1948-CENTENNIAL EDITION-1948 M1 'A V, FRED L. HOLMES A £ OLD WORLD WISCONSIN AROUND EUROPE IN THE BADGER STATE Other Books by FRED L. HOLMES “Abraham Lincoln Traveled This Way” “George Washington Traveled This Way” “Alluring Wisconsin” “Badgei Saints and Sinners” “The Voice of Trappist Silence” •• OLD WORLD WISCONSIN Around Europe Jn the Badger State BY FRED L. HOLMES ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS, AND SKETCHES BY MAX FERNEKES “We are what we are because we stand on the shoulders of those who have preceded us. May we so live that those who follow us may stand on our shoulders.” —Anon. COPYRICHT, 1944 FRED L. HOLMES All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form whatever. First printing, May, 1944 Second printing, September, 1944 TO LOUIS W. BRIDGMAN A CLASSMATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ALWAYS MY FRIEND WHOSE MANY SERVICES HAVE BEEN MOST HELPFUL 6 0 ea>. "7? »«•*• "ASIANS r_/?REN xmicm CM (l I swedes finns / . •toil ■*|HIK«TDH IMAMS /4»amti*wa« Russians 0 ICELANDERS A. V • 'MMIIC MiaoiT M«M vj T. SWEDES (ltC**U *Kll y • cuifo* f imiuu #«lM«i. OTjfx^xxt BELGIANS Russians FRENCH if* ••out "t • »IU»*9 ^ . udi*>H OANES ' 1 «IIUI«IUI BOHEMIANS 1 HOLLANDERS j HOLLANDERS GERMANS MAOIIOM • CORNISH « -T MOnt( OANES ) YANKEELAND V _ SERBIANS / MAP Of WISCONSIN SHOWING RACIAL GROUPS AND PRINCIPAL LOCALITIES WHERE THEIR SETTLEMENTS ARE LOCATED PREFACE Through many questionings and wanderings in my native state, I have formed an appreciation, beyond ordi¬ nary measure, of the people who are Wisconsin. To know them from their racial backgrounds through their New World cultures is to understand more clearly the reasons for our hegemony in the family of states. They came from the virile, youthful stock of many Old World nationalities—seekers after freedom in religion and government; pursuers of opportunities; men and women of pioneering strength and courage, anxious to weave then- lives into the warp of national existence. Wisconsin his¬ tory has been enriched by them. Wars become universal innovators. During centuries of peace, customs change but little. Religion, language, and habits strive to keep alive the past. While sojourning among these Wisconsin people of racial memories, I have listened to the legends of lands across the sea as handed down from mouth to mouth, from generation to genera¬ tion; visited scenes of their high emprise and holy devo¬ tion; observed customs that time has seen practiced through many decades; enjoyed the pageantry of ancient drama. No other state has gathered in a melting pot such a diversity of rural and urban foreign groups. With them I turned the pages of living history. Each little transplanted group has its own individuality. Ways of dress, eating and worship are all different. My 9 10 PREFACE own wanderings through Europe have been taken by the vicarious method of trodding the byways of newer Wis¬ consin. The things I saw and the voices I heard in these Old World-New World communities are here told against a background of Yankee advance. Many friends have assisted in this undertaking. The willing help of men and women of every nationality has been at my ready command. But I am especially in¬ debted to a few Madison associates of mine—Mr. Louis W. Bridgman, a former newspaper colleague; Colonel John J. Hannan, a lifelong friend; Professor C. F. Gillen, of the Romance Language Department, University of Wisconsin; and the Rev. Lincoln F. Whelan, a student of literary values, for co-operative efforts in perfecting the manuscript. Sketches for chapter introductions have been made by Mr. Max Fernekes, of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, a Wis¬ consin-bred artist who seems to have caught unerringly the true spirit of these people. When first I began the study of Wisconsin, I visioned a trilogy of books that would tell of the unsung glories of the state. Two of these have since been published and most graciously received. “Alluring Wisconsin” depicted the beauty spots; “Badger Saints and Sinners” revealed the lives of some of the state’s forgotten leaders. The present volume tells something of a people whose culture, customs and country leadership have impelled others to ‘‘expect the impossible of Wisconsin.” Without pretense I offer it in the hope that it may make firm friends among those who love the color and the character of the Badger citizenry. Fred L Holmes Madison, Wisconsin CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Preface . 9 I Romantic Days are Fading ... 23 Green Bay and Chippewa Falls II Come, Let’s Touch Pipes a Bit . 41 Mineral Point and Linden III Freiheit 1st Meine .... 53 Watertown and Sheboygan IV Spire Guides Luxemburgers ... 81 Port Washington V Festive Vikings Devour Lutefisk . 91 Stoughton and Westby VI Holland’s Puritan Ways . .111 Oostburg and Cedar Grove VII Swiss Yodel Cares Away . 131 New Glarus VIII Belgian Dust Dancers Celebrate . 151 Brussels and Rosiere IX St. Patrick’s Sons Don the Green . .175 Erin Prairie and Monches X Songs from the Heath and Heather . 197 Cambria and Wales XI Iceland Fishermen go Seafaring . 217 Washington Island XII Swedes Make Happy the Yuletide . 235 Grantsburg and Frederic 11 12 CONTENTS CHAPTER PACE XIII Children of the Midnight Sun . 249 Maple and Superior XIV Russians Bow to Eastern Cross . 269 Clayton and Cornucopia XV Voices of Little Nations . 283 Boyceville and Willard XVI Most Danish City in America . 301 Racine XVII Sarsa Time and Spaghetti . 321 Madison and Milwaukee XVIII Poles Rejoice in New Freedom . 339 Milwaukee and Polonia Epilogue. 355 Index ..... 361 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PACE A German vegetable market, Milwaukee ... 4 Map of Wisconsin showing racial groups and principal LOCALITIES.8 Group I FRENCH Boiling the sap.1? Kneeling for grandpa’s blessing, Superior . .17 Opening the maple syrup season, Cornell ... 18 French cottage—oldest house in Wisconsin, Green Bay 22 Oldest French relic (1686). 35 Rug making at Somerset.36 When silks rustled at Villa Louis, Prairie du Chien . 36 Group II CORNISH Pasty for dinner. Mineral Point.37 Buns for breakfast.38 Around the fireside.38 Cornish backyards, Mineral Point.40 Cornish dish cupboard.55 Primitive M. E. church, Linden.56 Shakerac on Christmas eve, Mineral Point ... 56 13 14 LIST O F ILLUSTRATIONS Group III GERMANS AND LUXEMBURGERS PACE Geese raising, Watertown.52 Dogs for sale.57 Freie gemeinde, Sauk City.57 SCHUHPLATTERS, SHEBOYGAN.58 Grandma spins the yarn.58 The old Lutheran church sheds, Freistadt ... 75 Little pigs go to market, Watertown .... 76 Harbor light on the hill, Port Washington ... 80 Group IV NORWEGIANS Hans Heg cottage, Muskego.77 Little Norway, Mt. Horeb.77 Playing the monochord.78 Norwegian tobacco harvest, Stoughton ... 90 Rosemaling a smorgasbord, Stoughton .... 95 Vikings land in Vernon County.96 Norwegian bowlers, Viroqua.96 Group V HOLLANDERS The schutz, Holland, Brown County .... 97 The old mill, near Gibbsville.97 Deserted New Amsterdam.98 Holland farmer, Oostburg.98 A Holland windmill, Oostburg.110 Holland landmark. Green Bay.115 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 15 PACE Shaping wooden shoes, Gibbsville . 116 Group VI SWISS Wilhelm Tell. 117 Canton maidens, New Glarus .... 118 Swiss dress. 118 Swiss bells, New Glarus. 130 Chalet. 135 Swiss cheese, Monroe. 135 Swiss barns with cathedral ventilators 136 Group VII BELGIANS Outdoor oven, Dykesville. 137 Dust dancers, Rosiere. 137 Pilgrims march and pray, Robinsonville 138 Belgian maypole, Brussels. 150 Poppy beds, Kewaunee County .... 155 Bohemian double homes, Ellisville 155 Wayside shrines, Door County—outside and inside 156 Group VIII IRISH AND WELSH Awaiting the resurrection, Erin Prairie 172 Monches nestles in old world atmosphere . 173 The last of the Irish bards—Tom Croal 174 Patch piece quilting. 174 A Welsh bard. 191 16 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS pace Peniel songfest, Pickett. 192 Tanyrallt, Rio . 192 Welsh settle in hill country, Wales . 196 Group IX ICELANDERS Death’s Door, Washington Island .... 193 Stone fences . 194 Boiling the nets, Gasolinetown .... 194 The gulls.. 211 Trolling for trout, off Detroit Harbor 211 Reading the home news, Madison .... 212 Harbor for Icelanders, Washington Island . 216 Group X SWEDES Swedish families enjoy coffee .... 213 Turn Swedish childhood memories into rock garden, Grantsburg . 214 Swedes enjoy Christmas, Grantsburg 230 Making gunstocks, Antigo. 231 Ski jump, Siren. 232 Cream goes to market, Frederic .... 232 Group XI FINNS Stumps understand Finnish. 233 Steam baths—outside and inside .... 234 A Finnish log built farmhouse, near Maple . 248 Finnish hay drying shed. 251 OPENING THE MAPLE SYRUP SEASON, CORNELL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 19 PAGE Old Finnish windmill, Amnicon.251 Finnish log house construction.251 The River Brule.252 Cooperative marketing, Maple.252 Group XII RUSSIANS Tying hands.253 Priest gardener, Clayton.254 The triple cross—tombstones.254 Russian church bears the triple cross, Clayton . 268 Blessing the fruits.271 Siskewitt Bay fishing.272 Ukrainian girl, Milwaukee.272 Group XIII LITTLE NATIONS Slovak wedding veils, Boyceville.282 Shelling poppy seeds, Oakfield.289 Croat haystacks, Moquah.290 Hungarian sausages.290 Hungarian harvesters, Milwaukee .... 301 Mennonite goes to market, Medford .... 308 The Jewish new year, Milwaukee.308 Group XIV DANES Flags of Danish-American patriots, Racine . 300 Danish rolls are appetizing.309 20 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PACE Not bridge but scherwenzel is played by Danish women, Kenosha.309 Danish folk school at university.310 Danish royalty visits Racine.327 Festivities at Racine.323 Folk dancing group, Withee.328 Group XV ITALIANS An Italian store, Madison.320 Italian cheese, Fond du Lac County .... 329 Eating spaghetti.329 Sarsa time, Madison.330 Italian fiesta, Racine.347 Genoa suggests Italian scenes.347 Leavinc Madonna de Pompeii church, in peace and NEUTRALITY PARADE, MILWAUKEE .... 343 Group XVI POLISH Polish church and housetops, Milwaukee . 338 Polish mother.349 Comic devil dance.350 Work in the fields, Sobieski.359 Polish market, Stevens Point.359 Switching, Milwaukee.360 Calvary is never forgotten.360 EPILOGUE Typical Yankee pioneer home, Whitewater .