In 1888 a local contractor talked to a newspaper reporter about local building costs, "LA CROSSE IS THE PLACE TO BUILD CHEAP HOUSES"
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, Emeritus Professor of Art History)
People are always curious as to what something cost in the “good old days.” In an earlier blog I talked about s… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/houses-for-a-hundred-dollars/
Charles Lindbergh Shannon or “Lindy” was known to La Crosse teenagers of the late 1950s and 1960s as the “man behind the music.”
(written by Anita Taylor Doering, Archives Staff)
Lindy Shannon at the controls at WKBH radio. Photo courtesy of Peter Hansen.
Charles Lindbergh Shannon or “Lindy” wa… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/lucky-lindys-legacy/
Before the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, all abortions were illegal in the state of Wisconsin. But this doesn't mean they weren't performed. So what did this look like in La Crosse?
(written and researched by Jaci Bedtka, UWL Public History Intern Fellow)
CONTENT WARNING: This article contains descriptions of unsafe abortions and the complications that fol… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/abortion-access-in-la-crosse/
Living in La Crosse, you’ve likely heard Nathan Myrick cited as our community’s founding father. Places like Spence Park and Myrick Park offer us the commemoration of Nathan Myrick and his trading post, but we forget to ask ourselves why we hold this narr…
(Written and researched by Jenny DeRocher, Archives staff. Edited by Tiffany Trimmer and Anita Taylor Doering. A special thanks to Henry Greengrass and Tracy Littlejohn for provid… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/a-fresh-look-at-nathan-myrick/
A pattern book from the Congoleum Nairn company dated 1927 and used by the O. J. Oyen company has recently been donated to the La Crosse Public Library Archives, providing a wonderful insight into floor coverings and people's preferences almost a century …
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, Emeritus Professor of Art History)
A pattern book from the Congoleum Nairn company dated 1927 and used by the O. J. Oyen company has recently been do… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/this-will-floor-you/
The Dorset-Colwell family papers at LPLA include the personal correspondence for the whole family, who were extremely dedicated record-keepers. Marian Dorset even saved her drafted replies to her correspondents, which is the case for some 1901 love letter…
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives Staff)
At her death in 1951, Marian Dorset was 82 years old. She was the daughter of Nannie Hammer Colwell Dorset and Rev. Charles P. Dorset.… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/marian-dorsets-family-home-and-letters/
May is Historic Preservation Month. Find out how to celebrate this May with history tours that explore four different neighborhoods in La Crosse.
Come celebrate Historic Preservation Month this May and join the Footsteps of La Crosse history tour series, guided by LPL Archives staff. Footsteps explores how class, culture, a… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/history-tours-this-may/
William A. Roosevelt was an early La Crosse steamboat engineer who established a plumbing business and warehouse, serving the needs of steamboat trade plying the waters of the Mississippi River
(written by Anita Taylor Doering, Archives staff)
William A. Roosevelt was an early La Crosse steamboat engineer who established a plumbing business and warehouse, serving th… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/la-crosse-pioneers-w.-a.-roosevelt-family/
To what lengths did early La Crosse residents go to account for their transportation animals'... uh... waste?
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, Emeritus Professor of Art History)
With thanks to J. S. who has shoveled a lot of muck.
A typical city buggy on 10th Street in La Crosse. Seen h… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/st-happens/
With the opening of the $42 million addition to the La Crosse Center in December, it seems a fitting time to take a look back at the La Crosse Center’s first 40+ years.
written by Scott Brouwer, Archives Staff
With the opening of the $42 million addition to the La Crosse Center in December, it seems a fitting time to take a look back at the La… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/la-crosse-center-the-first-40-years/
A look back at the local history stories shared by the La Crosse Public Library Archives in 2021.
Archives staff/volunteers/interns/guest historians put together a lot of great blog posts in 2021; please take a moment to check out these local history topics by clicking on the … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/looking-back-2021/
Early German immigrant Adalbert Moeller was a recognized businessman and community leader in La Crosse when the disastrous accident that took his life occurred.
(written by Dr. Les Crocker, Emeritus Professor of Art History)
Image of Adalbert Moeller's drug store ad in the 1866 La Crosse city directory
Adalbert Moeller was one … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-poisoned-pharmacist/
How did La Crosse's Oktoberfest actually start? Some say it began on the golf course in 1960.
(written by Mary Dunn, former Library staff)
The tapping of the Golden Keg marks the official start to Oktoberfest. This scene from 1964 features Fest Master Roy Kumm of the … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/roll-out-the-barrel/
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 de…
(Written by Gabriel Eagon, UWL Capstone Project, edited by Jenny DeRocher, Archives Staff)
By 1914, La Crosse’s German community had experienced a demographic decline for nearly… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/la-crosses-german-vereins-the-consequences-of-world-war-i-part-2/
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—socie…
(Written by Gabriel Eagon, UWL Capstone Project, edited by Jenny DeRocher, Archives Staff)
Many readers will no doubt be familiar with La Crosse’s German roots, thanks to the ci… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/la-crosses-german-vereins-their-rise-and-decline-part-1/
"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.
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives staff)
The La Crosse Rubber Mills Company, Inc. opened its doors in 1897 on La Crosse's North Side. In the early years, the compan… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-rubber-mills-blues/
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.
(written by Anita Taylor Doering, Archives Staff)
Burns Park, donated to the city of La Crosse as part of the Timothy Burns, B. Farnam and Peter Burns addition, was platted as … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/burns-park-a-community-legacy/
