Another Geocaching Adventure

BADUS - PIONEER SWISS COLONY

In 1877 a group of Swiss chose a point on the shore of Lake Badus for a colony. In 1878 Joseph Burkler, his family and some single men, arrived. In 1879 the colony was augmented by 11 other families who came by rail to Luverne, Minnesota and thence overland. That fall they built a school, with Theresa Schnell as the first teacher. A colony house was built; Joseph Muggli was the first storekeeper and appointed the first Postmaster of Badus in May 1879. The colony continued as such until 1886. The names of Berther, CaJacob, Cassutt, DeCurtins, Deragisch, DeRungs, Glossi, Rensch, Schnell, Tuor and Wolf are well known in Lake County, their ancestors being of the original colony.

We stumbled upon the original location of Badus on Monday while geocaching along US Hwy. 81 between Arlington and Madison.

A little google search uncovered all the information beyond what is on the one little marker.

There was a geocache on the church lot. 

In the fall of 1877, a group of Swiss colonists, who were temporarily located in Stillwater, Minnesota, journeyed to the east shore of present day Lake Badus to establish their community. The name Lake Badus was taken from a mountain of a similar name in Switzerland. The first mass was celebrated in the school house, the first building in Badus. St. Ann's was built in the vernacular-Gothic style in 1884. Although used only on special occasions, today St. Ann's stands as a reminder of what was once a thriving pioneer community and as a remembrance of the spiritual force of the immigrant families. In the late 1800s there were eighty families on the membership role at St. Ann's Catholic Church.

 
Only a small belfrey and a large sacristy were added in later years to the church. The peaceful, picturesque cemetery is located across the road west of the church on the banks of Lake Badus. Pine trees surround the cemetery. An outdoor shrine was erected in l944.

There was also a cache located in the cemetery.

Rev. Father Thomas Flynn was the first parish priest at St. Ann. In fact, he helped build the church. Father Flynn also served as the parish priest for the St. Thomas church in Madison. He is interred at St. Ann's Cemetery in Badus. Born in 1854 in Milwaukee WI, he passed away in 1922.

Today, a church and cemetery remain of what was once an active little settlement. I could not find when the settlement 'died', nor could I find the number of years the church was active and held services. I do know it celebrated 100 years in 1984. And I do know there are 105 residents in Badus Township as of the last census.