The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-10-03
WHOLE NO. S3S.
A RICH SWISS COLONY.
Assisted TO Come To America by Their
Native Canton, All Are Wealthy Now.


New Glarus, Green County. Wis,
claims to be the richest strictly agri-
cultural community in the State if not
IN the entire West 1t is the only
purely Swiss community in the West.
Barely three dozen of the people in
the township and the parts of sur
rounding townships that form tho
community are of other than Swiss
Olocd. The long struggle by which
small number of almost penniless peo-
pie tilling n territory of no more than
ordinary fertility, became the richest
! agricultural community of their State,
Is one of the interesting episodes of
.hc history of the West.
In 1916 the Swiss canton of Glarus
began TO have larger population than
It was able to support. At that time
tho lands of the canton belonged to
The canton and were allotted to the
citizens 10y the cantonal authorities.
each head Of family being entitled
10 an equal share The alotments
had grown too small TO sustain the
| families living on them and the can
ton appropriated money TO assist any
who would leave the country. Some
l25 took advantage of tho offer and
,amc to America in n body.
One hundred and eight of these
finally arrived at what is now New
Glarus, then an uuinhabited district
Of rough country that had been passed
by in the scramble for good farm
lands and lead -bearing territory. Tho
settlers were absolutely without money
| ~ hon tbpy, Iuilt
houses aud commenced To till the soil
At the beginning there were four or
1--WE men to every spade and aX. AT
The end of four years there were but
tour oxen belonging TO the entire COM
munlty, this representing their only
draft animals. Only by detailing n
number of men TO go to Dodgcville
and work in the lead mines there
every winter had the community been
| able to keep from starvation.
At the end of this four years the
settlers were at last on their feet
enough to abandon the socialistic plan
and begin to cultivate individual hold
| lnSs. Progress was rapid. At the end
Of sixteen years this community, which
| had beenpaupers in everything except
such brief time before, had paid with
interest all that the canton had spent
IN them and had given $4,000 to hid
the citizens of the city of Glarus, which
had been destroyed by fire At the
late this gift was made, 1861, the
community numbered 425 souls. This
| i25, with the augmcntations that came
to it in the next few years sent ninety
eight men into Wisconsin regiments
during the war. In 1880 the cOmmun-
ity sent $40, 600 to the Glarus town of
Elm. which had been overwhelmed by
falling mountain
The secret of the communities sue
cess lies not all in exceptional indus
Try and common success. Those early
Swiss were all accomplished dairy
farmers. Before the rest of the State
found out that Wisconsin's day as
wheat State was over and were strug-
Cling against poor crops and low
: prices, the Swiss of New Glarus were
| making money in what was soon to be
the Wisconsin agricultural industry,
whose output reckoncd in coin would
equal that of all other agricultural in
dustries combined When the other
farmers did start they had to begin as
novIces, while tho Swiss were experts.
There is not n poor man among the
1000 people who now constitute the
population OF New Glarus and the
neighborimg townships. Men with
fortunes of n hundred thousand Occa-
sion no more comment than million
aires in Chicago, while those with
3iOO, 600 or $500, 900 require more
than the fingers Of one hand to count.