The Swiss Settlers. of Mormon Coulee

                     By GEORGE ZIELKE


Swiss Settlement in Mormon Coulee
OF the many immigrants from
    Switzerland who came to "the
 United States about the middle of
 the  nineteenth  century, several
 groups settled in Mormon Coulee,
 one of the many small valleys in La
 Crosse county. There, where Mor-
 mons are said to have settled ear-
 lier, a band of Swiss immigrants
 came in 1856 to make their home.
 A few other Swiss had come in 1.853
 and 1854, and several came in the
 60's.
   About 1850, according to an old
account by Henry Bosshard, now in
the possession of E. J. Bernet, a
keen interest developed in Switzer-
land as to emigration to the United
States. 'Exact information about
America was lacking, because of
conflicting reports. Some   Swiss
who had come to this country wrote
letters perhaps colored by selfish
interests. Transportation  agents
painted glowing pictures  of the
lands on this side of the ocean. A
young school teacher, near Zurich,
Henry Bosshard, who knew English,
conceived the plan   of  going to
America for a period of years to
make a thorough investigation and
detailed reports. He had the con-
fidence of government authorities
and the people in general.
  Bosshard reached New York early
in 1852 and remained in the Unit-
ed States three years, sending home
his findings in the form of letters
which were published as "Views and
Experiences in America," a series
of pamphlets. He traveled through
all parts of the United States wher-
ever he heard of Swiss or German
people living, and where he thought
immigrants would have    the best
chances. His writing made only
meager mention of La Crosse coun-
ty; but he gives a description which
would be attractive to the Swiss.
His accounts refer to the low price
of land here, the virgin woods, rich-
ness of soil, the excellent supply of
water-springs and streams in ev-
ery valley, though "hard"   water


with excess lime content-and the
possibilities for transportation. The
Mormon Coulee creek  was wider
.then than now, and much    of the
land near it was swampy.
   When the Swiss who later settled
 in Mormon Coulee came to America,
 they came directly to the northwest.
 It would seem, therefore, that the
 letters of Mr. Bosshard had been
 of some influence, though there is
 no definite proof that they were.
   The John Witmann family is said
 to have settled in the coulee as ear-
 ly as 1849, but definite information
 can not be obtained. Some of the
 earliest Swiss settlers in Mormon
 Coulee were the Hoffmans, Hinder-
 lings, Schweizers and  Sprengers.
 There is no record of when the Hin-
 derlings came, but they owned a
 farm in the present town of Shelby
 when the other Swiss arrived. Jacob
 Hoffman located in the town of
 Shelby in 1854. Joseph Hoffman
 probably came earlier, as he is men-
 tioned  in  Bosshard's  writings.
 Jacob Schweizer came to New Or-
 leans from Canton Zurich in the
 spring of 1854. (He had been a
 school teacher in Switzerland). He
 settled in the town of Shelby. Jacob
 Sprenger, also from Canton Zurich,
 located in Mormon Coulee either in
 1853 or 1854. About 1878 he mov-
 ed to Zumbro Falls, Minn.
 Another early Swiss settler was
 Matt Blumer. He left Canton Glarus
 in the late forties, and took part in
 the California gold rush in 1848.
 He came to La Crosse in the early
 fifties, and later built the well-
 known Blumer's mill on Mormon
 Coulee creek in 1871. He also built
 a general store there.
 There was also a Swiss couple,
 Mr. and Mrs. John Huggler, who
 lived in the town of Shelby for
 some  years. When Mr. Huggler
 died, his widow returned to Switzer-
 land.
 The majority of the Swiss who
 settled in Mormon Coulee came in
a body from Brienz, Canton Bern, in
1856. In this party were the Peter