When it formed in 1946, the La Crosse Housing Authority was faced with massive housing shortages. Over the course of the next 40 years, the Authority managed to build 12 public housing developments to help address housing insecurity in La Crosse.
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives staff)
In her book about the history of the La Crosse Housing Authority, local historian Susan Hessel explained the national and regional … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-la-crosse-housing-authority-1946-1985/
In August 1939, a librarian working in Cedar Rapids, IA named Dorothea M. Fox decided to hop on her new, light-weight, 3-speed Schwinn and ride by herself to her childhood home in La Crosse.
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives Staff)
In August 1939, a librarian working in Cedar Rapids, Iowa named Dorothea M. Fox decided to hop on her new, light-weight, 3-speed Sch… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/dorothea-m.-fox-the-pedaling-librarian/
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/
Originally called “Halfway Creek” for the stream nearby of the same name by its founder, J.B. Canterbury, Midway was given its present name when the Chicago & Northwestern railroad was built through the community.
(written by Scott Brouwer, Archives staff; “Charleston” information from Bill Petersen, former Archives staff)
Traveling north on Hwy. 35 between Onalaska and Holmen, perhaps y… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/midway-hidden-in-plain-sight/
In less than 30 years at the beginning of the 20th century, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church went from an exciting new opportunity for Syrian Catholics in North La Crosse to a dilapidated building in such disrepair that it was unceremoniously razed to …
(written by Scott Brouwer, Archives staff)
La Crosse Tribune 19 August 1934
In less than 30 years at the beginning of the 20th century, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Ch… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/our-lady-of-lourdes/
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/
Pettiness is part of human nature. And sometimes pettiness takes the form of an object or structure that lasts through time. Other times, those structures are destroyed in the night by teenagers looking for justice, and the only place we can find evidence…
(written by Jenny DeRocher and Dave Kranz; research and images compiled by Dave Kranz)
Pettiness is part of human nature. And sometimes pettiness takes the form of an object or… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-spite-fence/
Have you wondered about La Crosse’s 2016 sundown town designation? This blog guides you through the primary sources that provide evidence for local anti-Black discrimination, and the original research that led to the proclamation that La Crosse is a sundo…
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives staff)
CONTENT WARNING: This blog post contains primary source images that use anti-Black language.
In 2016, Mayor Tim Kabat si… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/sundown-towns-and-la-crosse/
"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/
In 1946, Black delegates traveled to La Crosse from all over the Midwest to attend a labor union conference. They stayed at the Stoddard Hotel, where they experienced racial discrimination. In a 1947 court case, one of these Black delegates, James Tate, w…
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives staff)
In 1946, the United Automobile, Aircraft, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America Local Union 395 (UAW-CIO Union #395) held th… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/1947-racial-discrimination-lawsuit-against-hotel-stoddard/
One night in 1857, La Crosse was "overrun with scoundrels," as the local Committee on Vigilance took over the city, inciting a mob and setting fires.
(written by Jenny DeRocher, Archives Staff)
In 1856, most of the U.S. population was clustered on the east coast. Minnesota was not yet a state, so pioneer Wisconsin towns al… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/vigilantes-in-la-crosse/
A look back at the local history stories and resources shared by the La Crosse Public Library Archives in 2020.
Archives staff/volunteers/guest historians put together a lot of great blog posts in 2020; please take a moment to check out these local history topics and digital resources avail… https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/looking-back-at-2020/
Today, the cannon serves as a multi-war memorial, but where did it come from and why is it in Riverside Park?
Written by Sam Ott and Jenny DeRocher, edited by Anita Taylor Doering.
The cannon in Riverside Park has been an attraction since it was placed there over 100 years ago. It had a … https://archives.lacrosselibrary.org/blog/the-cannon-in-riverside-park/
