11/1/2008:
Joe Albert flexed his muscles and flashed a smile as he used his might to pull a freight car down the tracks. This was only one of many feats the Syrian entertainer performed during his one man show. The crowd applauded this strong man, business man, and Syrian immigrant. In 1920, Joe was only one of 289 Syrian-born North Dakota residents. Compare that to the 38,190 Norwegian-born and 29,617 Russian-born North Dakota residents in 1920; as strong as he was, Joe was outnumbered.
Syrians may have been small in number, but their people and traditions are some of the most colorful in North Dakota’s ethnic history. Syrians like Joe immigrated to the US near the turn of the century to flee from religious conflict and tension with their Turkish rulers.
For most, this tension began at birth. Syrian parents hid the day, the month, and the year their sons were born to keep them out of the mandatory Turkish military service. At the time of his death, Joe Albert’s age was rumored to be more than 100!
Upon immigrating to the US, ageless Syrians like Joe were given an immediate start with the mobile career of peddling. Peddlers were the first Syrians to settle the state, and often sent word back to friends and family about North Dakota’s free land. Joe peddled across North Dakota in the early 1900s, carrying with him an array of goods. Joe’s traveling profession gave him a thorough tour of the state, and after having spent some time peddling, he settled in the Turtle Mountains. The beginning of the 20th century brought over 350 Syrians to North Dakota to claim homesteads, however, by 1910, a large number of Syrians had left the state. Many of those left behind farmed only long enough to prove up their homesteads and move to town to pursue business, such as Joe Albert who once ran a grocery store, and later rented out boats on Fish Lake.
Like Syria, North Dakota’s Syrian communities were split between Muslims and Christians, but past aggression towards one another was forgotten on the isolated prairies, and many were able to overlook cultural differences.
Neither faiths had easy access to a place of worship, and spent many months waiting for a traveling spiritual leader to visit the area. In 1929, one of America’s first rural mosques was built outside of Ross, North Dakota. This mosque was used for Muslim gatherings and ceremonies, such as weddings.
In a 1939 interview Syrian immigrant Mike Abdallah described how Muslim weddings focused on an agreement between the groom and the bride’s father. The bride was not allowed to be present at the ceremony where her father and the groom’s clasped hands were covered with a cloth, while the vows were read from the Koran.
After World War I, the nation of Syria gained independence from Turkey, and in 1925 the Lebanese people gained independence from Syria. Currently in North Dakota, over 550 residents can trace their ancestry to Lebanon, while a little over 200 residents can trace it to Syria.
Joe Albert wiped the sweat from his brow after straightening a horse shoe with his bare hands, and turned to wrestle a bear while the gathered crowd ooh’ed and awed. Syrians are outnumbered in North Dakota, but Syrians like Joe Albert are stars in North Dakota’s ethnic history.
By Ann Erling
Sources:
“Prairie Pedders; The Syrian-Lebanese in North Dakota.” Sherman, William C. Whitney, Paul L. Guerrero, John.
“North Dakota’s Ethnic History; Plains Folk.” Sherman, Thorson, Henke, Kloberdanz, Pedeliski, Wilkins.