Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AMISH COUNTRYSIDE
Amish culture is everywhere in the Coulee Range.
In the mid-1960s, “pioneer” Amish began escaping stratospheric land prices, urban
encroachment on their pastoral way of life, and droves of camera-toting tourists.
With a verdant landscape resembling the eastern Appalachians, southwestern
Wisconsin—Vernon,Trempealeau, andTaylor Counties, along with some inMonroe
County—wasinitiallywelcomingatfirst.Theregionwasinaneconomicdepression,
and the injection of hard work and cash was much appreciated. But welcome soon
turned to uneasiness when the Amish started to “pester” (as locals said) folks in-
cessantly for rides or to use the phone, and when it was discovered that these ardent
homeschoolers might be costing the townships state educational aid.
LIFE AND ETHIC
There are approximately 100,000 Amish spread across North America today, and
many more Mennonites, who are often mistaken for Amish. The crux of Amish life
is a strong community, based on two central tenets: separation and obedience. Se-
