The Swiss on LookingGlass Prairie A Century and a Half, 1831-1981 Compiled by Betty Spindler Coats Edited by Raymond Jurgen Spahn with a Foreword by Joseph Blake Koepfli jBtni'&cijtoei^rlanb Published in conjunction with the Highland Historical Society Six other works about the Swiss in Illinois are available through the Highland Historical Society, c/o Mrs. Fred Habbegger, 1013 Main Street, Highland 62249. (No. 1 is available also through the Friends of Lovejoy Library, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville 62026.) 1. New Switzerland in Illinois (Friends of Lovejoy Library, 1977) contains Jennie Latzer Kaeser's Mirror of America (a translation of Kaspar Koepfli's 1849 Spiegel von Amerika) and Manfred Driesner's Chronicles of Early Highland (a translation of Jacob Eggen's 1888 Aufzeichnungen aus Highlands Gruendungszeit). Edited by Raymond and Betty Spahn, with a foreword by John C. Abbott: "The Pioneer Writings about Highland." 210 pp. $16.50 2. Centennial History o f Highland, 1837-1937, a 1978 reprint by the Highland Historical Society, of A. P. Spencer's 1937 edition, with an index by Caroline Werder, a foreword by William J. Tudor, and a pre­ face by Russell D. Hoffman. 289pp. $12 3. Highland, an Illinois Swiss Community in the American Civil War by Robert Gerling. Highland His­ torical Society, 1978.56 pp. $3 4. Bilder aus Neu-Schweizerland, 1831-1900 by Max Schweizer. (Zug, 1978) 106 pp. $9 5. A Portrait of New Switzerland, a translation of No. 4. (Zug, >979) $9 6. Neu-Schweizerland. Planung, Cruendung und Entwicklung einer schweizerischen Einwanderersiedlung in USA (Madison County) by Max Schweizer (Zug, 1980) 372 pp. $23 No longer available is Jennie Latzer Kaeser's Story of the Settling of Highland, a translation of Salo­ mon Koepfli's 1859 Geschichte der Ansiedlung von Highland. Edited by Raymond J. Spahn, with an introduction by John C. Abbott. The Swiss on Looking Glass Prairie A Centu ry and a Half, 1831 -1981 C om piled by Betty Spindler Coats with a foreword by Joseph Blake Koepfli Edited by Raym ond Jurgen Spahn Friends of Lovejoy Library Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and Highland Historical Society 1983 Limited Edition Copyright 1983 by Southern Illinois University Foundation, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois To MARIE LOUISE STUDER-SUPPIGER of Lucerne whose tireless research made possible the documentation of much of the material presented in this w o rk J5eu*g>cljtoet^rlanti Looking Glass Prairie was described in Dickens' 1842 "Jaunt to Looking Glass Prairie and Back" (American Notes) as "a vast expanse of level ground, unbroken save by one thin line of trees until it met the glowing sky." The above map, an adaptation of one executed by Salomon Koepfli the year before Dickens' "Jaunt," shows various streams crossing the prairie, each following more or less its present course. Not shown are the trees lining them — then as now — or the age-old hills comprising an integral part of Looking Glass Prairie. EDITOR'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Grateful acknowledgment is made by the editor of this volume to Latzer Memorial Public Library for its courtesy in per­ mitting examination and use of the extensive range of docu­ ments, correspondence, microfilms, genealogy, printed works, and illustrative material in its excellent History Collection. And to Lovejoy Library, S1UE, for granting unrestricted use of its magnificent Highland Collections during the director­ ship of Dr. John C. Abbott when this work was being annotated, my continuing gratitude. Repositories in the following libraries, churches, and newspapers also were most helpful in providing requested in­ formation: in Switzerland, Aargauische Kantonsbibliothek, Aarau; Geographisches Institut, University of Zurich; Luzerner Neueste Nachrichten) Schweizerische Landesbibliothek, Bern; Zentralbibliothek Lucerne; Zentralbibliothek Zurich; in this country, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; Belleville [IL] Public Library; Evangelical Church of Christ, Highland; Highland Historical Society Museum; Highland News Leader; Illinois Historical Survey Library, University of Illinois, Urbana; Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield; Madison County Historical Museum, Edwardsville, IL; New York Public Library; St. Paul's Catholic Church, Highland; St. Jacob, IL. United Church of Christ; and Widener Library, Harvard Univer­ sity. In addition to individuals affiliated with the aforemen­ tioned repositories and the persons listed in SOURCES CON­ SULTED, the following persons provided helpful information: in Switzerland, Tillie Bachmann (Mrs. Henry), Dr. Pius Berger, Dr. Hermina Janett-Suppiger, Dr. Walther Janett, Xaver Raeber, and Dr. Anton Studer; in the United States, Elva Beck (Mrs. Clarence), Manfred Driesner, Edwin Gerling, Milton Hoefle, Russell Hoffman, Jennie Latzer Kaeser (Mrs. Albert F.), James C. Keltner, Dr. Joseph Blake Koepfli, Louise Louge Langenberg (Mrs. Elmer), Roscoe E. Menz, Marion Kaeser Piper (Mrs. Vernon), Louise Gregory Mudge (Mrs. Dick H.), Fern Acknowledgments Gansmann Schott (Mrs. Morris), Romy Schrage (Mrs. Ray), Dorothy Schott Stocker (Mrs. Clarence), Elaine Stratton (Mrs. Olin), Charles Louis Suppiger, Gerhard Schott Suppiger, Jr., and Erwin H. Weder. Deserving of special commendation is Bess Stoecklin Habbegger (Mrs. Frederick) for her constant readiness to provide requested data and for maintaining liaison with the Highland His­ torical Society, co-publisherof this volume. Reponsible for the monumental task of preparing the manuscript for printing was Joan Habbegger Leard (Mrs. Ray) of Joppa, Maryland. Helping to make the project a pleasant task was my wife, Betty Alderton Spahn, who accompanied me on trips to various places in this country and abroad to collect information, and who spent countless hours reading successive versions of the manu- scriptwith me. Finally, valuable technical advice was provided by Sheila Singleton Stimson, Executive Secretary of the Friends of Lovejoy Library, who—with the Highland Historical Society—sponsored publication of this volume. RAYMOND JUERGEN SPAHN Edwardsville, Illinois June 1982 CONTENTS Editor's Acknowledgments pagev List of Illustrations ix Abbreviations Used xi Changes in Street Names xii Compiler's Preface xiii Foreword, by Joseph Blake Koepfli xvii I. Setting Out; 20 Days to Havre 1 2. Swiss Acumen vs. French Avarice 9 3. The Atlantic, a Difficult Crossing 17 4. By RiverboattoSt. Louis 24 5. Establishing a Colony 33 6. Howto Succeed in America 43 7. The Settlement Flourishes 46 8. W ar, Politics, the Press 66 9. Prosperity in the Face of Adversity 74 10. Philanthropists and Chroniclers 79 II. Highland's Swiss Heritage 85 Sources Consulted 87 Supplement 117 Index 151 ILLUSTRATIONS page: Looking Glass Prairie iv Suppiger home and Highland's first brick home XX Home in Sursee/LU from which Swiss family departed 1831 2a Joseph Kaspar Thomas Suppiger (1804-61) 3a John Bernard Menz (1828-1906) 43a Old Swiss Barn 51a Highland Milling Company 60a Highland Brewing Company 60b John R.BIattner (1812-98) 67a John S. Hoerner 67a Timothy Gruaz 70a Adolf Ruegger 71a Highland's first automobile 74a Wicks Organ Company 74b Basler Electric Company 77a Russell D. Hoffman, dean of New Switzerland's living chroniclers 80a Latzer Homestead 80a Bernardus Adolphus Suppiger (1813-1901) 83a Joseph Otto Koepfli (1866-1942) 120a Joseph Salomon Julius Koepfli (1814-69) 121a Descendants of Highland's founders 121b Four generations of Suppiger women 129a First Koepfli-Suppiger union since 1804 139a Sons of first Koepfli-Suppiger union in America 140a ABBREVIATIONS USED AG Canton of Aargau LU Cantonof Lucerne BE Canton of Bern SG Canton of St. Gallen BL Canton of Baselland SH Canton of Schaffhausen BS Canton of Baselstadt SO Cantonof Solothurn FR Canton of Freiburg SZ Cantonof Schwyz GE Canton of Geneva VD Canton ofVaud GL Canton of Glarus ZG Canton of Zug GR Canton of Graubuenden ZH Cantonof Zürich Coll. collection ELL Elijah Lovejoy Library, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville Hist.Coll. ,LLL History Collection, Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library, Highland, Illinois Hid. Highland, Illinois Hid.Coll.,ELL Highland Collection, Elijah Lovejoy Library, SIUE IHSL Illinois Historical Survey Library, University of Illinois, Urbana IL Illinois K.Coll.,ELL Koepfli Collection, Elijah Lovejoy Library, SIUE LLL Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library, Highland, Illinois R range S.Coll.,ELL SuppigerCollection, Elijah Lovejoy Library, SIUE SIUE Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville SJ Society of Jesuits CHANGES IN STREET NAMES * In a renaming of Highland's streets about 1912, Troxler Street became Main Street, and the name of this distinguished Swiss educator disappeared, only to come back in recent years asTroxler Road, appropriately fronting the Highland High School property. The founding fathers have now also been remembered with Koepfli Lane and Suppiger Lane in areas near the hills of the first settlement. Other street name changes: Washington to 8th Pestalozzi to 9th Zschokke to Broadway Franklin to 12th Jefferson to 13th Lemon to Pestalozzi Cherry to Washington Locust to Zschokke * Cou rtesy of Roscoe Menz COMPILER'S PREFACE When my great-grandfather Joseph Suppiger left Swit­ zerland on April 21,1831, with my great-great-uncle, Dr. Kaspar Koepfli, to establish a Swiss colony in America, he began a diary of their progress. The record he kept of their journey from Sursee in the Canton of Lucerne to St. Louis, Missouri, was to play a sur­ prisingly significant part