Solomon Bibo takes a steamship across the Atlantic to NY while still a teenager…
1869
Solomon travels from Bremen, Germany, on October 16, 1869 on a steamboat and pays 55 thaler (about $40.00) for his passage to the US. The transatlantic journey takes about 7-8 days. It’s an exhausting and nerve-wrecking affair, especially for the 16-year old Solomon who yearns for adventure but can’t really imagine what lies ahead. The ship is full of all manner of characters, from families to cutthroats.
Solomon lands in NYC where he spends some time learning English before heading westward to Santa Fe, where work with family friends, the Spiegelbergs, is waiting for him.
Also waiting in the Wild West are a few of his brothers who immigrated to the US a few years earlier.
