The Kalmyk people are originally from western Mongolia. Their westward migration into the Russian steppes began in 1618 after a prolonged conflict with the rulers of Mongolia. After more than a century of prosperity in Russia, the Kalmyks fled into Turkey and Eastern Europe to escape the Bolshevik revolution. During WWII, many Kalmyks were deported to Siberia or dispersed throughout Europe. Those Kalmyks who sought refuge in Displaced Persons camps run by the Americans after the war eventually arrived in the U.S. in 1951 and 1952. A group of Kalmyks settled in Howell, NJ at that time and established Buddhist Temples along the Route 9 corridor that remain to this day.
The Kalmyks’ Russian connection is evident in the Russian Orthodox churches also present in Lakewood and Howell. Kalmykia exists as an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation and maintains diplomatic and cultural ties with Mongolia.
The Monmouth Muse 
Dear sir / madam, I am doing a short video project on the Kalmyks of Kyrgyzstan, and I came across this post. Your image at the top, “The Kalmyk Odyssey” seems to be unique on the Internet and I would like to ask you about the source, and whether you have a higher resolution copy of it available? Thank you kindly in advance for your time.
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I scanned and edited a copy of the map that I picked up at a county event. I do not have the original. If I can find some contact information about the group that distributed the map, I will forward to you.
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