Swiss Valley Park & Nature Center 15oz. Ceramic Mug

This design is one-of-a-kind and found only at Dubuque Clothing Co. — the Swiss Valley Park & Nature Center 11oz. Ceramic Mug is crafted from a premium ceramic mug and printed with high-quality, soft inks built to last, mug after mug.

The name isn't just for show — Swiss Valley earned it from actual Swiss settlers. Pioneer-era families like the Baehlers and the Quades, who purchased farmland in the area and later connected through the marriage of Fred Baehler and Caroline Quade, found that the valley's steep hills and fertile bottomland reminded them so strongly of their native Switzerland that the name simply stuck, likely dating back to around the time a local grist mill went up in 1839. The nature preserve that carries the name today wasn't formally dedicated until April 25, 1976, when the Dubuque County Conservation Board opened a 476-acre preserve southwest of the city, now considered one of the largest nature preserves in the Midwest. More than 10 miles of self-guided trails wind through its forests, prairies, and wetlands, Catfish Creek runs through the property with an annual trout stocking from the Iowa DNR, and in winter the preserve grooms its own cross-country ski trails.

Reference: Swiss Valley - Encyclopedia Dubuque