Interior view of the North Side Cheese Factory in Monticello, circa 1950. Fritz Escher (1910–1981) and Art Escher (1912–1990) lift cheese curd from a vat while Walter Etter (1914–1986) looks on. Frederick and Arthur Escher were the sons of Emil and Emilie Escher. Emil, the son of Ludwig and Mary Wilhelm Escher, was born on November 4, 1881, in Alsace-Lorraine, then part of the German Empire. As a young man, he served three years in the German navy before immigrating to the United States on December 25, 1905, and settling in Monticello. May 5, 1909, he married Emilie Sauter (1883–1953). In 1933, a group of farmers called Emil to Monticello to help organize the Monticello North Side Swiss Cheese Co-op. He became the first cheesemaker at the new plant, which opened in early June 1934. His sons, Fritz and Art, assisted him at the cheese factory and took over operations when he retired in 1940. For more stories like this, go to www.monticellohistoricalsociety.org.