Who came to Summit County from other countries? In 1860, the majority of foreign-born in Colorado came from, in descending order, Canada, Ireland, the German states, England, and Scotland. By the time of the 1870 census, not much had changed. The Irish, escaping the potato famine, now ranked first. By 1880, the English were first. If Wales, Cornwall, and England are considered as one along with Canada and Ireland, then these areas sent the greatest number of immigrants to Colorado in 1860, 1870, and 1880. As a whole, Summit County reflected the state numbers. What was life like for these early immigrants? It was not an easy life. Often the Germans and Prussians became the merchants and saloon keepers. They had to establish delivery systems for their goods and sold for cash-only because miners tended to leave for the latest strike. They brought their families because they planned to remain, and wanted stability for their businesses. The numbers for England included the Cornish and Welsh who worked long hours in mines for little in wages. They faced dangers in the mines no matter what their jobs. Many of them were not married and moved on if the mines played out. On the road from Copper Mountain to Leadville, the town of Recen counted 38 Swedish residents in the 1885 census; in 1880, adjoining Kokomo counted 22 mothers and 25 fathers who had been born in Sweden. They mainly worked in the lumbering industry. Workers hauled wagonloads of lumber to railroad depots and sawmills in the Ten Mile Canyon and Keystone.
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The few Italians in the county were unwanted, and called by derogatory terms. When Italians were hired to dig a ditch on the Blue River, the owners had to assure nearby miners that the Italians would leave as soon as they had completed the ditch. When the South Park & Pacific hired Italians to lay track, the railroad guaranteed that the men would leave for New Mexico to work on another railroad. Though facing discrimination, some stayed on to lay track in the mines. The Chinese faced the most discrimination because their low wages signaled declining production in placer mines. Armed residents drove out a group of Chinese miners who arrived to work in some placer mines around Breckenridge. At first the Chinese worked in laundries; by 1885 they were working in mines. Chinese men did not intend to stay in Summit County. Like many others, they planned to make their fortunes and return to China. They did not bring their families with them. The vast majority of Chinese women in the U.S. were prostitutes, often (bought and) transported to the U.S. as babies to be raised as prostitutes. Yet with all the discrimination, the newspaper editor spoke in kindly terms about Choy, who ran a laundry, giving candy and nuts to children and exploding fireworks in town in celebration of the Chinese New Year. What was life like for women? Women spent long days washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, etc. for family members and in some cases boarders who lived with the family. They worked hard to counter the influences of gambling, drinking, and prostitution but truly had little influence on what they considered vices. Those of a higher economic level could afford to hire help for some of the tasks but between childbirth, illnesses,
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