Green County's recently adopted tagline "There's An Art to it," is highly appropriate, and it comes alive at Monroe's National Historic Cheesemaking Center (NHCC) on Saturday with a live demonstration of cheesemaking as it was done in bygone days.
When growing up on that dairy farm north of town, I never would have connected Green County to art. My introduction to what passed for "art" was those "cut and paste" exercises in elementary school. I had no problem with arithmetic, spelling, writing and the rest of it. But I detested those "cut and paste" exercises in futility.
I have long since gained an appreciation for what art really is. A dictionary definition is "employment of intelligent and skillful means to the accomplishment of some end; a system of rules directive of such employment." Another related definition is "practice of a system directed to the production of a work of art; the result of such employment."
Surely, these formal definitions include tangible items of our local culture including our ethnic music and cuisine, cheesemaking, brewing, wood carving, quilting, scherenschnitte and much more. The forthcoming cheesemaking demonstration on Saturday will turn back the pages of history.
A brief review of our cheesemaking art and culture begins with those immigrants from Canton Glarus back in 1845, led by Nicolas Duerst and Fridolin Streiff that settled in northern Green County. Earlier European settlers of Green County were Yankees from the east, and wheat was the predominant agricultural crop.
The lush hilly, wooded lands of Green County were ideal for dairy cattle. Early Swiss settlers purchased dairy cows from Ohio. With that, farm wives started making cheese for home use.
When the wheat crops failed, greater emphasis was put on dairy production. Swiss immigrant Nicolas Gerber, moving here from New York, is credited with starting the first commercial cheese factory, making Limburger.
During latter decades of the 1800s, immigrants from other, mostly German speaking, parts of Switzerland arrived in Green County, including the southern part formerly settled by Yankees. Dairy farming and cheesemaking flourished, with some interesting sidelights.
Politicians passing obtuse legislation are not a new phenomenon. During the 1870s, Monroe's city fathers passed an ordinance prohibiting the transportation of Limburger cheese through town. It took Yankee businessman Arabut Ludlow to render a stern practical lesson in economic development. Ludlow called a bunch of farmers and cheesemakers to his farm - incidentally, bordering land that would in 1902 become my grandfather's "John Waelti farm" - loaded a bunch of wagons with Limburger and, to the accompaniment of a brass band, paraded the entourage to the courthouse Square. Ludlow announced that "Cheese is here to stay." His words were prophetic.
Although Ludlow created his own early version of "Cheese Days," the Cheese Days celebration we know and love didn't happen until 1914, the result of some Monroe citizens traveling to Forreston, Illinois and their "Sauerkraut Day."
The Great Depression was almost the death knell of Cheese Days but for a recalcitrant postmaster of Independence, Iowa. This myopic character refused to allow Limburger through his portals - it was intended to be delivered to a patient as a palliative for an illness of sorts. This recalcitrance infuriated Monroe's postmaster who declared "Limburger War."
This drama, waged on neutral ground of Dubuque, Iowa, was recently featured on the nationally televised "Mysteries of the Museum" series. The practical effect at the time was that Cheese Days was rejuvenated and, with the exception of WWII, has become what is colloquially known as "a big deal."
Speaking of big deals, a confluence of events and the diligent and tireless work of a bunch of dedicated citizens are responsible for our current NHCC.
The late Larry Lindgren and John Bussman were early on concerned that the contributions of early cheesemakers to economic and social growth of this area would be lost, as were already many early tools of the cheesemaking trade. By the early 1970s another group including Walter Donovan, Ed Rufenacht, and Doran Zwygart had attempted to establish a "Cheese Hall of Fame." But funding was not available.
Lindgren and Bussman were determined to commemorate "the era that was that will never be again."
The Wisconsin Swiss and Limburger Cheese Producers and the Foreign Type Cheesemakers, along with the Cheese Country Recreational Trail, provided some start-up money. Donna Bahler of Historic Monroe, was concerned about the fate of Monroe's abandoned Milwaukee Road railroad depot. With Historic Monroe's vision, a home for NHCC was found.
The old depot was relocated to its present site in April 1993. Committee members Sue Disch, Dennis Dalton, Sharon Riese and Bahler were instrumental in acquiring and moving the building. Nate Roth oversaw crafting the interior. Artist Janeen Babler designed the logo and worked with Roth and others on interior displays.
Back to 1902, Alfred and Anna Imobersteg emigrated from Canton Bern, and farmed across the line in Illinois. They made Swiss, Limburger, and brick cheese in a little building that housed a Swiss-style copper kettle. They stopped making cheese in 1917, but the building and equipment remained over the years.
In spring of 2009, an alert neighbor suggested to NHCC director Mary Ann Hanna that she ought to see this old building. With Arnold Imobersteg's encouragement, other members of NHCC visited it.
Expressing appreciation for the work of NHCC in preserving cheesemaking history, Arnold offered the building and relevant contents to NHCC. In June 2010, the Imobersteg Factory was moved to NHCC property.
And that his how our history and culture comes alive every June. This Saturday a group of our master cheesemakers will receive an allotment of milk and, before your eyes, make a wheel of genuine Swiss cheese in the restored Imobersteg Factory.
Just as Tom Sawyer's pals took their turn at painting his fence, visitors will be invited to take their turn at stirring the kettle - participating for real in our art, history, and culture.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
When growing up on that dairy farm north of town, I never would have connected Green County to art. My introduction to what passed for "art" was those "cut and paste" exercises in elementary school. I had no problem with arithmetic, spelling, writing and the rest of it. But I detested those "cut and paste" exercises in futility.
I have long since gained an appreciation for what art really is. A dictionary definition is "employment of intelligent and skillful means to the accomplishment of some end; a system of rules directive of such employment." Another related definition is "practice of a system directed to the production of a work of art; the result of such employment."
Surely, these formal definitions include tangible items of our local culture including our ethnic music and cuisine, cheesemaking, brewing, wood carving, quilting, scherenschnitte and much more. The forthcoming cheesemaking demonstration on Saturday will turn back the pages of history.
A brief review of our cheesemaking art and culture begins with those immigrants from Canton Glarus back in 1845, led by Nicolas Duerst and Fridolin Streiff that settled in northern Green County. Earlier European settlers of Green County were Yankees from the east, and wheat was the predominant agricultural crop.
The lush hilly, wooded lands of Green County were ideal for dairy cattle. Early Swiss settlers purchased dairy cows from Ohio. With that, farm wives started making cheese for home use.
When the wheat crops failed, greater emphasis was put on dairy production. Swiss immigrant Nicolas Gerber, moving here from New York, is credited with starting the first commercial cheese factory, making Limburger.
During latter decades of the 1800s, immigrants from other, mostly German speaking, parts of Switzerland arrived in Green County, including the southern part formerly settled by Yankees. Dairy farming and cheesemaking flourished, with some interesting sidelights.
Politicians passing obtuse legislation are not a new phenomenon. During the 1870s, Monroe's city fathers passed an ordinance prohibiting the transportation of Limburger cheese through town. It took Yankee businessman Arabut Ludlow to render a stern practical lesson in economic development. Ludlow called a bunch of farmers and cheesemakers to his farm - incidentally, bordering land that would in 1902 become my grandfather's "John Waelti farm" - loaded a bunch of wagons with Limburger and, to the accompaniment of a brass band, paraded the entourage to the courthouse Square. Ludlow announced that "Cheese is here to stay." His words were prophetic.
Although Ludlow created his own early version of "Cheese Days," the Cheese Days celebration we know and love didn't happen until 1914, the result of some Monroe citizens traveling to Forreston, Illinois and their "Sauerkraut Day."
The Great Depression was almost the death knell of Cheese Days but for a recalcitrant postmaster of Independence, Iowa. This myopic character refused to allow Limburger through his portals - it was intended to be delivered to a patient as a palliative for an illness of sorts. This recalcitrance infuriated Monroe's postmaster who declared "Limburger War."
This drama, waged on neutral ground of Dubuque, Iowa, was recently featured on the nationally televised "Mysteries of the Museum" series. The practical effect at the time was that Cheese Days was rejuvenated and, with the exception of WWII, has become what is colloquially known as "a big deal."
Speaking of big deals, a confluence of events and the diligent and tireless work of a bunch of dedicated citizens are responsible for our current NHCC.
The late Larry Lindgren and John Bussman were early on concerned that the contributions of early cheesemakers to economic and social growth of this area would be lost, as were already many early tools of the cheesemaking trade. By the early 1970s another group including Walter Donovan, Ed Rufenacht, and Doran Zwygart had attempted to establish a "Cheese Hall of Fame." But funding was not available.
Lindgren and Bussman were determined to commemorate "the era that was that will never be again."
The Wisconsin Swiss and Limburger Cheese Producers and the Foreign Type Cheesemakers, along with the Cheese Country Recreational Trail, provided some start-up money. Donna Bahler of Historic Monroe, was concerned about the fate of Monroe's abandoned Milwaukee Road railroad depot. With Historic Monroe's vision, a home for NHCC was found.
The old depot was relocated to its present site in April 1993. Committee members Sue Disch, Dennis Dalton, Sharon Riese and Bahler were instrumental in acquiring and moving the building. Nate Roth oversaw crafting the interior. Artist Janeen Babler designed the logo and worked with Roth and others on interior displays.
Back to 1902, Alfred and Anna Imobersteg emigrated from Canton Bern, and farmed across the line in Illinois. They made Swiss, Limburger, and brick cheese in a little building that housed a Swiss-style copper kettle. They stopped making cheese in 1917, but the building and equipment remained over the years.
In spring of 2009, an alert neighbor suggested to NHCC director Mary Ann Hanna that she ought to see this old building. With Arnold Imobersteg's encouragement, other members of NHCC visited it.
Expressing appreciation for the work of NHCC in preserving cheesemaking history, Arnold offered the building and relevant contents to NHCC. In June 2010, the Imobersteg Factory was moved to NHCC property.
And that his how our history and culture comes alive every June. This Saturday a group of our master cheesemakers will receive an allotment of milk and, before your eyes, make a wheel of genuine Swiss cheese in the restored Imobersteg Factory.
Just as Tom Sawyer's pals took their turn at painting his fence, visitors will be invited to take their turn at stirring the kettle - participating for real in our art, history, and culture.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
