Small Towns, Wisconsin Southwest Region Fall 2015 | Page 11

Along the Trollway...

Although Mount Horeb was settled by people of English, German, Irish, Norwegian, Scottish, and
Swiss descent, by the late 1800s more than three quarters of the population was Norwegian.
Scandinavian folklore describes trolls as being creatures, similar in size to dwarves, with long,
crooked noses and only four fingers on each hand. Trolls were said to dwell in mounds or near
the sea, to live for hundreds of years, and to have developed semi-magical powers. They are
generally good-natured and often guard treasures of gemstones and gold.
Around 1976, the owners of a Scandinavian gift