— Nov 22, 2021
The Poisoned Pharmacist
Early German immigrant Adalbert Moeller was a recognized businessman and community leader in La Crosse when the disastrous accident that took his life occurred.
— Nov 8, 2021
The Fishy Story of Riverside Park's North End
By the fall of 1919, the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries committed funds to moving the regional headquarters from Homer, Minnesota [known as the Winona station], to La Crosse and building a modern fish hatchery and rescue station.
— Oct 11, 2021
A Viewer's Guide to Dark La Crosse Stories
Since 2019, 50 episodes of Dark La Crosse Stories, a collaboration with the La Crosse Tribune, have been produced.
— Sep 7, 2021
Roll out the Barrel!
How did La Crosse's Oktoberfest actually start? Some say it began on the golf course in 1960.
— Aug 30, 2021
La Crosse’s German Vereins: Their Rise and Decline, Part 2
When the Great War broke out in 1914, German Americans found themselves sympathizing with their homeland politics, yet firmly identifying as American. When the US left its neutrality behind and joined the conflict in 1917, these German Americans had to decide if they would continue advocating for Germany’s cause, or if they would assimilate into U.S. life.
— Aug 16, 2021
La Crosse's German Vereins: Their Rise and Decline, Part 1
La Crosse is known to have strong German roots, thanks to things like the brewing industry and the large annual Oktoberfest celebration. But how did early, first-generation German immigrants socialize and preserve their culture? They created Vereins—societies and clubs.
— Aug 4, 2021
Grand Temporary Performance Venue Built for 1908 Saengerfest
With no auditorium, or even a music hall capable of housing more than a few hundred people, La Crosse was awarded the honor of hosting the 1908 Saengerfest, a biennial music festival attended by thousands of singers and music lovers from all parts of the United States.
— Jul 21, 2021
Pass the Potatoes, Please
In 1912, three McKenzie brothers and their father, bought a defunct manufacturing company on La Crosse's North Side, and launched into producing implements for the cultivation of potatoes.
— Jul 6, 2021
The Rubber Mills Blues
"It was just blue in there!" reported Herman Tietz, as he described working in the La Crosse Rubber Mills factory on days where they cured rubber in the ovens. Tietz worked at the factory starting in 1908—just over a decade after the Rubber Mills opened.
— Jun 22, 2021
Pamperin Cigar Company
The Pamperin Cigar Company, recognized regionally and nationally for its excellent tobacco products, operated in downtown La Crosse for over 120 years.
— Jun 9, 2021
Burns Park: A Community Legacy
Timothy Burns, a native of Dublin, Ireland, was an important figure in La Crosse's early development. Despite his early death at age 33, his contributions are memorialized in the naming of Burns Park.
— May 25, 2021
La Crosse's Struggle for Safe Water
The city’s first waterworks was designed mainly for fire protection.