Zaro’s politics of freedom | Ross Eric Gibson, Native Historical past – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Marco Zaro was born in 1853 on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, a fruit-growing area of Croatia. It was a part of the Austrian Empire, which turned the Austro-Hungarian Empire within the Compromise of 1867.  Then in 1868, the “Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia” was created throughout the empire, having supposed inside autonomy. But it was below the strict management of Hungary, who allotted them half the taxes collected, whereas requiring obligatory army service to Austro-Hungary.

Zaro married Dominica Sapunor, who gave him daughters Dodie and Hortense, and sons Peter, George and Hortensia.  After 4 Austrian wars in eight years, life was laborious.  Particularly in comparison with 40,000 affluent ex-patriots who’d settled in Croatian colonies positioned in California’s fruit-growing valleys of Santa Clara and Pajaro.

So Zaro departed along with his household, his sister-in-law, and his brother Stephen, touchdown in San Francisco round 1875. They felt immediately at dwelling in a metropolis with 10,000 Croatians, in addition to 500 Serbs, who (because the San Francisco Put up reported) solely differed from Croatians as members of the Greek Orthodox religion as a substitute of Roman Catholic.

The Zaros settled South of Market Road. Marco established a “Espresso Saloon” at 161 Stuart Road, whereas Stephen went into partnership with Peter Mickovelovich, in a restaurant at 11 East Road.  In 1878, the Austro-Hungarian army occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina to place down an independence motion, and Marco’s brothers George and Peter, joined him in San Francisco, working as machinists.

Santa Cruz

A few of Zaro’s relations settled in “the Backyard Metropolis” of San Jose, on the time considered the main high quality fruit capital of the US. In 1879, the Zaro brothers moved to Santa Cruz and opened the “Backyard Metropolis Restaurant & Bakery” dealing with the Decrease Plaza. The constructing was only a one-story utilitarian shed, however with a white-washed false-front added, plus two box-bay home windows to usher in pure mild, it turned a well-liked venue. There was a separate entrance for girls, and a personal banquet corridor by a door into an adjoining constructing. The downtown may very well be reasonably darkish at night time, and even with the plaza’s solely lamp publish simply throughout the road, it didn’t all the time spotlight ruts and puddles within the unpaved highway, so Zaro put in his personal lamp publish, whose lighted panels learn “Oysters In Each Fashion.”

The Zaro brothers cherished their new nation and its freedoms, and rapidly assimilated, shortening their names to Mark and Steve, and acquiring their American citizenship. Marco’s sister-in-law married Santa Cruz restauranteur Frank Zamlich (who later ran a restaurant in Capitola), and daughter Dodie married Watsonville’s Charles Micich. The Zaro brothers joined the Odd Fellows Membership, which supported businessmen, engaged in group enhancements, offered an previous age dwelling in Saratoga, plus burial providers on the Odd Fellows Cemetery on higher Ocean Road.

They had been members of native Slavonic-American golf equipment. They had been additionally robust backers of the dozen native hearth corporations. When the Hook and Ladder, the Alerts, and the Pilot Hose, introduced dwelling first prize within the regional firemen’s olympics in San Jose, Marco threw a banquet for the three corporations of  21 males, with their foremen seated on the head of the desk. Zaro stated he had such religion of their response instances, that he’d by no means insured his restaurant! Along with endless meals, toasting, and speeches, there have been songs from Henry and Charles Kelly, Ben Patterson, Sheriff Frank Alzina, and Con Crowley, the final singing a music composed by himself and Lulu Wolbach: “A Farmer’s Daughter Who Lives Close to Soquel.” The three-hour banquet didn’t finish till 11:30 p.m.

Santa Cruz County was fast-gaining a big inhabitants of Dalmatian exiles, with the Pajaro Valley having the biggest inhabitants in America. Dalmatians felt Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties had been a far superior rising area than the rocky soil of Dalmatia, and Croatians had been on the verge of turning the Pajaro Valley into America’s apple-producing capital.

In Santa Cruz, the river flats between Branciforte Creek and the San Lorenzo River is a well-watered basin with a excessive water desk, quickly planted in flowering fruit orchards, nurseries and flower farms, to be dubbed “the Flower Basin.” The Zaro brothers lived on Sandy Lane, the stays of a creek mattress that turned Ocean Road. Right here Marco raised apples and leased orchards within the close by space.

Authorized hassle

Marco’s early ardour for high-volume apple rising is demonstrated in his first authorized motion in Santa Cruz.  In November 1883, Elmer Daken gathered 636 bins of apples and offered them to Wm. F. Burns and fruit-grower Wm. Quick, who lived at Ocean Crest (Ocean and Broadway). However these had been harvested from Zaro’s orchards, and so he obtained a writ of attachment, impounding the apples for 5 months, till a trial was held to find out their worth on the native market.

A flip of fortune began in 1887 with the explosion of the restaurant’s road lamp, which rained scorching oil and glass on passersby, with a couple of cuts, and a slight burn to a girls’ face, the one accidents. Zaro was transport merchandise from San Francisco to Santa Cruz on the freighter San Vicente, when the ship caught hearth close to Pigeon Level, and burned to the waterline, with the whole lack of his merchandise.

Marco employed 60-year-old swill-hauler John Vice to eliminate the restaurant’s rubbish, and each Vice and Zaro had been arrested for violating Santa Cruz’s “Tin Can Ordinance,” supposed to maintain rubbish out of the San Lorenzo River.  Neither males had ever been arrested earlier than, and had been decided to battle the costs. As Vice put it, “ ’Garbage’ means one thing that stinks, and oyster shells don’t stink!” However in his behavior of all the time touchdown on his toes, Zaro discovered followers among the many jailhouse workers, and ended up the next yr receiving the brand new contract to produce meals to the county jail.

Zaro’s brother George died in 1882 in San Francisco of smallpox.  In 1888, phrase got here from Dalmatia that his father was dying. Youthful brother Stephen returned to Dalmatia to remain, taking good care of his aged mother and father, and managing their $20,000 property. However Marco had put down roots in Santa Cruz, and in 1889 he purchased an orchard on Market Road from F.A. Hihn, and constructed a ravishing dwelling with a veranda, and “hen home” bay window. He purchased “4 sacks of hair” for $3, to make “horsehair plaster.”  He quickly expanded his orchards to 5 different tons on Market Road.

Worldwide hassle

In April 1890, Marco discovered Stephen had been expelled from Austria and wanted money to get dwelling to Santa Cruz. Marco despatched him cash, whereas Joseph Pulitzer’s “New York World” reported Austria had tried to power Stephen into army service till Stephen confirmed them he was an American citizen with a U.S. passport.  They instructed him both be part of the Austrian military or depart the nation in three days. In any other case, he’d be imprisoned for 3 months and fined 50 rubles ($25).  The American Consulate in Triest couldn’t assist him keep, leaving him solely money sufficient to get to New York.

As soon as again in Santa Cruz, Stephen complained to the consulate. His buddies instructed Surf reporters that this wasn’t uncommon therapy from the Austrian authorities in opposition to expatriates returning for a go to. The earlier December, the proprietor of Pacific Avenue’s “California Restaurant,” M. Marinovich, visited his mother and father in Dalmatia, was arrested, and compelled into three years’ service within the Austrian military, regardless that he had develop into a naturalized American citizen. After his three-year military service, he must stay in Austria 9 extra years on army name. Most knew to maintain a low profile and say nothing in opposition to the Austrian authorities. However the native Dalmatians felt Stephen was too Americanized, forgetting that freedom of speech didn’t exist in Austria.

That August, Marco’s aunt from San Jose, Mrs. E.M. Glubetich, stayed at his new Market Road home, then invited the Zaros to dwell with them in San Jose. Stephen did, however Marco cherished Santa Cruz, reworking his restaurant, till a fireplace put him $28 in debt. Promoting his restaurant items, he raised $3.67, and ended up transferring to San Jose to dwell along with his brother. Stephen purchased his aunt’s restaurant, the Overland Grill in 1895, helped discovered a San Jose chapter of the American-Slovonian Society, and married a Sunday college instructor, who bore him 5 kids.

Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914, within the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, and Serbs searching for liberation from Austro-Hungarian rule, beginning World Warfare I. The 1915 Panama-Pacific Worldwide Exposition in San Francisco hoped for a extra peaceable future, with Marco’s daughter Madeline practically elected the honest’s “Slavonic Day” queen. Speeches confirmed the Dalmatians had been pleased with their heritage, however loyal to the U.S. Marco’s spouse died in 1905, so after the battle, Marco returned to Dalmatia at age 70 (1923), married a 42-year-old lady, and retired to the Odd Fellows Residence in Saratoga, California.