“KING-KRALJ-KRALJIC-KRALJEVIC WEEK IN AMERICA”

By Adam S. Eterovich

Looking for a Kralj in America, I have a few. Indian Fighters, Gold Miners, Saloons. Kralj means king in English.

JOSEPH KRALJ

CROATIANS SCALPED BY INDIANS

Thousands of Croatians joined in the mad rush to seek their fortunes.  Among them was Josip Kralj (Joseph King) from Mrkopolje, in Gorski Kotar, who left home in 1852 with his godfather, boarded a ship in Bremen and several weeks later arrived in New York. Unable to find work there, the two men traveled west in 1853 to Duluth, Minnesota.  

That Spring they met three other Croatians from Novi Vindolski, one of whom suggested that they all go to California to seek gold.  The trek to California proved difficult and dangerous.  Kralj’s godfather died and was buried in Montana.

 Kralj and his companions then joined a covered wagon caravan which was attacked by Indians. Many of the party were killed in the attack, including two of the Croatians from Novi VIndolski, who were scalped.  Only Kralj and one other Croatian made it to California.

Eventually Kralj went his own way, supporting himself by mining for gold and working as a blacksmith. He then spent about six years traveling and working in Northern California and Oregon before leaving for the desert of Central Nevada with a group of hunters and gold seekers.  These men did not find gold, but did find plenty of trouble with the Indians, who attacked and killed all of the group except for Kralj, who survived the accident.  The Cheyenne took Kralj to one of their villages and held him for two years until 1861.  He was freed only after the Indian tribe lost a skirmish with army troops, whereupon he returned to San Francisco.

In 1862 Kralj left for the Sierra Nevadas to search for gold.  Fully aware of the risks involved, he deposited his journal, documents, and money (about $2,000) at the Austrian consulate in San Francisco with instructions that these items not be sent to Croatia until two years passed.

Kralj never returned to San Francisco, nor did he send any message. After three years of waiting the consul sent the belongings to Croatia.  It is not known who received the belongings, but most likely it was his family. Kralj’s journal was printed however, in Dom i Svijet (Home and the World) at the beginning of this century.  This account of a Croatian adventurer vividly captures the experiences of only a few of the thousands of Croatians involved in the search for gold and riches in the rugged and wild American West in the nineteenth century.

WHEN DID THEY COME-WHERE DID THEY GO

Call them Kralg, Kralgy, Kraly, Kralllll, Cralyevich, Cralich, Cralyich or just plain King. Just look in a phone book, there are hundreds of them.

The first Kings started coming about 200 years ago and some went to the mines- gold and silver mines. Some became fishermen in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, California, Washington and Oregon. Others established vineyards, farms and orchards. Many could not read or write; they knew how to count and many became very wealthy. They established the first independent Croatian Societies, Halls and some Croatian Churches and newspapers. They were apolitical by choice.

The next Kings went to the coal and iron mines in the small and large industrial centers of America, It was a tough, hard life. It was this class of people that built the Croatian Fraternal Union, Croatian Churches, Croatian Halls all without political turmoil, dissention or disunity.

The new comer Kings in America, or as we called them in the old West-Greenhorns still retain their original names. They were educated, politically correct and went to the cities to find the American dream. You do not find them in the coal mines, steel mills, picking fruit or fishing. Many have succeeded on a professional level and as private businessmen. They are an energetic and brilliant people.

They continually dabble in old country politics and have probably built one Croatian Church, several Cultural Centers and do not have one Croatian Society with over 300 members. The old form of Croatian Institutions in America does not meet their needs. They are a good hardworking and honest group. They should attend classes on how to conduct a meeting in a democratic fashion (advice).

KRALS FIT IN AND GO FOR THE MONEY-A TALENTED CLAN

Diana Krall a jazz pianist and vocalist from British Columbia in Canada is presently performing in America and has been getting excellent reviews. Her name was probably Danica Kralj, she could be Croatian. John Kralj operated a restaurant in San Francisco in 1878 and belonged to the Austrian Benevolent Society. John Kralj also belonged to the Slavonian Illyric Society in San Francisco. Tomislav and Branko Kralj were soccer stars in the 1960’s in Croatia; Tomislav and Branko from Zagreb and Branko Kraljevic from Split. Frane, Nikola and Stefan Kraljic were drafted into the Venetian Galleon Fleets in 1625 and probably traveled to the New World. Antonio Kraljevic was a settler in South Africa in 1881 while another Antonio died at New Orleans, Louisiana in 1845 and a third had a fruit business at San Francisco, California in 1878. Frank Kraljevich was a waiter in Sacramento in 1861; Ivan Kraljevich had a fruit orchard in the Santa Clara Valley of California in the early 1900’s, this Valley is now Silicon Valley, the center of computer technology and our Croatian farmers found a new gold mine. Nikola Kraljevich was a pioneer founder of the Croatian Unity of the Pacific. Peter Kraljich was mining gold in 1852 and stated on the census he was Austrian. He hit a strike and returned to San Francisco, joined the Slavonian (Croatian) Society in 1857 and opened a Coffee Saloon. Charles Kraljich , better known as Charley Smith, goldmined in 1850, struck it rich and opened a Coffee Saloon. Coffee Saloons sold more than coffee on the famed Barbary Coast. Whiskey and wine downstairs, women upstairs. This was called California Gold. John Kraljich is president of the National Federation of Croatian Americans.

“FIND A GOOD CROATIAN GIRL”

Adam Eterovich in Zagreb, 1956-1958

San Francisco, California

My wife is a real Croatian-Zagrebcanka, Gospodja Danica Kralj. Papa in San Francisco told me to go to the old country, stay a while, stay out of trouble, find a nice girl on the Island of Brac; I told him I wasn’t looking for a nice girl. I looked around for two years. In Zagreb I visited the Korso Kafana, Belgrad Bar, Kolodvor Kafana, Gradska Kafana, Dubrovnik Bar, Gradski Podroom Bar, Dubrovnik Kafana and Saint Mark’s Church in December. This took one year and there were only three bars in town. Oh, I did try to rent a car to see more, but Tito had the car on weekends.

Papa liked Tito, Stalin and Roosevelt-he wasn’t sure who was going to win, in fact, he had all their pictures on the wall. It turns out he picked winners. In horse racing we call that Win, Place and Show. Over here in San Francisco during World War Two they were locking up all Japanese good or bad, and the German and Italian fascists; they couldn’t find any Croatian fascists, naturally, so at that time Papa figured Tito wasn’t that bad, then after the war when they were chasing communists, Papa became a capitalist and showed his true colors. Money talks. The pictures came down. These old time stari Croatians were serious about politics.

His motto was kako vitar puse, bandira vija. What does that mean in English?

His advice was to find a good, young, big and strong girl from the Island of Brac(then known as a center of culture, scholarship, wealth and a wonderful lifestyle) as they would listen, work and take care of you in old age. There were a few things Papa didn’t tell me. Rocks, goats, sheep, more rocks, jack asses. If they had a contest on who yells the loudest, a Splitcanka or a Bracanka, it would be a dead heat and nose to nose. Good girls though, I enjoyed the bakalar dinners.

I like Zagrebcanka although they are not too good at listening. Danica’s mother was from Zagorje outside of Zagreb. They had a strange way of speaking, Kaj-Kaj-Kaj instead of Co-Co-Co, and making wine. They would make the wine one day, put it in barrels, and drink it the next. Danica’s father was from Slavonia, no rocks, goats, sheep, jackasses, and as a dowry, I was only given ten acres of land, two cows, and bedroom furniture because she was beautiful; I could have gotten fifty acres, ten cows plus household furniture for her sister. This took one year and I ran out of money.

This was better than a Bracanka with a six inch tongue, muscles, 5’ 11’’ tall. Although I do miss the bakalar, tripe, jonce na razojn, slone srdele, prsuta, kostredine, blitva, capula, ribe na gredele, boce, treseta, briskula, bevande i tamo na rivi cekat cu te drage.

I gave this all up for a pretty face.

The wedding lasted three days and I could not fit the cows on the plane.

Sjor Adam.

San Francisco, California