Alesandro Mastro-Valerio
- In 1888, this Italian Immigrant bought a tract of government land in the modern-day area of Daphne - Belforest. Mr. Mastro-Valerio was concerned with the living conditions of his fellow countrymen in northern Italian citizens. By buying this rural land, he hoped to give his colonists a chance at a better life as farmers. He dedicated 14 years of his life to the colony and worked with the United States Department of Agriculture and the State Experiment Station at Auburn. New colonists were offered 25 - 50 acres of land for a price of $1.50 to $5.00 an acre. Although they initially grew grapes imported from Italy, by the mid 1920's they were cultivating potatoes and corn. The colony was successful and by the year 1928, Mr. Mastro-Valerio was in Chicago, where he was working as the Editor and manager of La Tribuna Italiana, an Italian newspaper.(2)(3)