Bern History
Looking north on Nounan Road in Bern
Information comes from Treasured Tidbits of Time Volume I by Jens Patrick Wilde and is a condensed version
According to the LDS Church records, the community of Bern was officially settled in August 1873 by John Kunz II. He came with an express purpose and in answer to a call from Brigham Young to to go the Bear Lake Valley and make cheese there for the settlers. The family first settled in Ovid and Kunz began making cheese. Because of the inadequate equipment the first cheese was made in a soap kettle. An arrangement was made with Bishop Edlefson for the purchase of property north of Ovid and the first Kunz family moved to that area where they built the first houses in Bern.
In the spring of 1874 the first business was begun with the development of a small cheese factory. It became a year round profession and not always at Bern. During those first early summers cattle were trailed to and from the area north of Soda Spring which became known as Williamsburg. Cheese was made there each summer and the herds were moved back to Bern in the winter.
Bern was officially dedicated in 1875, the same year that Bear Lake became a county. It was named after Berne Switzerland and Joseph C Rich laid out the main street and advised the citizens to establish a town block for public buildings. In 1878 John Kunz was set apart as a branch president of the community. Kunz held that position until his death 16 Feb 1890. In 1876 the Kunz family hired Ephraim Jones, a native of Franklin to come and teach their children how to speak English. In 1884 a building was constructed to handle all the children. Later Ephraim Jones went with the Alleman family in the area that now carries his name on Crow Creek-Ephraim Valley.
Alvin Rich became the first teacher in the new building. In 1890 the church branch became a ward and John Kunz III served as the first Bishop. Christian Kunz and John Bischoff were the counselors. In addition to the Kunz families, George Alleman, John and Christian Buhler, John and Rosina Bischoff, Rudolph Beinz and Gottlieb Dubach and family formed the nucleus of the village. Dubach was the first person in the cemetery. In 1908 a property dispute caused the town of Bern to move to its current location.
By 1900 Bern had 61 children and in 1907 added a gymnasium to the school. This school was used until the county wide consolidation in the 1950's. Last of many teachers in the Bern system was Mary Barkdull. Cheese making has long since ceased to be a part of the Bern community, but dairying and cattle raising will continue as long as the community exists.