From 1880 to 1914, more than 13 million Italians left their home country, making Italy the site of one of the largest voluntary emigration movements in recorded world history. Of that number, more than four million arrived in the U.S. Many planned to stay for just a few years, then return to the homeland with their earnings. Yet, most stayed, married, raised families, and became American citizens. Angelo Luigi Carnino, born in Foresto, Italy on Dec. 4, 1887, was one of them.
In March 1909 at the age of 22, Luigi Carnino immigrated to the U.S. aboard the ship La Savoie, entering his new country through Ellis Island. He first lived with a cousin in Renton and soon settled in Black Diamond. His future wife, Tersilla Carola Carnino, born in Feb. 1891 in Busseleno, Italy joined him in early 1912 and they were married that June.
Like many of his brethren, Luigi found work in the coal mines. Louie Carnino, as he began to be known found employment with Pacific Coast Coal Co. He petitioned for Naturalization in June 1914, five years after arriving, then signed his Oath of Allegiance in Nov. 1916 to become an American citizen. At the time he was working as a motorman in the coal mine. His draft card listed him as 5’ 4”, 160 pounds, with a small scar on the right side of his forehead.
This photo was taken at an unknown coal mine location, probably in the 1930s. Louie Carnino, sporting a mustache is highlighted in the second row, third from the left. The miners, wearing headlamps like Carnino, no doubt worked underground, while those who didn’t likely labored aboveground in surface occupations around the tipple where the coal was initially processed. The men are gathered in front of a coal car tethered by a 1” steel cable and parked at the top of the slope called the portal. This photo comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah historian, with photo enhancements by Doug Burham, a Tahoma photography instructor and owner of Boomers Photography in Maple Valley.
The Carnino family would soon grow to five children with the birth of Angelo in 1914, Mary in 1918, Barney in 1921, John in 1924, and Judith in 1927. Their family home was located on 5th Street, south of Black Diamond city hall in an area packed with other Italian families. The Carninos would play an important part in Black Diamond’s history.
The three brothers, Angelo (‘Ang’), Barney, and John opened the Carnino Brothers Garage on Highway 169. The masonry building constructed in 1946 still stands. It’s located next door to Boots Tavern, which was owned by fellow Italians, Richard and Emilio Pierotti, who early in life were nicknamed ‘Boots’ and “Meg.’ Angelo left the Carnino Bros. garage to become service manager at Paulson Chevrolet in Enumclaw, later Gamblin Motors. John left to work for King County as a mechanic, while Barney remained at the garage until 1981 and then joined the Auburn School District as a bus mechanic. Barney recently passed away in Dec. 2023 at age 102. Mary and Judith married and moved away but both eventually settled in Aberdeen and Hoquiam.
As for Louie Carnino, he continued working in the mines until the 1930s when he went to work for the Black Diamond School District as a custodian, retiring in 1951. He died of congestive heart failure due to Parkinson’s disease in Aug. 1961 at age 73, preceded by his wife, Tersilla who passed away in July 1949, at age 58.
