Volga German immigrants who settled in Port Huron, Michigan, came from Paulskaya and Katharinenstadt. They were joined by settlers from Kind and Susannental.
Nearly all of Port Huron’s Volga Germans had their start in Sanilac County as beet laborers. By 1915 many of Sanilac’s resident Volga Germans had resettled to Port Huron where they transitioned into factory work such as Mueller Brass Company. For several years these families would continue summer beet work or weekend harvest work.
In 1917 they organized “Volga Plat” near Wells Street and 14th Streets and built St. Paul Lutheran Church. This area grew and became known as Germantown. The neighborhood was eventually bordered by 10th Street, Lapeer Ave., 17th Street, and Water Street.
- Connell, Mike. "Volga Germans Prospered Locally." The Times Herald (15 November 2009).
- Pickelhaupt, Bill. The Volga Germans of Michigan's Thumb (Fort Gratiot, MI: Flyblister, 2009).
- Sallet, Richard. Russian-German Settlement in the United States (Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1974): 54.
- USA Settlement List (Patricia Miller)
- Weeder, Tim. "When Volga Germans Worked Sanilac's Fields." Sanilac County News (9 May 2018). [Online]
Port Huron, Michigan (Wikipedia)