Federal Writers Project

Bohemian Flats (Borealis Books) Federal Writers Project

The Bohemian Flats, first published in 1941, is a charming history of a small, isolated community that once lay on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, tucked underneath the Washington Avenue bridge. From the 1880s to the 1940s the village was home to generations of Swedish, Norwegian, Czech, Irish, Polish, and especially Slovak immigrants. This book's vivid descriptions of their traditions and adaptations offer an unusual insight into Minnesota's multi-ethnic heritage.

The Bohemian Flats discusses the early years of settlement on the Flats, the lifeways and celebrations of the residents, and the razing of most of the neighborhood in 1932; it also provides recipes "From the Flats Kitchens." This edition contains a new section of pictures of the Flats and an introduction by ethnic historian Thaddeus Radzilowski, who describes the genesis of the book in the WPA and answers more questions about the identities of those who lived on the Bohemian Flats.