the followers of michael waldner, all together 113 people, left their homes in the ukraine in june 1874 to settle at bon homme hutterite colony in south dakota, the mother colony of the schmiedeleut. during their journey 36 children died of an epidemic of dysentery in lincoln, nebraska. the schmiedeleut flourished in their new home in south dakota and in 1878 a second colony (tripp colony in yankton, south dakota) was formed. an attempt to relocate this second colony to tidioute, pennsylvania soon failed and the colony returned to south dakota.