La Crosse, Wisconsin - history, pictures, events, attractions, shopping and more!

Antiques not yet available	La Crosse owes its name to 18th-century French fur traders who witnessed the Winnebago, Sioux and the Dakota Indians playing a game similar to the game of lacrosse. La Crosse is situated in an area that is the site of the convergence of three rivers: the La Crosse, the Black and the Mississippi. According to Indian legend, tornadoes will never occur where three rivers meet, and to date this has been true for La Crosse. Native Americans settled in "Prairie La Crosse" because the Mississippi, Black and the Lacrosse allowed easy canoe transportation to the prairie In 1680, Father Louis Hennepin and a group of other Frenchmen were the first white people to view the site of this convergence. The town soon became a major center for stage routes, river traffic and the railroad, with hundreds of people passing through the area every month. Permanent settlement of the area actually began in 1841, when Nathan Myrick first built a cabin on Barrons Island (now the site of Pettibone Park), and began trading with the Winnebago Indians. In 1842, Myrick moved to the mainland near the corner of what is now Front and State Streets and laid out the village of La Crosse. In May 1823, the first sternwheeler paddle boat plied the Mississippi River, traveling 800 miles in 20 days. This began an era of commerce which would flourish for thirty years as La Crosse became known as the "Gateway City," a focal point for both amphibious and land oriented trade. On March 14, 1856, the village of La Crosse became the city of La Crosse, population 745. La Crosse now sports a population of over 51, 000 people with more than 155,00 people in the whole La Crosse area. La Crosse was a lively place in the 1800s and had its share of unique residents. One of the more colorful characters was William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The legendary scout and showman put on theatrical plays at the Opera House and brought his Wild West Show to the city several times. In fact, Cody once owned part of Barron's Island. One of Cody's friends in La Crosse was Dr. David Powell and together they patented at least four "medical" remedies. Doc Powell served as mayor in La Crosse for four terms. His oldest medical clinic and homes still remain on Main Street in downtown La Crosse. The city was a major lumber center during the mid 1800s but when the industry declined, the city got an economic boost with beer making. Around the turn of the century, there were five breweries in La Crosse, including G. Heileman, which was the last to close in 1999. Today, there is a new upstart, City Brewery in the old Heileman plant. There is something to do year round here with many local festivals, skiing, snowmobiling, historic sites and museums, music and comedy clubs, boat rides, malls and many fine restaurants. La Crosse is also the home of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and the New Orleans Saints football team holds its summer training camps here. As the Wisconsin's largest city on the Mississippi river, there is a lot to experience in this town. La Crosse is also the County Seat of La Crosse County and is Wisconsin's Largest river city.
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