Kansas and Oregon Volga Germans

The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 21, Number 3
Fall 1992
Sherrie Stahl, editor

Can Your Help Us Do Research In Your Geographical Area?

(Excerpts)
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COLORADO & KANSAS: …The beet industry developed swiftly and with it the expansion into the South Platte River Valley of northeastern Colorado. A sugar refinery in Loveland was built in 1901, another in Eaton and in 1902 one in Windsor. Others were erected later in Greely, Brighton, Longmont, Fort Collins, and in 1905, in Sterling, Colorado. Loveland in the South Platte Valley had the oldest settlement. In May, 1901 some twenty families, most of them originating in Frank, Russia, came here from McCook, Nebraska. Others arrived from Denver, Sutton and Hastings. Even in 1930 Volga Germans from Frank represented most of the population in Loveland and also in Greeley, Colorado….

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WASHINGTON, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA: The first Volga Germans reached the west coast as early as 1881. Several Frankers were part of the wagon train that left Sutton, and Culbertson and headed west to Ritzville, Washington. In 1888 to 1890 Portland, Oregon received an influx of immigrants from Frank and Brunnental. Another large migration took place in 1907, and another in 1912. (MY NOTES: David and Katherine Ehlenberger first arrived in 1907.)

(Excerpted from the 1923 poem, “A Mournful Song on Brunnental” by Elias Hergert, as translated by Marie Trupp Kreiger.)

(Page 8)
I believe I have listed all
I do not find anymore
Of our dear Brunnental
Only one more, JACOB LEHR.

Now I remember as I end this
That is my in-law, with
JOHN ELENBERGER for spite
Make no further complaint….