Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-11-30
LIKE THE FATHERLAND
Wisconsin Community Which
Holds to Gid Traditions.
1T LIES NORTHWEST OF MADISON.

historic Region Where Black Hawk Met
Defeat and Where Men Who Met the
Great Genera, Napoleon Lie Buried
furious Picture of Old German Life In
cohgruously Projected on the Back
ground OF American Civilization.
Madison, Wis, Nov. 22.-From Madi-
son northwestward toward Sank county
and including large portion of that
county, stretches a great German set
tIement some sixty miles in length and
twenty or more miles in width. and
forming one of the most interesting
communities that the curious tourist
can visit who is not too ambitious. Its
charm lies in the fact that here are
preserved many of the manners and
customs of the fatherland from a gener-
alton or more back thus giving val
uaole insight into the every day life of
the sturdy Teuton. The region has an
historic interest as we'll, for on the
banks OF the Wisconsin. near MaZo-
mamie, Black Hawk. the celebrated In
dian chieftain suffered one OF his de-
| feats and in some of me idyllic rural
| cemeteries lie men who fought the great
Napoleon on many 2 red running field
| and others who participated in the
| frightful retreat from Moscow and
| crossed the awful Beresina over the
| bridge formed of 10000 French bodies.
| one of the earliest settlers, too, of this
section was Count Haraszthy, a Hun
| garian nohleman with q price upon his
head. and whose life was a medley OF
| romantic adventures. Amid the Sab
| halh calm of these little burial hooks
one would little guess that they con.
| tanned heroes who had breasted the
| storms of sleet and iron at Borod no
! ana Jena. and in later life took up the
| work of conquering a wilderness II
| was in 1910 that Count Haraszthy built
the frs house in the town Of .oxbury
| 1T was erected on a bluff overlooking
| the Wisconsin river and was intended
| rather for hunting lodge. He also
| procured charter for ferry on the
wisconsin river which he operated for
| time, and here he lived a life for n
number CT years when he disappeared.
Five years later Father Adelbe.t I'm
ma. q German Catholic priest. located
| there and soon had a colony of his
| countrymen about him, which has
grown into the present large and flour
| ishing community. Most of the names
of the region were given by american
| pioneers, who have, however. been prac-
tically crowded out long since by the
more tenacious Germans.
Odd Traditions Preserved.
There are many foreign settlements
in Wisconsin. French, Norwegian.
Swiss and Polish, but in none are the
customs, styles and traditions of the
lands beyond the sea so we'll preserved.
| perhaps. as by these sturdy conserva-
| tive people from the fatherland. The
| more facile French and Scandinavians
lose their identity as such almost in the
| second generation, while the free-born
| Swiss seize upon American architecture,
habits and modes of industry with as
tonishing rapidity. But in this COM
| munity is presented a curious, picture
OF old German life anonymously pro-
jected on the background of American
| civilization.
One of the most marked characteris-
ties is in the architecture 1t is al
most distinctly the German of fifty
| years ago. Nearly every building is
| of stone. and broad and massive are
| the foundations laid as had the builders
| intuitively sought to forestall as far as
| possible their disintegration at the
| hands of American civilization. The
| caves scarcely project over the walls
and the porches are quantity carved.
The lawn or dooryard is practically un-
| known. The place is almost invariabl
taken by a fiourshing garden of vege-
| tables. strangely contrasting wi h
which are brilliant flowers that line
both sides of the narrow walk from the
road to the very door. Inside the hous
also are uniquely carved chests. cup
| boards and cradles, on the walls are
pictures from German life or history.
with the ever present symbols Of the
| Romish faith, while under the curtains
draplng the lower part of the beds oc-
casionally peep forth the wooden shoes
| of the days gone by. At meal times
| the tables steam with huge dishes of
boiled vegetables. cabbage always APP
pearing in some form, but sweetmeats
and delicacies to work injury to the
stomach are few.
Many other characteristics of this
civilization are apparent to the most
| careless observer. The inhabitants are
all Roman Catholics, so that hand in
hand with The common school goes the
parochial school conducted in German.
German is still the language of the
community, and in fact many of the
children even can scarcely speak any
thing else and this within only an
hours ride by wagon of Madison, the
seat of culture of the state. The news
papers are printed in German and the
Sunday picnics and balls, advertised in
every tavern and saloon. are printed
almost wholly in German.
Church and Saloon.
The saloon is everywhere. Tt Is the
most marked institution OF the neigh
borhood and an interesting study it is
The social vortex revOlves about it
making 1t the central distributing point
of the neighborhood gossip and the
place where are formulated alike the
politicians and the churchman's new
est plans. Usually ii precedes the
church, but If the latter does not come
to it. Mahometlike, it goes to the
church. frequently taking its place just
across the Way and il is no uncommon