Christopher Seitz graduated from UW La Crosse with a major in Public and Policy History. He hopes to pursue a career in museum and historical preservation work in Wisconsin.

By This Author:

A color photo of a large white barn built into an embankment

OBJECT HISTORY: The Hefty-Blum White Barn

Among the many barns that contributed to Wisconsin’s place as a major dairy producing state is a Swiss barn that was built in 1878 in Green County. This barn, the Hefty-Blum White Barn, was used to raise cows for over one hundred years.

a group of dairymen pose with an american and a swiss flag

The Swiss Roots of America's "Dairyland"

While Green County’s cheese production has been surpassed by other parts of the state, it is still one of the highest producing counties of foreign-type cheeses in the state. Swiss immigrant farmers such as Thomas Hefty who daily provided at least 55 cows worth of milk from his Swiss style barn in rural Green County ultimately shaped the image of Wisconsin as a dairy state for generations.