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Guide to the La Crosse, Wisconsin, City Park and Recreation Department Records, 1860-2008 (bulk 1908-2000) La Crosse Series 013

Guide to the La Crosse, Wisconsin, City Park and Recreation Department Records, 1860-2008 (bulk 1908-2000)

La Crosse Series 013

Summary Information

Abstract
Records of the City of La Crosse Park and Recreation Department, 1860-2008, with the bulk of the documents dating from 1908-2000. These materials include Board of Park Commissioners records (1908-2006), Park and Recreation Department records (1924-2008), Recreation (1963-1972), and Sites (1860-2007). The Board materials include correspondence (1911-1999), director’s reports (1960; 1962-1963), a land records book (ca. 1900-1938), meeting minutes (1908-2006), an index and abstracts meeting minutes (1908-1979), and board policies (n. d.). The Park and Recreation Department records are arranged in subject files, and include anniversary celebrations, financial data, flooding, planning, surveys, trees and planting, Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, and miscellaneous materials. Materials created by the recreation arm of the department consist mainly of photographs (1963-1972) and are largely unidentified. These are arranged by sport or activity. Lastly, sites include information and some photographs about land controlled by the Park department and constitute the bulk of the collection. Sites that have the most information include Cameron Park, Campbell Cemetery, Copeland Park, Country Club grounds, Grandad Bluff, Hixon Forest, Myrick Park and zoo, Pettibone Park and Riverside Park.
Collection Title
La Crosse, Wisconsin, City Park and Recreation Department Records
Date of Materials [bulk]
Bulk, 1908-2000
Date of Materials [inclusive]
1860-2008
Creator
La Crosse (Wis.). City Park and Recreation Dept..
Call Number
La Crosse Series 013
Amount
6.6 cubic feet
Physical Description
16 archives boxes, 1 oversized folder, 1 loose volume
Language of Materials
English
Repository
La Crosse Public Library Archives

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], La Crosse, Wisconsin, City Park and Recreation Department Records, La Crosse Series 013, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

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Historical Note

On May 15, 1908, the La Crosse Common Council passed an ordinance creating two park districts in La Crosse. The area of the city south of the La Crosse River was named the first district and the area of the city north of the La Crosse River was named the second district. The ordinance also provided for the establishment of a Board of Park Commissioners. This ordinance, initiated by Dr. Wendell A. Anderson, then mayor of the city of La Crosse, marked the first significant official interest in the city’s few parks. Mayor Anderson appointed J.M. Hixon, L.F. Easton, E.L. Colman, and Henry Gund as the first to serve on the Board of Park Commissioners.

The Board selected Mr. John Nolen, a noted landscape artist and advisor, to design a park system for the city. A public meeting was held on November 18, 1908, to give information about the plans and to gather support from citizens. Nolen presented his plan for a park system, which included improving existing parks as well as developing new ones in La Crosse, and proponents of the system gave speeches endorsing the plan. Nolen and the plan’s supporters convinced those in attendance that a good park system could permanently influence the welfare of a city and the plan was adopted. Parks to be improved or developed in the plan were Copeland, Levee, Grandad Bluff and Miller’s Coulee, West Avenue Playfield, Adams Street Playground, a block at George and Livingston Streets, La Plume Island, forty acres at the south end of West Avenue, Main Street Square, Reservation viaduct between the north and south sides of La Crosse, and the Interstate Fair grounds. Many of the parks identified in this plan still exist today in some form.

Despite this ordinance establishing a Board of Park Commissioners in 1908, parks in the city of La Crosse actually started with Burns Park, platted as public square in 1852 and continued with Myrick Park (then Lake Park), bought in 1873. These and other parks were taken care of by a small amount of money appropriated to the Public Works Department for the trimming of trees and grass. One major park established before the 1908 ordinance was Pettibone Park. It was donated by A.W. Pettibone and placed under the administration of a special parks commission, to be used as a public pleasure ground. At that time, the Pettibone Park land was part of the state of Minnesota, but the boundaries were later changed to include the land within the state of Wisconsin and city of La Crosse.

After waiting more than fifty years for an established system of park lands and facilities, it only took about six months from the November 18, 1908, public meeting for enough money to be raised to start work on John Nolen’s plan. Twenty thousand dollars was raised through an extra one mill tax and seventy thousand dollars was raised through city bonding, both of which were approved at the public meeting. This money allowed the work started with the Public Works Department to continue as the Park and Recreation Department and the Board of Parks Commissioners and for the parks started with such parks as Burns and Pettibone to evolve into the beautiful parks system La Crosse has today.

Over the years, La Crosse’s park system has grown to fit the needs of the growing city. Boasting over 1300 acres of beautiful and useful park and recreational land, La Crosse’s park system and Park and Recreation Department continue to be an important asset to the city.

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Scope and Contents

Records of the City of La Crosse Park and Recreation Department, 1860-2008, with the bulk of the documents dating from 1908-2000 include Board of Park Commissioners records (1908-2006), Park and Recreation Department records (1924-2008), Recreation (1963-1972), and Sites (1860-2007).

The Board materials include correspondence (1911-1999), director’s reports (1960; 1962-1963), a land records book (ca. 1900-1938), meeting minutes (1908-2006), an index and abstracts meeting minutes (1908-1979), and board policies (n. d.), including the park naming policy. The meeting minutes make up a substantial part of this collection and tell much of the history of the board as well as the Park & Recreation Dept. as a whole.

The PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT records are widely varied in subject content. Beginning with the Park department’s fiftieth and one hundredth anniversaries (1958 and 2008), these materials cover finance (1924-1979) which contain a smattering of monthly expenditures, bill and payroll reports and various yearly reports. Also included are flooding (2001), planning (1978-1979) which consists mostly of two project reports and project suggestion forms; surveys (1972; 1975), trees and planting (1971-1973) which contain items regarding Dutch elm disease and flower planting, but considering that the Park and Recreation Department controls most of the trees and planting in the city, there is very little information found here. Also included in the PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT records are Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association materials from 1974, when their annual conference was held in La Crosse and a miscellaneous (1971-1980) file.

The RECREATION series consists mainly of photographs (1963-1972) and are largely unidentified. These are arranged by sport or activity and include baseball/softball, basketball, drama and music, fishing and fishing derbies, horse shoes, ice hockey, and ice skating including the annual speed skating event on Pettibone lagoon sponsored by the Park and Recreation Department.

Lastly, SITES include information and some photographs about land controlled by the Park department and constitute the bulk of the collection. Sites that have the most information include Cameron Park, Campbell Cemetery, Copeland Park, Country Club grounds, Grandad Bluff, Hixon Forest, Myrick Park and zoo, Pettibone Park and Riverside Park.

Cameron Park (1965-2005) includes many newspaper clippings about the Ten Commandments Monument.

Campbell Cemetery (1860-1992) became under the jurisdiction of the Park Dept. in 1932. The material is divided into burial permits (1897-1979), financial journals (1860-1932), indexes, maps, and miscellaneous (1916-1992). Burial permits contain permits for burial and disinterment. Finance, which is contained in two volumes, has very early meeting minutes as well as information on who bought burial plots. There are several different indexes: deeds sold (alphabetical), tombstones read and tombstones read (alphabetical), and burial permits (alphabetical and chronological). Both maps plat the cemetery differently.

One of the maps, dated 1931 and marked void is completely different from the others. It shows two circles containing burial plots in the middle of the cemetery. It has been determined that there are many more burials than stones. Miscellaneous materials contain some genealogical inquiries and information and some copies of burial permits.

Copeland Park (1951-2006) contains information about the Clinton Street bridge relocation and road widening project, 1977-1983; Logger Field, 2002-2006; shelter, 1963-2003; steam locomotive and caboose, 1958-2004; West Copeland Park/North La Crosse landfill site/North Side Dump/Veterans Freedom Park, 1971-2006.

The Country Club grounds/La Crosse Country Club/Bluffs Country Club/Forest Hills Golf Course (1913-2003) consists of newspaper clippings and information about the golf course and swimming pool.

Grandad Bluff materials (1909-1999) include general files, information about erosion control, flag pole, McLoone’s Addition, memorial plaque and the pump and well.

Hixon Forest materials (1965-2005) include general files, Luxford property exchange (Experimental Forest), McBain property, Nature Center, restrooms, rifle range, and trails.

Myrick Park materials (1932-2007) include general files as well as information o the gun club, Kids Coulee playscape, tennis courts and zoo.

The Myrick Park Zoo operated from 1929-2007 and records include materials of the La Crosse Zoo Development Association (1949-1953), a non-profit group, which consist of articles of incorporation and by-laws (1949), and the meetings of directors’ minutes (1950-1953). Much of the history of this association can be found in the meeting of directors’ minutes. Other materials include correspondence (1951-1953), finance, which includes general (1949-1953) finance of the association and ticket sales (1951-1953) information, and some miscellaneous (1949-1953) items including brochures, contracts and newspaper items.

Concessions also constitute a good portion of this file, 1975-2003. The Myrick Zoo was replaced by the Myrick Hixon Ecopark exhibits due to open in 2010 or 2011.

Pettibone Park (1912; 1932-2002) contains general files as well as information on the bath house, beach, lagoon, South Pettibone Island, wing dam light and Wisconsin Telephone Co. cable.

Lastly, Riverside Park (1930-2007) includes information on the Anderson Memorial Band shell, Arata sculpture, boardwalk, Hiawatha statue and Riverfest in addition to general files.

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Arrangement

Arranged in four series:

Series 1: Board of Park Commissioners

Series 2: Park and Recreation Department

Series 3: Recreation

Series 4: Sites

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

La Crosse Public Library Archives 1993

800 Main St.
La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org

Revision Description

  2011

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Acquisitions Information

(Accession no. 1993.019) Transferred by Robert Berg, Park and Recreation Department Director, and Garland Amunson, Park Superintendent, October 1993.

(Accession no. 2007.086, 2008.026, 2008.054, 2009.002, 2010.066) Transferred by Gar Amunson, Park Department Superintendent, Oct. 2007, June 2008, Aug. 2008, Jan. 2009, and Nov. 2010.

Processing Information

Processed by Carrie Seib, October/November 1993, as part of the 1993/94 Local Records Grant awarded to the City of La Crosse and administered by the Archives and Local History Room at the La Crosse Public Library.

Additions from 2007-2010 processed by Anita Taylor Doering, Bill Doering & Margaret Donndelinger, Jan.-Feb. 2010; and Katie Alderman Oct. 2011.

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Related Materials

Related Materials

(711. 558 N71M)
 The Making of a Park System in La Crosse by John Nolen
(363.68 L111PA)
 Park and Recreation Plan for La Crosse prepared by the City of La Crosse Planning
(La Crosse Series 020)
 La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Parks, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Parks
(930.1 B657A 1989)
 
(C2 D03 M39)
 
(La Crosse Series 022)
 La Crosse, Wisconsin, Office of the City Clerk, Reports of City Officers, Toll Bridge Collector Records
(508 P442P)
 

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • Campbell Cemetery (La Crosse, Wis.).

Subject(s)

  • Municipal government--Wisconsin--La Crosse
  • Parks--Wisconsin--La Crosse
  • Public records--Wisconsin--La Crosse
  • Recreation areas--Wisconsin--La Crosse

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OCLC Number

42449809

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Collection Inventory

 (Series 1) Board of Park Commissioners, 1908-2006 

Scope and Contents

Board of Park Commissioners records include correspondence (1911-1985), director’s reports (1960; 1962-1963), and meeting minutes (1908-1979). The meeting minutes make up a substantial part of this collection and tell much of the history of the board as well as the Park & Recreation Dept. as a whole. Most of the bulk of the other records within this collection fall within the date span of the minutes. An index to abstracts of these minutes is available.

Correspondence, 

Box Folder

General, 1911-1985 

1 1-7

Regarding Park & Recreation logo, 1999 

1 8
Box Folder

Director's reports, 1960-1963 

1 9
Volume

Land records book, ca. 1900-1938 

1

Minutes, 1908-2006 

Box

Index and abstracts to meeting minutes, 1908-1979 

2

 1908-1955 

3

 1954-1979 

4

 1980-1993 

5

 1994-2003 

6

 2004-2006 

7
Box Folder

Policies, n. d. 

8 1

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 (Series 2) Park and Recreation Department, 1924-2008 

Scope and Contents

The Park and Recreation Department records are numerous and widely varied. Beginning with the Park department’s fiftieth anniversary (1958), these materials cover finance (1924-1979), planning (1978-1979), recreation (1963-1972), and trees and planting (1971-1973). The fiftieth anniversary materials include the official sticker and a picture of the 1958 Board of park Commissioners as well as program information and other items. The financial materials contain monthly expenditures, bill and payroll reports and various yearly reports. The planning information consists mostly of two project reports and project suggestion forms. Recreation records contain a few community and youth activity programs. The materials in trees and planting contain items regarding Dutch elm disease and flower planting, but considering that the Park and Recreation Department controls most of the trees and planting in the city, there is very little information found here.

Also included in the Park and Recreation Department records are Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association materials from 1974, when their annual conference was held in La Crosse. The miscellaneous (1971-1979) file contains lease information, several undated resolutions, parks and playgrounds naming policy, as well as other materials.

The rest of the Park and Recreation Department materials consist of site information. Most of the eighteen sites listed have very little information about them, except for Hixon Forest, Pettibone Park, and Riverside Park, which have a little more information than others. The single site with the most information is Campbell Cemetery (1860-1992). The cemetery information is divided into burial permits (1897-1979), financial journals (1860-1932), indexes, maps, and miscellaneous (1916-1992). Burial permits contain permits for burial and disinterment. Finance, which is contained in two volumes, has very early meeting minutes as well as information on who bought burial plots. There are several different indexes: deeds sold (alphabetical), tombstones read and tombstones read (alphabetical), and burial permits (alphabetical and chronological). All three maps plat the cemetery differently.

One of the maps, dated 1931 and marked void is completely different from the others. It shows two circles containing burial plots in the middle of the cemetery. It could not be determined if the circles were actually still there or how that specific plat map fit into the mapping of the cemetery. Miscellaneous materials contain some genealogical inquiries and information and some copies of burial permits.

Anniversaries 

Box Folder

50th anniversary, 1958 

8 2

100th anniversary, 2008 

8 3
Box Folder

Finance, 1924-1979 

8 4-6

Flood, 2001 

8 7

Planning, 1978-1979 

8 8

Surveys, 1972-1975 

8 9

Trees and planting, 1971-1973 

8 10

Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, 1974 

8 11

Miscellaneous, 1971-1980 

8 12

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Recreation, 1963-1972 

Box Folder

Committee minutes, 1972 

9 1

Miscellaneous, 1963-1972 

9 2

 Photographs 

Box Folder

Baseball/softball 

9 3

Basketball 

9 4

Drama and music 

9 5

Fishing 

9 6

Horse shoes 

9 7

Ice hockey 

9 8

Ice skating 

9 9

Miscellaneous 

9 10
Box Folder

Softball (miscellaneous) 

9 11

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Sites 

Box Folder

Badger Playground, 1959-1981 

9 12

Baseball stadium site investigation, 1989-1990 

9 13

Black River 

Box Folder

Beach drowning, 1989 

9 14

Buoys, ca. 1989-1990 

9 15

La Crosse Jaycees beach project, 1976-1977 

9 16
Box Folder

Bluffview Park (28th & Jackson streets), 1971-1972 

9 17

Boathouses 

9 18

Boy Scout building site, 1963-1964 

9 19

Brennan Marine barge fleeting (Black River), 1989-1991 

9 20

Burns Park - Lyra sculpture, 1990-2005 

9 21

Cameron Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1985-2005 

9 22

Ten Commandments monument, 1965-2005 

9 23

Campbell Cemetery 

Box Folder

Burial permits, 1897-1979 

10 1-3

Financial journals, 1860-1932 

10 4-5

Indexes 

10 6

Maps 

Oversize

Plat of cemetery, n. d. 

PR 1

Plat, 1931 

PR 1

Marking diagram, ca. 1931 

PR 1
Box Folder

Miscellaneous, 1916-1992 

10 7
Box Folder

Carroll Field, 1971-1976 

10 8

City Farm, 1963-1987 

10 9

City Hall, 1985 

10 10

Clayton Johnson Park (Juniper Estates), 1981-1996 

10 11

Cliffwood Bluff, 1981 

10 12

Copeland Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1963-2004 

11 1

Century Telephone easement, 1991 

11 2

Clinton Street Bridge/State Hwy. Commission, 1977-1983 

11 3

Extension (North Side Landfill site), 1951-1985 

11 4

Logger Field, 2002-2006 

11 5

North La Crosse Lumber Co., 1989 

11 6

Shelter, 1963-2003 

11 7

Steam locomotive 

Box Folder

General materials, 1958-2004 

11 8

Committee materials, 1961-1964 

11 9

West Copeland Park/North La Crosse Landfill Site/Northside Dump/Veterans Freedom Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1980-2006 

11 10

Boat ramp, 1971-1987; 1995 

11 11

Country Club/La Crosse Country Club/Bluffs Country Club/Forest Hills 

Box Folder

General materials, 1913-1989 

11 12

Clippings, 1969-2003 

11 13

Golf course, 1970-1976 

11 14

Swimming pool, 1963-1974 

12 1
Box Folder

Crowley Park/Emerson Playground, 1975-1976 

12 2

Erickson Field and Erickson Pool, 1956-2004 

12 3

Fairchild Tot Lot, 1975 

12 4

Fisherman's Road, 1971-1981 

12 5

Goose Green, n. d. 

12 6

Goosetown Park, 1984-1985 

12 7

Grandad Bluff Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1909-1989 

12 8

Erosion, 1957-1999 

12 9-10

Flag pole, 1941 

12 11

McLoone's Addition, 1959-1968 

12 12

Memorial plaque, 1975-1977 

12 13

Pump and well, 1956-1971 

12 14

Green Island Park and Ice Arena 

Box Folder

General materials, 1978-2002 

13 1

Labor's Grove, 1991 

13 2
Box Folder

Haas Park/Cliffside Park #2, 1967-1974 

13 3

Highland Street Park, 1986 

13 4

Hixon Forest 

Box Folder

General materials, 1972-2005 

13 5

Luxford property exchange (Experimental Forest), 1965-1996 

13 6

McBain property, 1997 

13 7

Nature Center, 1997-1998 

13 8

Restrooms, 1976 

13 9

Rifle range, 1971-1975 

13 10

Trails, 1976-1977; 2005 

13 11

Upper trails/Human Powered Trails, 2001-2002 

13 12
Box Folder

Hixon statue (Badger Street), 2001-2002 

13 13

Hood Park/Poage Park, 1996-2000 

13 14

Houska Park, 1970; 1979; 2993; 2003 

13 15

Logan High School/Swanson Field, 1941-1977 

13 16

Logan Middle School Pool, 1955-2000 

13 17

Leuth Park/Skateboard Park, 1999 

13 18

Manlay Gardens/McDonald's site, 1965-1975 

13 19

Marsh development, 1972-1998 

14 1

Memorial Field/Municipal Pool, 1946-1948; 1972-1976 

14 2

Merry Meadows Park, 1989 

14 3

Milston Court Addition, 1991 

14 4

Monegan Overhead (Hwy. 16), 1977-1981 

14 5

Myrick Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1972 

14 6

Gun Club, 1932-1983 

14 7

Kids Coulee, ca. 1994 

14 8

Myrick-Hixon EcoPark, 2006 

14 9

Tennis courts, 1965-1975 

14 10

Zoo 

Box Folder

General materials, 2004-2007 

14 11

Bear Den, 1977-1989 

14 12

Concessions (Myron Boland), 1975-1993 

Box Folder

Concessions, rides and income 

14 13

Concessions price list 

14 14

Corrrespondence 

14 15

Insurance policies 

14 16

Leases, resolutions, minutes, reports 

14 17

Miscellaneous 

14 18
Box Folder

Concessions, 1993-2003 

14 19

 (Series 3) La Crosse Zoo Development Association, 1949-1953 

Scope and Contents

Materials of the Zoo Association, a non-profit group, include administrative materials, which consist of the articles of incorporation and by-laws (1949) of the association and the meetings of directors’ minutes (1950-1953). Much of the history of this association can be found in the meeting of directors’ minutes. Other materials include correspondence (1951-1953), finance, which includes general (1949-1953) finance of the association and ticket sales (1951-1953) information, and some miscellaneous (1949-1953) items including brochures, contracts and newspaper items.

Box Folder

General materials, 1949-1953 

14 20

Articles of incorporation and by-laws, 1949 

14 21

Correspondence, 1951-1953 

14 22

Director's meeting minutes, 1950-1953 

14 23

Ticket sales, 1951-1953 

14 24

Miscellaneous, 1949-1953 

14 25
Box Folder

License, 1945-1995 

14 26

Pettibone Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1912; 1932-2001 

15 1

Bath House, 1932-2002 

15 2

Beach, 1945-1962 

15 3

Lagoon, 1961-1991 

15 4

South Pettibone Island, 1969-1990 

15 5

Wind dam light, 1973 

15 6

Wisconsin Telephone Co. cable, 1977 

15 7
Box Folder

Powell drinking fountain, 1977-1979 

15 8

Powell Park, 1950-2000 

15 9

R.A.B.B.I.T. Trails, 1975-1978 

15 10

Rediske Cobbler Shop, 2002 

15 11

Red Cloud Park, 1951-1990 

15 12-14

Reinhart Property/3rd and Main streets, 1990 

15 15

Ridgeview Stable facility, 1976 

15 16

Riverside Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1972-2007 

16 1

Anderson Memorial Band Shell, 1930; 1965 

16 2

Arata sculpture, 1982-1983 

16 3

Boardwalk, 1989-2006 

16 4

Hiawatha statue, 1955-2001 

16 5

Riverfest, 1988 

16 6
Box Folder

Robbinsdale Addition/Dahl property, 1985 

16 7

Roellig Park, 1967; 1981 

16 8

Roesler Addition, 1999-2000 

16 9

Saint Andrew Street Park, 1988 

16 10

Seminary Park, 1982 

16 11

Sherwood Manor Addition, 1981-1989 

16 12

Spence Park 

Box Folder

General materials, 1971-1979 

16 13

Historical marker, 1974-1978 

16 14
Box Folder

Stry (Paul E.) Foundation, 1996 

16 15

Swimming, 1947-1969 

16 16

Weather Station and Upper Hixon Forest, 1972-1991 

16 17

Weigent (Babe) Park, 1972-2000 

16 18

Wittenberg Park, 1972-2000 

16 19

Zephyr Circle, 1962; 1991-1992 

16 20

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