Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-08-22
A STRANGE SWISS COLONY.
GRAND DAY IN THE VILLAGE OF
NEW GLARUS.
The Hardy Inhabitants Celebrate the
Fiftieth Anniversary of Set
tlement of the Place.

New Glarus, Wis, Aug. 11.-IeS-
terday was a great day in the village
of New Glarus and one that will long
be remembered by its inhabitants and
the numerous visitors who were pres
ent from different parts Of this and
many other states. 1t was the hftleth
anniversary of the settlement Of
the colony here, which is generally
known as the Swiss colony Of New
Glarus. 1t was on the 18th day OF
August, 1915, that the advanced body
of that hardy and gorgeous band of
pioneers who first settled here az
rived and lay down to rest beneath
the open sky after a most tedious and
trying journey of more than eighteen
weeks.
The celebration held was in COM
memoration Of that event. The days
proceedings began by gathering at
the depot at 9:45 a. M, to meet the
crowd of visitors who arrived on the
special train from GAINESVILLE, Monroe,
Brodhead, Albany, Monticello AMI
other points. From the depot the pro
cession marched to the SchoolhOuse,
from the steps Of which addresses IF
welcome were made by the president
of the day, T. G. Hefty, and S. A.
SCHNEIDER. After the addresses of
welcome the procession marched
through the principal streets and then
repaired to the grove at the north
side of the village where the chief
parts of the exercises of the day were
held and in which had been built a
picturesque log hut after the style Of
the hutS built here in the early days.
The exercises at the grove were
opened with prayer by Rev. Lutz, of
the Swiss Evangelical church, after
which a memorial address was made
by the Rev. T. J. Etter, of the Swiss
Reformed church. This was followed
by an Grafton by Thomas Luchsinger,
of Monroe, after which 1.-The Father
land' was sung by the New Glarus
choir. Music by the Primrose cornet
band conclrdcd the exercises of the
forenoon.
An attractive and amusing fea ture
Of the afternoon proceedings was the
street parade in which was an emf
grant wagon loaded with emigra Mt
trunks, boxes, ETC., drawn by mule
team, illustrating the arrival of the
first emigrants here fifty years ago.
Another striking feature of this
parade was primitive sort Of wagon,
the parts Of which were made wholly
of wood, which was drawn by an OK
team, after the manner of the early
days of the colony when they had
neither horses nor articles of iron.
The principal orator of the afternoon
was John Luchsinger, Of Monroe, who
spoke in English. This being a Swiss
speaking community, most of the sing
ing and speaking of the day was in
German.
The material progress Of the fifty
years of the colony was illustrated by
an exhibition of the various tools and
methods of industry used in the first
and intermediate days of the colony in
comparison with the tools. machines,
wagons and carriages of the present
time, ever the bicycle being intro
duced to emphasize the marked con-
trast between the present time and
that of fifty years ago. The days
proceedings were interspersed and en-
livened with music by the Monroe,
Belleville and Primrose cornet bands.
The stars and stripes and the Swiss
national flag formed a leading feature
of tho 6acnr.a ti0nS