Mishicot Historical Museum

(Published in the Spring 2009 MAGIC Newsletter) By Bernard Brouchoud (with minor, later updates)

Once upon a time, long ago, in the faraway land of Switzerland, numerous families decided to leave their beloved homeland and journey to America. Most were farmers, and when the human population kept growing, the realization that there just wasn’t enough space for them to continue making their living from the land became apparent; they became immigrants. They did not come as a group, but spread their travel over a period of about fifty years: from 1848 to 1898. It still seems a mystery as to why these people chose Gibson and Mishicot Townships in Manitowoc County in Wisconsin, as their final destination.

Visit of Mishicot residents to Le Châble in 1980s

We have been told that the Pellsier family was the first Swiss family to arrive in our area. The date that we have for their arrival is 1848. We have another account of unknown families, who left Le Havre, France on a steamship. They arrived in New York, then traveled westward on the Erie Canal, then by train across Michigan, then by ship across Lake Michigan, and finally by horse and wagon to Gibson Township.

On the 1872 plat map of Gibson Township, you will find these family names: Bodwith, Brouchoud, Cochenet, Courtion, Cretton, Fiely, Filey, Galiant, Lambert, Luisier, Michaud, Ribordy, Rosery, and Rouiller. In 1893, there were added five families were added: Abbet, Bouda, Fortier, Guex, and Trolier. Still present in 1920 were: Bouda, Brouchoud, Courchaine, Filliez, Guex, Lambert, and Trolier.

These were all French-speaking people. There were also two other families with the Swiss: Yelemene (from the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland) and Weihmuller (from the German-speaking part of Switzerland).

My great, great-grandfather and his wife, (Pierre) Joseph and Rosalie Maret Brouchoud, arrived here in 1865 (1875 according to article linked at end). His son, my great-grandfather, Camile Brouchoud, and his wife, Mary Cochenet, arrived ten years later in 1875. They lived on a farm on the north side of what is now Highway 147, several miles west of Mishicot. Their youngest son, Pascal Brouchoud, and his wife Anna Kronforst, lived in the same house after his parents moved into a smaller, nearby home.

Over twenty families came here from the Canton (State) of Vallais in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Most of the families came from the Le Châble/Villette area of the Bagnes (pronounced Bah-nya) Valley. The Dranse River separates these two villages. There are thirteen small villages in the valley.

The cemetery in Le Châble looks like the Catholic part of the Mishicot cemetery. Names such as Cretton, Lambert, Abet, Brouchoud, Rouiller, et,c are all repeated in both villages. I have extensive genealogies of the Filliez, Cretton, and Brouchoud families.

Additional information from museum: For more on the history of Pierre Joseph Brouchoud (Joseph Brouchoud above), who was also a well-known painter, see this article. A number of these Swiss settlers, including Pierre Joseph, are buried in the small cemetery next to Holy Cross Catholic Church, with a special marker.

A Brouchoud family tree can be found here, with a free registration. One can note intermarriages with other local Swiss and non-Swiss families. The Pierre Joseph and Camile Brouchoud farms were near Hwy 147 and Jambo Creek Rd. Other Swiss farms were nearby, and also in northern Gibson township between Zander and Tisch Mills.