Looking Back at 1969
(written by Scott Brouwer, Archives staff)
Even as it was happening, 1969 was recognized as a seminal year in American history and that has only become more true as we’ve gotten farther away from it. 50 years on, the events and pop culture impact of 1969 feel as important as ever. Sesame Street, The Brady Bunch, Hee-Haw, and Monty Python’s Flying Circus debuted on TV. The Beatles released Abbey Road, The Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed, The Who released Tommy, while Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band, Santana and Crosby, Stills, and Nash all released their debut albums. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Easy Rider, The Wild Bunch thrilled and divided audiences in theaters while Midnight Cowboy would go on to become the first and only ‘X’-rated film to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
The major events of 1969 such as Nixon becoming President, the Stonewall riots, the moon landing, and Woodstock are being recognized all year long in all mediums. However, some big things were happening in La Crosse as well. Please enjoy the following headlines of local and national events from the La Crosse Tribune. If you would like to see the full stories for yourself, please stop in to the Archives and we’ll set you up!
January
January 20
January 29 - Roy Kumm, G. Heileman Brewing Co. president
February
February 28 - Allis-Chalmers
March
March 3
March 7
March 23
March 28
April
April 7
May
May 8
May 22
May 25
June
June 6
June 26
July
July 1
July 1 - now Gundersen Health System
July 11
July 16
July 17
July 21
August
August 6
August 10
August 16 and 17 - Woodstock
September
September 4
September 19
September 27
October
October 2
October 5
October 29
October 29
October 30
November
November 2
November 23
December
December 3
December 31 - UW-L marching band performed in the Rose Bowl parade