Libraries (La Crosse County)

Diocese of La Crosse Chancery Office/Archives

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 4004
Location: 3710 East Ave. S.
La Crosse, WI 54602-4004
Phone: (608) 788-7700
Web Address: http://diolc.org/chancery/ and then fill out the online form on that page to connect to the archivist

Bangor: John Bosshard Memorial Library

1720 Henry Johns Blvd.
Bangor, WI 54614
(608) 486-4408
Web Address: www.lacrossecountylibrary.com
Email: bangorlibrary@lacrossecounty.org
Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m., Tuesday & Thursday 3:00 p.m.--6:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.--1:00 p.m.

Resources Available:

Newspapers published in La Crosse County 

La Crosse: La Crosse Tribune (most recent four months)

West Salem: Coulee News (most recent six months)


Newspapers published in Monroe County

Sparta: Monroe County Democrat (most recent four months)

Sparta Herald (most recent four months)

Yearbooks 

Bangor High School "Echo" (1987, 1988, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004)

Town of Campbell Library

Campbell Town Hall
2219 Bainbridge
La Crosse, WI 54603
Phone: (608) 783-0052
Web Address: www.lacrossecountylibrary.com
Email: cambelllibrary@lacrossecounty.org
Hours: Monday & Wednesday 1:00 p.m.--5:00 p.m., Tuesday 2:00 p.m.--6:00 p.m., Thursday 3:00 p.m.--8:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m.--2:00 p.m.

Resources Available:

Newspapers published in La Crosse County 

La Crosse Tribune (most current two weeks)

 
Other Materials

Clippings on Goyette & Jolivette families
Some township history

Holmen Area Library

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 220
Location: 121 Legion St.
Holmen, WI 54636
Phone: (608) 526-4198
Web Address: www.lacrossecountylibrary.com
Email: holmenlibrary@lacrossecounty.org
Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 a.m.--8:00 p.m., Tuesday 1:00 p.m.--8:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.--2:00 p.m.

Resources Available:

City & County Directories

La Crosse City Directories (2008-present)

La Crosse County Directories (1961, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1984)

La Crosse Farm & Village Directory (1917)

La Crosse County Farm Directory (1940)

Cole Directory of La Crosse County (1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997)

Polk Cross Reference Directory for the Coulee Region, La Crosse, Wisconsin (1997)

Newspapers published in La Crosse County 

Holmen Courier (1979-present)

Newspaper Indexes

Clipping files of Holmen history, Holmen churches collected by Selma Casberg

Yearbooks 

Holmen High School "Viking" (1948-1953, 1957-1959, 1966-69, 1971-80, 1984-2010, 2015-present)

Onalaska Public Library

741 Oak Ave. S.
Onalaska, WI 54650
(608) 781-9568
Web Address: www.lacrossecountylibrary.com
Email: onalaskalibrary@lacrossecounty.org

West Salem: Hazel Brown Leicht Memorial Library

201 Neshonoc Rd.
West Salem, WI 54669-1328
Phone: (608) 786-1505
Web Address: www.lacrossecountylibrary.com
Email: aldahl.sharon@lacrossecounty.org
Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00 a.m.--9:00 p.m., Tuesday & Thursday 1:00 p.m.--9:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m.--6:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m.--3:00 p.m.

Resources Available:

Newspapers published in La Crosse County

West Salem: Coulee News (1997-present)

 La Crosse County Countryman (1973-1996)

Yearbooks 

West Salem High School "Neshonoc" (1955-1991 [missing 1957 and 1964], 2003, 2004, 2006-2008)

Onalaska/La Crosse Family History Center

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
701 Well St.
Onalaska, WI 54650
Phone: (608) 783-3619 / 608-790-5612 / 608-514-3403
Web Address: www.familysearch.org
Email: WI_LaCrosse@ldsmail.net

Hours: Tuesday 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. or by appointment

The main web page is: www.familysearch.org. 

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Special Collections & Area Research Center

Murphy Library
1631 Pine St.
La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: (608) 785-8511
Web Address: https://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/special-collections/about-special-collections/
Email: specoll@uwlax.edu
Hours: Academic Year: Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m., Wednesday 7:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m.
Summer Session & School Breaks: Call ahead It’s always good to call ahead to check open hours!

UW-La Crosse ARC covers the territory of Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon Counties, Wisconsin

Resources Available:

Books & Other Published Material

Search the online catalog for book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/

They have among their cataloged book collection such items as village, town, city and counties history, for places throughout Wisconsin. The Wisconiana collection of printed materials totals over 6,000 volumes.

City & County Directories

Extensive set of La Crosse city directories; also have business gazetteers for Wisconsin

County Histories & Biographical Sketches

Search the online catalog for all of their book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/

Among the cataloged book collection are items such as village, town, city and counties history, for places throughout Wisconsin. The Wisconiana collection of printed materials totals over 6,000 volumes.  Specificially, they have county histories for La Crosse Co., 1881, 1892, 1907.
 

Newspapers published in La Crosse County

La Crosse: Chronicle (1879-1906)

     Daily Liberal Democrat (1872-1878)

     Daily Republican (1859-1860; 1866-1870)

     Democrat (1853-1854; 1861-1868)

     La Crosse Tribune (1904-present)

     Republican & Leader (1871-1903)

Onalaska: La Crosse County Record/Record Times (1885-1969)

Manuscripts & Public Records Collections

Photographs

The photographic place files include pictures for over 1,000 Wisconsin cities and villages, and they have a very comprehensive collection of La Crosse area photos that include individual people, organizations, businesses, etc.

Also one of largest steamboat and inland boat photo collections is a strength.

Manuscripts

The La Crosse ARC has over 300 linear feet of manuscript collections and over 450 feet of public records of possible value to genealogists. Examples include certain school districts; county court, clerk, tax sale and treasurer records; and papers of businesses, organizations, and individuals.

Search Arcat for manuscript & public records for collections related to any manuscript or public record collection.

Public Records for La Crosse County

Register in probate, record of wills, 1866-1910

Register in probate, record of deeds, 1851-1886

Probate case files, 1851-1876

Grantor/Grantee (land records) indexes, 1851-1857

Naturalization records, 1846-1955

Tax & assessment rolls, 1853-1950 (intermittent)*

La Crosse city tax rolls & assessment, 1857-1918

Circuit Court:
  Record volumes, 1896-1965
  Minute books, 1862-1974
  Court commissioners dockets, 1916-1926

*For county tax rolls, every year available is kept until circa 1900; then generally every fifth or tenth year after that is kept.

Plat Maps & Books

Approximately 500 maps and other county plat books are at the La Crosse ARC. You can search their online catalog for plat book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/. Ask them about individual map holdings.  Holdings for La Crosse County include 1906-present, also plat maps 1874 & 1890.

Vital Records Indexes

The ARC has the following indexes on microfiche. These were produced by the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and are also available from the Wisconsin Historical Society online site www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy:

Index to Wisconsin Births, pre-1907

Index to Wisconsin Marriages, pre-1907

Index to Wisconsin Deaths, pre-1907

Pre-1907 registers/certificates of Wisconsin births, marriages and deaths for Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe,

Trempealeau and Vernon counties on microfilm

Yearbooks

You can search our online catalog for all of our book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/. We have some school yearbooks, including a complete set of La Crosse State Teacher's College (later called La Crosse State Normal School and now called University of Wisconsin-La Crosse).

Viterbo University Archives

Todd Wehr Memorial Library
815 Ninth St. S.
La Crosse, WI 54601-9902
Phone: (608) 796-3262
Web Address: http://www.viterbo.edu/library3.aspx?id=11948
Hours: call for an appointment

Resources Available:

Materials

Student directories, 1972-present

Alumni directories

Scrapbooks, 1948-present

Yearbooks

Viterbo University "Imprints" "Cameo" (1970-1992, 1991 missing)