Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter
Keywords
book review, Swiss American Historical Society, Imperial Valley Swiss, Swiss emigrants, Swiss immigration, Swiss colonies
Abstract
"The most unlikely place in the world you might expect to find a Swiss colony is below sea level in a flat, hot, dry desert such as the Imperial Valley in Southern California," this book's editors rightly observe (v). The region, located a good 110 miles east of San Diego, is a large section of the Colorado desert and its center, the Salton Sea, lies 235 feet below sea level. The climate is hot and ranges from 130 degrees to 20 degrees. At flood stage the water of the Colorado River would pour into the region. "As the water dried, grass would grow along the receding waterline; and from the little rainfall the desert would bloom and produce feed for the cattle" during the winter months (1). Except for Native American Indian people, the area was avoided by white settlers until the turn of the century. When water was diverted from the Colorado, farming began seriously in 1901.
Recommended Citation
Schelbert, Leo
(1987)
"Book Review: The History of the Imperial Valley Swiss,"
Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter: Vol. 23:
Iss.
2, Article 12.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_newsletter/vol23/iss2/12