Switzerland thrives on tourism. Canton Glarus and the idyllic village of Elm are not on the list of popular tourist destinations. But descendants of Swiss immigrants from this area of southern Wisconsin take a far different view of this matter. The initial arrival in 1845 of a few immigrants from poverty-stricken Canton Glarus led to a flood of immigrants from all the German-speaking Swiss cantons, leading to Monroe, New Glarus, and surrounding area being portrayed as "America's Little Switzerland," and making a major contribution to Wisconsin's identity as "The Cheese State." It was thus fitting that Canton Glarus would be the first stop for Turner Hall of Monroe's 2017 Switzerland Tour group.
We were led by Hans and Bobbie Bernet, and Greg and Deb Krauss Smith, with their impeccable credentials. Hans is the son of local beloved iconic figure, Martha Bernet who, with her husband, Werner, emigrated from Switzerland to Green County after WWII. Hans has a degree in European history from UW-Madison, is fluent in Swiss-German, and has taught German in Europe, including to Defense Department personnel. Hans and his wife, Bobbie Benkert Bernet, have traveled extensively in Europe, including Switzerland via bicycle, and know it intimately.
The mission of Turner Hall is to preserve and promote our Swiss heritage. Greg Smith was instrumental in saving Turner Hall from becoming a common sports bar about 15 years ago. His wife, Deb Krauss, chairs Turner Hall's Swiss Heritage series, of which the tour is a part, and has long led the Monroe Swiss Singers. This tour was their sixth trip to Switzerland. Obviously, knowledgeable leaders such as these enrich the travel experience.
After the flight from Chicago to Zurich, Swiss Airlines, of course, and the usual airport drill, our tour bus takes the several hour route to Glarus, capital of Canton Glarus. We ride up the valley through Schwanden. It was from Schwanden, in 1879, that Samuel Zopfi, wife Sabina (Disch) Zopfi, and daughters Sabina and Kathrina, left Schwanden for Green County. There, daughter Sabina met another Swiss immigrant, Johann Waelti from Canton Bern. They married and had six kids and thirteen grandchildren, of which four of us are still around. Slight variations of that story are typical of countless residents around here.
We reach the village of Elm. The sky is overcast and the air soft and cool. The only sound is cowbells tinkling in the distance, broken only by an occasional passing vehicle and some dogs barking. Some hunters from across Europe, staying at the local hotel, are holding a competitive event with their hunting dogs.
The village of Elm is as idyllic and scenic as any in Switzerland, remarkably untouched, even undiscovered, it's fair to say. Incredibly, a third of its people still make their living in agriculture. Elm's population is a bit over 600, and decreasing. Many of the wooden houses date back to the 17th century and are perfectly preserved, so much so that the village has been commended by Swiss and European heritage societies. But the village nevertheless remains "undiscovered" by tourists.
A unique feature of the area is the "Martin's Hole," a natural round hole in the mountain. During March 12 and 13, and September 30 and October 1, the sun shines for about one minute at sunrise onto the area around the church. Observers claim that it is like a giant floodlight.
The church bears a plaque bearing the name of 114 people killed in an avalanche on September 11, 1881. Mines in the area produced slate, such as that used on chalk boards. An unusually wet season, combined with the mining activities, caused instability in the mountainside, leading to the deadly avalanche. Adam Hauser, great-great grandfather of Monroe resident, Sherry Anderegg, was among those killed in the avalanche. Many bodies were never recovered.
Canton Glarus is among the least populated of Switzerland's cantons. It remains one of only two cantons to retain the "Landsgemeinde," a system of government in which eligible citizens of the canton meet in the open air to decide issues. Voting is accomplished by the raising of hands, democracy in its simplest and purest form.
With a casual walk through the streets of Glarus, one is struck by familiar names we know in Green County. Obviously, many people of our own New Glarus and Green County are descended from those of Canton Glarus. Although we know that, it's quite an experience to walk down those streets and see so many familiar names, too numerous to cite here.
Canton Glarus is about half Protestant and half Catholic. The Protestant church of Glarus is the Swiss Reformed Church, with roots in the Reformation of 1517. Started in Zurich in the early 1520s by reformer Huldrych Zwingli, the movement that resulted in the Swiss Reformed Church was brought by early Swiss immigrants to the United States. Churches and denominations based on the Swiss Reformed Church were established in the U.S., and through several denominational mergers in the last century, came to be known as the United Church of Christ (UCC). Many of our local descendants of Swiss immigrants are either Catholic or members of the UCC. It is because of this Swiss link, and the large numbers of Swiss descendants, that Green County is one of only two counties in the U.S. where the UCC is the dominant Protestant denomination. This also explains why several of our regional UCC churches bear the Zwingli name.
Reading the names on graves of the cemeteries behind the churches of Glarus and the village of Elm is like going through the telephone books of Monroe and New Glarus.
Familiar family names, cows, grass, cheese - that's Switzerland that we in this region know and identify with. It's our heritage. But it's only part of the story of Switzerland. That small, but very diverse nation, is much more than that.
Next week: On to Canton Ticino - Italian Switzerland.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in the Monroe Times.
We were led by Hans and Bobbie Bernet, and Greg and Deb Krauss Smith, with their impeccable credentials. Hans is the son of local beloved iconic figure, Martha Bernet who, with her husband, Werner, emigrated from Switzerland to Green County after WWII. Hans has a degree in European history from UW-Madison, is fluent in Swiss-German, and has taught German in Europe, including to Defense Department personnel. Hans and his wife, Bobbie Benkert Bernet, have traveled extensively in Europe, including Switzerland via bicycle, and know it intimately.
The mission of Turner Hall is to preserve and promote our Swiss heritage. Greg Smith was instrumental in saving Turner Hall from becoming a common sports bar about 15 years ago. His wife, Deb Krauss, chairs Turner Hall's Swiss Heritage series, of which the tour is a part, and has long led the Monroe Swiss Singers. This tour was their sixth trip to Switzerland. Obviously, knowledgeable leaders such as these enrich the travel experience.
After the flight from Chicago to Zurich, Swiss Airlines, of course, and the usual airport drill, our tour bus takes the several hour route to Glarus, capital of Canton Glarus. We ride up the valley through Schwanden. It was from Schwanden, in 1879, that Samuel Zopfi, wife Sabina (Disch) Zopfi, and daughters Sabina and Kathrina, left Schwanden for Green County. There, daughter Sabina met another Swiss immigrant, Johann Waelti from Canton Bern. They married and had six kids and thirteen grandchildren, of which four of us are still around. Slight variations of that story are typical of countless residents around here.
We reach the village of Elm. The sky is overcast and the air soft and cool. The only sound is cowbells tinkling in the distance, broken only by an occasional passing vehicle and some dogs barking. Some hunters from across Europe, staying at the local hotel, are holding a competitive event with their hunting dogs.
The village of Elm is as idyllic and scenic as any in Switzerland, remarkably untouched, even undiscovered, it's fair to say. Incredibly, a third of its people still make their living in agriculture. Elm's population is a bit over 600, and decreasing. Many of the wooden houses date back to the 17th century and are perfectly preserved, so much so that the village has been commended by Swiss and European heritage societies. But the village nevertheless remains "undiscovered" by tourists.
A unique feature of the area is the "Martin's Hole," a natural round hole in the mountain. During March 12 and 13, and September 30 and October 1, the sun shines for about one minute at sunrise onto the area around the church. Observers claim that it is like a giant floodlight.
The church bears a plaque bearing the name of 114 people killed in an avalanche on September 11, 1881. Mines in the area produced slate, such as that used on chalk boards. An unusually wet season, combined with the mining activities, caused instability in the mountainside, leading to the deadly avalanche. Adam Hauser, great-great grandfather of Monroe resident, Sherry Anderegg, was among those killed in the avalanche. Many bodies were never recovered.
Canton Glarus is among the least populated of Switzerland's cantons. It remains one of only two cantons to retain the "Landsgemeinde," a system of government in which eligible citizens of the canton meet in the open air to decide issues. Voting is accomplished by the raising of hands, democracy in its simplest and purest form.
With a casual walk through the streets of Glarus, one is struck by familiar names we know in Green County. Obviously, many people of our own New Glarus and Green County are descended from those of Canton Glarus. Although we know that, it's quite an experience to walk down those streets and see so many familiar names, too numerous to cite here.
Canton Glarus is about half Protestant and half Catholic. The Protestant church of Glarus is the Swiss Reformed Church, with roots in the Reformation of 1517. Started in Zurich in the early 1520s by reformer Huldrych Zwingli, the movement that resulted in the Swiss Reformed Church was brought by early Swiss immigrants to the United States. Churches and denominations based on the Swiss Reformed Church were established in the U.S., and through several denominational mergers in the last century, came to be known as the United Church of Christ (UCC). Many of our local descendants of Swiss immigrants are either Catholic or members of the UCC. It is because of this Swiss link, and the large numbers of Swiss descendants, that Green County is one of only two counties in the U.S. where the UCC is the dominant Protestant denomination. This also explains why several of our regional UCC churches bear the Zwingli name.
Reading the names on graves of the cemeteries behind the churches of Glarus and the village of Elm is like going through the telephone books of Monroe and New Glarus.
Familiar family names, cows, grass, cheese - that's Switzerland that we in this region know and identify with. It's our heritage. But it's only part of the story of Switzerland. That small, but very diverse nation, is much more than that.
Next week: On to Canton Ticino - Italian Switzerland.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in the Monroe Times.
