Cheese Days, its 100th anniversary dating from 1914, is now only two weeks off. But the historical background for this celebration dates long before 1914, in Canton Glarus, Switzerland.
By 1845, Canton Glarus had experienced several years of failed crops. As the Canton found itself in deep poverty, its authorities saw emigration to America as a possible solution. They established the Glarus Emigration Society to offer loans to help residents purchase land in the New World.
Early 1845 - two men, Nicolas Duerst and Fridolin Streiff, were dispatched to find a suitable location for a colony in North America. With $2,600, they were instructed to purchase land, build cabins and prepare for settlers to arrive the following spring
Duerst and Streiff began their search in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, before reaching St. Louis. They traveled up-river, reaching Galena, Ill., in early July. From there, they traveled to the land office in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. They investigated several tracts of land in the southern Wisconsin Territory and decided on a tract along the Little Sugar River - a fertile basin with hills and trees, purchased for $1,600.
Anxious to start life in the New World, several families from Glarus left in April 1845, far earlier than originally planned. From Rotterdam, they expected to sail to New York where friends were to meet them. However, they were re-routed to Baltimore, Md., arriving after a 49-day voyage.
With no knowledge of where Duerst and Streiff were, they continued west, hearing rumors of deaths of Duerst and Streiff. They reached St. Louis and boarded a steamboat to Galena where they learned that Duerst and Streiff not only were alive, but had already purchased land for settlement.
Eighteen members of the party walked the sixty-two miles to the new location and dispatched wagons back to Galena to pick up the rest of the party. With that, some 108 settlers had arrived by August 15, 1845.
Many of the settlers were carpenters and mechanics, trades that were to prove useful. As incredible as it seems, 12 families spent their first winter in the community's only wooden hut. Their diet consisted mainly of potatoes and fish caught in the Little Sugar River. To survive, men worked in lead mines in nearby Exeter and Mineral Point.
In autumn of 1846, John Jacob Tschudy arrived in the settlement to replace Duerst, and helped Streiff manage the colony. After their first winter in the New World, the residents purchased cattle from Ohio at $12 per head. Surplus milk was made into cheese that would carry them through the winter. Little could they know that this was to be the origin of a great dairy farming and cheesemaking regional economy - but not right away.
The first settlers of European origin in the region were "Yankees," from New England. At the time, Southern Wisconsin was wheat country. However, invasive organisms cut wheat yields, making it unprofitable. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of Swiss from many cantons of Switzerland had been arriving to New Glarus and Green County, and the numbers of cattle had been increasing, nourished by lush grass of the rolling hills.
It was Nickolous Gerber, a Swiss immigrant who moved to Green County from New York and started the region's first cheese factory in 1869. The two primary types of cheese produced in factories in the following years were Limburger and Emmentaler. It is Emmentaler, that golden cheese originally produced in large wheels, with the nutty flavor and large "eyes," that became known as "Swiss" cheese.
Naturally, in Switzerland, all cheese produced there is considered "Swiss" cheese. But what Americans call "Swiss" cheese is really "Emmentaler."
The late 19th century saw large numbers of Swiss immigrants arriving in Green County, including my four grandparents - two from Canton Aargau, one from Canton Bern and one from Canton Glarus. While seeking work on farms and cheese factories, many immigrants stayed at a small rooming house on the corner of 12th Street and 16th Avenue in Monroe. This historic building still stands - the Swiss Haus restaurant.
By 1883 there were 75 cheese factories in operation in Green County. By 1902 there were 105. Since milk was hauled to factories daily by horse and wagon, factories had to be located to accommodate farmers.
Agriculture, especially dairy farming and cheesemaking, has long been the anchor of our regional economy. While it still is key to our culture and heritage, there have been many changes in Green County. One such change is exemplified by a crisis of sorts in New Glarus in the mid 20th century. With declining farm prices and employment, residents of New Glarus were leaving to find work elsewhere. Residents of the village consulted with UW-Madison and the Swiss American Historical Society.
It was decided that tourism could help resurrect the local economy and, in addition, preserve its identity. Local businesses began to actively promote the heritage of New Glarus. Swiss-style architecture was promoted. Festivals once intended mainly for local consumption were promoted and marketed to people throughout the upper Midwest.
While Monroe was settled by Yankees, large numbers of Swiss immigrants settled not just in New Glarus, but throughout Green County. With increased cheese production, Monroe became the center of the Swiss cheese industry, billing itself as the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA."
Today, there are twelve active factories in the county, producing a great variety of cheeses. There remains only one factory in the US producing Limburger, located north of Monroe. Green County hosts more master cheesemakers than any other county in the US.
The influence of the Swiss on Monroe is exemplified by its adoption of the red field and white cross on Monroe's official logo. And the music, art and culture that go with cheesemaking is symbolized by Green County's new tagline, "there's an art to it."
Next week: Cheese Days, its origin, decline and resurgence.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
By 1845, Canton Glarus had experienced several years of failed crops. As the Canton found itself in deep poverty, its authorities saw emigration to America as a possible solution. They established the Glarus Emigration Society to offer loans to help residents purchase land in the New World.
Early 1845 - two men, Nicolas Duerst and Fridolin Streiff, were dispatched to find a suitable location for a colony in North America. With $2,600, they were instructed to purchase land, build cabins and prepare for settlers to arrive the following spring
Duerst and Streiff began their search in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, before reaching St. Louis. They traveled up-river, reaching Galena, Ill., in early July. From there, they traveled to the land office in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. They investigated several tracts of land in the southern Wisconsin Territory and decided on a tract along the Little Sugar River - a fertile basin with hills and trees, purchased for $1,600.
Anxious to start life in the New World, several families from Glarus left in April 1845, far earlier than originally planned. From Rotterdam, they expected to sail to New York where friends were to meet them. However, they were re-routed to Baltimore, Md., arriving after a 49-day voyage.
With no knowledge of where Duerst and Streiff were, they continued west, hearing rumors of deaths of Duerst and Streiff. They reached St. Louis and boarded a steamboat to Galena where they learned that Duerst and Streiff not only were alive, but had already purchased land for settlement.
Eighteen members of the party walked the sixty-two miles to the new location and dispatched wagons back to Galena to pick up the rest of the party. With that, some 108 settlers had arrived by August 15, 1845.
Many of the settlers were carpenters and mechanics, trades that were to prove useful. As incredible as it seems, 12 families spent their first winter in the community's only wooden hut. Their diet consisted mainly of potatoes and fish caught in the Little Sugar River. To survive, men worked in lead mines in nearby Exeter and Mineral Point.
In autumn of 1846, John Jacob Tschudy arrived in the settlement to replace Duerst, and helped Streiff manage the colony. After their first winter in the New World, the residents purchased cattle from Ohio at $12 per head. Surplus milk was made into cheese that would carry them through the winter. Little could they know that this was to be the origin of a great dairy farming and cheesemaking regional economy - but not right away.
The first settlers of European origin in the region were "Yankees," from New England. At the time, Southern Wisconsin was wheat country. However, invasive organisms cut wheat yields, making it unprofitable. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of Swiss from many cantons of Switzerland had been arriving to New Glarus and Green County, and the numbers of cattle had been increasing, nourished by lush grass of the rolling hills.
It was Nickolous Gerber, a Swiss immigrant who moved to Green County from New York and started the region's first cheese factory in 1869. The two primary types of cheese produced in factories in the following years were Limburger and Emmentaler. It is Emmentaler, that golden cheese originally produced in large wheels, with the nutty flavor and large "eyes," that became known as "Swiss" cheese.
Naturally, in Switzerland, all cheese produced there is considered "Swiss" cheese. But what Americans call "Swiss" cheese is really "Emmentaler."
The late 19th century saw large numbers of Swiss immigrants arriving in Green County, including my four grandparents - two from Canton Aargau, one from Canton Bern and one from Canton Glarus. While seeking work on farms and cheese factories, many immigrants stayed at a small rooming house on the corner of 12th Street and 16th Avenue in Monroe. This historic building still stands - the Swiss Haus restaurant.
By 1883 there were 75 cheese factories in operation in Green County. By 1902 there were 105. Since milk was hauled to factories daily by horse and wagon, factories had to be located to accommodate farmers.
Agriculture, especially dairy farming and cheesemaking, has long been the anchor of our regional economy. While it still is key to our culture and heritage, there have been many changes in Green County. One such change is exemplified by a crisis of sorts in New Glarus in the mid 20th century. With declining farm prices and employment, residents of New Glarus were leaving to find work elsewhere. Residents of the village consulted with UW-Madison and the Swiss American Historical Society.
It was decided that tourism could help resurrect the local economy and, in addition, preserve its identity. Local businesses began to actively promote the heritage of New Glarus. Swiss-style architecture was promoted. Festivals once intended mainly for local consumption were promoted and marketed to people throughout the upper Midwest.
While Monroe was settled by Yankees, large numbers of Swiss immigrants settled not just in New Glarus, but throughout Green County. With increased cheese production, Monroe became the center of the Swiss cheese industry, billing itself as the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA."
Today, there are twelve active factories in the county, producing a great variety of cheeses. There remains only one factory in the US producing Limburger, located north of Monroe. Green County hosts more master cheesemakers than any other county in the US.
The influence of the Swiss on Monroe is exemplified by its adoption of the red field and white cross on Monroe's official logo. And the music, art and culture that go with cheesemaking is symbolized by Green County's new tagline, "there's an art to it."
Next week: Cheese Days, its origin, decline and resurgence.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
