To Papà, With Love
A son’s tribute to his Italian immigrant father—a wonderful and unique man
In 1901, at the age of 14, my father Rocco Talentino, who I will call Papà, left his small town in Italy and arrived at Ellis Island, N.Y., after a 19-day voyage aboard the North America. His final destination was supposed to be Fresno, Calif., to work on a grape farm for his sister Rosa. Instead, he travelled by train to Sault Ste Marie, Mich., to visit his brother Joe, who was working with the Algoma Central Railway. While there, Joe talked him into staying to work for the railway, laying tracks to Michipicoten, Ont. Upon hearing what Rocco had done, his sister Rosa never communicated with him again, as she had paid his passage from Naples to Fresno.
By 1903, Papà headed to Port Arthur, Ont., to work on the construction gang for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Five years later, he returned to Italy to visit his mother and sister.
Papà was 22 by then, and his mother began pressuring him to get married. He was introduced to Brigette Cosco, the 18-year-old daughter of a fruit farmer. Their families arranged the marriage in August 1908, and they had a daughter by May 1909. Since there were more opportunities in Canada, Papà left them with the intention of making enough money to eventually bring them over as well.
Later that year, Papà was working for the Canadian National Railway Trans Continental Line between Cochrane and Kapuskasing, Ont. During this time, he received word that his wife and infant daughter had died in Italy. He was devastated by this terrible news and for the next year was emotionally drained.
On December 1, 1910, Papà became a naturalized citizen of Canada and settled in South Porcupine, Ont., where he was employed by the Dome Mines as a teamster.
Then, on July 11, what became known as the Great Porcupine Fire of 1911 broke out. Papà was having dinner in the mine’s bunkhouse cookery when the fire alarm sounded. Realizing the danger, Papà took his team of horses in single file and travelled to the north section of the mine, where he came upon a creek. He drove his team of horses into the creek to escape the raging flames. The following days were spent picking up dead bodies and burying them four miles from town, a
spot now known as Dead Man’s Point. Not long after, Papà resumed his role at the Dome Mines, helping to rebuild what had been destroyed.
Papà headed back to Italy once more, in the spring of 1912, to recuperate from the fire, but he returned to South Porcupine in 1913. Soon after, he started up a stagecoach business that involved taking miners to and from work for 25 cents a person.
Papà married for a second time in 1916. His wife was Helena Graboski, an immigrant from Warsaw, Poland.
By 1920, after rebuilding his home following another fire, and closing down his stagecoach line, Papà started up another a new venture. He bought and sold horses to various bush operators. In the 1920s and ’30s, Papà became a noted horseman in Porcupine and the town of New Liskeard. During those years, he participated in the fall fairs, showing light draft horses at the Porcupine agricultural fair. Papà loved his horses, and, after acquiring his first harness racing horse, raced at tracks in Timmins, South Porcupine, Cochrane and New Liskeard. Papà’s best horse, a black named Golden Boy, won numerous awards in the 1920s.
In 1921, the William B. Pearce trophy was created and donated to the Porcupine Agricultural Society for the best team of light draft horses competing in the fall fair exhibition. Papà always said this sport was very competitive and so trained his team right up to the evening prior to events; consequently, the trophy has been in his family since 1925.
A PROUD LEGACY
From 1930 to 1942, Papà operated his own logging and contracting business but eventually found that the new trucking industry was too much for him to compete with. He sold his equipment and horses and returned to the Dome Mine in 1943.
Papà and Helena bought some property in 1950 and started up a livestock and cattle ranching business. Every Sunday during the summer months, Papà provided two outdoor bocce courts to the Italian community for their entertainment. In 1955, he was honoured by the Porcupine Italian Dante Club with a lifetime membership for invaluable service to the Italian community.
One of my fondest memories as a boy was visiting with Papà and his friends, playing the Italian card game Boss, and listening to them— between shouts and laughter—recall memories of their beloved Italia.
After 40 years of marriage, Helena passed away in 1956. Papà missed the deep love he had for his dear Helena and the wonderful life they’d shared.
In 1966, Papà moved into a nursing home, where he lived for the next 13 years. While there, at the age of 84, he slipped and fell. He was told that he’d be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but a strong and determined Papà surprised them all. Within three weeks, he was using a walker and a month later began walking with a cane.
In 1972, Papà was interviewed on CBC radio for the show “Voice of the Pioneer.” The interview was about his life and times in Canada as an immigrant from Italy, a proud citizen of northern Ontario who grew to love Canada with a passion.
In 1976, he was able to attend the dedication ceremony marking the historic site of the 1911 Porcupine fire.
Papà passed away on September 15, 1979, at the age of 93 and is buried alongside his dear wife Helena in South Porcupine.