Physical description: Back row, standing, left to right: Frank, Marion and Joseph. Second row seated, left to right: Francesco "(father), Rose (Cito), Carmella (Perri), Maria (mother). Front row standing: Mose and James
This photograph is a digital scan of an original photograph lent for copying during the Italians of Colorado project. The original photograph is not owned by History Colorado. The digital scan was donated with permissions (see permissions in Registrar's file) and accessioned into the History Colorado collection.
Project description:
In 2002, the Colorado Historical Society (now known as History Colorado) founded the Colorado Italian American Preservation Association (CIAPA). A volunteer organization, CIAPA’s mission is to work collaboratively with the Society and other organizations to develop, support and coordinate projects that preserve, promote and celebrate Italian American culture and heritage. Since 2002, CIAPA has carried out its mission by meeting with people from the Colorado Italian American community, recording their stories and creating an archive of research materials that includes oral histories, photographs, moving images, sound recordings and artifacts. To date, CIAPA has helped the Society acquire over 200 oral histories, 600 artifacts and nearly 6,000 photographs. Since 2002, CIAPA has developed over 4,000 research files, all of which document the history, culture and traditions of Italian American families in Colorado.
Notes:
See MSS.02595 Art Cito and Joe Iacino files for additional information and images.
From Italy in Colorado
Iacino
Frank Maria and Rose (Occhiato) Iacino
Frank Iacino was born in 1887 in the southern Italian town of Grimaldi. At the age of thirteen, he came to America, where he found work with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Around 1905, Frank made his way to Colorado where he married Rose Occhiato in 1906. Rose was born in Missouri to Italian immigrants who later settled in Pueblo, Colorado.
In 1903, Frank’s brother Marion joined him in Denver, followed by his parents Francesco and Maria Rosaria (Varone) Iacino and siblings Joseph, Moses, James, Rose, and Carmella three years later. In 1910, Frank established the Diamond A Market with his brothers Marion and Joseph. Located at 1501 Lawrence Street, the market carried groceries, meats, poultry, imported and domestic goods and sold lard by the pail.
In addition to caring for their seven children, Frank and Rose were active in their community. During the 1920s and 1930s, Frank sponsored semi-professional baseball teams that played at the old Merchants Park, including the Diamond A Baseball Team. Rose was a longtime member of the Venetian Sewing Club, a social group that worked on sewing projects but also held dress-up parties, picnics and supported community causes including collecting clothes to send to friends and families in Italy during World War II and helping with the needs of those at the Queen of Heaven Orphanage. Frank Iacino died in Denver in 1916, followed by Rose who died in 1988.