Settlement
Autobiography : A Translation from the Diary of John Adam Salzer by Emma Salzer Hallauer (Springfield, Mo. : Emma Salzer Hallauer?), 1925.
John Adam Salzer, an emigrant from Wuerttemberg, Germany, became a Methodist preacher in the early history of La Crosse County and eventually founded the Salzer Seed Company. In about 1869 Salzer recorded his remembrances of his life up to that time in his native German language. In 1925, his daughter Emma Salzer Hallauer published this small booklet as a translation of his diary and added a page to fill out the rest of her father's life.
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.
Special Collections, Murphy Library recently accessioned a short (1 minute, 39 seconds) film clip of a parade at the corner of Main St. and 5th Ave. in downtown La Crosse. We believe this parade occurred on July 30, 1913 and this film is a portion of the first motion picture footage of professional quality to be filmed in La Crosse. The film was produced by a Mr. Huntley of Wenohna Films in Winona, Minnesota. The parade was organized by Harry Taggart, the Secretary of the Retail Grocers Association, and featured local business and civic groups. In the footage, the Majestic Theatre on the south side of Main St. is visible at the extreme left and the Boyer-Furber Furniture store is on the right.
Early Settlement of La Crosse and Monroe Counties / Morrison McMillan
The German-American Experience: The Altmann Family / Tamara Richardson
UW-La Crosse Student paper appearing in the Journal of Undergraduate Research volume 5, 2002.
History of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1881/ Butterfield, Consul Willshire. Chicago : Western Historical Co., 1881, 862 p
Geological Formation of the Regions
History of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1881/ Butterfield, Consul Willshire. Chicago : Western Historical Co., 1881, 862 p
Native American, Early White Settlement, Growth & Pioneer Recollections
La Crosse County Historical Sketches, 1931-1955
The Swiss Settlers of Mormon Coulee / George Zielke
Comments on the Site of La Crosse by Early Explorers by Early Explorers Who Passed Up or Down the Mississippi River / Robert Fries
Harmon J.B. Miller / Mary I. Miller
Personal Recollections of Nathan Myrick / an interview with Frank Winter
Jewish settlers of La Crosse to 1880 / H.J. Hirshheimer
The Settlement of the Town of Hamilton / Guy C. Ellis
Pioneering in Wisconsin and Minnesota / Louis Larson
The Mormons of Mormon Coulee / Albert H. Sanford
Notes on Early La Crosse / Mrs. P.S. McArthur
Pioneer Stories Retold, The Dow Family / Evelyn McClintock, Pioneer Days in Holland Township / Arnold Black, A Pioneer Days / R. and Mildred Meyer, Pioneer Days / R. and Mildred Hulberg, Grandfather's Memories of Indians / Wayne C. Bradley, Their First Christmas in America / Calverna Schams, A Bohemian Family on St. Joseph's Ridge / Frances Clements
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.
Indian Affairs - Indefinite Boundaries of Indian Domains-Limitations of the Algonquin Family-Western Wisconsin a Neutral Ground-Occupation by the Winnebagoes-Indian Game the Origin of Name "La Crosse"- Attitude of the Indians toward the Early Settlers-Treaty of 1837- Indian Cave in Barre Township-Indian Villages-Mound Building in La Crosse County.
Village of La Crosse - Location-First Settler-Arrivals Previous to 1845-Platting of Village-
Arrivals Between 1850-1853-Rapid Growth of 1853-Land Office- Statistics of 1853-54-Nationality of Early Settlers-Advantages of Location-Railroad Projects-Professional Men of 1854-Growth of Business-Personal Sketches, Nathan Myrick, H. J. B, Miller, John M. Levy, Harvey. E. Hubbard, Samuel L. Smith, Samuel D. Hastings Theodore Rodoff, Cyrus K. Lord, Col. T. B. Stoddard-Some Early MartiagesThe City of La Crosse - Incorporation as a City-First Mayor-Immigrants in 1856-Improvements Needed in the Infant City-Results of Panic of 1857-Growth in Population-Beginning of Lumber Business-Other Manufactures- Effect of Railroad on Prices-Business Houses in 1861-Increase of Population, 1882-1892-Other Statistics-Fur Trade in La Crosse- Large Business Houses in 1907-List of Corporations with Capital Stock-Other Business Interests-Trades and Professions-Manufactures-Merchandise Handled-Telephone Companies--City Lighting-Streets and Sewers-Real Estate Valuation-Financial Condition Municipal Expenses in 1905-1906-List of Mayors, 1856-1907-Amalgamation of Nationalities in La Crosse-Personal Sketches, Chas. L. Colman, Abner Gile, The McMillans, Mons Anderson
Reminiscence / Levy, Fredericka Augusta. ca. 1904 [manuscript].
Reminiscence / Levy, Fredericka Augusta. ca. 1904 [published in Four Episodes in Wisconsin Pioneers].
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.
Settlement Patterns of La Crosse County, Wisconsin 1850-1875 / by Robert George Wingate. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Minnesota, 1975.
This PhD thesis by Dr. Robert Wingate, geography professor at UW-La Crosse, is a valuable research tool on the pioneer settlers of La Crosse County. As stated by the author, “The aim of the study is to examine the locational factors operative in decision making during initial selection of farmsteads in La Crosse County when the county was first settled between 1850 and 1875.” The thesis is divided into three major sections: the La Crosse County physical environment, cultural milieu, and settlement patterns. Wingate discusses the choices made by six ethnic groups - Norwegians, British-Irish, Germans, Dutch, French, and Bohemians - when choosing a homestead in La Crosse County. There are numerous graphs and charts along with an extensive bibliography.
The Wisconsin Pioneer Experience is a digital collection of diaries, letters, reminiscences, speeches and other writings of people who settled and built Wisconsin during the 19th century. Specific entries from La Crosse include: Nathan Myrick letter, Friedrich Tillman diary.
