and kielbasa.

Since then, the presence has been diluted a bit, but still remains strong with little to no ghettoisation to show for it, except for a few notable churches in the older parts of town.

Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church on 97th Street

http://members.shaw.ca/cettiga/extrasmall/Image00054.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7892/dscn2144re1.jpg


St. Barbara's Russian Catholic Church

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/336269220_ce260403ce.jpg?v=0



One day, I may get a camera myself and take some more focused pictures on this matter. Maybe we'll have a Monkeyman tour in this part of town and record it.



Edmonton also has a Little Italy which is nearby Holy Cross Catholic Church.

First pic is by Coldrsx or Shofear... I forget. :(

Second Pic, I think is the other.

I failed the mods there. :(

[BTinSF]

Ft. Ross, California: This is as far south as the Russian fur traders got in the 18th and 19th centuries along the Pacific coast of North America.

http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/images/well.jpg

http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/cemetery.jpg

http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/images/Rainbow1.jpg

http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/chapeldoughough.jpg

http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/rhousedoughough.jpg

The settlement of Ross, the name derived from the word for Russia (Rossiia) was established by the Russian - American Company, a commercial hunting and trading company chartered by the tsarist government, with shares held by the members of the Tsar’s family, court nobility and high officials. Trade was vital to Russian outposts in Alaska, where long winters exhausted supplies and the settlements could not grow enough food to support themselves. Baranov directed his chief deputy, Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, to establish a colony in California as a food source for Alaska and to hunt profitable sea otters. After several reconnaissance missions, Kuskov arrived at Ross in March of 1812 with a party of 25 Russians, many of them craftsmen, and 80 native Alaskans from Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands. After negotiating with the Kashaya Pomo people who inhabited the area, Kuskov began construction of the fort. The carpenters who accompanied Kuskov to Settlement Ross, along with their native Alaskan helpers, had worked on forts in Alaska, and the construction here followed models of the traditional stockade, blockhouses and log buildings found in Siberia and Alaska.

Pix and text are from http://www.mcn.org/1/rrparks/fortross/