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Guide to the La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Bridges, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Bridges, 1857-1932
La Crosse Series 024
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Abstract
- Resolutions and reports from the Committee on Bridges to the Common Council, 1857-1932. The materials are arranged by bridge location; therein, chronologically. There isn’t any further indexing to this collection at this time other than what the City Clerk has on index cards. The reports are mostly requests for new or improvements to existing bridges. Bridges best represented in this series are the main and west channel bridges across the Mississippi River, including the ice or winter bridge, and the road (Highwater Road) from the west end of the wagon bridge to La Crescent, MN, 1888-1932. Other bridge areas that have some substance in this series are La Crosse River (n.d.; 1859-1922), Isle la Plume (1857-1931), Pettibone Park (1880-1917), Black River (1891-1926), and the Causeway [Plank Road], (1867-1919).
- Collection Title
- La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Bridges, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Bridges
- Date of Materials
- 1857-1932
- Creator
- La Crosse (Wis.). Committee on Bridges.
- Call Number
- La Crosse Series 024
- Amount
- 1.2 cubic feet
- Physical Description
- 3 archives boxes
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- La Crosse Public Library Archives
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Bridges, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Bridges, La Crosse Series 024, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI
Historical Note
Although this series consists of non-railroad bridges, the railroads did play a role in the history of the Mississippi River Wagon bridge, completed in 1891. A battle between the interests of the Southern Minnesota Railroad and those of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad raged until 1876 when the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad constructed a bridge across the Mississippi River in North La Crosse. Congress had to give permission for any bridge spanning over the Mississippi so that river transportation or navigation would not be jeopardized. In the 1870s and 1880s, many proposals for new bridge or ferry projects across the main river channel fell apart. Residents hoped that the proposed Southern Minnesota Railroad bridge, planned for at the end of Mount Vernon Street in the 1870s, could somehow be a combination wagon and railroad bridge. But the Southern Minnesota Railroad was unable financially to complete a bridge.
Because the river was considered unnavigable in the winter, the city of La Crosse was able to construct a “winter bridge” or ice bridge across the Mississippi River after the close of navigation in the fall without permission from the federal government. “Winter bridges were built of piling, driven through the ice, and timbers in the usual way, but with opening of navigation in spring they were removed.”(1) Because of the extreme cost of ferrying teams, goods, and people across the Mississippi River in the monopolized public ferry boats, the “winter bridge” was very popular. “During two months of free winter crossing, nearly as many Minnesota teams came to La Crosse as during the entire navigation season.”(2)
To promote commerce and communication, it was imperative that a bridge across the Mississippi River be built to accommodate teams, wagons, and people to and from La Crosse, Wisconsin, and La Crescent, Minnesota. Minnesota Farmers were taking their produce and business to other Minnesota towns, such as Winona, even though La Crosse paid higher prices for these goods.
Financed by a $70,000 city bond issue approved by La Crosse voters, plans for a wagon bridge across the Mississippi River were underway by 1888.(3) The Department of War and the U.S. Corps of Engineers initially did not like the bridge plans or the proposal to have the bridge be connected to the end of Pearl Street. But the plans were altered to accommodate a Mount Vernon approach, and by 1891, a toll drawbridge was completed, as well as a pontoon bridge that spanned the west channel, and a “highwater road” and several small bridges to La Crescent, MN. The toll on the main channel bridge was lifted in 1919. The state took over maintenance of the bridge in 1930.(4)
This main channel drawbridge stood until Aug. 1935 when a fatal traffic accident caused 131 feet of the western side of the bridge to collapse into the river.(5) A new main channel bridge was completed that connected Cass Street to Pettibone Island in Sept/Oct. 1939. The $1,500,000 main channel bridge was constructed by the Wisconsin Highway Commission, just on the heels of a new west channel bridge completed in 1936 as a joint Wisconsin-Minnesota Highway Commission project.(6) At the time, it was the “largest project ever undertaken by the state, the building of this bridge has been a project in which cooperation between city, county and state has been exemplified to a high degree.”(7)
---------- (1) Albert H. Sanford and H.J. Hirshheimer, A History of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1841-1900 (La Crosse, WI : La Crosse County Historical Society), 1951: 152; and La Crosse Democrat, 21 Oct. 1870. In the Sanford & Hirshheimer book, there is also a good description of the ferry monopoly across the Mississippi River from 1857-1869.
(2) Ibid., and Republican & Leader 3 Jan. 1883.
(3) For a good brief article on the history of the 1891 “High Bridge”, consult E.H. Hoffman, “Curbstone Pickups,” La Crosse Tribune 21 Sept. 1939.
(4) “Working Days on Old Bridge End Saturday for Tenders and Engineers...” La Crosse Tribune 21 Sept. 1939.
(5) “Two Drown as Mississippi River Bridge Caves in Under Automobile,” La Crosse Tribune 9 Aug. 1935: 1.
(6) “New West Channel Bridge,” La Crosse Tribune 1 Jan. 1936.
(7) “Highway Commission Shares City’s Satisfaction in Bridge Completion,” La Crosse Tribune 21 Sept. 1939.
Scope and Contents
Common Council resolutions and reports began to be organized by a numbering system in Dec. 1932. Before that time the resolutions were kept folded up in chronological order, roughly by subject or Council committee (such as Parks, Judiciary, Fire, Police, etc.). This set of pre-1932 resolutions represents those labelled as Bridges, and date from 1857-1932.
The original order of these reports was not maintained. In arranging this series, the resolutions were grouped together by the location of the bridges; therein, chronologically. Railroad bridges are NOT included in this series. Railroads built and maintained their own bridges. This series represents bridges constructed under the authority of the city of La Crosse. In a few cases, private citizens representing certain industries asked the Common Council for permission to construct their own bridges to facilitate ease in transportation.
Bridges best represented in this series are the main and west channel bridges across the Mississippi River, and the road from the west end of the wagon bridge to La Crescent, MN, 1888-1932. What is unusual here is the inclusion of deeds for right-of-way and other agreements made with property owners in 1888-1891 in order to build the series of bridges and improve the roadway to La Crescent. Resolutions regarding the lifting of the toll can be found in the general resolutions subseries. Other bridge areas that have some substance in this series are La Crosse River (n.d.; 1859-1922), Isle la Plume (1857-1931), Pettibone Park (1880-1917), Black River (1891-1926), and the Causeway [Plank Road], (1867-1919).
Administrative Information
Publication Information
La Crosse Public Library Archives 1998 July
800 Main St.La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for patron use.
Acquisitions Information
(Accession no. 1996.004) Resolutions were located in the City Clerk’s basement area of City Hall; came to the Archives as part of the Mayor’s Special Committee on Historic Records, Dec. 1996
Processing Information
Processed by Anita Taylor Doering with assistance from Jaime Dechant, July 1998
Related Materials
Related Materials
- (La Crosse Series 011)
- La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Streets and Alleys, Resolutions and Reports on Streets and Alleys
- (La Crosse Series 022)
- La Crosse, Wisconsin, Office of the City Clerk, Reports of City Officers
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- La Crosse (Wis.). Common Council.
Subject(s)
- Bridges--Mississippi River
- Bridges--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Municipal government--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Public records--Wisconsin--La Crosse
OCLC Number
42450742
Collection Inventory
| Box | Folder | |||
|
General topics, 1886-1932 |
1 | 1 | ||
|
Black River, 1891-1926 |
1 | 2 | ||
|
Causeway (Plank Road), 1867-1919 |
1 | 3 | ||
|
Clinton Street, 1905-1923 |
1 | 4 | ||
|
Division Street (Colman Lumber private bridge), 1880 |
1 | 5 | ||
|
Finance, 1870-1928 |
1 | 6 | ||
|
Gould/Hagar Street viaduct, 1914 |
1 | 7 | ||
|
Gordon Ferry bridge, 1895 |
1 | 8 | ||
|
Green Island (running slough), 1914 |
1 | 9 | ||
|
Gund Hill gully, 1900-1901 |
1 | 10 | ||
|
Isle la Plume, 1857-1931 |
1 | 11 | ||
|
La Crosse River, 1859-1922 |
1 | 12-13 | ||
|
Mississippi River |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Ice bridge (winter bridge), 1870-1902 |
1 | 14 | ||
|
Road to La Crescent, Minnesota and La Crescent Road bridges (Highwater Road, Pettibone Highway extension), 1888-1932 |
1 | 15-16 | ||
|
Wagon Bridge (drawbridge) |
||||
| Box | ||||
|
General resolutions, 1880-1932 |
2 | |||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Deeds, 1888-1894 |
3 | 1-2 | ||
|
West Channel (Pontoon Bridge) |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
General resolutions, 1888-1932 |
3 | 3-4 | ||
|
Dams, 1903 |
3 | 5 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Pettibone Park, 1880-1917 |
3 | 6 | ||
|
Rose Street, 1883-1927 |
3 | 7 | ||
|
St. Andrews Street, 1888-1924 |
3 | 8 | ||
|
Sumner Street (Holway Lumber private bridge), 1882 |
3 | 9 | ||
|
Swift Creek, 1903-1927 |
3 | 10 | ||