Culture
The area known as "Bohemian Flats" was so named because a high percentage of the population came from eastern Europe; the majority of the families occupying the area were Slovaks, Swedes, Czechs (Bohemians), and Germans. The census of 1900 gives a good idea of the demographics of the area.
| Origin | North of Bridge | South of Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Slovaks | 613 | 22 |
| Swedes | 123 | 85 |
| Czech | 90 | 105 |
| Irish | 41 | 8 |
| Norwegian | 27 | 2 |
| German | 5 | 23 |
"Obviously there was oceans and whole continents lying between this place and the area above, even though only a bridge separates them"
Because it was a melting pot of nationalities, Bohemian Flats was known by other names as well. In early times, it was known as “The Danish Flats”, due to Danish population. Later it would be called Little Bohemia, Connemara Patch, Little Ireland, Little Lithuania, Cabbage Patch, and in the spring time, it was known as Little Venice. With all of the different nationalities, many "mini" communities were formed.
Employment in the Flats community was very important. Everyone worked or went to school. Young children and the unemployable elderly collected wood which floated down river from the mills. Women worked as seamstresses, domestics, sorting cucumbers, and collecting mushrooms (a favorite of the Flats). Men worked a variety of jobs in lumber yards, copper shops, saw mills, breweries, railroads & streetcars. Wages at some of the large mills worked out to be $1.50 to $2.00 a day. The wives, who stayed home, raised children and cooked, put lots of pride in their food. A variety of foods were popular on the Flats. Mushrooms gathered from the cliffs, Bohemian cheese, goat butter, river fruit, cabbage, sauerkraut, grapes, and over 35 varieties of potatoes could be found.
In a unique tradition, on the first Monday of Easter, the boys would spray the girls with water. Girls supposedly got "luck" from it, and then treated the guys to dinner. The next day, the roles were reversed.
The homes built on the Flats were no more than shanties. They had no foundation and the structures were often faulty . Many people did not care to make a permanent residence because the Mississippi River constantly caused problems. The Mississippi was known to flood in the spring, which was a problem for the dwellings, because the Flats were not much higher than the normal river level. Each spring the water would rise and flood the area, many times taking the poorly constructed houses with the receding waters. The residents of the flooding houses would go to higher ground. Many people would "bunk" their belongings and poultry in hopes of not losing everything to the water. Each year dead animals would litter the streets after flood waters had receded.
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—Jonathan Raban (b. 1942)