Getting Started
First homes were either makeshift lean-tos of branches gathered from the surrounding fields or grass-roofed dugouts. Over time, the landscape became dotted with cottages, barns, and fences, most wooden, although a few were stone. Along with shelter, the ongoing need was nourishment. Settlers planted gardens, raised livestock, and hunted game. A cold, wet winter in 1856, which delayed spring planting in 1857, was followed by a 14-month drought. Wells dried up, crops withered, and cattle died. Anglo farmers, who had been wary of their new neighbors in the early days, now gave them jobs, donated cattle, brought corn for bread, and provided seed for future planting. As Father Leopold Moczygemba noted, gratefully, “Were it not for the decency of some Americans ... there would have been few settlers left.”
Civil War
After Texas joined the Confederacy in February 1861, some of the immigrants volunteered to fight for their new country. Many were conscripted and served reluctantly, others actively avoided conscription, and a few men eventually fought for both sides.
When the Civil War ended, the South was in disarray, marauders and bandits roamed freely preying on settlers, especially those they found different and those they thought had been disloyal to the South.
Resurrectionist Fathers
The Poles had been without a priest to minister to their needs for years and were now more eager than ever for spiritual guidance. In November 1866, Father Adolph Bakanowski, Father Vincent Barzynski, and Brother Felix Zwiardowski, members of the Congregation of the Resurrection, all with some military background, came to Texas to minister to the Poles and improve religious education. What they found was a community in crisis.
Cowboys from the nearby town of Helena would ride up to Polish cottages when they knew the men were in the fields. They'd bang on the shutters and shoot their guns to frighten the women and children inside. One of them rode up to a Polish girl milking a cow, threatened to shoot her with a pistol and instead shot the family milk cow.
The Resurrectionist priests organized the Poles to defend themselves. They carried a petition to a Union general in San Antonio requesting protection. This resulted in a post being established at nearby Helena, primarily for the protection of the Polish settlers.
