General Histories
A Brief Sketch of La Crosse, Wisc'n
Showing the Location of the Place, its Surrounding Scenery, Commercial Advantages, Early History, and the Social, Moral, Literary, and Religious Character of the Inhabitants; and Various Other Interesting Items / Spencer Carr. La Crosse, W. C. Rogers, 1854.
This pamphlet of 28 pages contains a brief history of La Crosse, written in 1854 by a La Crosse clergyman, three years after La Crosse County had been organized in the hopes of attracting more residents and industry. Of special interest are the three registers containing the names, birth places, religious affiliations and occupations of all heads of households and single men and women in La Crosse in 1854.
The City of La Crosse, Wis.: Its Advantages for Residences, Resources and Commercial Progress / from the Annual Report of the Board of Trade for 1891 ; with Representative Illustrations of its Residences and Public Buildings by The Art Gravure & Etching Co., 1892.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the first settlement of La Crosse, the Board of Trade issued this special edition of their annual report, which features over 100 photos and illustrations of street scenes, businesses, churches, government buildings, and residences. The photo of the John C. Burns Fruit House business also includes portraits of the baseball team they sponsored in their uniforms.
Echoes of our Past: Vignettes of Historic La Crosse/Myer Katz (La Crosse, Wis. : The La Crosse Foundation : The Washburn Foundation), 1985.
A series of narratives serve to tell the story of some of La Crosse's more interesting history that is not intended to be scholarly but more popular reading for local history enthusiasts.
History of La Crosse Wisconsin, 1900-1950 / Stanley M. Miller, 1959.
History of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, 1881/ Butterfield, Consul Willshire. Chicago : Western Historical Co., 1881, 862 p.
This 862 page tome is the preeminent 19th century history of the La Crosse area. It begins with a general overview of the history of Wisconsin but then begins a detailed account of the history of both the city and county of La Crosse including its villages and towns as well as biographical sketches of prominent citizens. It is illustrated with black and white woodcuts. A name index to this volume was compiled in 1977 by Murphy Library and this index is included.
History of the City of La Crosse, 1841-1871 / Ray Monroe Keeler, 1915
This 44 page thesis written for a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1915 provides a broad overview to the first three decades La Crosse history. Chapter topics include Settlement and Early Growth; Industrial Expansion; Social and Political Expansion; City Improvements; and La Crosse in the State and Nation.
A collection of articles from the La Crosse Tribune regarding interesting topics in the La Crosse area. You will find information on Annexation of the Town of Campbell, North-South Corridor Dispute, Evelyn Hartley murder, Hixon Forest, Floods, Grandad Bluff, School Disputes, Natural Beauty, and the Generosity of the People.
La Crosse, A Case Study in Social History, 1900-1910 / Berthrong, Donald John
The author of this 158 page history thesis for the University of Wisconsin at Madison decided that rather than examining the entire social history of the city of La Crosse, he would instead focus on a “dominant group of individuals who were most active and most influential in the affairs of the city” in the years 1900, 1905 and 1910. These individuals included: Albert Hirshheimer, Michael and William Funk, Frank Bartl, S.Y. Hyde, Frederick Copeland, and W.W. Cargill. Chapter topics include economic features; political considerations; and social organizations, education, and labor.
La Crosse County Historical Sketches, 1931-1955
A General Sketch of La Crosse History / Albert H. Sanford
A brief history about county organization and towns, early settlers, their ethnicity and agricultural products.
Memoirs of La Crosse County / Benjamin Bryant; 1907.
This work, along with History of La Crosse County, 1881, are the preeminent published sources for 19th century La Crosse history. Bryant’s Memoirs, as it is commonly called, is a wide-ranging work that covers the early history of La Crosse as well as the social, education, government, religious, and business institutions. The book is divided into 22 chapters and also includes brief histories of the smaller towns of La Crosse County. An alphabetical name index to Bryant’s Memoirs was prepared and digitized in 2004 and is available for searching at the “name index” button.
Territorial History - Early Claims to the Territory-La Crosse County on the Highway to the Northwest-Early Visitors-British Dominion-Treaty of Paris, 1783- Claim of Virginia-Jurisdiction of the General Government-Ordinance of 1787-Territory of Indiana-Visit of Major Pike-Territory of Illinois-Indian Rendezvous in 1814-Jurisdiction of Michigan Territory-Division into Brown, Crawford and Michilimackinac Counties-Influence of the Black Hawk War-Wisconsin Territory.
La Crosse County, Early History - Original Bill Creating the County-Present Dimensions-Conditions of Soil and Climate-Picturesque Scenery-Character of the Early Settiers-A Journey across the County in 1851-Agriculture-Lumbering -Value of Real Estate in 1858 Outlook in 1863
La Crosse County in the Civil War - Difficulties of Compiling a Correct Record-Public Sentiment at the Beginning of the War-The La Crosse Light Guard (Company B, Second Inf.)-Soldiers in the Third Infantry--Company I, Eighth Infantry-German Citizens of La Crosse in the Ninth-Company D, Fourteenth Infantry-Scandinavians in the Fifteenth-Company A, Twentieth Regiment-Company F, Twenty-fifth Regiment-Company D, Thirty-sixth Regiment-Company G, Fortieth Regiment-La Crosse Men in the Forty-fourth-Company C, Forty-ninth Regiment-Companies A, B and C, in the Fifty-third-Representatives of the County in Other Regiments-Company B, Second Cavalry-The La Crosse Light Artillery-First Captain, J. J. Foster-The Missouri Sharpshooters-Early Promotions-Press Comments-"What to Send the Soldiers"-The Grant Firm in La Crosse, J. S. Medary-List of Commissioned Officers from La Crosse County
Reminiscences of Early La Crosse, Wisconsin : An Account of the Men and Women Who Lived in La Crosse and Vicinity ... / by L.H. Pammel. Liesenfeld Press, 1928.
This book is a comprehensive, first person account of people and events in La Crosse in the 19th century by Louis H. Pammel. At the time of publication of this 102 page book in 1928, Pammel was a professor of botany at Iowa State College. His book begins with a general history of La Crosse, a description of the flora and fauna of the area, and his father’s emigration from Germany and arrival in La Crosse in 1855. The focus of the book, though, is on the people that Pammel knew or had acquaintance of and events that occurred La Crosse primarily in the 1870s and 1880s. There is a name index at the back that was added at a later date. There are no illustrations.
Spirit of La Crosse: A Grassroots History / edited by David J. Marcou (La Crosse, Wis.: D.J. Marcou: Western Wisconsin Technical College), 2000.
This compiled history embodies a grassroots efforts to tell the story of La Crosse's past through words and pictures. A fresh and innovative treatment of aviation, sports, communications, social services, minorities, military and religious life are offered in addition to the standard subjects of government, economy and education.
True
Tales of La Crosse : Unusual Stories from Old Newspapers of La
Crosse, Wisconsin
compiled
and edited by Douglas Connell (La Crosse, Wis. : D. Connell), 1994
Compiled from old La Crosse newspapers, this popular book brings together over 200 interesting, unusual and bizarre stories from La Crosse's past not deemed suitable for a general history book about the city. The chapter topics are animal kingdom, children, domestic disasters, fun & games, ghosts, grief & sorrow, naughty folks, odds & ends, transportation, weather.
Years to Remember by Raymond C. Bice (La Crosse, Wis.? : s. n.), 1985?
A collection of memories of La Crosse, Wis., and beyond from former State Senator and long-time North Sider Ray Bice, Sr.
