John Venera Interview
Document Type
Book
Interviewer
Krueger, Frederick
Contributor
Suncadia (Resort), Suncadia Fund for Community Enhancement
Files
Access
Description
John Vernera (b. January 14, 1916, in Roslyn, Washington) speaks about his father, Battista Venera, and his immigration from Italy to Roslyn, circa 1909. Venera's father entered the dairy business in 1918 and operated Maple Dairy, 1934-1943. Venera worked for his father at the dairy and then in the Northwestern Improvement Company (NWI) Nos. 5 and 9 Mines. He describes mining equipment, procedures, relationships to other mines, and “close call” experiences in the mines. He also describes the life of an immigrant family, including education, recreation, ethnic traditions, food/recipes, festivals, holidays, music, bocce ball, and lodges such as Druidessa, Moose, Finn, Swede, and Odd Fellows Halls.
The cover image shows recent Italian immigrants holding wooden bocce balls on a bocce court behind Torino Tavern in Cle Elum, 1900. Bocce--an Italian lawn bowling game--was a favorite pastime for decades in Kittitas County. Pictured here are Deonegis (father and son).
Publication Date
11-3-2004
Recommended Citation
Venera, John, "John Venera Interview" (2004). Roslyn, Cle Elum, and Ronald Oral History Interviews. 111.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/roslyn_history/111
Approximate Date
prior to 1918
Subject
Oral history, Immigrants--United States--History, Roslyn (Wash.), Northwestern Improvement Company, Coal mining
Rights
Educational use only; no other permissions given. Copyright to this resource is held by the content creator, author, artist or other entity, and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the copyright owner.
Language
English