America

In February 1876 Henryk Sienkiewicz goes to America as a corespondent of "Polish Newspaper" ("Gazeta Polska"). The money for this travel descended from the chief editor. To pay the money back Sienkiewicz writes "Letters from America" - series of reports - feuilletons which quickly became popular and saved the newspaper from bankruptcy. He went to America by Torun, Berlin, Kolonia, Brussels, Calais, Dower and London. After 7 day journey from England he found himself in New York, he stayed there for 5 days and then by Railway of Two Oceans set out on a journey through America. After a month-long journey he stoped in San Francisco. He met there many Poles and made many friendships, finaly left it in June 1876. He went to California to find a place for a farm, because in Warsaw he planed with friends that they would also come to America and together they would establish a commune on the farm. He chose Anaheim.

In September Mr. and Mrs. Chłapowski (Helena Modrzejewska, on the left) with their son and a maid, Mr. and Mrs. Sypniewski with their two children and Lucjan Paprocki came to the farm. They planed to cultivate orange trees and in the beginning everything was all right. "Ladies used to prepare dinners, gentlemen hunted, in the evenings they used to listen to the music and read books" - it is Sienkiewicz's relation, Helena Modrzejewska wrote about it differently. Breakfasts were very complicated tasks, because everyone wanted something else. Work wasn't as pleasant as they had thought and after first two of them wanted to move. They had also problems with animals - no one of theme was able to milk cows, and dogs used to eat eggs before they had a chance to take them. Sienkiewicz was the first one who left Anaheim but same time later all of them follow him. This cost them "only" 15000$.

Sienkiewicz could travel again. After the sojourn on the farm he lived for a while in authentic Indians' village. Next year - 1877- was a new stage in writer's travel. First he staid for not long in San Francisco, where Helena Modrzejewska played in local theatre. Afterwards he visited Sebastopol, Haywood, Maripoza and again San Francisco. In October he went to Wyoming for hunting and after that he returned to San Francisco to meet the rest. The beginning of 1878 he spent travelling to Boston, Pitsburgh and New York. In March Sienkiewicz came back to Europe.