by Dominic A Pacyga

This book explores the lives of immigrants in two iconic South Side Polish neighborhoods – the Back of the Yards and South Chicago – and the stockyards and steel mills in which they made a living. Pacyga shows how Poles forged communities on the South Side in an attempt to preserve the customs of their homeland; how through the development of churches, the building of schools, the founding of street gangs, and the opening of saloons they tried to recreate the feel of an Eastern European village. Through such institutions, Poles also were able to preserve their folk beliefs and family customs.