1927 Norka Film by Heinrich Wacker
The following description of the film was prepared by Emma S. Haynes in 1978 and was updated by Jan Traci Roth (AHSGR staff) in 1998.
This documentary on the colony of Norka was filmed by Mr. Heinrich Walker (original surname Wacker), who was born in Norka on September 7, 1888. Heinrich married Amalia Nagel (born October 6, 1885) on January 22, 1908 and came to the United States in May 1909, sponsored by his Uncle Henry Pauli of Portland, Oregon. His wife and first-born son, John, along with other relatives arrived in Portland in 1910.
Heinrich watched future events in Russia with an anxious eye, and many of his relatives, including his brother John, remained in Russia. In 1921-22, there was a famine in Russia which was particularly severe along the Volga River. In 1926, Heinrich went to Berlin, Germany in hopes of visiting his native village, but was unable to obtain a visa. In 1927, he returned to Germany a second time, and with the help of someone at the German embassy he was able to reach Norka. It was during this trip that this film was made.
(Note: There is some discrepancy as to the date of this trip Heinrich made to Germany. Heinrich’s grandson, Mr. Conrad Walker of San Diego, California, gives 1927 as the year of the first trip, and 1928 as the date of the second trip. But Heinrich’s daughter Marie states that the film was taken in 1927, and Heinrich’s first trip was approximately 1½ years prior to this filming.)
During this filming, Heinrich was in Norka approximately 2 weeks. He filmed the village at considerable risk because of regulations against filming village scenes. It is believed that the contact at the German embassy who helped him reach Norka helped him smuggle the film out as well.
At the beginning of the film, there are pictures of the Atlantic crossing, as well as some scenes while in Berlin. The Russian part is taken entirely in Norka, although there is a small section of film which shows pavement, a truck and taxicab in Saratov, as well as scenes of a Volga excursion boat. (Note: This section should have come at the end of the film, but was spliced incorrectly while being prepared for the Portland convention.)
Heinrich wanted to portray both positive and negative aspects of the conditions in Norka. He shows the only two brick houses in Norka, the white house belonging to the Albrecht family. There is also a harvesting scene in which the brother of Jacob Aschenbrenner of Portland, Oregon is shown.
Another scene represents the relatives of a Portland Chapter member, Walter Krieger. This scene shows four ladies in white, with a darker dressed girl (who was the maid) in the center, standing on stairs leading to a porch. Seated in the foreground are an Aunt and Uncle of Walter, and seated behind them are Walter’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Krieger.
After Heinrich returned to Oregon, he often showed the film and gave talks about the conditions in Norka. He tried to gather money for the poor people of the colony of Norka, but had difficulty in forwarding the funds to Russia.
At some time, Heinrich gave the film to his neighbor Jacob Aschenbrenner for safekeeping. Jacob Aschenbrenner’s nephew, Walter Krieger, often rented a projector as a boy to show the film to interested people.
Heinrich Walker moved to California in 1930 where he raised and fattened livestock on a small ranch in Montebello (webmaster note: Montebello is near Asuza). Here he lived until a stroke took his life on January 22, 1953. His film, however, continued to remain in the Jacob Aschenbrenner home and was passed on to George Aschenbrenner, Jacob’s son.
In 1973, the AHSGR convention was held in Portland, Oregon. At this time, Walter Krieger and Jack Deines took the film to a laboratory for inspection. At this time, they found that the film could be copied for $125, if they both helped to edit the film. Editing of the Norka film turned out to be quite difficult, because of the condition of the film. Several sections of the film were torn and therefore removed. The result is that some segments were misplaced, but on the whole everyone was satisfied with it. This is a unique portrayal of life in the German colonies during the 1920's.
Information regarding the film obtained from:
The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in Lincoln, Nebraska
Conrad Walker
Correspondence between Marie Walker and Emma Deines - November 1974
Correspondence between Walter Krieger and David J. Miller - January 1976
Correspondence between David J. Miller and AHSGR Board of Directors - February 1976
Additional Notes About The Film
It is very possible that some of the scenes in the film were taken in the colonies of Balzer and Huck which are on one of the common travel routes to Norka from Saratov. For example, a close examination of the churches in the film indicate that there are three distinct buildings. Two of the churches in the film seem to correspond with photographs of the churches in Norka and Balzer. Another smaller church shown in the film is likely to be the one located in Huck. No photos of the church in Huck are known to exist, so this fact cannot be verified.
According to Walter C. Krieger, before departing from Norka, Heinrich Wacker donated all of his clothing with the exception of what he was wearing.
Two copies were made of the original 16mm film. One copy is held by the AHSGR headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska and another copy was held by Marie and Walter Krieger in Portland, Oregon. The copy in Lincoln was restored by the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Walter Krieger's sister, Rachel Krieger Holmes, recalls information about this film in her story Successful Research: "Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack".
Mr. Robert Benson, Norka Village Coordinator for AHSGR, is editing the film and gathering additional information about it. A video documentary based on the film is pending completion and will be distributed through the AHSGR.
According to Jerry Siebert (past AHSGR President), during a visit to Russia in 2005 he was shown a film that was taken in Norka in the 1920s. This film is held in the Saratov Archives. The existence of the film was confirmed by Aleksey Voronezhtsev, the Director of the archive in 2005. It is believed that this film is different from the Heinrich Wacker film taken in 1927.
Please contact the webmaster if you have any information about this film.
The film was shown regularly in Portland's Volga German neighborhood after Walker's return from Russia. Several Portlander's (including Walter C. Krieger) recorded an audio tape in 1985 with their recollections as they watched the film.
Norka Film Narrative - Time 42:46 - MP3 format - 39.1 MB
According to Arthur Flegel, Heinrich Wacker was commissioned to go to Norka and film specific families. His travel expenses were paid in part by these families who wanted to see their relatives in Norka.
The small tractor shown in one of the scenes is a 1918 "Fordson"(Ford and Son Tractor Company). The Fordson was Henry Ford’s answer to help small farmers find a reliable, cheap tractor. The Fordson was built in the United States and many were sent to Russia. A photo of a Fordson tractor can be seen at the following website: http://www.agmuseum.com/1918_fordson_tractor.htm
Still images taken from the 1927 film
Additional Information About Heinrich Wacker
from Tricia Evans
Uncle Heinrich Wacker (Henry Walker) came to America via Ellis Island about 1909. Approximately three years later, Henry sponsored his widowed mother and siblings' immigration to the United States along with his wife and firstborn son, Johannes. They also came through Ellis Island. Henry's youngest brother, Jacob Conrad Wacker (Jack Walker) always told me he arrived in America when he was six years old. He also had a sister, Catharina Maria Wacker who married Peter Bauer. The dates used above are based on that memory combined with my grandmother's death certificate which states she immigrated in 1907. (Note: My maternal grandmother was Henry (Wacker) Walker's sister.)
Henry Walker as a member of the Russian military is shown on the left of this photo provided courtesy of Tricia Evans. Tricia states "This photograph has the most terrific enamel painting on top of the black and white photography. The paint is original to the picture. I believe the picture is circa 1905 and was probably taken in Norka. On the back of photo, printed in Russian, are the words: Photography - G. Meyer."
Henry had an aunt and uncle (Anna Catherina Wacker and Adam Giebelhaus) living in the Stony Plains, Alberta, Canada vicinity. It was, undoubtedly, why Henry relocated his family for a short period of time to Vegreville, Canada. Family stories are that the two families were quite close and maintained communication throughout their lives although Henry eventually relocated to the southern California area.
Uncle Henry owned a large hog ranch in Azusa, California during the late 1920's and early 1930's on land that is now the Lakewood Shopping Center.
Henry and his wife, Molly, had five children:
1. John Wacker (born November 30, 1908 in Norka, Saratov, Russia and died circa 1987)
2. Maria Wacker (born February 4, 1911 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon)
3. Lydia Elizabeth Wacker (born January 22, 1915 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon; died July 1975 in Orange, California)
4. Henry (Hank) G. Wacker (born October 1, 1921 in Vegreville, Canada; died October 13, 1996 in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida); Yvonne Walker Nash told me that Hank Walker was a boat builder in Florida and built Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis' yacht. (I've not tried to verify)
5. Conrad (Connie) Wacker (born November 11, 1912 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon)
Henry was known as the "Godfather" of our family. It was Henry who always stepped up to help a family member who was struggling. He was responsible for his brother Jack Walker, Jack's son Jackie Walker, his brother-in-law Bernie Nash, and my father Walter Henry Bauer having the ability to purchase trash disposal businesses in the southern California area during the 1940's through the 1960's. Uncle Henry also owned a trolley and taxi business in Portland before moving to California. He got my grandfather started with a trolley also.
I was always told the hog ranch was in Azusa. I noted that the AHSGR notes (see the left column on this page) have the location as Montebello. Either location could be accurate as town borders have changed over the years. I think the property is now in Lakewood.