Italian Immigrants On Sunnyside Plantation

In 1895 Austin Corbin, a New York banker and land developer, working with immigration officials brought 100 families from north central Italy to grow cotton at Sunnyside, a plantation located between the Mississippi River and Lake Chicot. These Italians struggled against exploitation, prejudice and language barriers, and many died of malaria and other lowland diseases. Many of their descendants are now among the leading citizens of Arkansas and the nation.