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The natural fauna of this
section of the state, with the exception
of some of the smaller animals, has largely
disappeared with the
destruction of the forests. Of the large game
only the deer remaining,
and that has to be found in the regions farther
north. Elk, moose,
antelope and caribou are among the species
mentioned by the earlier
records of which there are probably no specimens
remaining. Buffalo
remained in Wisconsin until 1825 and there is a
claim that one was
shot on the St. Croix river as late as 1832.
These animals had a range
of the whole northern forest, which up to a
comparatively recent
period included the greater partion of La Crosse
county. The coulees
and ravines running down to the streams were the
natural haunts of
wolves and wolverines, and these lingered upon
the outskirts of
settlements after many other of the wild
denizens of the forests had
disappeared and are in fact still abundant in
parts of the county.
The last reports show that bounties were paid
on twenty-three
foxes and seventeen wolves killed in the county
during the year.
Most of the wolves were killed in the town of
Farmington, and two
of the foxes within the city limits. The
nearness of the bluffs and the
intersecting ravines account for the latter
fact. Six wild cats were
also killed during the year. The actual number
killed probably far
exceed these figures, as many wolves and foxes
are killed on which
no bounty is paid. The clipping off of the ears
spoils the pelt for a MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 21
rug, and many prefer the unmutilated skin to the
bounty. Many
amateur hunters also like to retain the entire
pelts as trophies. Furriers
of the city also report the pelts of other
animals captured or killed
in the vicinity, the lynx, mink, muskrat,
pole-cat, and the smaller
animals, the woodchuck, coon, rabbit, squirrel,
etc. As these are
sold directly to the furrier the county has no
account of them. It
is evident from these reports that the native
fauna is not yet extinct.
CHAPTER II.
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
THE NAME "LA CROSSE" - ATTITUDE OF THE
INDIANS TOWARD EARLY
SETTLERS - TREATY OF 1837 - INDIAN CAVE IN
BARRE TOWNSHIP -
INDIAN VILLAGES - MOUND BUILDING IN LA
CROSSE COUNTY.
The Wisconsin Indians, - of whom the
principal tribes belonged to
the Algonquin family, - at the time when this
region became known
to the whites, grouped themselves about the
upper lakes, Green Bay,
the Fox and Wisconsin rivers and southern
Wisconsin along the Lake
Michigan shore. The Algonquins were
circumscribed in their wanderings
by the relentless enmity of the Iroquois in the
east and the
Sioux or Dakotas in the west. While the
Chippewas, even from an
early day, occupied the region bordering on Lake
Superior, south to
the headwaters of the Menominee, Wisconsin and
Chippewa rivers,
the country immediately south was for a long
time neutral ground,
occupied only by occasional hunting or war
parties. Thus it appears
that the present territory of La Crosse county,
while frequently visited
by different tribes of Indians, was not the
settled abode of any during
the earlier period of which we have definite
knowledge, the fear of
the savage Sioux across the great river
effectually holding in check
the permanent establishment of any of the
Wisconsin tribes of the
Sacs and Foxes or even Winnebagoes, who were
more friendly with
the Sioux, whose wanderings in the land between
the Mississippi and
the Wisconsin are most frequently noted.
With the encroachments of the whites upon the
ancient hunting
grounds in eastern Wisconsin, there was a
gradual moving westward
of the Indians, and at the time when the
settlements began in La
Crosse county it had come to be considered the
territory of the Winnebagoes.
They wandered through all the country between
the Wisconsin
and Mississippi rivers and the site of La Crosse
had come to
be a winter camp where their festivals or games
were held.
One game in particular was played on the
little prairie above the
river, a game of ball was adopted by the whites,
and which with some
modifications has become the national Canadian
game. It was called
la crosse by the French Canadians, owing to the
resemblance of the
curved netted stick used by the players to a
bishop's crozier or crosse.
Although there are several plausible theories as
to the origin of the
22
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 23
name of the county and city, the fact that
the site of the present city
was a place where this game was annually
celebrated has been accepted
by the most careful students of Wisconsin
history as the true origin.
Henry E. Legler, in a little volume entitled
"The Origin and Meaning
of Wisconsin Place Names," gives the etymology
of La Crosse as
doubtful, but quotes the legend of a cross found
fastened to a stump
by the first settler, Nathan Myrick. This,
however, seems an unlikely
derivation, as the French word used to designate
a cross is croix and
not crosse which is used to indicate a bishop's
crosier. It seems
likely that, although the two words have a
common origin, if the story
of the finding of the cross at this point were
true, that the name would
have been La Croix and not La Crosse.
While the capture of Hennepin by the Sioux,
and later the abandonment
of the post on Lake Pepin indicates that the
savages resented
the earliest intrusions of the whites into this
territory, yet their
sanguinary encounters were principally between
the various tribes who
lingered about the borders of this neutral
ground rather than with
the white intruders. When the permanent settlers
came the Winnebagoes
manifested some irritation at their
encroachments, and a number
of instances are recorded where their hostile
attitude caused some
uneasiness to the first comers; where property
was taken, men
threatened and women frightened.
This was, however, never the scene of the
cruel and murderous warfare
whose records form so large a part of the early
history of eastern
Wisconsin. This was doubtless due to the fact
that the Black Hawk
War had demonstrated to the Indians the
hopelessness of a warfare
against the whites rather than to a radical
change in the nature of the
treacherous savage or of his grasping and
unwelcome neighbor.
The rumor of an Indian uprising, following
the New Ulm massacre,
spread in a curious manner over all of
southwestern Wisconsin between
the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers and La
Crosse did not
escape its "scare." The uneasiness of the
Winnebagoes and their
gathering together at different points gave some
foundation to the
rumor. The tension of the times, the absence of
the men from many
isolated homes, together with the general
knowledge of Indian characteristics,
made a situation which required only a slight
impulse to
bring to the hysterical point. This impulse was
sometimes given by
genuine fear, sometimes by a practical joke, and
under which head
the La Crosse "Indian scare" came has never been
definitely decided.
Fortunately nothing serious developed, and the
only inconvenience
which the early settlers experienced, beyond
that already noted, was
occasional petty thieving and begging.
By a treaty concluded November, 1837, the
Winnebagoes ceded all
their land east of the Mississippi to the United
States government,
agreeing to remove to Long Prairie, Minn.,
within eight months.
They were gathered at La Crosse for the removal,
and came with
little trouble. In a few months, however, most
of them had returned,
and, as the Indian scare of 1862 showed, there
were large numbers of
them in the state at that time. They were
subsequently removed to a
24
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
reservation in Nebraska, from which some of them
also returned.
There were still wandering bands of them in the
forests of their old
haunts as late as the seventies. At the present
time only a few stragglers
remain, objects of curiosity to the younger
generaton of to-day.
An interesting and characteristic record of
the earlier occupation
of this region by the Indians is found in a cave
in Barre township.
The first account of it was published in the La
Crosse Chronicle of
June 14, 1879. It was discovered by a young man,
Frank Samuels,
on his father's farm, about eight miles
northeast of La Crosse. Originally
it was an enlarged fissure in the soft Potsdam
sandstone and is
situated near the edge of a small marsh which is
surrounded on all
sides except the north by a high ridge of this
sandstone. The original
opening was near the level of the marsh and was
about fifteen feet
wide, being in reality, only rock shelter with a
western exposure.
The roof is an irregular arch extending about
thirty feet back, and at
the time of discovery was about eight feet in
height, above the layers
of sand, which were a number of feet deep. The
cave was carefully
examined by an expert geologist, the layers of
sand removed and examined,
revealing the fact, through the alternate layers
of ashes, that
the cave had had four different periods of
occupation with considerable
lapses of time between them.
The most interesting fact in connection with
the discovery of the
cave, however, is that concerning the rude
carvings and drawings
on the walls of the cave. There are rude
representations of the
buffalo, elk, lynx, rabbit, heron, a man with
bow and arrows in the act
of shooting, another with plumes or feathers.
These are referred to
the third or fourth period of occupation, from
their height upon the
walls, and also the fact that portions of the
carved rock had scaled
off and were buried in the sand layers. In the
second and third layers
of sand were found pieces of pottery, the
earlier plain, but the later
ornamented on the outer surface. From similarity
of work these
carvings are supposed to be the work of the
Sioux. The front of the
cave was closed by a landslide, at least a
hundred and fifty years
ago, as indicated by the growth of trees upon
it, and the antiquity
of the drawings variously estimated as from
three to eight hundred
years. If La Crosse county and the vicinity was
originally the hunting-
ground of the Sioux and they were driven across
the Mississippi
by inter-tribal wars, it would be a reason for
their determined hostility
toward the tribes that attempted to supplant
them, and explains
why this region was for so long a neutral
ground.
Careful accounts of the discovery of the cave
and its examination
and copies of the carvings were made for the
Wisconsin Historical
Association, and are preserved in their
publications.
There are a number of authentic accounts of
the later occupation
of La Crosse county by the Winnebagoes,
preserved by the Wisconsin
Historical Association, among them the journal
of Capt. T. G. Anderson,
during the War of 1812 and following the capture
of Prairie
du Chien by the British. During August and
September of 1814
there are repeated orders sent to Little Corbeau
and his band to meet
at the Praire La Crosse and there await further
orders.
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 25
Moses Paquette, the government interpreter
for the Winnebagoes,
also locates several Indian villages of that
tribe; one, the village of
Big Canoe, on the La Crosse river where West
Salem now stands.
Snake Skin (Waukoncauhaga), had a village in the
early times at
the headwaters of De Soto creek, below La
Crosse. Spoon Decorah
also stated, "During the Black Hawk War my
father had his lodge
near La Crosse," and also, "My father, Winnebago
Black Hawk, had
a hunting lodge on the La Crosse river, near
where Bangor now stands."
The relations of the Indians and the whites
are shown by reference
to the early papers where the former are
frequently spoken of in a
half-friendly, half-contemptuous fashion. On May
3, 1853, a white
man named Will Sutcliffe was rescued from
drowning in the Mississippi,
by an Indian called "John," for which service he
was rewarded
by the citizens with a new red blanket and a sum
of money. This
Indian sometimes took part in the street
exhibitions of native dancing
and music and was a skillful dancer.
On July 26 of the same year, the Democrat, in
commenting on the
presence of the Indians in the neighborhood,
said: "They appear
harmless and inoffensive, and are dangerous only
to game and an
occasional porker. They pay no more respect to
the game laws than
some of our own hunters."
Of the occupation of La Crosse county by that
earlier people
known as the "Mound Builders" there is
considerable evidence.
Frederick W. Putnam, in a report of an
archaeological excursion in
Ohio and Wisconsin in 1883, says:
"It is well known that the earthworks of
Wisconsin, between Lake
Michigan and the Mississippi river, are
remarkable from the fact
that a large proportion of them are in the forms
of animals and men,
a fact that is of great ethnical importance when
we remember that
such effigy mounds have not been found in
adjoining regions. The
only works in North America with which they are
at all comparable
are three in Ohio, known as the 'serpent mound'
and the 'alligator
mound' and 'Whittlesey's effigy mound' and the
two 'bird mounds'
in Georgia.
"In Wisconsin the effigies of animals and men
are very numerous*
and there is scarcely a lake or river from Lake
Michigan to the
Mississippi on the borders of which they cannot
be traced in large or
small groups. They are entirely of earth and
stand out in low relief;
those visited being from two to four or five
feet high, although
generally they were of great linear extent."
In the same report Professor Putnam describes
his visit to the
"turtle mound" in what is now called Myrick Park
in the city of La
Crosse, and the three small conical mounds near,
which were carefully
and scientifically explored by trenches dug the
whole length and
width, two feet below the surface on which the
mounds rest. The
*See "Man-shaped Mounds in Wisconsin", by
I. W. Lapham. Wisconsin
Historical Collections, Volume IV, page 365.
(1859)
26
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
effigy mound was only about two feet in
height, but evidently reduced
from its original proportions by the action of
the elements and the
trampling of men and beasts. In the center of
this mound remains of
a human skeleton were found, which was the first
record of the finding
of human remains in an effigy mound. There also
were found
fragments of a pottery vessel, a chipped stone
implement and several
flint flakes. In the largest of the conical
mounds human bones and
a few potsherds were found. In this case the
burial had been made
on the summit of the mound and was of the class
called "intrusive,"
that is, it had no connection with the object
for which the mound was
raised. The park authorities wished to preserve
the mounds, so after
the examination the trenches were carefully
refilled, great care having
been taken during the examination to preserve
the outlines.
A very similar account of the La Crosse
mounds is found in the
seventeenth report of the Peabody museum of
archaeology and ethnology.
Recent discoveries along this line in
Trempealeau county, not far
north, suggest that La Crosse county still
presents an unexplored
field for the archaeologist, as in places where
the ground is still
covered with timber, mounds slightly raised, may
pass unobserved by the
eye which is not trained to accurate
observation.
An article in the La Crosse Tribune of
January 21, 1907, by G. H.
Squier, of Trempealeau county, speaking of the
prehistoric mounds
in that county, discovered by John Dye, formerly
of La Crosse, says:
"The mounds of Trempealeau and La Crosse
counties form a typographic
unit. Externally they differ somewhat from the
mounds in
the eastern part of the state. The mounds are
built, apparently, for
religious purposes."
The platforms which were discovered on the
crest of the Trempealeau
bluffs were about twice the size of the temple
site at Aztalan, Jefferson county.
CHAPTER III.
TERRITORIAL AND
PRE-TERRITORIAL HISTORY.
EARLY CLAIMS TO THE TERRITORY - LA CROSSE COUNTY
ON THE HIGH -
WAY TO THE NORTHWEST - EARLY VISITORS -
BRITISH DOMINION -
TREATY OF PARIS, 1783 - CLAIMS 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.
The annals of the territory now known as La
Crosse county, previous
to its legal existence under that specific name,
in the history of the
state and its fragmentary story during the
territorial days, is the
history common to most of the great northwest.
The nominal Spanish
claim, the French regime, the British
domination, made little impress
upon this part of the state that has remained to
the present day.
It is, nevertheless, a matter of pride to the
native Badger that his
state shared in that early romantic period. Even
while the Puritans
and their immediate followers were reproducing
on the Atlantic coast
the prejudices and theological quarrels of the
Old World, through
the vast forests of northern Wisconsin, across
the prairies of the
south, through the coulees of the Mississippi
valley and along the now
historic waterways, the coureurs des bois
voyageurs and adventurous
priests had found their way. Neither the
Puritans of rock-bound
New England, the cavaliers of Virginia nor the
Spanish conquerors
of California can present to the seeker after a
picturesque setting for
historical romance a more attractive field than
is found in the early
history of this state, and it is upon this
foundation of romantic
adventure that the later superstructure of
authentic history is based.
Of the part that the region under our
immediate consideration played
in that early day there is little record. Of
necessity, however, La
Crosse county and its immediate vicinity must
have come under the
observation of the very early explorers and
their contemporary trappers,
churchmen and other seekers after conquest, fame
and wealth
in this virgin forest. Following the natural
highways of the Wisconsin
and Fox rivers to the southwest and the
Mississippi to the
northwest, the line of travel and exploration
passed by, and, without
doubt, sometimes tarried at points within the
present limits of La
Crosse county; for it is a historical fact that
the sites where the
27
28
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
principal cities and towns of Wisconsin are
located had natural advantages
which indicated them as the points for the
erection of the earliest
trading-posts, and even before the advent of the
whites the native
tribes had already noted their strategic or
other superiority.
The earliest visitor to this region of whom
we have authentic record
is Father Hennipen, who, in 1680, under orders
from La Salle,
set out to explore the upper Mississippi. He was
accompanied by two
voyageurs, Accau and Anguil, and they passed the
mouth of the
Wisconsin, the present site of Prairie du Chien,
the mouth of the
Black river, and, a little below Lake Pepin,
were taken prisoners by
the Sioux and taken north to the present site of
St. Paul. In the
autumn of the same year, Du l'hut (also given Du
Lhut and Du Luth),
coming south from Lake Superior, met Father
Hennepin, and the
two traveled together, returning to Green Bay by
the Fox - Wisconsin
route.
In 1683, La Sueur and in 1685, Nicholas
Perrot came by the Fox -
Wisconsin route to the Mississippi, ascended the
river, exploring its
immediate vicinity. The latter wintered on the
east bank of the
river about a mile above the present village of
Trempealeau, and
twenty miles from the present site of the city
of La Crosse. It is
altogether probable that La Crosse county, the
upper part of which
lay within a few miles of his camping-place, was
visited by him at
this time. Four years later Perrot took
possession of the St. Croix,
St. Peter and upper Mississippi valleys in the
name of the French king.
La Sueur continued to trade with the Sioux in
the upper Mississippi
valley until about 1702, his last journey having
been made from Louisiana.
Perrot had a small fort near the mouth of the
Chippewa river
within the present limits of Pepin county, which
he maintained for a
number of years. In 1727 a subsequent attempt
was made to establish
trading relations with the Sioux, and Fort
Beauharnois, a stockade
and trading-post was built on Lake Pepin, but
after a period of
ten years the enterprise, and with it the fort,
was abandoned on account
of the hostility of the Sioux.
In 1763 the territory of New France,
including the present state of
Wisconsin, was ceded to the English, and shortly
afterward (1766)
the noted traveler, Capt. Jonathan Carver,
visited the northwest
country, passing up the Mississippi, and
sojourned for a time near
St. Anthony's falls.
By the Treaty of Paris, in 1783, the
territory east of the Mississippi
was ceded to the United States and although
Wisconsin was nominally
under the jurisdiction of the United States from
the time of the
treaty, yet it did not come into full control
until two years subsequent
to the Jay treaty of 1794, and the first claim
to the territory
was carried over from the colonial period and
was advanced by Virginia.
The Virginian claims, however, were very soon
ceded to the
general government, and in 1797 was passed the
famous ordinance
for the government of the Northwest Territory,
with Arthur St.
Claire commissioned governor.
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 29
After the division of this region was
commenced the present state
of Wisconsin was, in July, 1800, attached to the
territory of Indiana.
Three years later the first authentic account of
the present site of La
Crosse and the vicinity was given by Maj.
Zebulon M. Pike, the
distinguished explorer, who visited the country
September 12, 1805.
In March, 1809, Wisconsin was, with the
exception of a small fraction
(the greater part of the peninsula lying between
Green Bay and
Lake Michigan, now included in Door and Kewaunee
counties), transferred
to the territory of Illinois, and remained under
that jurisdiction
until the admission of Illinois as a state in
1818, when it was attached
to the territory of Michigan.
In the meantime the War of 1812 had occurred.
This was carried
into the frontier settlements of the Mississippi
valley by means of the
hold which the British had never relinquished
upon the Northwest
Territory. Its chief interest in this connection
is in relation to Prairie
La Crosse which was used as a rendezvous for the
Winnebagoes under
Chief Little Corbeau, and by the directions of
Capt. T. G. Anderson,
an officer with the British command at Prairie
du Chien.
In 1818, by a proclamation of Lewis Cass,
then governor of Michigan,
the area included in the present state of
Wisconsin was divided
into Brown, Crawford and a part of
Michilimackinac counties. The
last included the northern part of the state,
the division line running
east and west about sixty miles south of the
present city of Ashland,
and a part of the northern peninsula of
Michigan. Another line running
north from the Illinois state line through the
Fox - Wisconsin
portage divided Brown county on the east from
Crawford on the west.
In 1829 Iowa county was set off, including all
that part of Crawford
county south of the Wisconsin river.
As the county of La Crosse was not created
until after the admission
of Wisconsin as a state, whatever of historic
interest attached to this
section was recorded in the annals of Crawford
county, and during
this period most of the events of importance
centered about Prairie du
Chien. An exception is noted in the visits to
Prairie La Crosse, in
1817 and 1823, of Maj. Stephen H. Long, of the
United States army,
who records a friendly reception by the
Winnebago Indians who were
camped there.
There were, however, some events worthy of
record in this history
as bearing upon the development of the section
as a whole, rather than
upon any particular locality; one of these is
the Black Hawk War.
Although La Crosse county was not the theater of
this war, yet the
event had an important bearing upon its
development in common with
the rest of western and southwestern Wisconsin.
The knowledge of
the country which that event made public, was
immediately followed
by a tide of immigration which made its way up
the Mississippi. Between
the settlements in the lead regions and the
fur-bearing country
of the great northwest, the traffic increased,
and beside the boats that
followed the windings of the river, trails were
cut through the forest,
one of the earliest passing up on the eastern
shore, and through the
present site of La Crosse.
30
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
One event, notable as foreshadowing the
line of commercial development
was the coming of the first steamboat up the
river in 1823.
The great flood of 1826, when the river rose
twenty-six feet, was also
a notable occurrence, although the destruction
of life and property
were slight in comparison to what would have
been had such a flood
occurred a few years later.
In 1836 the prospect of the admission of
Michigan as a state had
a direct bearing on the fortunes of Wisconsin,
as it was at that time
that the territory was set apart under a
separate jurisdiction. Henry
Dodge, born at Vincennes, Ind., October 12,
1782, who had associated
himself with Wisconsin history during the
exciting epoch of the Black
Hawk War, was commissioned governor and
superintendent of Indian
affairs by President Jackson, his commission
dating from April 30,
1836. The subsequent disputes concerning the
boundaries of Wisconsin
belong to the history of the state rather than
to any county, the
only fact of local interest being the fixing of
the Mississippi as the
western boundary, by an act of Congress,
approved June 12, 1838.
During the next decade which preceded the
admission of Wisconsin
as a state there is little to record. Prairie La
Crosse was principally
known as a camping ground for parties, both
whites and Indians, following
the river trails to the northwest. A Frenchman
named La
Batt, or La Bath, established a trading-post
just south of the present
city, but remained only a short time. Later
events belong to the
founding and development of La Crosse settlement
into a village and
later a city.
In a government report prepared by Iosepho
Nicholas Nicollet in
February, 1841, and printed at Washington, the
Black river is called
the "Sappah" river, and the two principal
openings between that river
and the Mississippi are called "Old Mouth" and
"Broken Gun Channel."
From the accompanying map it would appear that
the country between
the Mississippi and the Wisconsin was at that
time practically unexplored,
the only stream marked being the La Crosse
river, which is
called the Prairie a la Crosse river. All of the
streams in the upper
Mississippi basin have, on that map, Indian
names, and of those that
are retained in the present nomenclature most of
them have the spelling
modified. Minnesota, for instance, is spelled
'Minisotah." The
Indian name for the La Crosse river was the
Mazwina river.
CHAPTER IV.
VILLAGE OF LA CROSSE.
LOCATION - FIRST SETTLER - ARRIVALS PREVIOUS TO
1845 - PLATTING OF
VILLAGE - ARRIVALS BETWEEN 1850 AND 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 RODOLF - CYRUS K. LORD - COL. T.
B. STODDARD - SOME
EARLY MARRIAGES.
The founding of the village of La Crosse
antedates any general
movement toward settlement in the outlying
districts by a number of
years, and as the history of that period is
confined to the little outpost
of civilization on Prairie La Crosse, that will
be considered before the
later movement which included the larger
territory.
The derivation of the name, according to the
best authorities, has
been already given. Its location is in latitude
43° 49' and longitude
west from Greenwich 91° 15'. It is in the
western part of the county,
upon a small plateau, some forty feet above the
water level. This
little prairie contains about thirteen square
miles, being about seven
miles long and two and a half wide in the widest
part, and is backed
by lofty bluffs. It was known in the early days
as Prairie La Crosse,
or, as some of the early writers give it, a
Prairie a la Crosse, or Prairie
de la Crosse. From the river the land originally
rose gradually to
the height of about forty feet and was then
level or gently undulating.
The soil is sandy, light and loose near the
river, darker and more compact
about the center and having a strip of very
fertile soil directly
under the bluffs.
Bluffs on both sides of the Mississippi
river, - on which the city is
built, - here rise to the height of five hundred
feet, ascending gradually
until within sixty or seventy feet of the summit
where there appears
an outcropping of perpendicular rock, above
which are hilly slopes
covered with hazel bushes and other shrubs
interspersed with groups
of oaks. The valley between the bluffs on
opposite sides of the river
is at this point four or five miles wide, and
the outlook from the vantage
ground of the bluffs is inexpressibly beautiful.
Within the present limits of the city both
the Black and the La
Crosse rivers empty into the Mississippi, and
this conjunction tells the
story of the growth and prosperity of this
metropolis of western
31
32
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Wisconsin, now the second city in population
and commercial importance
within the borders of the state.
The record of the city proper begins with the
advent of Nathan
Myrick, a native of New York, who arrived in
November, 1841. He
came up the river on a flat-boat, from Prairie
du Chien, and brought
goods for trading with the Indians. The latter
were not pleased with
the prospect of farther encroachments on the
part of the whites, and
at first, by their hostility, seriously
interfered with Myrick's plans.
Later they became more friendly and he
transferred his goods from
Barron's island, where he first located, to the
mainland. In February,
1842, he built the first cabin on the present
site of La Crosse, now
the northeast corner of State and Front streets.
The same year
Myrick formed a partnership with H. J. B.
Miller, another native of
New York, and the following year he returned to
the east and was
married, bringing his bride to his frontier
home. Mrs. Myrick was
accompanied by a young friend, who not long
after married Mr. Miller.
A little daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller in
1847 was the first
white child born in the county.
The first survey of the land was done under
the direction of Mr.
Myrick who hired Ira Brunson, a surveyor of
Prairie du Chien, to
come up in the summer of 1842 and lay out the
town site. This preceded
the government survey of the land, and was
therefore not
recorded, but the survey covered the original
plat of the village. The
land did not come into the market until 1848,
when the first settlers,
Nathan Myrick, Samuel Snow, Asa White, J. M.
Levy and Peter
Cameron went to Mineral Point, where the land
office was then established,
to enter their claims. The official plat of the
village was made
by William Hood, in 1851, under the direction of
Lieutenant Governor
Burns.
Mr. Myrick gave the following as the early
arrivals in La Crosse
county, who, however, did not remain in the
vicinity of La Crosse,
but went on up the Black river to engage in
lumbering: Horatio
Kurts, a Mormon, came in 1841, in company with
Myrick on his first
trip to Prairie La Crosse; in 1842, Jonathan
Nichols, James O'Neil,
H. McCollom, and some others; in 1843, John
Morrison, William and
John Lewis, Andrew Shepard, Valentine Thomas,
and William Douglas;
in 1844, Thomas and Peter Hall, William Pauley
and Andrew
Ferguson. All of these were lumbermen and made
but a transient stay
in La Crosse. In 1844 the entire population of
La Crosse consisted
of the Myrick and Miller families, Asa White, an
Indian trader with
a squaw wife, Dr. Snaugh, known as the "Dutch
doctor," another
Indian trader, and Dr. Bunnel and his family.
Lafayette Bunnel had
arrived in 1843 or 1844, and had taken up a
claim adjoining Asa
White's. Newell Houghton, who was killed in the
New Ulm, (Minn.),
massacre, came in 1844, also John Nagle and
Charles Nagle, who
took up claims south of the State Road coulee.
About the same time
several Swiss families came into the county.
There have been in all
a considerable number of Swiss immigrants in La
Crosse county, although
not many came directly to this point. Most of
them moved
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 33
on from the Swiss colony in Sauk county. Peter
Cameron, Samuel
Snow, J. M. Levy, E. A. C. Hatch and George
Fetherline are other
pioneers who came before 1845.
In 1845 and 1846 there were a good many
arrivals, but few tarried
at La Crosse. The lumbering points on the Black
river held out
greater inducements and gave promise of greater
returns than the
sandy prairie with its scrubby oaks. Other
immigrants attracted by
the farming lands in the coulees and smaller
valleys, also passed
through La Crosse without tarrying.
For the first few years the settlement was
slow and the outlook
anything but encouraging. In 1845 the total
white population was
twelve. The Douglasses, a family of four adults,
came in that year.
In 1846 J. M. Levy, an Englishman, visited the
little frontier post
trading with the Indians, and shortly after
opened a little tavern there.
In 1847, Timothy Burns, afterward lieutenant
governor, passing
through La Crosse, perceived its commercial
possibilities, and purchased
a half interest in the business of Myrick &
Miller. To him is
really due the honor of founding La Crosse, for
he engaged a surveyor,
William Hood, had the village platted and put in
operation
the forces which began its prosperity. In 1850
he brought his family
and spent the remainder of his life in his
western home. The survey
was completed in May, 1851, and recorded on July
9, following. The
first building erected after the survey was John
M. Levy's store.
In volume IV of the Wisconsin Historical
Collections, printed in
1859, - when the events recorded were still
fresh in the minds of the
participants, and before the prophecies of La
Crosse as the second city
of Wisconsin had approached fulfillment, - there
is the following brief
but comprehensive review of the situation in the
late forties.
"There was but little advancement in this
settlement, except an
occasional settler in the vicinity, until the
year 1850, when some men
of enterprise, among whom were the late Timothy
Burns, T. B. Stoddard,
F. M. Rublee, S. D. Hastings, C. A. Stevens,
Robert Looney
and several others, called the attention of the
public to the favorable
position of La Crosse in a commercial point of
view. About this
time, they with several others, brought their
families to the place.
Previous to this Lieutenant Governor Burns,
being convinced that the
place was destined to become a large commercial
town, had moved
there with his family, and purchased one-half of
the Myrick and
Miller claim - I think in the year 1847 - and
got William Hood, a
surveyor, to survey a few lots, which he
disposed of on easy terms to
actual settlers. To him, more than to any other
man, is La Crosse
indebted for her favorable start and growth."
Lieutenant Governor Burns' outlook on the
situation was not, at the
time, shared by all of the pioneers. Harvey E.
Hubbard, a young attorney
who came in the summer of 1851, and who was for
many years,
a leading citizen of La Crosse, was little
disposed to remain after a
few months' experience, but was urged to do so
by Timothy Burns.
He was offered his pick of the lots on the river
for $100, and ten or
twelve of the best lots on the prairie for $25
apiece. Mr. Hubbard
34
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
excused himself from buying on the ground
that he had no money
and did not want to run in debt. Burns told him
he would give him
a bond for a deed and he could take his own time
for payment,
whereupon Hubbard responded, "I wouldn't give
$25 for all the sand
knobs on the prairie." Timothy Burns did not
live to see his hopes
realized, but Mr. Hubbard saw the wildest dream
of those early days
far surpassed.
The village of La Crosse in July, 1851,
consisted of the following
buildings: a small board shanty at the foot of
State street used for
freight; a small log-house at the corner of
State and Front streets,
used by H. J. B. Miller as a residence, hotel
and postoffice; a long, low
building on Front street used as a bowling
alley; an old barn near the
present location of the Cameron House; a small
frame building on the
corner of Front and Pearl streets was used as a
hotel by Simeon
Kellogg and was called "The Western Enterprise";
one small frame
building on Front street was used as a
law-office by Stevens and
Cramer, and opposite it F. M. Rublee had a frame
building partly
constructed; north of Kellogg's hotel was the
store and residence of
J. M. Levy, in front of which was a small lumber
yard; between Pearl
and Jay streets was a small frame building, and
a log-house occupied
by a German named Fetherline; south from there
was the log-house of
Thos. D. Stoddard and on the corner of Second
and Pine streets was
the log-house of Valentine Deininger; these with
two or three claim
shanties comprised all the buildings of La
Crosse in the summer of
1851. Front street was a dirt wagon road running
parallel with the
river, the banks of which were at that time high
and irregular and
could be reached only by footpaths at the end of
the present State
and Pearl streets. There were high sandhills on
Second and Third
streets and the footpaths running eastward
across the prairie wound
about to avoid them.
During the next three or four years settlers
came in not only to
the village of La Crosse, but began taking up
farms in the outlying
country. From 1850 the progress was rapid and
steady, although it
was a period of transition which was
discouraging to those who were
not able to look a little way into the future.
As the settlers began
taking up the lands the Indians retired into the
more distant forests;
with them also disappeared many of the most
valuable fur-bearing
animals which had up to this time been the great
wealth of the north-
west. The settlers were poor, led a
hand-to-mouth existence, and had
nothing, in the early years, comparable in value
with the furs of the
Indians, to barter with the traders. It was a
dreary existence, without
the comforts of civilization and far from a base
of supplies and only
men and women of heroic mold could have remained
and carved their
fortunes out of such unpromising conditions.
In April, 1851, F. M. Rublee, a native of
Vermont, came, was
pleased with the location and the next month
located and went into
business. That year the village was organized,
the land came into
the market, and the claim shanties with which
the prairie was covered
began to give place to bona fide homes. The
character of the early
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 35
comers may be suggested by the fact that four
or five of the mayors
chosen after La Crosse had attained the dignity
of a city were selected
from the group who came in the early fifties,
among them Col. Thomas
B. Stoddard, the first mayor; David Taylor, John
M. Levy and Alex.
McMillan. Among others who gave character to the
settlement and
were prominent in the annals of the city were
Albert La Due and
Chase A. Stevens, early editors; Howard Cramer,
B. B. Healy, B. F.
Reynolds, H. J. Miller, Walter Brown and Judges
Geo. Gale and S.
S. Hastings. The last two had much more than a
local reputation
and were well and widely known throughout the
state.
In 1853 the New York Tribune noticed the
little, ambitious faraway
settlement and prophesied that "La Crosse must
figure as the
second city of Wisconsin," and the settlement
did its best to make
good the faith reposed in it. It reports "Hotels
crowded. Everybody
busy but the doctors," and again, a little
later, reference is
made to Chicago as "Getting to be considerable
of a village, but it
has one drawback, - it is almost too far away
from La Crosse." By
May of 1853 twelve or thirteen new residences
had been put up and
improvements made on four or five others, and J.
M. Levy built a
wharf boat 86 by 26 feet, with a warehouse and
receiving-room. This
last greatly facilitated the handling of goods
and produce.
In answer to certain allegation made by one
of the steamer captains
reflecting somewhat on the claims of La Crosse,
the state tax of $936,
which "was not only assessed, but paid in silver
and gold" is quoted.
Later in trying to prove another point this
claim to consideration is
weakened by the assertion that the property of
La Crosse was grossly
over-assessed. There was, however, no refutation
of the fact that
during the season immediately past (May, 1853),
that the La Crosse
merchants paid out between $6,000 and $7,000 in
freights.
Among the settlers of 1853 were Dr. Wolf and
his family from
Indiana, who arrived June 5, and had temporary
shelter erected before
sundown. Others were a company of immigrants
from the vessel
William and Mary, which was wrecked on the coast
of Florida and
deserted by her officers. The passengers were
rescued by a wrecking
schooner and taken to New Orleans, and a number
of them found their
way up the river. Their misfortunes appealed to
the citizens and they
were cared for and helped to secure homes in the
vicinity of La
Crosse. Much credit was due to the officers in
the newly opened
land-office in this as well as other instances.
Certain citizens of La Crosse claimed the
appointment to this land-
office, but they went to outside parties, Cyrus
K. Lord as register and
Theodore Rodolf as receiver. The fealty to local
claims is exhibited
in the following comment: "Although we had no
personal affection
for the applicants, yet we'd rather had them
than appointments from
abroad. We understand that Messrs. Lord and
Rodolf are excellent
men and that they and their families will both
be valuable acquisitions
to the village." Noticing their arrival the
following week the Democrat
"assures our citizens that there is nothing to
complain of in the
appointments. They are sterling Democrats who
have done good
battle in the cause of their country."
36
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
The editor was right upon this assumption.
These officers remained
and became two of the leading and most
influential citizens of the
community.
On July 19, 1853, the steamer Asia landed
sixty passengers, among
them thirty-six Swedes.
Some statistics compiled early in 1853
include the following items:
Number of inhabitants in the village, 548;
buildings, 79; deaths for the
year ending March 1, 18; births, same period,
25; males over twenty-
one, 183; females over twenty-one, 124; children
under twenty-one,
240. Of these 548 inhabitants 462 were
Americans, one-fourth of the
whole number were natives of New York.
A little pamphlet prepared in 1854 by Rev.
Spencer Carr, then
pastor of the Baptist church, reproduces as no
later document can,
the spirit of that time. He has preserved a list
of the names of all
the heads of families and single men and women
in La Crosse and
vicinity, in 1854, with their nationality,
church relations and other
items. It furnishes a basis of facts for the
historian from which many
interesting conclusions may be drawn. He gives
299 heads of families,
78 single men and 38 single women above eighteen
years of age, 159
boys and 169 girls making a total of 745. Of the
415 adults over one-
fourth claimed New York as a birth-place; the
other states in their
numerical order were: Vermont, 34; Ohio, 30;
Pennsylvania, 23;
Massachusetts, 17; Maine, 15; Connecticut, 7;
New Hampshire, 6;
other states that contributed from one to five
are Virginia, Missouri,
Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky,
Delaware, South Carolina, New
Jersey, Louisiana and Michigan. The Badger State
claimed only one
adult. Among the foreign-born there was an
equally wide divergence
of nativity. Germany claimed thirty-eight and
Norway twenty-three.
Among the German immigrants there were no single
women, but
thirteen of the Norwegians belonged to that
class, and furnished the
domestic help to the few families who could
afford such assistance.
Of the fifty-one who came from the British
dominions, nineteen were
Irish; thirteen, English; seven, Welsh; two,
Scotch; besides these there
were ten from different Canadian provinces.
Holland, Belgium,
Sweden, France, Switzerland, Cuba, and even the
little Isle of Man
and faraway Hindostan contributed to the
remainder.
By 1854 the advantages of the site of La
Crosse for the building
of a large city seem to have been largely
recognized. A steam sawmill
was already erected and the vast tracts of pine
timber land along
the whole Black river valley began to pour its
wealth into the hands
of the pioneers. This land could be purchased
for $1.25 per acre
and the advantages of direct water communication
to the southern
markets had been noted. Flat-bottomed boats
loaded with dressed
lumber went down the river to Mississippi and
after disposing of the
cargo at $30 per thousand, the boats were sold
for more than their
original cost to carry produce farther south.
The vast prairies to
the west and northwest, though not appreciated
at their full value,
were recognized as some of the sources of future
wealth. The probability
of La Crosse being a junction of the railroad
and river traffic
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 37
in the near future was confidently
prophesied. The trade between St.
Paul and Galena, at that time amounting to more
than $400,000, was
expected to be diverted, in part at least, to
the intermediate point.
"True this mighty tide of business does not at
present pass through
La Crosse; still it goes through the same
channel that will always be
open to receive the results of industry here,
and such facts as these,
concerning the infant West, show how illimitable
is the field for
commercial enterprise."
In looking forward to the advent of the
railroad, then in process
of building, it needed little argument to show
that the line of traffic
between the east and the west would pass through
Chicago, and would
seek a direct route to the northwest, and that
La Crosse lay in the natural
line of communication. At that time the
superiority of railroad
over water transportation was not appreciated as
at a later date, and
the advantage of the river as a means was
probably overestimated.
The La Crosse and Milwaukee railroad, now a part
of the great
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul system, was at
that time in process
of construction and the citizens of La Crosse
anticipated having railroad
connections with the east in the near future.
Even the date of
January, 1855, had been set as the time of that
desirable consummation.
It was, however, delayed until 1858.
In the meantime the citizens did not lose
heart, but devoted themselves
to the consideration of the great source of
wealth of that day,
the lumber business, and the superiority of the
site for that purpose
was fully demonstrated, for while the inland
towns languished in inactivity
or were abandoned altogether, while waiting for
the advent
of the railroad, the growth of La Crosse was
steady and rapid.
The city also took note of other resources,
such as inexhaustible
quarries of the bluffs, for building stone, and
for the manufacture of
lime, and also claimed excellent clay for
brick-making in the vicinity.
In the light of later developments, some of the
advantages set forth
to attract the home-seeker are interesting if
not amusing. "Our hills
and uplands can sustain thousands of the
wool-bearing race" and
"cotton can be brought up from the south in our
magnificent steamers."
Whether or not La Crosse might have developed as
a cotton manufacturing
center if the Civil War had not intervened, it
is impossible
to say, but the fact remains that in neither the
line of woolen
nor cotton manufacturing has the energy of the
city been directed.
When one can realize that twelve years before
this optimistic outlook
was taken that La Crosse was one of the outposts
of civilization
he 'can but admire the sagacity, foresight and
enthusiasm of its projectors,
and conclude that its prosperity is due only in
part to its
natural advantages, and in part to the character
of its founders.
The decade between 1850 and 1860 was the era
of "first things."
In 1852 the first newspaper, "The Spirit of the
Times," was issued.
In 1853 the first schoolhouse was built, and an
acre of land "delightfully
situated" was donated by Chase A. Stevens for
school purposes,
and a district tax of $15,000 voted for the
purpose of "commencing
a block of buildings suitable for the
accommodation of all
38
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
children." On June 1, of the same year, a
United States land-office
was opened, and during a single day, November 1,
7,043 acres of
land were entered. In 1853 the first church was
built, and the first
Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges opened. A sawmill
was already in
operation in 1854 and several others projected,
and in 1855, a foundry,
the Pioneer, was built.
Among the professional men who came before
1854 are found
Joseph K. French, George Gale, H. E. Seymour,
Edwin Flint, natives
of Vermont, Charles G. and M. G. Hanscome and
Chase Stevens,
natives of Maine, Thomas B. Stoddard, D. R.
Wheeler and Harvey
E. Hubbard, of New York, William Dennison of
Connecticut and
James J. Lyndes of Pennsylvania among the
attorneys. What they
all found to do in a village of probably 1,500
inhabitants is one of the
queries provoked in the mind of the student of
that period. The fact
that seven of them were family men adds interest
to the query. The
medical profession was also well represented by
Jacob McCreary,
Joel Talmadge, Thomas B. West, Dugald D.
Cameron, Daniel Duck,
and S. C. Johnson. Many of the other professions
and most of the
trades had representatives, including even an
"artist" and an "arborist."
There were in 1854 one hundred and four
private dwellings, eight
fancy and dry goods stores, four groceries, two
drug and medicine
stores, two boot and shoe stores, two hardware
stores, a milliner's
store, a jeweler's store, two bakeries, two tin
shops, two tailor shops,
four carpenter and joiners' shops, one wagon
shop, a barber shop, a
cabinet shop, a gun shop, two milling houses, a
steam sawmill, a court
house and jail, a justice office, a government
land-office, an Odd
Fellows' hall, four law offices, two physicians'
offices, one printing
office, and five taverns, beside the schoolhouse
and church, already
mentioned. Five merchants reported their
business transactions as
covering $7,000, $8,000, $12,000, $23,000, and
$50,000, the last being
a storing, forwarding and commission business.
Nathan Myrick, the pioneer settler of La
Crosse, was born at Westport,
Essex county, N. Y., July 22, 1822. He belonged
to a family
of New York pioneers and lived to the advanced
age of eighty-three
years. His home was in St. Paul for many years,
and he retained
until the last a lively interest in the city of
which he was the first
settler. His grandfather, Brazilla Myrick, was
born in Vermont,
and was a soldier and pensioner of the
Revolution. His father, Barnabas
Myrick, married Lovina Bigelow and moved to New
York the
same year. Nathan Myrick was one of eight
children, five of whom
lived past their majority. One brother, Andrew
J., was murdered
by the Indians at the Sioux agency. When he was
a young man of
nineteen, an adventurous spirit led Nathan
Myrick to the west. In
May, 1841, he started, his worldly possessions
amounting to $115.
He arrived at Prairie du Chien June 5, and
remained at that place
all summer, but in the fall decided to go up the
river and start an
Indian trading-post. As the Indians received
their annuities about
this time of the year, the prospect for trading
was good. As his
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 39
small fortune had dwindled away by this time he
made a proposition
to the merchants of Prairie du Chien to get
goods on credit,
and was successful in his efforts, his only
refusal being from the
American Fur Company, who would not encourage
competition with
their own traders. General Brooks, then
commanding officer at Fort
Crawford, loaned the young man a keel-boat in
which to transport his
goods. He sided up twelve or fifteen feet in the
stern end to make
a cabin, put in a stove, and used the little
apartment for both cooking
and sleeping. Horatio Kurts, a Mormon who was
bound for the
Black river with goods and provisions, made an
arrangement with
the young trader whereby his men assisted in
poling the boat up the
river in return for the transportation of his
goods. The party started
on November 4, and, as the weather was
propitious, reached their
destination, Prairie La Crosse, on the ninth of
the same month.
They landed at the foot of what is now State
street, intending to
build the post upon the mainland. The prairie,
then broken by high
sand-hills and prolific in not much except
sandburs, was destitute of
suitable building timber, so the party returned
to Barren's island,
formerly called Grand island.
Nathan Myrick had with him two men named Eben
Weld and
James Reed, and they immediately began the
erection of a log-house,
there being plenty of timber on the island.
Their habitation had a
puncheon roof, thatched with swamp-grass and the
walls were
chinked with mud. The winter was spent in
trading, getting out
logs for a house to be built on the mainland,
and cutting cordwood
which they sold to the steamers. A team was
obtained from Prairie
du Chien and the logs hauled across on the ice.
In December of the
same year Myrick made a trip to Prairie du Chien
to purchase more
goods which he planned to bring up the river as
soon as the ice was
sufficiently strong. He followed the Indian
trail which ran along the
bank of the prairie, above the timbered bottoms
to Mormon coulee
and then along under the bluffs to Prairie du
Chien. His adventures
on this trip, which he related not long before
his death, belonged to
what the phrase of to-day would call the
"strenuous life," and included
a narrow escape from drowning and an attack by
the Indians.
Of one Indian whose hospitality, - or more
exactly, that of his squaw,
- saved his life, Mr. Myrick said:
"In the spring the Indian with whom I stayed
over night at Bad
Axe river, on my way to Prairie du Chien, came
up to Prairie La
Crosse and camped near my trading-house nearly
all summer. His
name was Yellow Thunder and he was the war chief
of the Winnebagoes.
They had no children and the old squaw called me
her
'papoose.' They left Prairie La Crosse for Fort
Winnebago. On
their leaving I gave them supplies for the trip,
to repay them for
their kindness to me, and I do not remember of
ever seeing them again.
"Yellow Thunder" was a familiar figure in the
Wisconsin valley
for many years. He owned a farm a few miles
below Kilbourn and
hence was not deported when the remnant of the
tribe was finally
40
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
sent to Indian Territory. His portrait is
owned by the Wisconsin
Historical Society and is in the gallery of the
Historical Library at
Madison.
Mr. Myrick went east and was there married;
August 17, 1843,
to Rebecca E. Isman, returning to the west the
following year. He
was a typical frontiersman, who fought or
fraternized with the
Indians as the occasion demanded. He was known
among the Indians
as "Wonk-serech," meaning tall trader. In the
summer of
1842 he made a trip to Fort Snelling on the
steamboat Rock
River. He there met Eben Weld who had been with
him the previous
winter and the two made a trip to St. Anthony
falls. Where St.
Paul now stands there were about a dozen log
houses and a small
mill for grinding feed for the horses and cattle
at the fort. Where
Minneapolis now stands there was no sign of
habitation for either
white man or Indian. Mr. Myrick returned to
Prairie La Crosse
where he remained until June, 1848, when he
moved to St. Paul,
then a hamlet of some twenty-five or thirty
log-houses. In reviewing
his acquaintances of 1841 and 1842, Mr. Myrick,
writing in 1891, said:
"There is only one living in Prairie du Chien
and three in St.
Paul. There is only one living in La Crosse who
was there in 1848,
when I left, and that is John M. Levy." Mr. Levy
is still (1907) a
resident of La Crosse, and although eighty-seven
years of age, is
still comparatively active and interested in the
prosperity of the city
which he helped to found.
H. J. B. Miller, known in local history as
"Scoots" Miller, was the
second settler in La Crosse, becoming Myrick's
partner in 1842. He
was a native of New York and engaged in the
butcher's business in
Prairie du Chien when he and Myrick first met in
the summer of
1841. The two took a trip together to the Cedar
river, and later one
to Turkey river, and it was through this
acquaintance that their partnership
in the trading-post at La Crosse was formed. In
1843 Mr.
Myrick went east to be married, and a friend of
the bride, Miss
Louisa Pearson, accompanied them to Illinois and
was induced to
come on to La Crosse and spend the winter. She
remained until the
spring of 1844, when she went to her friends in
Illinois, and returned
in the fall as the wife of Mr. Miller. Miller
was the third
postmaster of La Crosse and later moved to a
farm on the prairie
at the foot of the bluffs, and the ravine that
runs back from it is
still known as Miller's coulee. He was a typical
frontiersman, hardy,
venturesome, independent, fond of practical
jokes and much given
to profanity and the drinking of whiskey. He was
a good shot and
a fearless rider, and while he sometimes had
difficulty in getting on
and off his horse, yet once mounted, he was able
to take care of himself.
One of the early settlers tells of his frequent
visits to a saloon,
famous throughout all the territory as "The
Thousand and One," to
which his pony, more intelligent than himself,
at times, would bring
him and wait patiently through his efforts to
dismount or mount,
apparently understanding the needs and
weaknesses of his master.
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 41
While his name is familiar to every inhabitant
of the city, probably,
no one seemed to be able to give any information
as to his later
career. Upon pressing the question as to what
became of him after
his early exploits as a frontiersman, an
acquaintance of the early days
replied,
"I believe he died long ago; as to what
became of him I can only
conjecture."
The first white child born in La Crosse was a
daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Miller. She was born in 1847 and was named
Martha, and is
said to have grown to womanhood, but later
information as to her
could not be found.
Samuel D. Hastings, also one of the early
settlers of La Crosse,
gave an address in the city in October, 1899. He
was then eighty-
three years of age and referred to a number of
his associates of La
Crosse in the early fifties; Mr. Miller among
them. He said:
"I call to mind a man who was a resident of
the place years before
I came. Mr. Miller was a pleasant, genial man,
but a little too fond
of whiskey for his good. Mr. Miller was wont to
claim that he was
a better temperance man than I was, for he was
doing all he could to
get the liquor out of the way by drinking it up,
while I could do nothing
for the cause in that practical way."
John Meyer Levy was born in England in 1820.
His parents were
German Jews. He received a good education,
mostly in the schools
of Amsterdam, Holland, and lived for a number of
years in Paris.
He came to America in 1841. He settled in St.
Louis, but afterward
(1844) came up the river to Prairie du Chien and
the following year
was induced to come to La Crosse. He was one of
the leading spirits
in building up the new settlement and his name
constantly occurs in
the early annals of the community in connection
with almost every
new enterprise. He built the first wharfboat,
the first dock and the
first hotel, which was called "The Western
Enterprise," and was run
by Simeon Kellogg. Mr. Levy was the first banker
and came within
one vote of being the first mayor, that honor
having been conferred
on him later at three different times, in 1860,
1866 and 1867. He
also served as alderman for many years. He did a
large business as
forwarding and commission merchant in the early
days. His wife
died in 1897 and Mr. Levy now makes his home at
the Hotel Law.
He is a remarkably well-preserved man, and
retains a vivid memory
of the early days and people. He is the last of
the group of men
who laid the foundations of the present city,
and is greatly attached
to the place to which he gave all the best years
of his life.
Harvey E. Hubbard, one of the men most
closely associated with
the early history of La Crosse, was born at
Pompey, Onondaga
county, N. Y., March 17, 1830. When he was
sixteen years of age
he removed with his parents to Milwaukee, where
not long after, he
entered the law-office of Hayden Powers, - a
nephew of President Fillmore,
- and later the office of A. D. Smith and Henry
L. Palmer. He
completed his law studies and was admitted to
the bar in May, 1851, -
about two months after he reached his majority,
- by Judge Levi
42
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Hubbell, whose name was afterward associated
with one of the dramatic
events of Wisconsin history. The organization of
the county of La
Crosse at the previous session of the
legislature, and the location of
the county seat at the village of La Crosse,
attracted the attention of
the young man and he made the journey there, by
stage, via Madison
to Galena, which necessitated three days and
three nights of continuous
travel. At Galena he took passage in the steamer
"Dr. Franklin"
for La Crosse. Among his fellow-passengers was
Judge Wiram
Knowlton, the first circuit judge of the
district which then embraced
all the western part of the state from the
southern boundary of
Crawford county to Lake Superior. Mr. Hubbard
had letters to the
judge from Judge A. D. Smith, of Milwaukee.
Judge Knowlton
introduced the young man to other of the
passengers, among whom
was Peter Burns, brother of Lieut. Governor
Timothy Burns. Mr.
Hubbard found La Crosse to consist of about a
dozen log houses and
small frame buildings, and, after some
hesitation, decided to cast in
his fortunes with the place. He formed a
partnership with Col.
Thomas B. Stoddard. In 1852 he was appointed
clerk of the circuit
court and in 1853, postmaster, and in the same
year was elected
justice of the peace. Lieutenant-Governor Burns
secured a position
for him as clerk of the senate and he spent the
winter in Madison. At
the close of the session he was in some doubt as
to returning to La
Crosse, whose future did not look so rosy to him
as to some other
of the pioneers; but through the inducements
offered by Timothy
Burns and urging by Assemblyman La Due he
finally decided to return.
The early papers contain frequent commendatory
notices of
the faithful service which he gave to the postal
business when the
mails were usually days and frequently weeks
apart. He was appointed
to the office by President Buchanan and put in
the first mail
boxes, thirty-six in number, in the little
office on Front street. He
was the first police justice elected after the
incorporation of La
Crosse as a city and held that position for
eighteen years. He was
appointed court commissioner by Judge Miller,
and later by Judge
Hopkins, holding that position until July, 1897.
He was prominent
in Masonic circles, and a life-long Democrat.
Mr. Hubbard was married
December 25, 1855, to Miss Helen A. Adams,
daughter of
Horatio Adams of Sparta. He died July 11, 1902.
His widow still
lives in La Crosse in the same house to which
she came as a bride,
fifty-one years ago.
Samuel L. Smith, popularly known as "Deacon"
Smith, was one
of the best known of La Crosse pioneers. He was
born in Delaware
county, N. Y., May 9, 1801, of Revolutionary
ancestry. In
1812 the family moved to Ohio. His first visit
to Wisconsin was in
1828, when he came north from Galena, Ill., as
far as Platteville, where
he remained a year. He was married in 1827 to
Martha E. Longley,
of Cheviot, Ohio. He and his wife lived in
Galena for a time, and
there their son Orrin, - also a La Crosse
pioneer of 1851, - was born.
Mrs. Smith died in 1834, and Mr. Smith afterward
married Sarah
Hildreth, of Cincinnati, by whom he had eleven
children. Mr. Smith
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 43
was a member of the Baptist church and it was
at his house that both
the Baptist and the Congregational churches were
organized in 1852.
Many stories are told of his rugged and
uncompromising type of
Christianity, which was well fitted to the
conditions of pioneer life.
His son, Orrin Smith, was of much the same type.
Both father and
son were river captains for many years, the
latter being president of
the Dubuque and Minnesota Packet line. Drinking
and gambling
were not allowed on their boats, and they were
not run on Sunday.
Deacon Smith died in La Crosse, January 30,
1890.
Samuel D. Hastings came to La Crosse in 1852,
in company with
his brother-in-law, H. B. Calahan. They each
purchased two lots at
the corner of Fifth and Main streets, paying
$150 for the four. Mr.
Hastings erected a building on his lots, it
being the first house built
in the village on a stone foundation. In the
early files of the La Crosse
papers Mr. Hastings' name appears with great
frequency. He was an
ardent advocate of temperance and of
prohibition, the issue being then
discussed under the name of the "Maine liquor
law." He edited a
column or two in the Democrat, advocating both
his temperance and
anti-slavery principles. He took an active part
in everything which
was for the intellectual or moral uplift of the
community, and was
one of those who organized the first public
library, donating to it a
number of books from his own library. In 1857 he
was elected state
treasurer and was re-elected three times in
succession, and at the
close of his official career remained in Madison
where he died. Mr.
Hastings was one of the committee who went to
Madison to procure
the city charter and that document, presented to
the legislature by
Dr. Cameron, is in his handwriting. His
residence in the city of La
Crosse was in all only about five years, and it
is seldom that a man
leaves so marked an influence by so brief a
citizenship. When he
was elected state treasurer, an office which he
had not sought, he was
obliged to give bonds for $200,000. There was no
one to whom he
felt at liberty to apply for such a favor and
seriously considered the
advisability of giving up the position. He was
living at Trempealeau
at the time, and received a letter from the
citizens of La Crosse
offering to furnish his bond, as an evidence of
their regard and
confidence in his integrity. At each re-election
the offer was renewed
without any suggestion on the part of Mr.
Hastings. The names of
the citizens of La Crosse which appeared upon
the four bonds on file
in the executive department at Madison are
Thomas B. Stoddard,
Erasmus D. Campbell, Francis M. Rublee, George
Farnum, T. N.
Horton, C. L. Colman, L. C. McKinney, Theo.
Rodolf, F. A. Moore,
J. H. Rogers, Edwin Flint, Allen Overbaugh, B.
W. Reynolds, B. B.
Healy, Milton Barlow, Wilson Colwell, William
Hood, W. R. Sill,
W. H. Lathrop, Samuel S. Burton, Harvey E.
Hubbard, Thomas
Spence, A. W. Shepard, V. M. Adams, C. W.
Marshall, Mons Anderson,
Leonard Lottridge, H. Espersen, Geo. A. Metzger,
Charles
Dunton, Angus Cameron, John Lewis, and Wm. B.
Hanscome.
Theodore Rodolf was born in Argovia,
Switzerland, October 17,
1815, and was well educated, and a graduate of
the University of
44
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Zurich. The family immigrated to New Orleans
in 1832, where the
father died. In 1834 the widow and children
moved to southern
Wisconsin. In 1853 Mr. Rodolf was appointed to
the office of
receiver of the new land office located at La
Crosse, a position which
he held until 1861. He entered immediately into
the life of the village
and was a participant in most of the important
movements concerning
the community during his life. He was mayor of
the city in 1868
and in 1870, and a member of the legislature at
the same time. He
was a Democrat and his name was advanced by his
party for a number
of important positions which he failed to reach
because of the
ascendency of the opposing party in the county.
He married Miss
Marie Thomas, of New Orleans, and of their large
family six came
to years of maturity. His oldest son, Theodore
F., married a granddaughter
of Henry Dodge, the first territorial governor
of Wisconsin.
One daughter married William Servis, son of T.
D. Servis, a
well-known citizen of La Crosse, and another
married F. A. Copeland,
one of its leading citizens. Mr. Rodolf died
February 12, 1892.
Judge Cyrus K. Lord who came to La Crosse in
company with
Theodore Rodolf, as register for the land-office
when it was located
at La Crosse, was one of the men who established
the reputation of
the La Crosse bar of the early days for energy
and ability. He was
interested in the life of the community, not
only in connection with
the land-office, in which position he rendered
conspicuous service to
the incoming settlers, but as an editor,
attorney and business man.
He was born at East Parsonsfield, Maine, June
10, 1811, and died at
La Crosse.
Col. Thomas B. Stoddard, the first mayor of
La Crosse, was born
in Canandaigua, N. Y., December 11, 1800. His
father was a
pioneer of New York, and was a distinguished
politician. Colonel
Stoddard was graduated from both Columbia and
Yale, and studied
law with Aaron Burr. He came to La Crosse in
1851, which place
was afterward his home, which he shared with his
mother and adopted
sister, Susan La France. He was an attorney by
profession and formed
a partnership with Harvey E. Hubbard. He had
great faith in the
future of La Crosse and lent his most strenuous
endeavor to its
upbuilding. He was never married. His death
occurred February 24,
1876.
It is interesting to note, in running over
the old files of the papers,
the beginnings of some of the families whose
fortunes were so largely
interwoven with the later history of the city.
Following are some of
the two and three line notices which appeared
between 1853 and 1858:
1853. Married, in this village, July 21, by
Rev. W. H. Card, Mr.
Mons Anderson to Miss Jane Halvorson, both of La
Crosse.
September 17, married, by Rev. J. C. Sherwin,
Mr. Walter Brown
and Miss Abby Whitney.
December 27, married, M. M. Manville and Miss
Helen A. Wood.
1855. December 25, married, at the residence
of Horatio Adams,
of Sparta, Harvey E. Hubbard and Helen Augusta
Adams.
1856. February 4, Rev. J. C. Sherwin united
in marriage William
A. Roosevelt and Miss Phebe Ann Gillett.
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 45
September 29, married, by Rev. W. H. Card,
Harvey J. Peck and
Carrie M. Lawrence.
October 14, Mr. George Howard was married in
Platteville, to
Miss Caroline Lord of Parsonsfield, Maine.
1858. Married, in this city, by Rev. N. C.
Chapin, of Congregational
church, Mr. Wilson Colwell and Miss Nannie
Hammer; also
Mr. Amasa Walker and Miss Omie Hammer.
April 28, married, in Brooklyn, N. Y., Mr.
Henry I. Bliss, of La
Crosse, and Miss Harriet H. Partridge, of
Brooklyn.
May 23, married in the town of Farmington,
Mr. Jay Pettingill
and Miss Adaline Sage, both of that place.
May 24, married by the Rev. Fayette Durlin,
rector of Christ
church, William R. Sill and Miss Mary G., eldest
daughter of J. C.
Edgar, all of La Crosse.
October 12, married in La Crosse, at the
residence of the bride's
father, Mr. Alexander McMillan and Miss Sarah L.
Parker, all of La Crosse.
CHAPTER V.
LA CROSSE COUNTY - EARLY
HISTORY.
THE ORIGINAL BILL CREATING THE COUNTY - PRESENT
DIMENSIONS
- CONDITIONS OF SOIL AND CLIMATE -
PICTURESQUE SCENERY -
CHARACTER OF THE EARLY SETTLERS - A JOURNEY
ACROSS THE
COUNTY IN 1851 - AGRICULTURE - LUMBERING -
VALUE OF REAL
ESTATE IN 1858 - OUTLOOK IN 1863.
The original bill dividing Crawford county
and creating the
counties of La Crosse and Bad Ax (now Vernon),
was presented to
the legislature in 1851 by Hon. W. T. Price, and
is in the handwriting
of Judge George Gale. The bill is numbered A and
is entitled
"A bill to divide Crawford county and organize
the counties of Bad
Ax and La Crosse," and it bears the following
endorsements:
"January 22. Read first and second times.
"January 29. Received from printers.
"January 31. Considered in committee of the
whole, reported
back without amendments and ordered to be
engrossed and read a third time.
"February 3. Engrossed."
At the bottom is the single word "Price." The
bill had evidently
been read once, at least, at night, as the outer
sheet is scorched from
having been held too near the candle.
Some eighteen or twenty years ago this
document passed into the
hands of Mr. C. L. Hood, of La Crosse. Mr. Hood
was at Madison
at the time referred to, and in company with Mr.
Price was looking
for some document in the basement of the
capital. Mr. Price picked
the bill out from a bunch of papers and gave it
to Mr. Hood as a
memento of La Crosse county. Mr. Price said that
Judge Gale and
himself had a dispute over the spelling of the
word "Ax," Mr. Price
maintaining that "back in Pennsylvania" it was
spelled with a final
"e," but Judge Gale contended for the modern
form, and so it went
into the bill. Mr. Price said, "It is the only
compromise I ever made,
and I am ashamed of it, for the name is spelled
half of the time one
way and half the other. It is so at the present
time. Although the
name of the county has been changed, yet the
river, the village and
the battle fought there still retain the name,
which appears in both
forms in what should be considered good
authorities. There was not
a dictionary in Madison which the law-makers
could consult to decide
their controversy, which accounts also for some
other original
spelling in the document named.
46
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 47
La Crosse was reduced to its present
dimensions in 1857, and it is
with that territory of 475 square miles that
this history is chiefly concerned.
Although a great deal of its record is covered
in the history
of La Crosse village and the several towns, yet
there are some items
that belong to the county as a whole rather than
to any particular
locality.
As has been already stated, much of the soil
is sandy, and yet there
is considerable variety within the limits of the
county; in the western
part a red clay predominates, in the center a
black loam and in the
east and in the valleys of the Black and
Mississippi rivers, a loose,
light sand, prolific in not very much except
scrub oaks, hazel brush
and sand-burs. One of the natural products that
flourishes well in
the light soil is thus ecstatically described in
an early paper:
"A short distance east of the village, around
the base of one of the
bluffs may be found large quantities of wild
strawberries. These delicate
vines grow in rich profusion, and the genial
sunshine, glistening
with Heaven's tears, is fast bringing this
delicious fruit to perfection."
A description of a trip to "Tunnel City" upon
the completion of
the Milwaukee and La Crosse Railroad in October,
1858, gives an
excellent view of a cross-section of the county
from west to east:
"We crossed the old La Crosse bridge and kept
close by the first point
of bluffs. The first six miles up the valley is
wild bottom land too wet
for roads or cultivation, but when drained will
be valuable for grass.
Thence ten miles up to Perry's cut, 1,000 feet
long and forty feet
deep with a corresponding 'fill.' From thence we
pass by easy grade
up to the Royal Tableland, and find ourselves
upon the ancient seat
of Dutchers, and the handsome but unpretending
burg of Salem.
From Salem the road makes a straight five miles
to Bangor. The
valley widens here from two to three miles,
flanked by low, retreating
hills and nestling coulees. Bangor spreads out
to a dozen buildings
and looks up smarter than Salem. There is a
flour mill, depot and
warehouse kept by Mr. Jenkins. The railroad line
from Bangor to
Sparta is a panorama of beauty." Beyond Sparta,
- of course outside
of the limits of La Crosse county, - the rest of
the way to the
tunnel is briefly described as "mostly low and
marshy or sandy, and
laid off into jack pine plains and tamarack
swamps." The bed of the
tunnel is 500 feet above Lake Michigan and 440
above the Mississippi
river, and 162 feet below the top of the ridge.
Rock specimens
from the tunnel showed flint, sandstone and a
species of hemitite or
bastard iron.
The climatic conditions are somewhat modified
by the soil. Although
a considerable portion of the land is low-lying,
yet the rapid absorption
of moisture by sandy soil prevents the malarial
conditions which might
otherwise exist. Usually the river is open two
or three weeks earlier
than at St. Paul, but there are some instances
of early closing as
well as late frosts. May 18, 1853, chronicles a
heavy frost.
The broken rough interior of the county as
well as the lofty range
of river bluffs give La Crosse county a great
variety of picturesque
scenery. An enthusiastic visitor from the east
compared the outlook
48
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
upon the great southward sweep of the
Mississippi from the bluffs
above La Crosse to Niagara, somewhat to the
disparagement of the
famous cataract. He said: "The dashing roar of
the mighty cataract
is wanting, but the elevation is much greater,
and the wide extent
between the two banks of the Mississippi, with
its changing scenery
spread out under the feet of the beholder, is
incomparably more enchanting
than a narrow chasm over which a bridge of only
a few hundred yards is sufficient to reach."
There was one element which contributed even
more than its natural
advantages to the prosperity of La Crosse
county, and that was
the character of its pioneers. A large majority
of them were from
New York and New England and brought their
habits of thrift and
neatness into their new homes. In commenting on
this tide of westward
immigration in the fifties one paper prophesied
that "New England
will be depopulated in fifty years if her sons
and daughters continue
to 'hoe' westward at the present rate." The
foreigners were
nearly all of a good class of Germans,
Norwegians and Swedes, hardy
and industrious, and willing to accommodate
themselves to the strenuous
conditions of frontier life.
Even the floating population of lumber and
river men seem to have
been good of its kind, according to the records
of the day: "the lumbermen
as a class are a worthy and intelligent set of
men, and doing
much to add to the wealth and prosperity of the
state. True, some
are a little wild and like a little fun, but
they are, after all, well-meaning
men and good citizens." Nevertheless the
community was not
altogether free from the lawlessness which has
always characterized
the frontier. Murders, either in drunken brawls,
or for robbery, were
not infrequent, drunkenness was common, with its
accompanying
vices; and the citizens were sometimes compelled
to form vigilance
committees for their own protection and the
suppression of crime.
The sentiment of the majority of the citizens
was, however, for law
and order, and with the advent of the railroad
and easier communications
with other communities these disturbing
tendencies came under control.
While the village of La Crosse represented
nearly all the trades
and professions, outside of its limits the
inhabitants in the early days
were nearly all either farmers or lumbermen.
Land was taken up
rapidly and in the fertile valleys there was an
abundant reward for
labor. One J. M. West reported 105 bushels of
wheat to the acre
and a weight of thirty-four pounds to the
bushel. Oats varied from
forty to seventy-five bushels to the acre.
Perhaps the story of corn
raised on the farm of B. E. Brower, five miles
from the village of
La Crosse that measured fifteen feet in height
may be taken for a
little exuberance of editorial fancy. It is so
recorded, however, and
that the ears, fourteen inches in length, were
eleven feet above the
ground.
In the early part of the winter of 1851-52 a
few of the young men
of the village, not enjoying the prospect of
being shut in from the
world until the river opened in the spring,
decided to make an overland
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 49
trip to the state capital. The party
consisted of Joshua La Due,
brother to the editor of "The Spirit of the
Times," who was then in
the assembly; Thomas G. Rowe, the founder of
Onalaska; George
Farnum, a well known citizen of later years, and
after whom Farnum
street was named; Harvey E. Hubbard, who has
been elected clerk of
the senate, and Edward Kline. They hired a man
named Gordon who
was the owner of a span of horses to take them.
It was about the
middle of December when they started and the
weather was intensely
cold. There was plenty of snow, but the roads
were in an embryonic
state. The first day they traveled twelve miles
and reached the log
cabin of Byron Viets in the La Crosse valley,
near Neshonic and not
far from the present village of West Salem. Here
they spent the
first night. In the morning they found no sign
of a road, but kept
to the low land on the north side of the La
Crosse river until they
reached another log-house on the banks of a
creek where the city of
Sparta now stands. The owner of the house,
William Pettit, the
first settler in that part of the country, had
gone to La Crosse for
supplies, and the family larder was so nearly
empty that there was
nothing to spare for the travelers, and after
they had warmed themselves
by the fire they went on several miles to the
next log-house, where
the owner took them in and made them as
comfortable as he could.
Their bunks had been made by driving pins into
the wall and laying
poles across them with brush for mattresses. The
bed-clothing was
scanty, but a good fire kept them warm and
comfortable. They were
awakened in the morning by the crowing of the
roosters which their
host had taken into the house to keep from
freezing. They had a good
deal of trouble in getting over the "Ridge,"
into the Lemonweir
valley, but found on the east side a slight
advance in the comforts
that pertain to civilized life.
Harvey E. Hubbard, who related the
circumstances of the journey,
stated that at that time (December, 1851), the
only houses in the La
Crosse valley on the north side of the river
were Joshua Ridgeley's,
about seven miles from La Crosse, Byron Viets
and Monroe Palmer's
near Neshonic, William Pettit's log-house at
Sparta, and the house
where they stayed over night. On the south side
of the river, near
West Salem, was a log-house occupied by Thomas
Leonard and Julius
Segar, and two log-houses south of them, one
occupied by Thomas
Bostwick and the other by James Hogan. Between
West Salem and
Bangor there was a log-house and two or three
board shanties, and
about a mile south of Bangor, in "Dutch creek
valley," were two or
three shanties occupied by Michael Darms,
Christian Ruedy and John
Bosshard. A number of claims had been entered,
but few houses were
built until the spring and summer of 1852.
In recording the fact that between the
organization of the county,
March 1, 1851, and May 17, of the same year, 500
quarter
sections were entered, the editor of the
Democrat thus
apostrophizes his compatriots of the Atlantic
slope: "Come
on, then, ye starving honest laborers of the
purse-proud East!"
Benjamin Welsh was the pioneer and for a time
the only
50
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
settler on the dividing ridge between the La
Crosse and
Lemonweir rivers. A little over a year later
(July, 1852), nearly all
The land in his vicinity was taken. Wheat was at
that time bringing
$1.00 and oats $.50 a bushel. In May, 1853, a
correspondent from the
La Crosse valley reported that thousands of
acres were being fenced,
and the valley becoming thickly settled by
enterprising inhabitants.
The Bostwick valley, eight miles long and from
one-half to five miles
wide, alternating timber and prairie land, with
excellent springs and
trout brooks supported in 1853, twenty-two
families. In the town of
Pierce, organized in the spring of 1853, and now
known as Barre,
forty-two farms had been purchased and seventeen
log-houses built,
and there was room for thirty or forty more
farms. In commenting
on this prosperous outlook the editor of the
village paper manifested
much indignation at the detractors of La Crosse
who said that it had
"no country back of it to support it," and
responded that it would
be difficult to find another location that could
exhibit the combination
of timber, prairie, good water and a market
which could be found
in La Crosse county, and in June, 1853, the
statement is made that
"the crops of wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn and
potatoes look equally
well, if not better than those in the
southeastern part of the state.
Besides the inducements held out to the
farming community there
was a more quickly remunerative field in the
lumbering business.
This was started on the Black river at the time
of the first settlement
in La Crosse, 1841, by the Douglass brothers,
and before any attempt
had been made to develop the country
agriculturally. In 1852 there
were two sawmills in full operation and two more
in process of construction,
but from that time on there was a rapid advance,
for the
following year there were reported to be thirty
or forty sawmills in
full operation on Black river. On the La Crosse
river and even the
smaller streams mills were built very frequently
combining the offices
of saw and grist mills.
In the autumn of 1858 the valuation of the
real estate of La Crosse
county is given as $2,936,384, and the personal
property as $556,939.
All through the spring and summer preceding,
settlers had been coming
in steadily, in two weeks (April 6 - 20), 480
applications for preemptions
having been filed. Although there was at this
time 600,000
acres of vacant land in the La Crosse district,
yet there appears to
have been little disposition toward land
speculation, the entries being
made almost entirely by actual settlers. There
was in addition to the
public lands, about 400,000 acres of railroad
lands which later came
into the market.
Five years later (October 2, 1863), similar
reports of a steady inflowing
of settlers are given. On an afternoon drive
along one of
the highways leading out of the city, one
chronicler states that he
"counted thirty-five immigrant wagons within a
space of five miles."
CHAPTER VI.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
ORGANIZATION - FIRST COUNTY ELECTION - COUNTY
SEAT - ORGANIZATION
OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY - LA CROSSE COUNTY
REDUCED TO PRESENT
LIMITS - EARLY POLITICAL PREFERENCES - A
POLITICAL DOCUMENT
OF 1858 - CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT -
SENATORIAL DISTRICT -
ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS - STATE SENATORS -
ASSEMBLYMEN - SPEAKERS
OF THE ASSEMBLY - GOVERNORS - CONGRESSMEN -
UNITED STATES
SENATOR - STRENGTH OF POLITICAL PARTIES -
PRESENT POLITICAL
REPRESENTATIVES - STATE OFFICIALS FROM LA
CROSSE - PRESENT
COUNTY OFFICERS - PERSONAL SKETCHES,
TIMOTHY BURNS - E. D.
CAMPBELL - C. C. WASHBURN - GEO. W. PECK -
ANGUS CAMERON -
CHARLES SEYMOUR - W. A. ANDERSON - W. R.
FINCH.
La Crosse county was organized in 1851. It
was created from Crawford
county and its northern boundary was "a line
commencing at
the mouth of the Buffalo river on the
Mississippi river, thence up the
main branch of Buffalo to its source, thence
along the dividing ridge
between the waters of the Chippewa and Black
rivers, until it reaches
the headwaters of the Black river, thence in a
direct line due east to
the boundary line of Portage county." The
boundary line of Portage
county was by an act which went into effect
February 18, 1841, range
two east; the southern boundary was the present
southern boundary
of Monroe and La Crosse counties and the
Mississippi river limited
its area on the west. The county as then
constituted comprised all
of the present counties of La Crosse, Monroe,
Jackson, Trempealeau
and Clark, most of Buffalo and a part of Taylor.
By the same act of
the legislature by which the county was created,
it was divided into
the towns of La Crosse, Albion and Pine Valley.
The town of La
Crosse included all of the present county and
also Trempealeau and
Jackson.
By that act of the legislature approved March
1, 1851, La Crosse
county came into legal existence. The first
election for county officers
was appointed for the first Tuesday in April and
the third of May
following was organized with full powers. The
first county officers
elected were Timothy Burns, county judge; A.
Eldred, sheriff; F. M.
Rublee, treasurer; William T. Price, register of
deeds; Robert Looney,
clerk of the county board. William T. Price also
held the offices of
clerk of the court and county treasurer. The
second election held in
the fall of 1851 resulted in the following
additions and changes:
George Gale, county judge; A. Eldred, sheriff;
F. M. Rublee, treasurer;
51
52
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
C. A. Stevens, register of deeds; Robert
Looney, clerk of the
court and also of the county board.
The first meeting of the county board of
supervisors was held in
La Crosse, November 11, 1851. Timothy Burns, of
La Crosse, was
the chairman, and with him were associated Jacob
Spaulding of the
town of Albion, and Charles Whipple of the town
of Pine Valley.
By the act of the legislature creating the
county, La Crosse was
designated as the temporary county seat on
condition that buildings
should be furnished free of cost to the county.
If the conditions were
not met, an election was to be held within a
year to determine the location
of the county seat, or in case no place received
a majority, the
selection was to be left with the board of
supervisors. By an act of
the legislature approved March 29, 1855, the
county seat was permanently
located at La Crosse. Anticipating this act of
the legislature the
county board purchased a lot and built a
court-house, thereby arousing
a vigorous protest by parties outside the
village, for exceeding the
provisions of the original act. From Lewis
Valley there was issued a
manifesto called "A Voice from the Land of
Freedom," signed by
twenty-six citizens, against the high taxes and
the purchase of a lot
and building of the court-house in advance of
the time prescribed by
law for the location of the county seat by the
people, thereby precluding
all competition for building.
The same year much opposition was manifested
over the formation
of the new county of Trempealeau. The
constitution provided that no
county of 900 square miles or less should be
divided for the purpose
of forming new counties unless by its consent. A
bill was introduced
into the legislature to add enough territory to
Buffalo county to make
it large enough to divide without its consent,
and in the new county
thus formed both La Crosse and Jackson counties
suffered some diminution
of their territory. There was more or less
protest as the five
or six counties were carved out of the original
county of La Crosse,
but the act which called out the bitterest
opposition was this creation
of Trempealeau county. Judge George Gale was the
principal mover
in the scheme and, it was said, desired the
formation of the new
county solely on account of his personal
interests. It was also claimed
that the act by which the county was created was
unconstitutional.
That Judge Gale had personal interests is true,
but a later generation
absolved him from the charge of self-seeking in
the matter.
The county of La Crosse was reduced to its
present limits in 1857,
with the following boundaries: On the north the
Black river and Trempealeau
and Jackson counties; on the east Monroe county;
on the south
Vernon county; on the west the Mississippi
river, separating it from
the state of Minnesota. It contains about 475
square miles and includes
the following towns: Bangor, Barre, Burns,
Campbell, Farmington,
Greenfield, Hamilton, Holland, Onalaska, Shelby
and Washington.
Although La Crosse county is at the present
time a Republican
stronghold yet it was not always so. In its
earliest political history,
when the struggle for power lay between the
Whigs and the Democrats,
the Democrats were in the majority. The
temperance question,
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 53
or the "Maine law," as it was usually
dominated in those days, was a
burning question, but the Democrats stoutly
opposed making it a
political issue, and their platform declared the
right of the individual
to vote upon it as his conscience might dictate,
without regard to party
lines.
The election returns for November, 1853, gave
La Crosse county a
Democratic majority. There were three tickets in
the field, Democratic,
Whig and Free soil. William A. Barstow received
a majority of sixty-
five of the county votes for the governorship,
and La Crosse, Jackson,
Chippewa, Clark and Buffalo counties elected
William J. Gibson, Democrat,
to the assembly. There was a majority for the
prohibitory liquor
law, every town in the county being in favor of
it.
In the period just preceding the Civil War,
and during the disintegration
of the old Whig party and the formation of the
Republican,
party spirit ran high. Politics and the railroad
occupied the attention
of the papers to the exclusion of almost
everything else. The first
city election after the incorporation of La
Crosse showed the trend of
public feeling toward the new party, for
although the Democrats
elected a majority of their candidates, the vote
was very nearly evenly
balanced, and the Democrats, until that time
clearly in the majority,
lost the mayoralty by one vote.
The La Crosse Democrat in 1853 thus comments
on a recent election:
"The ticket nominated by the Union caucus was
elected. No
brawls, no loud talk, and no calling of hard
names; all passed off as
befits the assemblage of freemen to choose from
among themselves
their servants for the coming year." The
question of ardent spirits
entered largely into the election, but the board
of supervisors was advised
to "license no man to sell liquors unless they
believe him to be
a man of good judgment and honest, and not then
unless they think
it is for the interest of the village." Politics
did not run so smoothly
at all points, for about this time the town of
Leon experienced exciting
times, and had two sets of officers qualified
and acting at the same time.
On August 9, 1856, a Democratic club was
organized in La Crosse.
From this time on politics began to take an
acrimonious attitude. In
the next presidential election La Crosse county
gave Fremont a majority
of 446 over Buchanan. Washburn for Congress had
a majority
of 449, Price for state senator, 376 and Cameron
for the assembly, 429.
Local pride and personal knowledge of the
merits of the candidates
counted for something in La Crosse county, then
as now. In 1857, E.
D. Campbell, a citizen of La Crosse, and a
Democrat, was elected
lieutenant-governor, and received from his own
county 320 votes out of
the 575 cast. The opposing candidate was the
Hon. Carl Schurz.
An interesting document, showing the fervor
with which a political
campaign was waged in the fifties, recently came
to light. It is a
"La Crosse Republican Extra," signed by the
Republican city committee,
W. C. Rogers, B. W. Reynolds and George Farnum,
and was in
answer to a Democratic circular attributed to
Chase A. Stevens and
A. P. Blakeslee. It was a quarter-sheet of three
columns with "scare
head-lines" across the sheet as follows:
54
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
"LA CROSSE REPUBLICAN EXTRA.
"The Infamous Lies in the Democratic
Circular Used Up.
"Read the Following Affidavits and
Statements Voluntarily Tendered
Us by Responsible and Reliable Men.
"The McGivins Shown up in Their True Light
and Convicted of
Perjury.
"Whalen's Pledges on Both Sides of Private
Interests Cannot Save Him.
"The Democracy Spewing Him Up!"
The occasion for all this was the candidacy
of one C. W. Marshall
for the position of assemblyman, and some
aspersions cast upon his
character which the Republican committee
proceeded to refute by the
affidavits referred to in the headlines. The
affidavit of the candidate
himself is interesting as showing in political
documents in the fifties,
men did not hesitate to call a spade a spade or
even to prefix adjectives
indicating its condition.
"STATE OF WISCONSIN.
CITY AND COUNTY OF LA CROSSE.
"C. W. Marshall, being duly sworn, deposes
and says that he has
seen and read the lying circular issued from the
National Democratic
office of this city, and that the affidavits of
the McGivins, as far as
they relate to this deponant, are wilful and
malicious falsehoods, and
do not contain one word of truth as far as this
affiant is concerned;
that he was not personally acquainted with the
said McGivins, but
frequently heard of them as being lousy, lying,
drunken vagabonds,
whose oath would not be taken before any court
of justice.
C. W. MARSHALL.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 30th day
of October, 1858.
ELISHA WHITTLESEY, Notary Public,
La Crosse county, Wis."
It may add to the interest of the document to
state that the papers
of November 10, of the same year, record the
election of C. W.
Marshall to the assembly. Charles Seymour, for
many years a leading
journalist of the city, in a review of the press
written about 1881,
refers to this campaign as a "memorable and
deplorably bitter contest."
The Democratic candidate for the position was
James Whalen.
Following the readjustment of political
privileges to the Federal
census of 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, La
Crosse county has belonged
to the following Congressional districts: Until
1860 with the
second; 1860-1870 with the sixth, since 1870
with the seventh. The
seventh district comprises at the present the
counties of Buffalo, Clark,
Eau Claire, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin
and Trempealeau,
representing, in 1904, a total of 38,918 votes.
With Trempealeau county La Crosse forms the
thirty-second senatorial
district and in 1904 represented 8,544 votes.
The county comprises
two assembly districts, the town of Campbell and
sixteen of the
wards of the city of La Crosse forming one - the
forty-first - and the
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 55
remaining five wards, the third, eighth,
seventeenth, eighteenth and the
twenty-first, with the rest of the county, the
other - the forty-fifth.
La Crosse county has been represented in the
state senate by the
following residents: William H. Tucker, La
Crosse, 1858, 59; Edwin
Flint, La Crosse, 1862; Joel W. Ramsey, West
Salem, 1867, 68; Gideon
C. Hixon, La Crosse, 1874, 75; Sylvester L.
Nevins, 1875, 76; Merrick
P. Wing, 1877, 78; Gysbert Van Steenwyk, La
Crosse, 1879, 80;
Donald A. McDonald, La Crosse, 1883, 85; T. A.
Dyson, La Crosse,
1887, 89; Levi Withee, La Crosse, 1893, 95, 97,
99; Thomas Morris,
La Crosse, 1905, 1907.
La Crosse county has a long list of resident
representatives in the
lower house of the legislature, as follows:
Albert La Due, La Crosse,
1853; Chase A. Stevens, La Crosse, 1855; Dugald
D. Cameron, La
Crosse, 1856, 57; Charles W. Marshall, La
Crosse, 1859; Isaac E.
Messmore, La Crosse, 1861; Thomas B. Stoddard,
La Crosse, 1862;
Enos M. Phillips, Bib Valley, 1863; Samuel S.
Burton, La Crosse,
1864; Townsend N. Horton, West Salem, 1865;
Angus Cameron, La
Crosse, 1866, 67; Theodore Rodolf, La Crosse,
1868, 70; Nathan P.
Waller, La Crosse, 1868, 69; Cassius C. Palmer,
West Salem, 1869;
Powers G. Moulton, Onalaska, 1870, 71; Gideon C.
Hixon, La Crosse,
1871, 72; Alexander McMillan, La Crosse, 1873;
Donald A. McDonald,
La Crosse, 1874; John Bradley, Bangor, 1875, 76,
79, 80, 81;
Wm. Van Walters, West Salem, 1877; Sewell
Briggs, New Amsterdam,
1878; Frank Pooler, Onalaska, 1882; John Dawson,
La Crosse,
1883; Charles Linse, La Crosse, 1885; David
Vaughn, Bangor, 1887;
Duncan A. Kennedy, Stevenstown, 1887; William
Smith, La Crosse,
1889; James J. Hogan, La Crosse, 1889, 91; John
Dawson, La Crosse,
1891; Alfred A. Leissring, La Crosse, 1893;
Lemuel B. Cox, Farmington,
1893, 95; Mark M. Buttles, Onalaska, 1897, 99;
George H. Ray,
La Crosse, 1895, 97, 99, 1901, 03; Andrew C.
Hanson, Mindora, 1901;
Thomas Johnson, Holland, 1903; John S. Durland,
La Crosse, 1905;
T. H. Miller, La Crosse, 1907; V. S. Keppel,
Holmen, 1907. Of the
members of the assembly from La Crosse county,
three have served
as speakers of the house, viz.: Angus Cameron,
twentieth legislature,
1867; James J. Hogan, fortieth legislature,
1891; George H. Ray,
forty-fourth and forty-fifth legislatures, 1899,
1901.
Gideon E. Hixon, Donald A. McDonald and
Gysbert Van Steenwyk
served in both houses of the legislature; the
last as an assemblyman
from Kilbourn City, Columbia county, in 1859.
Besides the able men who have represented La
Crosse county in the
state legislature, it furnished two of the
earlier lieutenant-governors,
Timothy Burns, who occupied that office from
January 5, 1852 to
January 2, 1854, and E. D. Campbell, January 1,
1857 to January 1,
1858. Two governors, Cadwallader C. Washburn,
January 1, 1872
to January 1, 1874, and who also represented his
congressional district
in the House of Representatives five terms, and
George W. Peck
who was governor from January 1, 1891, to
January 1, 1895, and one
United States senator, Angus Cameron, who was
elected to that office
in 1875 and shortly after the expiration of his
term was elected to fill
56
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
the vacancy caused by the death of Hon. Matt.
Carpenter. George W.
Peck was not a resident of La Crosse at the time
of his election to the
governorship, but it was in this city that he
established his well known
humorous paper, "Peck's Sun," and was for a
number of years actively
connected with the interests of the city.
The Republican plurality is most strongly
marked at the presidential
elections, showing a tendency to independent
action in local and state
politics. In 1900 the vote stood Democratic,
3,699; Republican, 5,506;
in 1902, Democratic, 3,300; Republican, 3,806;
In 1904, Democratic,
3,089; Republican, 5,596.
The two assemblymen elected in November,
1906, were T. H. Miller
and V. S. Keppel. In 1904 the vote for state
senator, Thomas Morris
was 4,901, out of a total of 8,544, and he was
re-elected in 1906. The
Congressional district is also strongly
Republican, giving that party's
candidate, John J. Esch, of La Crosse, who was
elected to his second
term, a plurality of 11,263.
Citizens of La Crosse holding state
commissions at the present time
are James J. Hogan, vice-president of the
commission of fisheries, and
W. H. Tilton, lumber inspector of La Crosse
district, No. 2.
The election of November, 1906, placed in
control of the county
affairs the following officers: John Brindley,
county judge; Christopher
J. Burns, sheriff; Russel D. Smith, clerk of the
circuit court;
Frank H. Aiken, register of deeds; Otto
Bosshard, district attorney;
Chas. H. Rawlinson, county clerk; William
Weimar, treasurer; B. F.
Oltman, superintendent of schools; George P.
Bradish, county surveyor;
Edward Cronin, coroner; James E. Keizer,
supervisor of assessments;
Dr. E. J. Egan, county physician. The
superintendents
of the poor are J. M. Pierce, chairman; Solomon
Burdick, secretary;
Elias Jones, treasurer. The county board of
supervisors are J. L.
Pettingill, La Crosse, chairman; Chas. H.
Rawlinson, La Crosse, clerk;
John Hatz, Bangor; Wm. Garbers, Barre; John N.
Jones, Burns; Wm.
Wolf, Campbell; John Storandt, Farmington; John
Clements, Greenfield;
W. F. McEldowney, Hamilton; Michael McHugh,
Holland;
V. S. Keppel, Onalaska; Hans A. Jawls, Shelby;
Wenzel Korn, Washington;
R. W. Davis, Bangor village; W. A. Bradley, West
Salem
village; Onalaska city, J. A. Skogan, 1st ward;
Abel N. Moore, 2nd
ward; C. A. Sjolander, 3rd ward; La Crosse city,
Julius Hackbart, 1st
ward; John Timp, 2nd ward; Peter Lehnen, 3rd
ward; J. L. Pettingill,
4th ward; William Dwyer, 5th ward; O. H.
Hulberg, 6th ward;
A. E. Thompson, 7th ward; Wenzel Lapitz, 8th
ward; Bernt Nelson,
9th ward; W. C. Rick, 10th ward; Olaf Sevennes,
11th ward; Chas.
Spittel, 12th ward; G. J. Ritter, 13th ward;
Geo. R Hodge, 14th ward;
Barthel Weber, 15th ward; O. S. Sisson, 16th
ward; John Kindley,
17th ward; G. H. Berger, 18th ward; J. B.
Turnbull, 19th ward; A. C.
Kaylor, 20th ward; Fred Kaser, 21st ward.
Timothy Burns was born in Dublin, Ireland,
May 31, 1820, and came
to the United States with his parents when he
was three years of age.
His parents settled in New York state and
Timothy remained there
until he was seventeen years of age when he came
to Iowa county,
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 57
Wisconsin. Here he engaged in mining until
1844 when he was elected
sheriff of Iowa county, and gave up his mining
operations to devote
himself to his official duties. He was also
chairman of the first board
of supervisors of La Crosse county and the first
county judge.
In 1846 he was elected to the assembly for a
two years' term and
was re-elected in 1848 and served through his
last term as speaker of
the assembly. In 1850 he was elected
commissioner of public works
and in 1851 lieutenant-governor, which office he
was holding at the
time of his death.
He first came to La Crosse in 1847, and
seemed to realize that there
was a great future before the little village on
the sandy prairie and
located in 1851. He worked for its development
and prosperity with
untiring zeal and energy and at great personal
sacrifice. His aspiration
for La Crosse was to give it the second place
among the cities
of his adopted state; unfortunately he was not
permitted to see that,
within the years which he might reasonably have
hoped to live, how
near to fulfillment his aspirations came.
Timothy Burns was a man of superior native
ability, and owed
but little to outside advantages. He was
sagacious, energetic, enterprising,
of the mental make-up that successful pioneering
life demands.
His death, which occurred on September 27, 1853,
in his thirty-fourth
year, was the occasion of mourning in his
community, and of expressions
of sympathy and regard from other parts of the
state. The
funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr.
Sherwin, pastor of the
Congregational church; stores were closed after
twelve o'clock on the
day of the funeral, and on September 29 a public
meeting was held to
consider the erection of a suitable monument. A
public meeting was
held in the courthouse at Madison, at which a
eulogy was pronounced
by H. S. Ortan, and a committee appointed,
consisting of William
Welch, Thomas Hilran, A. A. Bird, L. B. Vilas
and A. J. Ward, to
frame suitable resolutions.
Hon. E. D. Campbell was elected
lieutenant-governor in 1857, his
opponent being Hon. Carl Schurz, later a
distinguished figure in
American politics. Mr. Campbell was born January
11, 1811, and was
a native of Connecticut, and came to La Crosse
in 1854. He invested
heavily in real estate in La Crosse, confident
that the place had a great
future. The year before the bank troubles of
1857, he paid taxes to
the amount of $1,200 in gold. The financial
panic of that year caused
him to lose heavily, and to sacrifice much of
his property. When he
first came to La Crosse he was cashier in J. M.
Levy's bank, and later
studied law and was a member of the firm of
Campbell & Wood. At
the close of his term of office as
lieutenant-governor the members of
the senate presented him with a loving cup,
suitably engraved, and
other silver to the value of $100, which are
prized mementoes belonging
to the members of his family, still resident in
La Crosse. He was
interested in real estate business for some
years, but in his later life
retired to a farm in the town of Shelby. He died
at the home of his
son, in La Crosse, April 17, 1873.
Cadwallader Colden Washburn, ex-governor of
Wisconsin, for
58
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
many years leading citizen of La Crosse, was
a member of a family
which attained to unusual distinction in
political and diplomatic circles.
The ancestry of Mr. Washburn goes back on both
his father's
and his mother's side to the Puritans. John
Washburn, of whom he
was a direct descendant, was secretary of the
Plymouth colony in
England, and came to this country in 1631, and
settled in what was
then known as the "Eagle's Nest," in Duxbury,
Mass. The great
grandfather of Mr. Washburn was a very prominent
man in his day, an
extensive farmer, and the proprietor of a large
iron furnace in Raynham,
Mass. To him, ex-Governor Washburn is said to
have borne
a striking resemblance. His grandfather, Capt.
Israel Washburn, was
a resident of the town of Raynham, served in the
Revolutionary War,
was a member of the Massachusetts convention
that ratified the constitution,
and was repeatedly chosen to represent his
people in the
"general court," or legislature. His father,
Israel Washburn, was
born at Raynham, November 18, 1784, and moved to
Maine in 1806.
He represented his town in the legislatures of
1815, 1816, 1818 and
1819. He died September 1, 1876. The mother of
Mr. Washburn
was a descendant of John Benjamin, who came to
this country in 1632.
Her father, Samuel Benjamin, was born February
3, 1753, and entered
the Revolutionary army in 1775, and took part in
the battles of
Lexington, Bunker Hill, Monmouth, Yorktown and
others of lesser
note. Governor Washburn was one of a family of
seven sons and
three daughters. Four of the sons, Israel, of
Maine, Elihu B., of
Illinois, Cadwallader C., of Wisconsin and
William D., of Minnesota,
occupied seats in Congress; Israel and C. C.
were governors of their
respective states. Elihu B. and Charles A.
represented the nation at
foreign courts. Of the other brothers, Sidney,
an honored citizen and
banker of the state of Maine, died before the
beginning of the Civil
War; Samuel B. commanded, during the war, a
steamer of the United
States navy on the Mississippi river.
C. C. Washburn was born in Maine April 22,
1818, and immigrated
to Wisconsin in 1842, and came to La Crosse in
1861. He was elected
to Congress in 1855 and served until 1861, when
he entered the United
States service as colonel of the Second regiment
of Wisconsin cavalry,
which regiment he raised, reporting for duty
October 10, 1861.
He was promoted to the position of major general
November 29,
1862. He was returned to Congress in 1868,
remaining till 1872,
serving in all five terms. He was governor of
Wisconsin in 1873-74,
and during his official position at the capital
took an active interest
in the affairs of the university and the city in
addition to his official
duties. He built and equipped Washburn
observatory for the University
of Wisconsin. He offered his beautiful summer
home in Wingra
Park to the city of Madison for an orphanage,
and upon the city
declining the generous offer, presented it to
the Catholic church for
a girls' school. He presented the orphan asylum
to the city of Minneapolis
and the public library to the city of La Crosse.
He was
president of the State Historical Society while
a resident of Madison.
He was for many years associated with the
business interests of La
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 59
Crosse as a leading manufacturer of flour and
lumber. He died at
Eureka Springs, May 14, 1882, aged sixty-four
years.
George W. Peck, although not a citizen of La
Crosse at the time
of his election as governor, was for a number of
years associated intimately
with that city and there began the publication
of the paper
whose broad humor brought its editor into
prominence, and was a
large factor in his political success. Mr. Peck
was born in Henderson,
Jefferson county, N. Y., September 28, 1840. The
following
year his parents moved to Wisconsin. He had just
arrived at manhood
at the breaking out of the Civil War and he
enlisted in the
Fourth regiment of infantry and afterward in the
Fourth Wisconsin
cavalry, and served three years and was a
lieutenant of the company.
He subsequently followed the printer's trade,
moving about from
place to place in the manner peculiar to that
craft, and worked on
papers at Jefferson, Ripon, Madison and other
places. He came to
La Crosse after the war, and in 1871, in company
with Mr. Symes,
assumed the control of the Democrat, the name
under their management
being changed to the Liberal Democrat. This
association continued
for a number of years, when he left it to begin,
in 1874, the
publication of Peck's Sun. In 1880 he moved his
paper to Milwaukee,
where his paper had a large circulation. In 1890
he was elected
mayor of Milwaukee and the same year elected by
the Democratic
party as governor of the state, carrying the
election on the "Bennett
law." He was re-elected in 1892, and has been
the candidate of his
party at two subsequent elections. His present
home is in Milwaukee.
Senator Angus Cameron, so long and
prominently associated with
the history of La Crosse, was one of a family of
six brothers and
four sisters who attained maturity, four of the
brothers having been
citizens of La Crosse. He was of Scotch
ancestry; his parents were
Duncan Angus and Sarah (McCall) Cameron and his
paternal grandparents
Angus and Katherine (MacPherson) Cameron and his
maternal
grandparents, Hugh and Mary (Campbell) McCall.
The
former belonged to Inverness and the latter to
Argyle. The Camerons
came to America in 1800 and the McCalls in 1809,
both settling
in New York. Senator Angus Cameron was born in
Caledonia, Livingston
county, July 4, 1824, and his parents died at
that place, Mrs.
Cameron in 1866 and her husband in 1872. Angus
received his early
education at the district schools, Wesleyan
seminary at Lima, N. Y.,
and Genesee academy. He taught school for a
number of years and
began the study of law with Wadsworth & Cameron,
at Buffalo, in
1850, and was admitted to the bar in 1853. He
remained in Buffalo
until 1857, being connected with a tanking firm
part of the time. He
was married February 21, 1856, at Urbana,
Steuben county, N. Y.,
to Mary, daughter of William Baker. Her
grandfather was a Revolutionary
soldier who settled in Urbana in 1790. Her
mother was of
Dutch descent and was a cousin to President
Martin Van Buren.
Mr. and Mrs. Cameron moved to La Crosse in 1857,
where Mr. Cameron
formed a partnership with Alonzo Johnson which
continued
until the death of Mr. Johnson in 1860. December
1, 1861, a
60
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
partnership was formed with Joseph W. Losey
which continued until
1886.
Mr. Cameron was a member of the assembly for
two years, and
speaker of that body in 1867; and was a member
of the state senate
for two terms of two years each. He was a regent
of the University
of Wisconsin from 1866 to 1875. He was elected
to the United States
senate in January, 1875, and re-elected to fill
the unexpired term of
Matt. H. Carpenter in 1881, serving ten
consecutive years. The latter
part of his life Senator Cameron was not
actively engaged in the
practice of law, but his beautiful home was a
center of hospitality
and social life. He had no children. Senator
Cameron was a lawyer
of great learning and ability. Three of his
brothers resided in La
Crosse, Alexander, Dugald D. and Hugh Cameron.
Alexander Cameron
was a young lawyer of much promise, with
apparently a brilliant
career before him. At twenty-two years of age he
entered the
Union army as first lieutenant of the First
Wisconsin light artillery,
and died from the effects of hardships in the
service. Dr. Dugald
D. Cameron was a leading physician of La Crosse,
and died in 1867.
Judge Hugh Cameron was an eminent lawyer of La
Crosse, where
he resided from 1858 to his death in 1895,
serving in the meantime
as county judge of La Crosse county for two
terms of four years
each by election and a part of a term to fill a
vacancy, by appointment
of the governor.
Senator Angus Cameron was an Episcopalian and
for many years
was senior warden of Christ church, La Crosse.
He died at La Crosse, March 30, 1897.
La Crosse has been honored by the appointment
of a number of
her citizens to consular and ministerial
positions. Prominent among
these was the appointment of Hon. Charles
Seymour to the position
of consul to Canton, China. He received the
appointment under
President Arthur and left La Crosse in October,
1882, and remained
there fourteen years, resigning his position in
1896. When the change
of executives from the Republican to the
Democratic parties threatened
his recall a petition was sent to the United
States government,
signed by leading Chinese officials for his
retention in office, and he
remained through President Cleveland's
administration and until failing
health compelled him to resign. Judge Bryant,
who was an intimate
friend of Mr. Seymour's and corresponded with
him during his absence,
relates that during the Chinese uprising in
Canton, Mr. Seymour
exhibited rare courage. The consulate residences
are grouped
on an island in Pearl River, and during the
uprising every representative
left the consulate with the exception of Mr.
Seymour who remained
and went back and forth to the city as if
nothing were happening.
General Mosby, of guerrilla fame, who certainly
knew what
courage was, was at the time consul at Hjonkong,
and wrote home in
highly complimentary terms of Mr. Seymour's
conduct during this
trying time, and in comparison with that of his
European confreres.
While Mr. Seymour was preparing to return home
he was stricken
with paralysis. When sufficiently recovered to
travel he returned to
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 61
his old home in Burlington, Vermont, where he
died in November,
1904. Mr. Seymour's only child, a daughter,
Alice, married a Scotch
gentleman in Canton. and still resides there.
Mr. Seymour was born
November 15, 1822, and came to La Crosse in
1854. He was for
many years connected with the Republican and was
a strong and
enterprising journalist. He also served as
postmaster of La Crosse.
Another consular appointment was that of Dr.
Wendall A. Anderson,
mayor of La Crosse in 1899-90, and associated
with many of
the leading interests of the city. He was born
in Gray, Maine, and
entered the regular army as a medical cadet in
1861. He was graduated
from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in
New York in
1863 and was appointed assistant surgeon of the
Third Maryland
volunteer infantry. He was commissioned surgeon
with the rank of
major in March, 1864. He came to La Crosse in
1866 and has taken
an active part in political affairs, serving as
the state chairman of the
Democratic central committee and in other
important positions. He
was appointed consul to Montreal, a position of
exceptional dignity
and importance, in 1885, returning in 1889. He
was again appointed
in 1893, retiring in September, 1897. Dr.
Anderson was educated at
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.
Mr. William R. Finch, whose long connection
with the Republican
and Leader, brought him prominently before the
public, was appointed
minister to Uruguay and Paraguay, recently
returning from that point.
Attention is merely called here to his
connection with the diplomatic
service as a full biography appears in another
part of the volume.
CHAPTER VII.
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
THE FIRST POSTOFFICE, 1844 - EARLY POSTMASTERS -
INCREASE OF MAIL
IN 1851 - DISCONTENT WITH MAIL SERVICE -
INTRODUCTION OF
BOXES - LOCATION OF OFFICE FROM 1860 TO
1870 - NEW POSTOFFICE
BUILDING - CONTRACTS OF POSTAL SERVICE -
PRESENT OFFICIALS -
STATISTICS OF 1905-1906 - LA CROSSE
POSTMASTERS - STAGE ROUTES
AND POSTOFFICES IN THE COUNTY - EARLY
COUNTRY OFFICES -
POSTOFFICES IN 1878 - PRESENT OFFICES AND
FREE DELIVERY
ROUTES.
There is perhaps no better criterion of
the prosperity of a community
than its postal service, especially when a
comparative view
of the situation is taken. The postal service
was begun in La Crosse
county in 1844 with the establishment of a
postoffice and the instalment
of Nathan Myrick as postmaster. He was followed
by E. A.
C. Hatch and H. J. B. Miller. The total amount
of postage received
between the appointment of Miller in 1850 and
his retirement Aug.
14, 1851, was $7.50. At the rate of postage at
that time that represented
about 250 letters or seven a week. Mr. Miller
was succeeded
by Simeon Kellogg, whose first mail consisted of
fifteen letters, but
the La Crosse Democrat of April 26, 1853,
records with pride that
"he recently put up more than 700 letters in a
single mail.". In 1854
there were about 4,000 letters received and
5,000 sent each quarter,
beside 300 periodicals and other mail.
During Mr. Kellogg's occupancy of the office
there was much discontent
with the mail service, and we of to-day will not
wonder at it.
The Galena & Minnesota Packet Company had made
an offer to
carry the mail between Galena and St. Paul for
$50 a round trip,
and the offer had been declined by the
government as too extravagant,
although considering the number of stops and the
difficulties of landing
at some points it was a very reasonable offer.
The river steamers
were at that time carrying the mail
semi-occasionally and without
compensation, for the accommodation of the
public, and usually
brought about one mail a week. Upon occasion two
weeks passed
without any word of what was going on in the
great world outside,
and then even the Badger pioneers grumbled. On
May 17, 1853,
the postmaster took his mail-bag, boarded a
steamer and started south
to see what had become of the delayed mail; he
returned after an absence
of one day with the comforting report that the
postoffice department
had arranged for regular mails three times a
week. This
62
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 63
new arrangement was to go into effect the
following week, but it
did not seem to do so, for in the following year
there was again bitter
complaint that a letter mailed in La Crosse and
destined for St. Paul
would be taken down the river, lay over two or
three days, and a week
or ten days after it was mailed would pass the
mailing point on its
way to its destination.
Mr. Kellogg, who received the commendation of
his little constituency
for faithful service, was succeeded by Harvey E.
Hubbard, who
took the office in 1854. Morrison McMillan, of
Sparta, in speaking
of the increase of mail, wrote in 1859, that
"the last mail, July 7,
numbered 887 letters." Some time during this
year there was established
three regular mails per week by the boats. Not
long after
when the railroad reached Portage, the eastern
mail was received
regularly from that point.
H. E. Hubbard remained as postmaster until
1861, and during his
occupancy of the office, boxes were introduced,
between thirty and
forty serving for the needs of the whole
community. Up to this time
there had been no special building dedicated to
the postal service, but
the mail had been distributed from whatever
point suited the convenience
and other business of the postmaster. Upon the
appointment
of W. C. Rogers, a one-story frame building was
built by subscription
for the use of the postal service and it was
occupied by
Rogers and his successor, Leonard Lottridge,
until 1870. Upon the
appointment of W. W. Webb to the office, it was
moved December
31, 1870, to a new three-story brick building,
where it remained for
ten years. The year after this change was made,
in April, 1871,
Charles Seymour was appointed postmaster and he
held the position
until October, 1882. In 1880 the office was
again moved and occupied
rooms in the Giles block, at the corner of
Fourth and Main
streets, until the erection of the present
commodious quarters. This
is a handsome building of red brick, opposite
the courthouse square,
three stories in height, with a tower on the
southwest corner, and
houses the postoffice department, the custom
house officers and the
United States weather bureau department.
There is perhaps no department of the
community life that presents
a stronger contrast between the present and the
pioneer life
than the postal service. A little over fifty
years ago the postmaster
carried the mail in his hat, and found the chief
emolument of his
office in the fact that he was exempt from
paying postage. At that
time the postage was from six and one-fourth to
twenty-five cents,
according to the distance. The postage had to be
marked on each
letter on the scale of distance, the number of
letters entered on a waybill,
a record made of the amount of postage prepaid
and due, and a
record kept of the way-bills of packages, which
was a slow and complicated
system compared with the method and dispatch
with which
mail is handled and forwarded in such vast
quantities to-day.
W. B. Tscharner is the present postmaster of
the city of La Crosse,
having been appointed in 1902. C. C. Looney is
the assistant postmaster;
C. R. Benton, the money-order clerk; John H.
Miller, the
64
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
superintendent of carriers and C. E. Willey,
the superintendent of
mails. There is, in addition, a force of three
clerks, twenty-four city
carriers and three rural carriers employed.
The following is the report of the postoffice
department for the
years of 1905 and 1906:
|
RECEIPTS.
|
| |
1905. |
1906. |
|
| Stamps, postal cards and wrappers |
$96,695.72 |
$102,884.82 |
|
| Box rents and newspaper postage |
2,860.64 |
2,716.74 |
|
| Total |
$99,556.36 |
$105,601,56 |
|
| Increase |
|
|
$6,045.20 |
|
EXPENSES.
|
| Salaries, office |
$18,080.00 |
$19,008.50 |
|
| Expense, free delivery |
18,588.61 |
18,948.05 |
|
| Expense, special delivery |
303.38 |
325.15 |
|
| Total |
$36,971.99 |
$38,281.70 |
|
| Net revenue |
62,584.37 |
67,319.86 |
|
| Increase net revenue |
|
|
$4,735.49 |
| MONEY ORDER DEPARTMENT. |
| Money orders paid |
$444,437.70 |
$454,235.10 |
|
| Money orders issued |
144,408.20 |
141,910.35 |
|
Balance in favor of La Crosse
trade |
300,029.50 |
$312,324.75 |
|
| REGISTRY DEPARTMENT. |
| Registered letters dispatched |
9,107 |
8,897 |
|
| Registered letters received for city
delivery |
18,706 |
19,004 |
|
| Registered letters handled in
transit |
17,421 |
19,946 |
|
In a brief history of his life prepared in
January, 1892, Nathan
Myrick, the first postmaster of La Crosse, says:
"In 1843 (sic) I was appointed postmaster
under President Tyler's
administration, and it was at my suggestion that
the 'Prairie' was
left off and the office called 'La Crosse.' I
resigned the office in 1845
in favor of and recommended the late Major E. A.
C. Hatch, who
was clerking for me, and he was appointed. When
he left La Crosse
in 1848, he resigned in favor of H. J. B.
Miller."
The complete list of postmasters of the La
Crosse office with the
dates of their appointments is as follows:
Nathan Myrick, 1844; E. A. C. Hatch, 1845; H.
J. B. Miller, 1848;
Simeon Kellogg, 1852; H. E. Hubbard, 1853;
Leonard Lottridge,
1862; W. W. Webb, 1870; Charles Seymour, 1871;
Benjamin F. Bryant,
1882; Chas. H. Burroughs, 1885; R. A. Scott,
1889; N. C.
Bacheller, 1893; J. A. Pettingill, 1897; Wm. B.
Tscharner, 1902.
Of the postal service outside of the city of
La Crosse the following
is a brief summary:
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 65
A stage route was established between
Portage and La Crosse in
1853, the line being run by Hiram Orton, of
Portage. He made one
trip each way each week, arriving in La Crosse
on Wednesday and
starting on his return trip on Thursday morning.
On August 23, 1856, the announcement was made
through the
papers that Messrs. Parish and Heart had
contracted to carry the
mail between La Crosse and Baraboo, via Sparta,
once a week each
way. They drove a good covered stage for the
accommodation of
passengers, and had connecting lines between
Baraboo and Madison
and between Baraboo and Portage which made
bi-weekly trips.
Other lines were established from Prairie du
Chien to run during
the closed navigation season, and to other
points north, but there was
still much complaint in regard to the
irregularity of the mails. At
one time the eastern mail was delayed two weeks
at Portage because
of inability to get teams across the Wisconsin
river. This was
in November and the river was frozen, so that
ferrying was impossible,
and the ice not yet strong enough, to bear the
weight of a team.
In December, 1853, the complaint was made that
300 pounds of mail
for La Crosse had lain at Prairie du Chien for
two weeks, and the
authorities had refused to forward it at a cost
of $10. About this
time a memorial was made to the postmaster
general to remove the
distributing office for the northwest from
Dubuque, Iowa, to Galena Ill.
May 16, 1856, the Black river stage line was
established, with
twenty-four horses and two coaches, to cover
fifty-four miles by daylight.
The stopping points were Onalaska, Lewis Valley,
Burr Oak,
Douglass Mills, and Roaring Creek. January,
1857, a daily stage
line was established between La Crosse and
Muscoda, via Reedstown
and Viroqua. A line was also established between
La Crosse and Rochester, Minn.
An announcement was made about this time by
the postmaster, H.
E. Hubbard, that the mail would be received,
from the east, three
times a week via Muscoda, and three times a week
from Madison, via Portage.
A postoffice called Mindora was established
at the house of Lloyd
Lewis, in the town of Farmington in 1849 and a
weekly mail service
from La Crosse was inaugurated. The postoffice,
name and all was
afterward transferred to the village of Newton.
A postoffice was established at Bangor in
1854 with Richard Wheldon
as the first postmaster. It was made a
money-order office in 1872.
The postoffice at West Salem was established
in 1860 with Edward
Walker, postmaster. Previous to that time the
mail was distributed
to that vicinity from Neshonic. The coming of
the railroad transferred
the business from one village to the other and
the postal service
went with it. West Salem was made a money-order
office in 1871.
In 1878 there were eighteen postoffices in
the county: Bangor,
Barre Mills, Bohemia, Burns, Burr Oak, Half-way,
Holmen, Midway,
Mindora, New Amsterdam, Newberg's Corners,
Onalaska, Rockland,
Saint Joseph, Shelby, Sigel, Stevenstown and
West Salem. After
the establishment of the rural free delivery
system in Wisconsin these
66
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
were reduced to ten. These routes go out from
the following points:
Bangor, three; Holmen; two; La Crosse, three;
Midway, one; Mindora,
two; Onalaska, one; Saint Joseph, one; West
Salem, three. The
county has now one first-class postoffice, La
Crosse; one third-class,
West Salem, and eight fourth-class offices.
CHAPTER VIII.
WATERWAYS, HIGHWAYS AND
RAILROADS.
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER - ADVANTAGES OF LA CROSSE
FOR RIVER
NAVIGATION - THE FIRST STEAMBOAT - EARLY
LINES - WHARF BUILDING -
INCREASE OF RIVER COMMERCE AND TRAVEL -
RECENT EFFORTS TO
INCREASE RIVER TRAFFIC - CAPT. P. S.
DAVIDSON - WAGON ROADS -
THE FIRST RAILROAD - THE SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
RAILROAD - THE
DUBUQUE DIVISION OF THE C., M. & ST. P. R
R. - THE GREEN BAY &
WESTERN R. R. - THE CHICAGO, BURLINGTON &
QUINCY R. R. - WM.
R. SILL - H. I. BLISS - FREIGHT HANDLED BY
THE RAILROADS - THE
RAILROAD BRIDGE ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI -
THE STREET RAILWAYS
- THE INTERURBAN RAILWAY - WAGON BRIDGES.
The first means of conveyance of
importance to the county and city
of La Crosse was the natural waterway, the
Mississippi river. This
made communication with the outside world
comparatively easy and
greatly facilitated immigration to this point in
the early days. In
connection with the Black river in furnishing an
outlet for the products
of the vast pine forests of northern Wisconsin,
it was, without doubt,
the main factor in the upbuilding of the city of
La Crosse, which in
its early days was emphatically a "lumber town."
While it might seem to a careless glance that
the Mississippi gave
equal advantages to any point on its shores for
easy shipment, this
was far from being the case. On most of the
shore line of the upper
Mississippi the lofty bluffs come so close to
the water's edge that
there is scarcely room for a landing, much less
for a city site. The
periods of high and low water and the shifting
currents increase the
difficulties. In this respect the Prairie La
Crosse, giving ample room
for the building of a large city, presented
exceptional advantages to
this particular town. Moreover the Indian trails
from all northern
Wisconsin centered in this locality. These
always followed the lines
of the least material resistance, and indicated
the normal lines of travel
for the civilization which should follow the
original highways.
The first steamboat which ascended the
Mississippi to the present
site of St. Paul was the Virginia, in 1823. It
was 118 feet long and
drew six feet of water. After this trial trip of
the Virginia, one or two
boats annually ascended the river to carry
supplies to the trading-
posts. In 1844 the number of arrivals had
increased to forty-four.
In a little over a dozen years the arrivals
numbered a thousand, so
rapid was the expansion of the river traffic.
St. Paul became the
nominal head of navigation, and the settlements
which sprang up
along the river gave a marked impetus to
business.
67
68
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
In 1847 the first line of boats was
brought out by the Galena Packet
Company, but rival companies soon put in
competing boats. The
Dr. Franklin, Ben Campbell, Senator, Lady
Franklin and Nominee
were boats familiar to the early comers. The
Tishomingo was another
noted boat of the time and was regarded as one
of the fastest.
The difference between the stage of high water
in the fifties and
twenty years later was marked. In 1856 the boats
could go up the
slough nearly to the mouth of the Morman coulee.
From 1849 to 1851 the Minnesota Packet
Company run a line of
boats up the river twice a week. In 1852 the
nearest approach of a
railroad was at Rockford, Ill., from which point
they were transferred
to Galena by stage. During the fifties several
lines of railroad were
completed to the Mississippi, terminating at
Prairie du Chien, La
Crosse and Dunleith, which greatly increased
both the travel and the
traffic on the river. In 1854 the Minnesota
Packet Company added
three fine boats to their line. The same year
the Dr. Franklin and
the Nominee were sunk. In 1856 the Northern
Belle and the Granite
appeared, and soon after the Ocean Wave, and in
1856 the Lady
Franklin was lost not far below La Crosse. In
1857 the Minnesota
Packet Company put on five new boats, the
Northern Light, the Gray
Eagle, the Key City, the Itaska and the
Milwaukee.
One of the first necessities of river
commerce was the building of
suitable wharfs. Until 1856 La Crosse had no
wharf at all adequate
to the demands, and the one built that year for
John M. Levy deserves
notice not only as an early enterprise, but on
account of its
unique method of construction. The builder,
Valentine Dedinger, was
a German whose early home was on the banks of
the Rhine, and the
idea was borrowed from somewhat similar
constructions in his native
land. It was called the Willow Dock, was 136
feet front, 160 feet
deep and twelve feet high. Bunches of willow
twigs were ingeniously
woven together in such a manner as to keep the
sand in and the water
out, each bunch containing 100 small trees or
sprouts. 50,000 of these
bundles were required for the construction. The
willows were expected
to sprout and grow, rooting firmly together and
making a
living superstructure which in the sanguine
language of the time
"would last for ages," and at least furnished
the first permanent and
commodious dock, the best above St. Louis.
The river traffic and travel was a constantly
increasing factor in
the growth and importance of the village, as a
brief comparison will
show. The steamboat arrivals at La Crosse from
the opening of the
season until the first of May, 1853, were
twenty-two; for the corresponding
time the following year, forty-four. In 1856,
from May 3
to May 9, the arrivals were fifty-one. In the
latter year six new boats
were put on the river, the first one belonging
to La Crosse being
bought by J. M. Levy. In four years the business
on the Mississippi
river increased from $17,000 to $400,000.
In 1858 the Northern Line, of St. Louis, was
established with a
fine array of boats, and the following years
Captain Davidson established
a line from La Crosse to St. Paul, beginning
with the Frank
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 69
Steele and the Favorite. From that small
beginning grew up the magnificent
line of boats running from points down the river
to St. Paul.
The golden days of the river traffic and
navigation was from the
close of the war until 1872. After the latter
year the river railroads
took most of the passengers and a large amount
of through freight.
In 1870, five new boats were brought out by the
Northwestern Union
Packet Company and the Northern Line, afterward
consolidated under
the name of the Keokuk Northern Line. The
Northwestern, the Phil
Sheridan and the Belle of La Crosse were put in
by the former company,
and the Lake Superior and the Red Wing by the
latter which
boats were still running in 1880. The War Eagle,
a large packet,
was burned at La Crosse in 1870, and two boats
of the Keokuk line
were burned on the river below La Crosse, March
4, 1879. In 1870
a great deal of business was done by the Diamond
Joe line.
Beside those mentioned the Northwestern line
had the Tom Jasper,
the Alex. Mitchell, the City of St. Paul; the
Northern line, the Minneapolis,
the Rock Island, the Davenport, the Minnesota,
the Muscatine,
and the Diamond Joe line had the Ida Fulton, the
Arkansas, the
Tidal Wave, and the Diamond Joe. All these,
besides a host of raft
or flat boats, were running the river. In 1871
the City of Quincy
and the S. S. Merrill were put on the river as
new packets. The
latter boat, the largest on the upper river, was
burned at Warsaw,
Ill., the following year. In 1872 the Clinton
was put on the river, but
from that time on the river traffic began to
decline. Nevertheless,
for many subsequent years, the opening of the
river and the arrival
and departure of boats were important events in
the life of the city.
Ellis B. Usher, secretary of the La Crosse
Board of Trade in 1879,
reported on May 13, of that year, the following
in regard to the river
traffic:
Thirty-nine vessels were owned at the port of
La Crosse, exclusive
of barges and other unrigged craft; a greater
number than was owned
at any other port except St. Louis. Their names
were the Arkansas,
Abner Gile, Addie Johnson, B. F. Weaver, Clyde,
Charlie Cheaver,
Dexter, Express, Firefly, Frank, Iowa, Jim
Watson, Julia, Julia Hadley,
J. W. Van Sant, J. C. Thompson, Jenny Brown,
Johnny Schmoker,
Kate Waters, Little Eagle, Lumberman, L. W.
Barden, Mountain
Belle, Millie Mohler, Nellie Shores, Natrona,
Penguin, Silas Wright,
Savannah, Tiber, Tidal Wave, Thos. McRoberts,
Victory, Van Gorder,
Vigor, William White and Warsaw.
The latest report of the La Crosse custom
house gives the number
of vessels hailing from La Crosse, December 31,
1904, as thirty-five
with a tonnage of 2,128. Eight vessels having a
tonnage of 790 were
added during the year, and five with a tonnage
of 365 left the district,
so that the number hailing from the city at the
beginning of 1906
was thirty-eight with a tonnage of 2,555. The
last report of the
Board of Trade (February, 1907), indicates a
disposition to bring
the advantages of the river traffic once more to
the front. In his
report for the year ending February, 1907,
Secretary Ried says:
"Five roads enter our city and make us a
natural distributing point
70
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
for a tremendous traffic that ought to be
carried on the river; and
the territory that is naturally tributary to our
city will create and require
an amount of river borne traffic that almost
staggers belief when
compared with the traffic of today. * * * The
entire amount of
soft coal consumed in a territory consisting of
many thousands of
square miles ought to be delivered at this point
to the railroads for
distribution, to say nothing of the amount
consumed locally, at prices
so much less than those prevailing at present,
as to make an enormous
reduction in our expenses for fuel. With the
cheap fuel that seems
to be obtainable and the cheap transportation
that seems to be in store
by means of the river, this city ought to be one
of the leading manufacturing
centers of the entire west. * * * With this end
in view,
I have drafted a bill to be presented to our
legislature for the formation
of a state waterways commission, whose duty it
shall be to investigate
the condition of the inland waters of the state
as well as the
Mississippi river, and make a special
investigation of the best means
and methods to be employed in utilizing these
streams for the purpose
of navigation. * * * Coal up the river and grain
down the
river are the two classes of freight that may be
expected to furnish
the bulk of river traffic. If coal can be
carried up the river at a
rate that seems possible, the barges which will
be used for that purpose
offer a means of conveying grain down the river
at a freight rate
that will probably attract a large part of the
grain raised in the territory
tributary to this point, and may largely
increase the prestige of
this city as a grain-buying center, and at the
same time, give employment
to a large amount of capital and labor. * * * St
Louis advertises
that a good quality of coal is delivered to her
manufacturers
for $1.55 per ton, and a proper utilization of
river facilities ought to
put it in here at a price which would not
greatly exceed one-half of
the prevailing prices for the same quality of
coal."
Capt. P. S. Davidson, although not among the
first settlers of
La Crosse, coming in 1862, was for many years
intimately connected
with the business interests of the city as
president of the Davidson
Packet line, a line of magnificent steamers
which in the sixties and
seventies did so much to enhance the prosperity
of the city. He was
associated in the line with his brother
"Commodore" Davidson of
St. Paul, but Capt. P. S. Davidson made his home
in La Crosse. He
was born in Lawrence county, Ohio, in 1827, and
began his connection
with the steamboat business on the Ohio river.
He was president
of the St. Louis and St. Paul passenger and
freight line, and
was also interested in the lumber business,
during the time of its preeminence
in La Crosse. He died in Hood City, Ore., June,
1900, and
was brought back to La Crosse for burial.
From a very early day in the history of the
county La Crosse
was the center of a vast system of wagon roads
reaching out to the
Black river valley, to the Fox - Wisconsin
portage, to Baraboo and
Prairie du Chien, and to the Root river valley
in Minnesota. These
passed far beyond the present limits of the
county. Some of these
were post roads and of course received the
earliest attention, but as
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 71
fast as the county settled local authorities
improved the highways as
fast as possible. The early roads followed the
river valleys in order
to find passage through the bluff ranges, and in
many instances were
but a widening of the Indian trails.
On May 31, 1856, was completed the
organization of the La Crosse
and Onalaska Plank Road and Bridge Company, for
the construction
of a plank road between the two villages, which
was completed the
following year, and not only brought increased
prosperity to the
termini of the road, but built up the village of
North La Crosse, since
included within the limits of the city of La
Crosse. A bridge was
built across the La Crosse river near its mouth.
The first officers
of this company were Francis Rublee, president;
George Gale, vice
president; Dugald Cameron, secretary; Albert
Clinton, treasurer;
Chase Stevens, attorney.
That there was still room for improvement in
the highways leading
out of the city we have the letter of a traveler
to Prairie du
Chien in the early part of the winter of
1857-58, to show: He states
that the road between those points was "in a
sublime condition for
grand and lofty tumbling," and adds "We folks at
La Crosse do get
some tall cursing for not attending to the roads
in season." About
the same time the statement was made that "The
stage between La
Crosse and Sparta made the distance in twelve
hours, notwithstanding
the roads."
In the intervening years much has been done
in the way of road-
building in the county, but the low lands in
some parts of the county
and the sandy soil in others, still leaves much
to be accomplished.
In spite of the fact that La Crosse had water
communication which
gave it an advantage over the inland towns there
was no subject
which received so much attention in the early
days as the building of
the railroad. Every issue of the papers
commented on the situation,
gave the latest developments, urged the
co-operation of the citizens,
scoffed at the pretentions of rival towns and
kept the burning question
constantly before the people.
The La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad was
chartered in 1852 to construct
a road from La Crosse to Milwaukee. The same
year the company
was organized and the first meeting of the
commissioners was
held in La Crosse. Among the projectors were
Byron Kilbourn and
Moses M. Strobg. Although there was constant
agitation on the
subject nothing was done. In 1856 the company
consolidated with
the Milwaukee, Fond du Lac & Green Bay Company
and renewed
hopes were held out owing to the combined
strength of the two companies.
In 1856 another combination was effected with
the Milwaukee &
Watertown Company and the road pushed through to
Portage. A grant
of land made by Congress in 1856 for the purpose
of aiding a road
to be built through Portage northwest to the St.
Croix river and
thence to the western end of Lake Superior and
to Bayfield. By pecuniary
arguments the legislature was induced to
transfer this grant
to the La Crosse & Milwaukee Company, and in
1858 the road was
finished through to La Crosse, although to
neither this company nor
its successors was the land grant confirmed.
72
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
While the construction of the tunnel
through the "Ridge" in Monroe
county was going on in the summer of 1858, work
was begun on
the La Crosse end of the line, and upon the
completion of the tunnel,
October 1, the first train went through. This
event, so long anticipated
by La Crosse, was celebrated Thursday, October
15, with appropriate
ceremonies. The common council appropriated $500
for
the expenses and the guests were feasted at the
Augusta House and
the United States Hotel. The mayor, council and
Company A of the
Milwaukee Light Horse Guards, one company from
Chicago, many
leading citizens of Milwaukee, and the editors
of the New York
Herald, New York Tribune, New York Times and the
New York
Express were among the guests.
The Milwaukee & La Crosse Railroad afterward
passed into the
control of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
Railroad Company and
at the present time forms a part of that system.
La Crosse remained
the western terminus for some time. In 1865,
through the influence
of citizens of Winona, a branch road was built
by the Chicago and
Northwestern Company, between Winona and La
Crosse, which was
called the "Winona cut-off," and that road was
used by the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Company, until they
completed their own road
on-the west side of the Mississippi to St. Paul,
in 1872.
In 1855 a project was started by citizens of
La Crosse, headed by
Col. T. B. Stoddard, the first mayor of the
city, to build a road through
southern Minnesota, making La Crosse the eastern
terminus, and thus
opening that vast and fertile region to
settlement. The experience
of the projectors was similar to that of most of
the railroad enterprises
of the time, and the company went into
bankruptcy before anything
was accomplished. Later through the assistance
of the Minnesota
legislature the project was revived and the
construction of the
road was begun in 1865, La Crosse contributing
$50,000 toward the
enterprise. The road was completed to Wells,
Minnesota, a distance
of 147 miles in the autumn of 1870, when another
celebration and
excursion marked the event as one of the Red
Letter days of the city.
This road also eventually came into the
possession of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, and is
known as the Southern
Minnesota Branch, with its present terminus at
Wessington
Springs, S. D., at a point about fifty miles
east of the Missouri river.
The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul also came
into possession of
a line constructed between Dubuque, Iowa and La
Crescent, Minn.,
in 1881, and connected it with La Crosse by a
switch across the
Mississippi, thus giving connections with all
points south and west.
The first legislation which connected La
Crosse with the corporation
now known as the Chicago & Northwestern Railway
Company
was authority given in 1850 to the Madison &
Beloit Railroad Company,
- organized some two years previously, - to
extend their road
to La Crosse. In the time intervening between
that date and 1855,
the organization had passed through several
transformations of name
and several consolidations of companies. In 1855
these were supplanted
by the Chicago & Northwestern Company, which
proceeded
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 73
to build a connecting line between Madison
and Winona Junction, and
acquired among other branch lines a controlling
interest in the La
Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott road, a line
twenty-nine miles long
connecting Winona Junction, a station about
three miles north of
La Crosse, - with Winona. By arrangements with
the Green Bay &
Minnesota Railroad, - now the Green Bay &
Western, - both roads
used the "Winona cut-off" and a short line built
by the latter road
between Onalaska and La Crosse, thus giving both
roads entrance
into the city. This line of the Chicago &
Northwestern, connecting
at Elroy with the main line to St. Paul, extends
at the present time
to Pierre, S. D., a point on the Missouri river
521 miles west of La
Crosse.
La Crosse has also direct communication with
Chicago and northern
Illinois over the Burlington road, and all
points on the Mississippi
between Savannah and St. Paul and Minneapolis,
and direct connections
with the great Northwest, as well, over the
network of lines
in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and the farther
west.
In connection with the building of the
railroads leading into La
Crosse mention should be made of Mr. William R.
Sill, who in 1857
was appointed engineer of the western division
of the Milwaukee
and St. Paul roads, and made the survey between
Tomah and the
river. He was a practical business man who
enlisted the confidence
of the public, and it was largely through his
energy and influence
that the road was completed to La Crosse at the
appointed time. He
was long a resident of La Crosse, and Sill
street in North La Crosse
was named in his honor, and will serve to keep
his memory fresh in
the minds of succeeding generations He was also
largely interested
in the enterprises connected with the Southern
Minnesota road, now
a branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
road.
Another man whose name is connected with the
engineering works
of La Crosse was Henry I. Bliss, for many years
the city engineer.
His name appears upon many of the early maps and
surveys of both
the city and the county, which exhibit the work
of a careful and
conscientious expert engineer.
The amount of freight handled on all the
railroads at La Crosse
from January 1, 1905, to January 1, 1906, is as
follows:
| |
|
Received. |
Forwarded. |
| Wheat |
bushels |
2,373,730 |
27,780 |
| Flour and mill products |
tons |
4,130 |
66,487 |
| Other grains |
" |
33,166 |
30,526 |
| Flaxseed |
" |
512 |
354 |
| Fruit and vegetables |
" |
5,384 |
1,752 |
| Other agricultural products |
" |
4,452 |
2,512 |
| Live stock |
" |
1,230 |
1,052 |
| Game, poultry and dairy products |
" |
452 |
653 |
| Packing house products |
" |
2,003 |
1,182 |
| Wool, hides and leather |
" |
2,395 |
2,119 |
74
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
| |
tons |
Received |
Forwarded |
| Coal |
" |
239,646 |
196 |
| Salt |
" |
1,122 |
29 |
| Stone |
" |
638 |
978 |
| Brick |
" |
2,477 |
30 |
| Lime |
" |
1,857 |
141 |
| Sash, doors and other building
material |
" |
15,480 |
2,490 |
| Lumber |
" |
21,444 |
12,067 |
| Other forest products |
" |
14,503 |
346 |
| Agricultural implements |
" |
2,528 |
8,848 |
| Iron, steel and their products |
" |
14,790 |
1,385 |
| Castings and machinery |
" |
1,341 |
938 |
| Beer, wines and liquors |
" |
2,088 |
54,945 |
| Other manufactured articles |
" |
26,756 |
3,877 |
| Miscellaneous merchandise |
" |
51,847 |
28,138 |
| Special (circus outfit) |
" |
1,268 |
1,268 |
| Aggregate ticket sales |
|
|
$316,343.85 |
| Aggregate baggage handled |
|
|
132,743 |
The building of the railroad bridge across
the Mississippi at La
Crosse was the occasion of one of the three
attempts in the history of
the territory and state of nullification of
Federal authority. In 1873
the legislature passed a bill authorizing the
construction of a bridge
over the Mississippi. Congress had authorized
the construction of a
bridge at a certain point. That point having
been found unsuitable
by the engineers, the legislature authorized the
construction of the
bridge a mile or more north of the city, in what
is now the north side,
or North La Crosse. Governor Washburn vetoed the
measure with
this explanation, "I cannot approve of this bill
without sanctioning
the nullification of a law of Congress, plainly
authorized by the constitution.
It is an assertion of state's rights never
before claimed,
within my knowledge, where Congress had already
acted in the premises,
in any section of the country, - not even in
that section of country
where those rights have been most watchfully
guarded."
Subsequently, however, the bridge was
constructed at the point that
was designated by the Milwaukee and St. Paul
railroad. It crosses
the mouth of the Black river to French island,
and then across the
main channel of the Mississippi to the Minnesota
shore. The legal
fight over the construction of this bridge is
one of the most interesting
in the annals of bridge-building, especially in
respect to the conflict
between the state and Federal authority which
was involved. After
much litigation and a delay of over a year, the
Wisconsin legislature
March 6, 1874, authorized the Milwaukee & St.
Paul Company to
select their own location for bridging and
proceed with the work.
Work was begun June 10, 1876, and the bridge was
completed November
26, of the same year, together with a half-mile
of trestle-work
approaches. The total length of the bridge from
the eastern bank of
Black river to the Minnesota shore is one and
four-fifth miles, and
the bridge proper over the channels of the
Mississippi river is 1,688
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 75
feet, with 660 feet of trestle-work across
Campbell's island. The
bridge is of iron and has five spans of 150 feet
each over the east
channel of the river; two spans of 164 feet
each, one of 250 feet and
a draw of 360 feet across the west channel. The
construction of the
bridge cost over half a million dollars.
Several abortive attempts were made and
several charters obtained
before a street railway was finally established
in La Crosse. The
articles of incorporation under which it was
finally constructed were
taken out January 19, 1878, by David Law, G. C.
Hixon and P. S.
Davidson, and represented a capital of $12,000.
Before they began
work another charter was obtained from the state
by Messrs. Baker,
Sommerfield and MacArthur, and after some
discussion the right to
build was finally granted to the first named
company by the common
council, with, however, certain reservations of
city rights in case the
company failed to supply transportation
facilities equal to those offered
by another company. The construction of the road
was not begun
until May, 1879, and the first cars arrived June
22, and moved July
4, following. These were horse cars, and there
were but three in
use during the summer. In the fall two more were
purchased and
another in 1881.
The La Crosse Street Car Company and the City
Street Car Company,
as the two companies were known, consolidated in
1882, under
the name La Crosse City Railway Company, and
obtained a franchise
which terminates June 1, 1930. The company is at
present incorporated
with a capital of $250,000, and the following
officers: B. E. Edwards,
president; W. W. Cargill, vice president; R. C.
Whelpley,
treasurer; H. E. West, secretary; S. B.
Livermore, superintendent.
It has fourteen miles of city track, and runs
twelve cars daily on
schedule time with four extra cars from six to
eight in the morning
and from five to seven in the afternoon. The
whole number of employees
is sixty-seven. The most recent improvement was
the building,
in 1906, of ten blocks of track on the north
side, completing a loop
from the corner of Sill and George streets, two
blocks east, six blocks
north on Loomis street to Livingston, two blocks
west on Livingston
to George street, two blocks south on George
street to the present
terminus; also an extension of line on the south
side now terminating
near Gund's brewery, and along the Morman coulee
road to Fourteenth
(Dayton) street. The company has already
purchased four
large double truck cars, of the latest build,
exceeding forty passengers
in capacity, which will be placed in service
about July 1, 1907, on the
north side, and the present north side cars will
then be placed in
service on the main south side line.
The La Crosse and Onalaska Street Railway
Company, owning
two and three-fourths miles of road between the
two cities, is a separate
corporation, but the line is operated by the La
Crosse City Railway
Company. It runs from the corner of George and
Gohres streets
to the west end of Main street, Onalaska. S. Y.
Hyde is president
and Fred Goddard, secretary of the La Crosse &
Onalaska Street Railway Company.
76
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
The bridges which are under the control of
the city of La Crosse
are the Mississippi river wagon bridge, the
Green island bridge,
the Black river bridge, the Swift creek bridge
and the Rose
creek viaduct. The Mississippi wagon bridge
crosses from the foot
of Vernon street to Barron's island, and thence
across the southern
end of Bate island to Minnesota. This is a
toll-bridge, but since
the establishment of Pettibone's Park on
Barron's island the city
issues free bridge tickets during the season
from May 15 to October
15, in order that the citizens may freely enjoy
the pleasures and recreations
of the park. Last season 42,035 free bridge
tickets were issued,
a gain of over a thousand over the previous
season. The Black river
bridge crosses from North La Crosse to French
island, and was repaired
last season at considerable expense, the greater
part of which
was borne by the county, the city contributing
$500.
The total cost of bridge construction and
repairs for the past year,
to the city, was $11,692, part of this being for
the purchase of a pile
driver used in repairs and for the construction
of piers.
CHAPTER IX.
LA CROSSE COUNTY IN THE
CIVIL WAR.
DIFFICULTIES OF COMPILING A CORRECT RECORD -
PUBLIC SENTIMENT AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR -T HE LA CROSSE
LIGHT GUARD (COMPANY
B, SECOND INFANTRY) - 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 SHARP-SHOOTERS
- 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.
To give precisely the part which any given
locality took in the Civil
War is a difficult, if not an impossible task,
at this date. The most
trustworthy compilations are made from the
official roster, but these
are not absolutely correct. Beside the
acknowledged errors in the
roster, in a number of the earlier regiments
recruited the place of residence
is omitted altogether; in other cases one
residence is given at
the first enlistment, and another at a later
enlistment, sometimes in
different counties, so that it is impossible to
know which is correct.
Soldiers were also often recruited at the
nearest center of population
and accredited to the place of enlistment,
rather than to the place of
residence. Besides these circumstances, and to
add to the difficulties
of correctly locating individuals, farmers,
especially, were frequently
registered as from their town, rather than from
their postoffice address,
and this fact causes the greatest confusion of
all. For instance,
the town of Farmington, La Crosse county,
furnished a large number
of recruits, many of them giving the town as
their residence; but there
were also towns of Farmington in Jefferson,
Waupaca and Polk
counties; a Farmington postoffice, and
postoffices at East, West and
South Farmington and at Farmington Center; there
was a Salem
village in La Crosse county and another village
by the same name in
Racine county; there were Sigel postoffices in
both La Crosse and
Chippewa counties; there were a number of towns
of Washington
77
78
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
beside Washington county and Washington
Harbor in Door county.
While in many cases the locality could be
correctly determined by
the proximity of other known localities, the
troops from La Crosse
county were in eighteen or twenty of the
Wisconsin regiments, and
the difficulties of the case must be apparent.
Only a rigid examination
of the official roster supplemented by careful
comparison of
local records, and personal knowledge could give
even an approximately
correct list of all the actual residents of the
county who participated
in the great struggle. Moreover, many residents
of Wisconsin
enlisted in the regiments of the neighboring
states of Minnesota,
Iowa, Illinois and Michigan; some returned to
the east and
enlisted from the states of their birth, or
childhood home, in company
with old friends or relatives, and of these, of
course, the state
records give no account. Hence this chapter will
aim to give only
a general history of the place La Crosse county
took in the Civil War,
taken principally from the records of the time,
before the magnitude of
the struggle or the glory which would attach to
the participants was
appreciated.
In the incipiency of the war although party
spirit ran high, and the
personal bitterness which entered into the
discussion of this crisis in
national affairs prevented even clear-headed and
far-sighted men from
doing full justice to their contemporaries, -
praising and blaming with
what seems to a later generation the vehemence
of a blind prejudice, -
yet upon one point there was, in the section
under consideration, a
practically unanimous feeling. There were but
few who did not
agree that the war must be prosecuted with vigor
and the government
supported with loyalty. One has but to glance
over the papers
of the time and it is easy to recreate the
spirit which animated the
men and youth of '61, and to know that the
sentiment that is treated
lightly as "spread-eagle oratory," in times of
peace is a factor to be
reckoned with when serious danger threatens the
institutions of the
nations. While during the first year of the war
there were bitter controversies
between those who advocated the war for the
preservation of
the Union and those who were hoping that it
would end as it did, in
the abolition of slavery, yet all alike rushed
with fervor into the work
of enlisting recruits, furnishing their
accoutrements and preparing
for their aid and comfort.
As an example of the spirit that animated the
time the following
incident taken from the La Crosse Democrat of
September 20, 1861,
is pertinent. In a family of five brothers in La
Crosse county, it
was decided by lot which one should stay at home
to care for the
farm while the others went to the war. The item
concludes: "This
week he enlisted, saying the farm might go to
hell - he was off for
the war."
In La Crosse county, as elsewhere, the first
response to the call for
troops was met by the military organizations
already in existence,
in this case by the La Crosse Light Guard and
the La Crosse Artillery
Company. The Light Guard, under Captain Wilson
Colwell was the
first to get into the field. It was organized in
1858, and uniformed the
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 79
following year, and had thus passed the phase
of initiatory drill, and
had acquired not only soldierly bearing, but
that regard for discipline
which was the most difficult lesson for the
volunteers to learn.
It went into service as Company B of the Second
Wisconsin infantry
and left for Camp Randall April 30, 1861, under
the following
officers: Wilson Colwell, Captain; Frank Hatch,
1st Lieut.; Robert
Hughes, 2nd Lieut. Of these officers, Captain
Colwell was killed at
the battle of South Mountain, September 14,
1862; and Lieutenant,
afterwards Captain Hughes, at the battle of
Laurel Hill, May 10, 1864.
The Second Wisconsin Infantry formed a part
of the famous "Iron
Brigade." It served through the war in the Army
of the Potomac.
It participated in the battles of Bull Run,
Gainesville, South Mountain,
Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville,
Gettysburg, The Wilderness,
Laurel Hill, Spottsylvania, Bethesda Church,
North Anna,
Cold Harbor, Siege of Petersburg, Weldon Road,
Hatcher's Run,
Gravelly Run, Five Forks, and Appomattox. It
suffered the highest
percentage of loss by killed in battle of any
regiment in the Union
army. Other regiments whose numerical losses
were higher, were
regiments which were constantly recruited, and
whose enrollment was
very much higher than the Second Wisconsin.
Gilbert M. Woodward, a leading lawyer and one
of the best known
citizens of La Crosse, and a former member of
Congress, entered the
service in April, 1861, as a private of Company
B of this regiment,
and subsequently became adjutant of the
regiment, and one of its
most distinguished members.
Capt. William H. Harries, residing in
Caledonia, Minnesota, a
former member of Congress from Minnseota,
entered the service as
a private of Company B of this regiment, and was
subsequently first
lieutenant of the company. After the expiration
of his term of service
in the Second Wisconsin, he went into Hancock's
veteran corps, and
served there until the close of the war as a
captain. The genial and
gallant captain is never forgotten by the people
of La Crosse.
A newspaper correspondent from Washington,
April 14, 1862,
commented on the Second Wisconsin as "looking
like a wicked lot of
men to whip," to which was added the explanation
that they could not
be well otherwise, as they were all
"Wiscon-sinners." A statement
made by the press of La Crosse in September of
the same year will
show the same conclusion, as it states that out
of the eleven hundred
men who left Wisconsin only a year before there
were but one
hundred and fifty left on the morning of
September 19, and after the
battle of the day (Antietam), but fifty-nine
responded to the rollcall.
Fourteen fell on the field, dead; sixty-three
were wounded, and
fourteen were missing. No further comment is
necessary. The
first man who was killed at Bull Run was a La
Crosse man, a Mr.
Gardner, of the La Crosse Guards.
At the battle of Gettysburg, the Light Guard
(Company B), entered
the conflict thirty strong. Its close left it
with one officer and
nine in the ranks. Captain Hughes and Lieutenant
Daily were taken
prisoners; Sergeants Pitkin and Ferrand were
missing; Sergeant
80
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Burns wounded. Three were killed, ten wounded
and seven missing.
James D. Wood, captain, and Gilbert M. Woodward,
lieutenant,
both in the original muster of the Light Guards,
the former as lieutenant
and the latter as corporal, served on the staff
of Brigadier General
Meredith, and were publicly commended by him for
gallant behavior
during the whole engagement.
In the Third Wisconsin Infantry there were
thirteen La Crosse
county men in Company E, nineteen in Company F,
fourteen in Company H,
fourteen in Company I, and eight in Company K,
beside
several in other companies, making a total of
over seventy in the
regiment. It left the state July 1, 1861, for
Hagerstown, Md.
Their first battle was at Bolivar, Md., where
they lost eight killed
and wounded. Most of the La Crosse men joined
the regiment in the
fall of 1864 and took part in Sherman's march to
the sea, and in the
minor engagements that ensued.
The Eighth Wisconsin, recruited principally
from the river counties,
attained a special distinction as the "Eagle
Regiment," contained one
company of La Crosse men. This was Company I,
and was enlisted
in August and September of 1861. The officers
were M. M. Baker,
captain; A. D. Hickok, first lieutenant; H. D.
Lathrop, second lieutenant,
and was mustered into service on September 4, of
the same year.
On October 12, the regiment left Camp Randall
and went to Benton
Barracks, St. Louis, where it was attached to
the western army.
In the following April the Eighth became a part
of General Halleck's
force in front of Corinth, and took part in
several skirmishes in the
vicinity of Farmington. It participated in the
battles of Iuka and
Corinth, the siege of Vicksburg, and in 1864 was
with General Sheridan
in the Meridian expedition, returning to
Vicksburg early in
March, following. The regiment joined General A.
J. Smith in the
Red River expedition and took an active part in
several small conflicts.
The last hard battle in which it took part was
the battle of
Nashville. The regiment's loss in those killed
in action and those
who died of wounds was forty-nine; the loss from
disease was two
hundred and one.
The Ninth Wisconsin infantry was almost
wholly a German regiment.
Several company officers were La Crosse men and
Company
A included forty-four men from this city. It was
employed mostly
on the frontier, and although it took part in
none of the great battles
it saw much hard service. Its principal
engagements were those of
Newtonia and Jenkins' Ferry. In the latter it
lost forty-nine killed
and fifty-two wounded. Its colonels were
Frederich Solomon, C. C.
Solomon and Arthur Jacobi. The summary of its
losses give seventy-
five who were killed on the field and died of
wounds and ninety-six
who died of disease.
Company D, of the Fourteenth Wisconsin
included one hundred
and twenty-nine men from La Crosse county and
eight of the company
officers were also from the same county. The
regiment went from
Wisconsin to Benton Barracks and in March, 1862,
joined General
Grant's army. It took part in the battle of
Shiloh on April 7, and in
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 81
the battle of Corinth, October 3 and 4,
following. In the latter its
loss was seventy-eight killed and wounded. It
was at Vicksburg,
where its loss was also heavy. At the expiration
of its term of enlistment
two-thirds of the regiment re-enlisted December
11, 1863,
making a veteran regiment. It participated in
the Red River expedition
and also was with General Thomas in his defeat
of General
Hood, December 15 and 16, 1864. The regimental
loss was killed
and wounded, 97; deaths from disease, 193.
La Crosse county furnished about forty men to
the Fifteenth
(Scandinavian) Regiment. These did not all
belong to one company,
but were scattered through Companies B, E, H and
I. This regiment
went to St. Louis and from there to New Madrid,
where it remained
until the evacuation of Island No. 10. It took
part in the battle of
Stone River, where its loss was twenty-five
killed and sixty wounded.
It also suffered a heavy loss at the battle of
Chickamauga, including
forty-eight prisoners. The regiment joined
General Sherman at
Chattanooga, and participated in the famous
march to the sea.
For Company A of the Twentieth regiment, La
Crosse county furnished
the captain, Augustus H. Pettibone, afterward
promoted to
major of the regiment, and about one-fourth of
the men. Samuel P.
Jackson, of La Crosse was also captain of the
company. The regiment
went to Benton Barracks, and then to Rollo, Mo.
Its first
battle was at Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7,
1862, where it lost
over twenty, killed and wounded. It had many
hard marches and
took part in the siege of Vicksburg and the
battle of Spanish fort.
Its regimental losses were 93 deaths on the
field and from wounds,
and 133 from disease.
Company F, of the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin was
enlisted very largely
from La Crosse county, during the summer of
1862. It was organized
under the name of the "Black River Tigers" and
was commanded
by James C. Farrand, of Onalaska, captain; and
Parker C. Dunn,
lieutenant. They were mustered into service on
the 14th of September,
and were; almost immediately assigned to duty in
Minnesota,
in the country which had suffered from the
Indian outrages and massacres,
where they remained until the following January,
when they
were transferred to Kentucky. In February, 1863,
they joined General
Grant's army at Vicksburg, where they remained
until after the
surrender of Vicksburg. The regiment then went
with General Sherman
from Chattanooga to Atlanta and the sea. While
the losses
from action on the field and from wounds were
less than some others
it suffered more from disease than any other
regiment from Wisconsin.
Its losses in battle and from wounds was 42, and
the number
of deaths from disease, 376.
La Crosse furnished to the Thirty-sixth
infantry one regimental
officer, Surgeon La Fafeyette H. Bummel,
promoted from Company
B, Second Wisconsin cavalry, and one company
officer, Daniel E.
Ferrand, from Company D, Fourteenth infantry,
and twenty men.
The regiment was engaged in the east, going
directly from Madison
to the battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse. It
saw hard service,
82
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
taking part in all the battles up to and
including Appomattox. Although
in service only a year its losses were greater
than a large
portion of the three-year regiment. One of its
colonels, John
A. Savage, was mortally wounded, and another
lost an arm and a
number of its captains and lieutenants were
killed. The regiment
lost in one year 79 killed, 47 wounded and 168
who died from disease.
Franklin J. Phelps, who had served in Company
B of the Second
Wisconsin infantry until wounded at Gainsville,
and afterward in
the veteran reserve corps until April 20, 1864,
on expiration of term
of service was made captain of Company G, of the
Fortieth infantry,
which includes thirty-three men from his home
county. This was
one of the hundred-day regiments, to whom
President Lincoln issued
a circular, commending them for their services
and expressing appreciation
of their patriotism, and ordered certificates
certifying to
the same to be personally delivered. The
regiment saw some hard
service in the vicinity of Memphis, and Captain
Phelps, in the engagement
at Hernando Road, was wounded. The camp of the
regiment
was located in an unhealthy place, and the men
suffered much from sickness.
The Forty-fourth Infantry had over thirty men
distributed through
the regiment, mostly in Companies E, G and I,
including the colonel
of the regiment, George G. Symes, from the
Twenty-fifth, and Captain
John W. Moore, of Company E. The regiment was
organized
in July, 1864, and was chiefly engaged in guard
and picket duty in
the vicinity of Nashville, Tenn., and Paducah,
Ky.
The Forty-ninth was organized early in 1865,
and had one officer,
Lieut. Francis Down, and seventeen men in
Company C, who were
from La Crosse county. The regiment was
stationed near St. Louis,
and engaged chiefly in guard duty.
The Fifty-third, had one non-commissioned
regimental officer, W.
J. Taylor, sergeant major, and Captain R. R.
Wood and First Lieutenant
Edwin R. Wood and forty-six men in Company A;
the first
lieutenant, B. F. Williams, and thirteen men in
Company B, and nine
men in Company C. This was the last regiment
which enlisted for the
Civil War in the spring of 1865. It was
consolidated with Company
G of the Fifty-first, and mustered out with that
regiment. The
close of hostilities prevented them from taking
part in the active
service in the field.
Other regiments of infantry than those
already noted which contained
La Crosse county men, numbering from two to
twelve were
the Fifth, Seventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth,
Nineteenth; Thirtieth, Thirty-
first, Thirty-fourth, Forty-first, besides
several in Company G, of Berdan's
Sharp-shooters, fourteen in the permanent guard
at Camp Randall
and seven in General Hancock's corps of veteran
volunteers.
Although La Crosse county had representatives
in the First, Second
and Third regiments of Wisconsin cavalry, yet
the majority of
them were found in Company B of the Second
regiment. This company
was organized in the early part of the winter of
1861-62, and in
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
83
December rendezvoused at Camp Washburn, near
Milwaukee. This
company was the one already referred to, which
was raised by Captain
Albert W. Bishop, and went into service with its
full complement
of 100 men, with John W. Whylock, as first
lieutenant and Thomas H.
La Flesh as second lieutenant. The colonel of
the Second Wisconsin
cavalry was also a La Crosse man, Hon. C. C.
Washburn, who the
previous year had finished his third term in
Congress. He remained
as head of the regiment until June, 1862, when
he was appointed a
brigadier-general, and in November of the same
year was promoted
to the position of major-general.
Lieutenant Whylock was promoted to the
position of captain of
Company B, and afterward to that of major of the
Second battery.
Lieutenant La Flesh was also promoted to the
captaincy of Company
B. Other La Crosse men who held official
positions in the Second
cavalry were Joseph Blake, sergeant major,
Second battery; Joseph P.
Scott, adjutant; James B. Bradford, commissary;
Daniel B. Trobridge,
saddler sergeant; Arnold W. Gallup, farrier;
Burrell S. Reppy, quartermaster
sergeant. In Company B, beside those mentioned,
were
Lieutenants Orren H. Stone and Burrell S. Reppy.
La Crosse also
furnished twenty-six recruits beside the
original company, making
in all 126 from this county.
Reuben R. Wood was captain of Company C;
George F. Hartwell,
J. H. Burnell and Charles S. Bently, captains of
Company D, which
furnished sixty-five men; Theodore Georg and
Gottfried Langstadt
lieutenants of Company H, which furnished 25
men; there were three
La Crosse men in Company K, eighteen in Company
L and three not on company rolls.
The La Crosse Artillery Company under Captain
J. T. Foster offered
the services of the company at the beginning of
hostilities, but
they were not accepted until August, when the
captain received orders
to fill up his organization to 150 men and
report for duty as early
as possible. On September 16 the organization
was completed and
the following officers were elected: J. T.
Foster, captain; Alex. Cameron,
first lieutenant; A. W. Bishop, second
lieutenant; John D. Anderson,
third lieutenant; Daniel Webster, fourth
lieutenant; L. A.
Paddock, quartermaster; Charles D. Kimball,
first staff sergeant. All
the officers, both commissioned and
non-commissioned, pledged themselves,
before leaving, not to taste intoxicating drinks
of any kind,
except by a physician's order. On September 19,
the flag was presented
to the company by the women of La Crosse, Dr.
Cameron, who
left in November to join the regiment as
assistant surgeon, making
the presentation speech. The day concluded with
a ball, given as a
benefit for the company, at the Augusta House,
and on October 4,
the company left for the camp at Racine.
The officers of this company were leading
business and professional
men of La Crosse and the vicinity. Captain
Foster left the position
of cashier of the Green Bay bank of La Crosse to
assume his
duties as its leader; Alex. Cameron and A. W.
Bishop were leading
attorneys of the city, and Lieutenant Anderson
left the position of
84
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
principal of the Third ward, and the teaching
of the "young idea
how to shoot," for the putting into practice of
the shooting of a more
sanguinary nature.
The battery assembled in camp at Racine where
it remained a
little over three months, when it left for
Louisville, Kentucky, January
23, 1862. Its principal service was in the
Mississippi valley, in
the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi
and Louisiana. It
maintained the reputation of the Wisconsin
troops throughout all of
its campaign. Jacob F. Foster, its first
captain, was promoted to the
position of lieutenant colonel of the First
Wisconsin Heavy artillery.
He was for many years a resident of Wisconsin
and among the first
to respond to the call of the Federal government
for aid in the suppression
of the rebellion. He was born at Auburn, N. Y.,
and came
west with his parents who settled in Port
Washington, where he
studied surveying, laying out the first road
between Racine and Prairie
du Chien. He was well known in Milwaukee where
he resided
some years, and where his sister, Mrs. A. J.
Graham, resides at the
present time. He was living in La Crosse at the
outbreak of the
Civil War and was made the captain of the La
Crosse Light artillery
at the time of its organization, and
distinguished himself during the
Vicksburg campaign in the capture of Arkansas
post, January 11,
1863, and in the battle of Black river bridge,
where he received the
only wound which he suffered during the war. He
was transferred
to be chief of artillery of the ninth division,
under General Ord, and
was later appointed to the position of
lieutenant colonel of the First
Wisconsin Heavy artillery, which position he
maintained until the
close of the war. At the close of the war
Colonel Foster took up his
residence in Chicago, where he was engaged in
the profession of consulting
civil engineer. He died in that city, January,
1907.
At the same time that the La Crosse Artillery
Company was completing
its preparations for departure, Lieutenant Otis
of the Eighth
Missouri was recruiting a company of
Sharp-shooters, for that regiment.
Forty-four were enlisted in three days, and on
October 17,
the company was filled, with the following
officers: Thomas McSpadden,
captain; S. B. Sheldon, first lieutenant; J. R.
Robinson, second
lieutenant, and left for the south. The week
before their departure
a number of the young soldiers were married.
Shortly before this
Lieutenant Voegel, with forty German volunteers,
left the city to join
the Ninth regiment in Milwaukee which was
commanded by Colonel Solomon.
Among the early promotions noticed were those
of ex-Judge I. E.
Messmore, who was appointed lieutenant colonel
of the Fourteenth
Wisconsin, James M. White, quartermaster
sergeant for the Tenth.
Captain Foster of the artillery was promoted to
the position of lieutenant
colonel, and Lieutenant Bishop of the same
company was given
a commission in a cavalry company. On January 2,
1862, Captain
Bishop left for the seat of war with 85 troops,
which formed Company
B of the Second cavalry. Capt. G. F. Hartwell,
who was also commissioned
to raise a company of cavalry in October,
reported 70 raised
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 85
on November 22, and another company of
cavalry raised by Captain
Whitcomb left about the middle of November to
join ex-Governor
Barstow's regiment. Colonel Stevens was
commissioned lieutenant colonel in the Second
Wisconsin cavalry.
A few of the press comments upon the
situation and the part La
Crosse was taking in it at this time might be of
interest. In September,
1861, the La Crosse Democrat said: "By the books
at Madison,
La Crosse county has sent more men to the war in
proportion to the
population than any other county in the state."
The Chicago Journal of the same time said:
"As an evidence of
the military spirit manifested in La Crosse,
Wisconsin, we are informed
that that little city has furnished 500
volunteers for the war.
In two weeks 189 men were enlisted for an
artillery corps, and 42
sharp-shooters in three days. We really believe
that La Crosse is the
banner town of the west."
The Democrat, which at this time was edited
by "Brick" Pomeroy,
and was nothing if not self-assertive,
advertised as follows:
"Contract Wanted. - For one-half what it
costs the government,
we will take the contract to hang Jeff Davis and
his rebel advisors,
drive the entire rebel army into Lake
Ponchartrain, and restore peace
to the Union in seven months. The only troops we
should require
would be those from Rhode Island, Maine, Ohio,
Michigan, Illinois,
Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, already in the
field. We should to
the tune of 'The Star Spangled Banner,' balance
down the Mississippi,
cross hands and back, up the sea-shore, balance
and swing through the
center, and all promenade home, via Richmond,
Manassas Gap and St.
Louis. Seven months' time would do it."
This document was dated October 7, 1861, and
is interesting for
several reasons: First, because it shows how
little the country realized
at that time that they were entering upon one of
the most stupendous
conflicts in history; secondly, because the
proposed omission
of the New York troops showed a reflection of a
feeling, at the time
current, that the Empire States regiments were
favored at the expense
of the western troops, and thirdly, that "the
cynic devil in his
blood that bids him mock his hurrying soul,"
existed for some time
before its discovery by Kipling.
On October 21, the following appeared in the
same paper:
"Boarders Wanted. The sheriff and
under-sheriff have left for
the war. The county jail is as empty as a dead
egg-shell. A few
single gentlemen with their wives, or any other
men, can be accommodated
with board and lodging very cheap. Apply to the
Town Pump, the officers have enlisted."
Under the heading, "A Polite Invitation!" the
following was quoted
from the Memphis Appeal: "Let the brutal minions
of a beastly
despotism come on. The slaughter pens are ready,
and Yankee blood
shall flow as freely as festal wine." To which
invitation the Democrat
responded: "If that is the first course, we'd
prefer to wait and
take up with the dessert."
On November 8, 1861, a short article was
headed, "Nothing Personal,"
86
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
and under that caption the editor said: "It
beats all how the
war will bring out the patriotism of the fair
sex. Hundreds of women,
old and young, are now racing their breath away,
knitting stockings
and making nightshirts for soldiers, who feel
worse when asked to
darn a brother's stocking, or mend a husband's
shirt, than Moses did
when he broke all the commandments at once."
A couple of weeks later the Democrat resumed
its business air and
said: "If any more volunteers are wanted, they
can be had at La
Crosse. A full regiment has gone from this
little city, and as many
more can go if they are needed."
In November, 1861, Lieut. W. H. Whitney was
recruiting in La
Crosse and the vicinity for the "Randall
Battery," and the same month
the "La Crosse Pioneers" were organized with
James Polleys, captain,
and George W. Staley, first and David Law,
second lieutenants. This
company afterward became Company D of the
Fourteenth Wisconsin
regiment, and rendezvoused at Camp Wood, Fond du
Lac, was mustered
into service January 30, 1862, and removed to
St. Louis the following March.
Little as that phase of the war appeals to
the student of a later generation
who studies the conflict only as a part of the
development of
a great nation, it had its humorous phases.
Perhaps its very contrast
with the horrors that the lists of dead and
wounded brought
home to nearly every family, made its exploiting
an occasional necessity,
to relieve the tension of the time. One of the
things that attracted
the attention of a member of the La Crosse press
was that
the feminine zeal to be doing something for the
country in its hour
of need found little outlet except in furnishing
supplies for the soldiers
in the field. The evident inability to
distinguish between the
necessaries to which a soldier on the march must
limit himself, and
the dainty little conveniences which are so dear
to the feminine heart,
led to the shipment of vast quantities of
useless, not to say absurd,
articles to the front. The editorial comment on
the situation is headed,
"What to Send the Soldiers," and proceeds to say
that the foot soldier
has only fifty or sixty pounds to carry in his
knapsack, besides
his gun, which was nothing to carry all day in
the hot sun, or through
marshes, through a battle, advancing or
retreating, and suggests the
following list of things which it would be handy
for him to have:
"Ambrotypes in five-pound cases; life of
Josephus in ten volumes;
patent Dutch ovens, - full size; feather beds
and pillows; ripe watermelons;
firkins of fresh butter; sample from the last
litter of pups;
baby wagons for the use of the infantry; castor
oil in bladders;
frosted cakes in band-boxes; catnip tea, well
stirred; fluid lamps,
without wicks; hair brushes; fiddle-strings in
the original package;
vases for flowers; ice cream freezers; flesh
brushes, with directions
for use; fresh eggs; sand to scour knives with;
pickles in glass jars;
honey in little baskets; tea in caddies; hot
water for soaking feet;
nutmeg graters with handles; maps of the country
on rollers; fanning
mills for fevers; parlor skates; Suffolk pigs
for pets; empty dry-
goods boxes; lead pipe for bullets; prepared
kindling-wood in bundles;
MEMOIRS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY 87
flower seeds, labeled; old horse collars;
mush and milk in pans;
mouse traps; cinnamon essence for the hair;
clothes lines and pins;
chicken gravy in bowls.
"All such articles the soldiers can carry as
well as not, and if
captured the enemy will wonder at the
inexhaustible resources of the
north."
Another interesting press comment, after the
battle of Fort Donaldson,
is this:
"Major General Grant, who is now figuring so
well in battle, is
a son of J. H. Grant, a leather dealer of
Galena, who has a store in
this city, on Second street. General Grant has a
brother in this city."
The establishment of which Jesse R. Grant,
father of General Grant,
was the senior partner, existed in La Crosse for
a number of years.
Mr. Grant's store here was in charge of his son,
who was assisted by
J. S. Medary, now president of the J. S. Medary
Saddlery Company,
and of the Davis, Medary & Platz (wholesale
drug) Company. These
two large establishments, with stock amounting
to nearly $160,000,
are the direct outgrowth of the leather business
to which reference
was made above. In 1862 the firm became Grant &
Burke and so
continued until 1866 when they sold out to
Davis, Medary & Hill.
In December, 1870, Mr. Hill retired from the
firm, but Messrs.
Davis and Medary continued the business, both
names being retained
in the firm name to-day, even after the death of
Mr. A. R.
Davis. Mr. J. S. Medary was born in Clermont
county, Ohio, March
12, 1839, and came west in 1859. In 1860 he came
to La Crosse in the
employ of Jesse R. Grant, and has since made his
home in the city.
He married Miss Frances E. Burns, daughter of
Lieutenant Governor
Burns.
The following list of La Crosse county men
who held positions of
commissioned officers during the Civil War, is
compiled from the
official roster:
C. C. Washburn, colonel of Second Cavalry;
promoted to position
of brigadier general, June 5, 1862; major
general, November 29, 1862; resigned May 25,
1865.
J. J. Foster, captain of First Battery of
Light Artillery; promoted
to lieutenant colonel of First Heavy Artillery.
Other officers in the Second Cavalry are:
Joseph P. Scott, adjutant; mustered out,
January 25, 1865.
James B. Bradford, commissary; mustered out
January 31, 1865.
Bunnel S. Reppy, quartermaster sergeant,
Third battery; promoted
to second lieutenant Company B, August 6, 1862;
resigned January
13, 1864.
Albert W. Bishop, captain, promoted
lieutenant colonel of First
Arkansas cavalry.
John Whylock, captain; promoted to major,
Second battery, Jan.
30, 1865; resigned May 12, 1865.
Thomas La Flesh, captain; mustered out.
Orren H. Stone, first lieutenant; resigned
June 11, 1865.
Jeremiah S. McDonald, first lieutenant;
mustered out.
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Company C:
Reuben R. Wood, captain; resigned.
Company D:
George F. Hartwell, captain; resigned
February 13, 1862.
Charles S. Bently, captain; mustered out
February 1, 1865.
Company H:
Theodore Georg, first lieutenant; died at
Vicksburg, Miss., August
29, 1863.
Godfried Langstadt, first lieutenant;
mustered out, November 15,
1865.
Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry -
Fred. Boardman, colonel; killed May 3, 1864,
Comite River, La.
First Light Artillery -
First Battery:
Jacob J. Foster, captain, promoted to
lieutenant colonel of First
Heavy Artillery; mustered out, October 11, 1864
(term expired).
Daniel Webster, captain, promoted, acting
chief of artillery, department
of the Gulf; mustered out, July 18, 1865.
Alex. Cameron, first lieutenant; resigned,
June 5, 1862.
Oscar Nutting, first lieutenant; mustered
out, July 18, 1865.
John Anderson, first lieutenant; resigned,
October 17, 1862.
C. K. Kimball, first lieutenant; resigned,
August 12, 1863.
Albert W. Bishop, second lieutenant; promoted
to captain Company
B, Second Wisconsin Cavalry, December 27, 1861.
First Heavy Artillery -
Charles C. Messervey, lieutenant colonel;
mustered out, June 26,
1865.
J. J. Foster, lieutenant colonel; mustered
out July 14, 1865.
Company A:
Wallace M. Spear, captain; mustered out,
August 18, 1865.
Company H:
James P. Blakeslee, second lieutenant;
resigned, January 11, 1865.
Second Infantry -
Gilbert M. Woodward, adjutant mustered out,
July 2, 1864.
Company B:
Wilson Colwell, captain; killed in action,
September 14, 1862, South
Mountain, Maryland.
Robert Hughes, captain; prisoner at
Gettysburg, killed in action,
May 10, 1864, Laurel Hill, Va.
Frank Hatch. first lieutenant; wounded at
Bull Run; resigned
September 27, 1861.
Gilbert M. Woodward, first lieutenant,
promoted to adjutant, May
1, 1863.
William M. Harries, first lieutenant; wounded
at Antietam; mustered
out, June 30, 1864.
James D. Wood, second lieutenant, promoted to
first lieutenant,
Company D, August 25, 1862.
Company D:
James D. Wood, captain; mustered out, May 26,
1865.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
89
Company K:
Charles C. Messervey, second lieutenant;
promoted to lieutenant
colonel First Heavy Artillery.
Eighth Infantry -
Duncan A. Kennedy, major; mustered out, July
18, 1865.
Company I:
Alonzo D. Hickok, captain; resigned, July,
1863.
Samuel J. Sargent, first lieutenant; promoted
to captain, September
13, 1865.
Henry M. Lathrop, second lieutenant;
resigned, June 29, 1862.
Hollister S. Phillips, second lieutenant;
promoted to first lieutenant,
September 13, 1865.
Ninth Infantry -
Company I:
Martin Voegele, captain; resigned, August 16,
1864.
George Graemer, first lieutenant; transferred
to re-organize Company
A. (Reorganized.)
William Dreusickil, sergeant major
(non-commissioned).
Company A:
George Graemer, first lieutenant; resigned,
April 26, 1865.
Company C:
Daniel Goetz, second lieutenant; mustered
out.
Fourteenth Infantry -
Isaac Messmore, lieutenant colonel; resigned,
April 7, 1862.
James W. Polleys, lieutenant colonel;
promoted from Company D;
mustered out, February 17, 1865.
Beriah E. Brower, adjutant; resigned, July
16, 1862.
Duncan C. Cameron, surgeon; resigned
September 12, 1862.
Eddy S. Ferris, quartermaster sergeant;
promoted from Company
D.
Edwin Howard, hospital steward; promoted from
Company D;
mustered out.
Thomas J. Woodcock, chief musician, from
Company D; mustered
out.
Company D:
James W. Polleys, promoted to major July 9,
1862, and lieutenant
colonel.
Samuel A. Harrison, captain; promoted
lieutenant colonel of Sixth
Mississippi Infantry (colored), September 23,
1863.
Cyrus P. Shepherd, captain; mustered out,
October 9, 1865.
George Staley, first lieutenant; resigned,
August 30, 1862.
Aaron M. Watson, first lieutenant; mustered
out, December 7, 1864.
David Law, second lieutenant; mustered out,
July 6, 1862.
Timothy O'Brien, second lieutenant, wounded,
July 15, 1864, Tupelo,
Miss.; mustered out, January 10, 1865.
Herman Runge, second lieutenant; mustered
out, October 9, 1865
Fifteenth Infantry -
John Ingrumdsen, captain; killed at Stone
River, December 30,
1862.
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Nineteenth Infantry -
Company B:
William H. Tucker, captain; resigned,
September 11, 1862.
Jonathan S. Patten, captain; mustered out.
Wallace W. Gordon, second lieutenant;
mustered out, August 9,
1865.
Twentieth Infantry -
Augustus H. Pettibone, major; promoted from
Company A; resigned,
June 17, 1865.
Company A:
Augustus H. Pettibone, captain; promoted,
major, December 2,
1862.
Samuel P. Jackson, captain; mustered out,
July 14, 1865.
Twenty-fifth Infantry -
George G. Symes, adjutant; promoted captain
Company F, October
6, 1863.
Jacob McCreary, first assistant surgeon; died
August 3, 1863,
Helena, Arkansas.
Company F:
James C. Farrand, captain; resigned, August
27, 1863, for disability.
George G. Symes, captain; promoted to colonel
Forty-fourth Infantry.
Rob Roy McGregor, captain; mustered out, June
7, 1865.
Parker C. Dunn, first lieutenant; discharged,
April 1, 1864, for
disability.
Alfred H. Lamb, second lieutenant; mustered
out, June 7, 1865.
Company K:
Robert M. Gordon, captain; acting provost
marshal, east district,
Arkansas, from August 12, 1863 to January 18,
1864. Resigned,
November 14, 1864.
Thirtieth Infantry -
Company K:
Myron F. Hubbard, first lieutenant; mustered
out, September 20,
1865.
Thirty-first Infantry -
William J. Gibson, major; died September 9,
1863, Columbus, Ky.
Company A:
Henry A. Anderson (from Company D, Fourteenth
Infantry),
second lieutenant; resigned. January 4, 1864,
for disability.
Thirty-fourth Infantry -
Company L:
Gottlieb C. Neumeister, second lieutenant;
mustered out, September
3, 1863.
Thirty-sixth Infantry -
La Fayette H. Bunnel (from Company B, Second
Cavalry), first
assistant surgeon, promoted surgeon, July 11,
1865.
Company K:
Daniel F. Ferrand, captain (from Company D,
Fourteenth Infantry);
resigned, July 12, 1864.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
91
Fortieth Infantry -
Company G:
Franklin J. Phelps, captain; mustered out,
September 16, 1864.
Forty-fourth Infantry -
Company E:
John W. Moore, captain; mustered out, August
28, 1865.
Company I:
Joseph M. Henslee, second lieutenant (from
Company I, Thirty-
sixth Infantry); mustered out, June 10, 1865.
Forty-ninth Infantry -
Company C:
Francis Down, first lieutenant; mustered out,
November 1, 1865.
Fifty-third Infantry -
William J. Taylor (from Company B), sergeant
major.
Company A:
Reuben R. Wood, captain (from Company C,
Second Cavalry).
Edwin R. Wood, first lieutenant.
Company B:
Benjamin F. Williams, first lieutenant (from
Company C, Second
Cavalry).
Although the La Crosse soldiers did not have
the opportunity for
extended service in the Spanish - American War,
yet the promptness
with which they responded to the call for
volunteers showed that the
spirit of patriotism which demanded such large
tribute from the
county in the Civil War was still in existence,
in time of need. La
Crosse furnished two regiments for the Third
Wisconsin Volunteers,
three regimental officers, Colonel M. T. Moore,
Major J. E. Kercheis
and Adjutant O. Holway, and Captain Fred
Schultz, First Lieutenant
Otto Kanard, Second Lieutenant Chas. Jaclel, of
Company B, and
Captain E. H. Chamberlain and Lieutenants George
Klipple and
Frank H. Fowler of Company M. The companies left
La Crosse
April 28, 1898, and joining other companies en
route, went into camp
on the old fair grounds. On May 11, they were
mustered into service
and left Camp Harvey May 14. They reached Camp
Thomas, May
16, where they remained until ordered to the
sea-board, reaching
Charleston, S. C., July 7, when they went on
board transports July
20, and disembarked at Ponce on the 28th. They
were first placed
on guard duty, and marched to San Juan Sunday,
August 7. They
followed the retreating Spaniards for two days
and were under fire
on August 11. When they were ordered back to
camp they had been
without rations for a full day. They remained in
camp for a month,
and experienced some hard marching before they
reached the coast and
embarked on the transports for their return.
They reached New York
after a voyage of four and one-half days and
were discharged from
military duty on January 10, 1899.
CHAPTER X.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND
INSTITUTIONS.
FIRST JAIL - NEW JAIL - POOR HOUSE AND FARM -
COUNTY HOSPITAL FOR
THE CHRONIC INSANE - COURT HOUSES - FEDERAL
BUILDING - CITY
HALL - FIRE DEPARTMENT - WATER SUPPLY -
POLICE FORCE - PUBLIC
LIBRARY - TRAVELING LIBRARIES - OPERA HOUSE
- LA CROSSE
THEATERS - OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
La Crosse county as the site of the second
city of the state, and
having had from the first one center of
population which dominated
the whole section, developed in a different
order from those counties
in which there are no large cities. Much that is
inaugurated by the
county organization in other localities, had
here its inception in the
city.
This is true of the care of the poor, the
criminal class and the
provisions for carrying on the judicial
proceedings of the earlier day.
La Crosse had scarcely taken on the dignity of a
corporate body before
the attention of the people was directed toward
making some
provision for the care of the poor. The widely
scattered farming
communities, themselves struggling for the bare
necessities of life,
were in no position to take the initiative, and
this was done by the
little city. Mayor Campbell, in his inaugural
address in 1857, called
the attention of the community to the need of
providing a work-house,
the purchase of a poor-farm and the building of
a city hall. Even
before this the papers had been calling the
attention of the people to
"the dirty, disgraceful hole, called a jail";
which was not "fit for a
pig-pen." and which neither served the purpose
of securing the inmates
nor permitted the decencies of life which a
civilized community insists
upon for all classes.
This agitation produced immediate results,
and the "seven by nine
jail," in which five men were confined at one
time, passed into deserved
oblivion. On February 18, 1857, a vote was taken
to issue
county bonds to the amount of $8,000 for the
purpose of building a
jail and jailor's house. The new jail, which was
completed the following
year, had an inclosure of 45 by 67 feet,
surrounded by a massive
wall. The building, a low structure, 39 by 45
feet, contained
sixteen cells, six by nine feet, in two tiers,
surrounded by an open
corridor. Besides these there were three rooms
for women prisoners
and ample rooms for the living rooms of the
sheriff and his
family. A part of the building was reserved for
county officers until
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
93
the completion of the second courthouse, but
these were afterward
devoted to the use of the sheriff's family.
For the provision of the poor, the city not
only took the initiative
in the agitation of the subject, but actually
made the first provision,
and for nearly twenty years cared not only for
the city poor, at a
slight cost to the county, but also took care of
the destitute outside of
the corporation. The poor-farm selected in 1857
was in the town of
Shelby, a few miles southeast of the city. About
$6,000 was spent
for the purchase of the farm and the erection of
suitable buildings.
For the first twenty years the number of inmates
was not large, and
while the institution was run with a proper
regard for economy, the
object of furnishing a comfortable and pleasant
home for the unfortunate
people who were thrown upon the public bounty,
was the first
consideration. The grounds were improved by the
setting out of
trees, shrubs, etc., and other improvements as
necessary. This object
was not attained immediately nor without the
spurring of the officials
by a vigilant press, jealous for the reputation
of the little city. Under
the date of April 21, 1862, is found the
following: "But three paupers
are now in the institution (county poor-house),
four miles out of
the city, one young woman and two children. The
living furnished
is better than last year, but the place itself
well deserves the name of
"Poor-House Farm."
A report of the institution given some twenty
years later shows
that several plans had been tried for the care
of the helpless and
indigent. For some time the farm of 120 acres
was rented to a tenant
who cared for the inmates for $2.50 per week.
Later the tenant was
given the farm rent free, with the same sum for
the support of adults
and half of it for children. At the time
mentioned there were but
seven or eight inmates, most of them people well
advanced in years.
They were taken care of at an expense to the
county of about $2,500.
From the latest annual report of the
poor-house and farm the following
facts are taken: Number in the poor-house at the
beginning
of the year, 40; number received during the
year, 42; number born in
the poor-house, 2; total, 84. Number discharged
during the year, 18;
number run away, 9; number bound out, 2; number
died, 10; total, 39,
leaving 45 inmates at the close of the year.
The total receipts from the sale of farm
products and donations of
money amounted to $760.61. The running expenses
of the farm were
$3,670.54 and $1,485.31 was paid for salaries
and wages of persons
connected with the institution, making the total
expense $5,155.85 and
the net expense $4,395.24. The number of week's
board furnished
to inmates, overseer's family and help was
2,656, at an average cost
of $1.635 per week. For outside relief,
including $1,400 salaries to
superintendents and $1,000 to the county
physician, there was paid
$8,272.18. The amount paid by the county for the
relief of the poor
was $13,428.03, from which was deducted
$1,176.72 of receipts from
various sources, making the net expense
$12,353.31.
More than two-thirds of the inmates of the
county poor-house are
of foreign birth, and the majority of them seek
relief on account of
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
disability from disease or from old age.
Garden, farm and dairy
products, meat, pickled and canned goods are
furnished in part from
the county farm. All mending and repairing of
clothing and bedding
is done by the inmates. The overseer is J. M.
Gilfillan and the matron,
Mrs. J. M. Gilfillan. The visiting committee
reported the farm
and home as well managed.
The county hospital for the chronic insane is
situated at West
Salem. It was begun in 1887 and completed the
following year. Mr.
Van Zandt, of West Salem, was the prime mover in
the enterprise
and succeeded, after a hard fight, in having it
located at West Salem.
The site is an ideal one for the purpose. The
building is on a gentle
rise of ground, securing good drainage, and
surrounded by a rich
farm of about 400 acres, which is tilled largely
by the inmates.
Across the valley, in front of the building,
rises the range of lofty
bluffs and about a mile back of the hospital
runs the La Crosse or
Neshonic river, with the bluffs beyond.
On January 9, 1888, twenty-four inmates were
sent to the hospital
from Mendota. Mr. C. S. McCowan was elected
manager, a
position which he held until his death in 1906.
The first year there
were 103 patients, 49 from La Crosse county, 10
from Dunn county,
10 from St. Croix, 12 from Buffalo, 12 from
Vernon and 12 from
Clark. At the present time (January, 1907),
there are 121 inmates,
of whom 108 belong in the county.
The first cost of the building was $36,000.
The present value of
the property, including farm buildings, etc., is
$150,000.
The first court-house in La Crosse county was
built by private
subscription. By the same act that created the
county of La Crosse,
March 1, 1851, it was specified that the public
buildings should be
erected free of cost to the county, in return
for the location of the
county seat at the village of La Crosse. The
county at that time
included a large area to the north and west of
the present limits,
and although settlements had but just begun
there was more likelihood
of a removal than at a later date, when the
advantages of the different
locations were determined. The limit of a year
for the erection
of the buildings, in the failure of which the
question of a county
seat was to be determined by a general vote,
spurred the residents
of the village into immediate action, and a
petition was circulated
which, considering the conditions of the time,
met with a generous
response. Most of the homes of the citizens were
of the most humble
character, being log cabins or hastily
constructed shanties, but upon
the site of the present court-house a most
respectable two-story
building was erected. It was 26 by 36 feet in
size, with rooms for the
county officers on the first floor and a court
room on the second floor.
Beside its legitimate use it served for many
years for various other
purposes, for religious and other public
services, for social and
literary meetings, and also for a school-room,
before the completion
of school buildings sufficient to accommodate
the rapidly increasing
juvenile population.
The second court-house built upon the site of
the first one was
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
95
erected in 1867-68. It faced Third street and
was a substantial structure
of stone, containing fire-proof vaults for the
public records and
documents, nine rooms for the county officers on
the first floor, a
court-room, sixty feet square, and rooms for the
grand and petit
juries on the second floor. The stone used
mainly in the building is
the native Magnesian limestone, and the cost of
the building, including
the furnishings, was about $40,000.
The new court-house, built in 1903-04, is a
handsome building of
red sandstone, and cost about $150,000. The old
building was torn
down and the new one erected on the same site.
The county court
and all the county offices are housed in the
building in large, airy
and well-lighted rooms.
The Federal building in the city is the
postoffice which contains
the custom house, internal revenue and other
Federal offices and the
department of the United States weather bureau.
It is a handsome
building of red brick, located on the corner of
Fourth and State streets.
For many years there was no building
specifically dedicated to the
use of the city officials. For a number of years
rooms were provided
in the Thomas B. Stoddard engine house on Main
street for the city
clerk, police justice, chief of police and also
a council chamber. The
mayor and city treasurer carried on their
official business at their
private place of business.
The city hall, built in 1894, is situated on
State street between
Fifth and Sixth, facing south. The ground space
is 120 by 201 feet
and was obtained for municipal purposes at a
cost of $12,000. The
size of the building is 103.5 feet front and
96.5 in depth. It contains
a basement and three stories, with a tower 130
feet in height. The
first and second floors, which were all that
were finished at the time
of construction, contain thirty-one apartments.
The material of which the building is
constructed is pressed brick
trimmed with terre cotta limestone. The building
is heated by steam
heat and lighted by both gas and electricity.
The Board of Trade has
the use of a large room that will accommodate a
hundred persons.
There are apartments for the mayor, city clerk,
tax commissioner,
treasurer, city attorney, poor commissioner,
city physician, and a large
municipal court-room and council rooms. The
question of remodeling
the city hall is now under discussion.
The first fire company was organized in 1857,
following the first
disastrous fire from which the little city
suffered. The early organizations
were compelled to use primitive means in
fighting the fire fiend
but improved methods and apparatus were supplied
as fast as the
necessities of the situation demanded and the
finances of the corporation
permitted. Engine, rescue and hook and ladder
companies
were formed in 1869, 1871, 1873, 1875, 1879, and
1880. The department
was under the supervision of a chief engineer
from 1869, and
at the end of the first twenty-five years the
department had one
hundred and five volunteer firemen with a
salaried chief engineer,
and three paid drivers. These were divided into
five companies and
operated two steam fire-engines, two one-horse
hose-carriages, one
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
two-horse hook and ladder cart, one hand hook
and ladder cart, five
horses, several hose carts, 10,000 feet of hose,
in all valued at about
$22,000.
From the Bucket Brigade which officiated when
La Crosse suffered
from its first disastrous fire, March 7, 1857,
the department has grown
to the following proportions:
The headquarters are at 414 State street,
with other stations
at 510 St. Cloud street, at the corner of Sixth
and Mississippi streets,
Berlin street and Denton street. There are five
fire companies, two
hose, engine and truck companies; two hose and
truck companies and
one hose company. Nathan Bradfield is the fire
marshal, and F. J.
Killian, superintendent of fire alarms. Each
company is officered,
and the department men are divided into
engineers, drivers, linemen,
pipe-men and truck-men. Forty-five men are
employed by the department
and there are fifty-three alarm boxes.
As in all small towns and villages, and
especially in such as had
their origin half a century ago, the early water
supply for domestic
purposes was obtained from private wells and
cisterns. The first
movement toward a public supply of water was
necessitated by the
demand for protection against fire, and the
first response was in the
shape of a number of cisterns, which were filled
from the river. This
being inadequate to protect the growing city, in
1877 grounds were
purchased, a pump-house erected, and a pump with
a capacity of
2,000,000 gallons in twenty-four hours
guaranteed, and a greater
capacity under pressure of necessity, was put
in. A similar pump
was put in the Fifth ward, and water mains laid,
and hydrants connected
at a cost of $90,000.
The subject of obtaining water for domestic
purposes from artesian
wells was discussed for some years before any
steps were taken toward
its accomplishment. The first effort was made in
1874, when the
projectors, after drilling five hundred feet
abandoned the enterprise.
Two years later the city authorities took the
matter in hand and
water was obtained at a depth of six hundred
feet. The only use of
the well is the establishment of public
fountains in which provisions
are made for slaking the thirst of both man and
beast.
The city water is taken from the Mississippi
river about 300 feet
east of Barron's island and six feet below the
surface. Numerous
experiments were made and chemical analyses
submitted to ascertain
what was the best point from which to draw, in
regard to purity and
freedom from organic matter. The analysis
determined that the
water drawn from this point contained the least
sulphates and chlorides,
and no organic matter. Analysis of the artesian
well water, which
is supplied to the city through a number of
flowing fountains located
at central points, - is as follows: Chloride of
sodium, 1.0936; sulphate
of soda, .7065; sulphate of lime, 1.1498;
bicarbonate of lime, 11.1636;
bicarbonate proloxide of iron, .2334.
An artesian drinking fountain, located on the
corner of Fifth and
Main streets, was presented to the city by
ex-Governor Peck and bears
this legend, "Boys, this drink is on me."
Another at the corner of
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
97
Second and Main streets was presented by
ex-Mayor D. F. Powell
(White Beaver) on the base of which is a white
beaver. The inscription
in several languages, is now partly effaced.
The city water works come under the
supervision of the board of
public works, of which H. J. Beckwith is
president, A. J. Roberge,
secretary and A. R. Schuze, clerk. They are
located at the foot of
Jay street with L. M. Bell as chief engineer.
The total length of
water mains was 49.76 miles, January 1, 1905;
the extension during
the year was 2.35 miles, making a total of 52.11
miles. The total number
of hydrants, 486; the total number of valves,
420. The cost of
construction for the extension of the water
mains during the year
was $14,772. The total amount of water piped
during the year,
ending January 1, 1905, 1,113.798,898 gallons;
for the year ending
January 1, 1906, 1,051,973,200 gallons; average
daily amount, 2,882,118
gallons; number of meters, 800, varying in size
from 5/8 of an
inch to 6 inches; number of consumers, 4,150.
From the artesian
well supplying the fountains in the city, there
was a flow of 55,000,000
gallons, a daily average of 150,273 gallons.
The total receipts from the city for the year
was $36,715.91. Free
service to city institutions, $17,400; free
service to private institutions,
$2,256. The cost of maintenance and operation
was $18,943,
leaving a balance to the city's credit of
$17,772.90, beside the furnishing
free water to the city institutions. The value
of the waterworks
plant is $469,699.
The public bath was opened in 1904. The idea
was advanced by
Alderman A. Kaler, and met with some opposition
at first, but is now
commended by all and is a very popular
institution. It is located at
Pettibone Park, on Barron's island, and cribs
are installed which may
be raised or lowered, making the water of any
required depth. There
is an instructor in swimming, Mr. W. B. Fraser,
and an assistant,
Mr. M. Nevidick, and last year 200 persons were
taught to swim;
while the baths were patronized by 8,000
persons. A dressing-room
is furnished free of cost, so that those owning
their own bathing
suits may have the pleasure and safety of the
bathing station without
expense.
From the organization of the city corporation
in 1856 until an
amendment of the city charter in 1870 made other
provisions, the
police force consisted of a marshal for the city
and one constable
for each ward. Notwithstanding these were the
most turbulent days
of the city, and upon one or two occasions
vigilance committees of
the citizens were organized for the suppressing
of disturbing elements,
this was the entire police force for fourteen
years. In 1870
by an amendment to the city charter, provisions
were made to increase
the department as necessity demanded. The office
of chief
of police was created, this official to receive
his appointment from the
mayor, subject to confirmation by the city
council. The chief appointed
his own assistants, three detectives, and
patrolmen in such
number as directed by the council, but not
exceeding one for each
2,000 inhabitants. At the end of ten years after
the adoption of this
change the police force numbered the chief and
six patrolmen.
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
The present police force consists of Chief
Hugh H. Byrne, who has
his office at the city hall, and three other
officers, John Parks, captain;
S. S. Post, sergeant; J. B. Webber, desk
sergeant; two detectives,
John Coady and J. W. Taylor, and fourteen
patrolmen.
Detective John Coady is the oldest man on the
force, and one of
the early comers to La Crosse. He was born in
Ireland and came
to La Crosse with his parents in 1853. He was
first employed by
Deacon Smith, and in 1857 was married to Bridget
Dailey. He kept
a hotel on Pearl street for a short time, and in
1858 was appointed
"night-watch." He was appointed city marshal in
1862 and served
for a number of terms. He was appointed secret
detective under
Mayor C. L. Colman, by whom he was later
employed as shipping
agent for thirteen years. He was on the night
police force for one
year, and since that time, twenty-three years,
has been on the police
force in the detective department.
The subject of providing literature for the
public received very
early attention from the citizens of La Crosse.
The first action was
taken in April, 1853, when the La Crosse Library
Company was
formed. It was a stock company, with shares at
$5 each. These
shares were transferable and entitled the
holders to all the privileges
of the association. Several valuable donations
of books were received
and in December of that year the board of
directors appropriated
$100 for the purchase of books. Persons not
holding stock
were allowed the privileges of the library for
reasonable terms. The
first officers were Chase A. Stevens, president;
Edwin Flint, vice
president; S. D. Hastings, clerk and librarian,
and James Gallagher,
treasurer. The books were kept at the store of
S. D. Hastings, the
librarian.
The second attempt at the establishment of a
library was made by
a company of young men who organized under the
name of the La
Crosse Atheneum. They had a reading-room and
library and elected
a board of directors for the management of the
enterprise. This was
afterward known as the Young Men's Library
Association and continued
in existence until its place was supplied by the
public library.
The La Crosse public library was a gift, in
the main, from ex-Governor
Washburn to the city. It was dedicated for use
and formally
opened, November 29, 1888, and was the successor
of the Young
Men's Library Association, which for twenty
years had maintained
a credible library in the city. Much credit is
due to the association,
for although the greater part of the gift by
which the present library
was built and for a long time maintained, came
as a direct gift from
Governor Washburn, yet the sentiment which made
possible the support
of the larger work had its beginning in the
earlier effort. Of
the original gift of $50,000 for the
establishment and maintenance of a
public library, $12,500 was for the purchase of
suitable grounds and
the erection of a building, $17,500 for the
purchase of books and the
remainder of the bequest was for an investment
fund for the support
of the library. To this the Young Men's Library
Association added
the sum of $7,000, the value of their library.
Beside this the library
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
99
later received a gift of $20,000 from Mr. C.
L. Colman, one of $1,000
from Mr. L. C. Colman, and other smaller sums.
At the dedication
addresses were made by Hon. B. F. Bryant, Prof.
Albert Hardy and
G. Van Steenwyk and the library was accepted for
the city by Mayor
David Austin.
The building is located at the corner of Main
and Eighth streets
near the point where the business blocks and the
residence portion
of the city meet, on the main car line, and
easily accessible from all
parts of the city.
The site is 155 by 135 feet and the exterior
of the building 56 by 75
feet. The architectural style is the composite
order known as the
modern Romanesque, and the materials are red
pressed brick and
terra cotta trimmings. The roof is of slate. The
conspicuous exterior
features are the pointed round tower, ninety-two
feet in height,
the semi-circular windows of plain and colored
glass and the deeply-
recessed entrance. In the basement are the
engine, work, storage
and toilet rooms; on the main floor the book
exchange, separated by a
glass partition from the general reading-room in
front; there are also
reference, periodical and committee rooms and a
stack room in the
rear. The upper floor, originally intended for
an audience room is
now used for the children's room.
The present officers of the library are
William Torrence, president;
G. M. Woodward, vice president; J. M. Holly,
secretary; E. E. Bentley,
treasurer; F. A. Copeland, L. C. Colman,
directors. The library
contains 15,245 volumes and the building is open
from 9 a. m. to 9
p. m., every day except Sunday when the reading
and reference
rooms are open from 2 to 6 p. m. Miss Annie
Hanscome was the
first librarian, serving from its opening in
1888 until 1904. The present
librarian is Miss Mary Smith, a graduate of the
Albany school for
librarians. She has five assistants and the
library is maintained at
a cost of $6,000. The endowment for the running
expenses is not
sufficient to maintain the library, and the
deficiency is made up by an
appropriation by the city. The library has been
entirely recatalogued
by the card catalogue system during the past two
years, the children's
room opened and other changes made according to
the latest system
of library management, by which its contents are
placed more fully
at the disposal of the patrons. In 1906 there
were 8,940 readers, an
increase of 1,507 over the previous year. The
increase is largely
due to the opening of the children's room, and
the establishment of
the north side branch. The total circulation was
72,111. The additions
for the year were 1,267 volumes, and there is a
decrease of the
number of fiction readers, books on electricity,
mechanics, etc., attracting
an increased number of readers.
On November 18, 1904, the board of county
supervisors appointed
a board of libraries of which Hon. John Brindley
was president, Mrs.
A. H. Mitchell, vice president; B. F. Oltman,
secretary, and Miss
Mary Smith, supervising librarian, for the
purpose of establishing
traveling libraries throughout the county. Miss
L. E. Stearns, of the
state library commission, assisted and a
committee was appointed for
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
the selection and purchase of books and
supplies. The Twentieth
Century Club of La Crosse donated six traveling
libraries to the board.
These were already in circulation, and were
given with the provision
that they shall be the property of the county as
long as the county
shall maintain and support the system of
traveling libraries. In addition
to these, eleven English libraries and a small
collection of Norwegian
books were bought from the appropriation, making
a total of
seventeen libraries now owned by the county,
including a total of 758
volumes. These libraries are located at Bangor,
Barre Mills, Burns,
Campbell, French Island, Greenfield, Holmen,
Midway, New Amsterdam,
Onalaska, Rockland, Shelby, Smith Coulee,
Smith's Valley,
Stevenstown, Washington and West Salem. Sixteen
libraries are
now in circulation and one is held at the public
library at La Crosse
for exchange. Beside these the board secured
from the state library
commission the loan of one English library and
nine groups of ten
volumes each of German, Norwegian and Bohemian
books. The foreign
books are sent out with the county libraries to
the communities where they will be most read.
Reports from the librarians of the different
associations to which
these libraries have been sent show that they
are both needed and
appreciated and action has been taken to extend
the privilege of the
traveling libraries to other points. The expense
of maintenance is
about $500 per year, most of which goes for the
purchase of books.
The La Crosse Opera House was the first
building of note in the
city dedicated to the amusement and
entertainment of the populace,
although its primary use was the housing of the
La Crosse Democrat
in the palmy days of that publication, when it
was edited and published
by Mark M. Pomeroy. The structure was built by
Mr. Pomeroy in
1867 and is located on the corner of Main and
Fourth streets, with
a frontage on the former of seventy feet, and
extending one hundred
and ten feet on the latter. The original cost of
the building was upward
of $50,000, and upon the foreclosure of the
mortgage upon it,
by which it passed to the control of the Charter
Oak Insurance Company,
it was rebuilt and materially changed, at a cost
of $10,000.
The first and second stories were used for
stores and offices and the
third floor fitted up for an opera house, with a
stage twenty-four by
thirty-two between the wings, with all the
furnishings and accessories
necessary for a modern theater. The opera house
was formally opened
on December 22, 1879. Later the property was
sold to the late Alex.
McMillan and was called the McMillan Opera
House. It was, however,
on the third floor, and the exits were
inadequate in case of fire,
and the building was finally converted into an
office building and a
new theater built. In 1888, Captain I. H.
Moulton, James McCord, J.
J. Hogan, A. Hirshheimer, F. C. Copeland, L. F.
Easton and others
organized a corporation known as the La Crosse
Theater Company,
and plans for a "ground floor" theater were made
and the work begun
in 1889. Early the following year the theater
was opened with "The
Bostonians." F. M. Hankinson was the first
manager and J. F.
Stras, the second. The latter remained until
1905 when the building
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
101
was sold to W. F. Gage and H. G. Walhuter, of
Albert Lea, Minn.
It was closed for some months in the spring and
summer of 1906,
during which time it was refitted. It is located
on South Fifth street
and has a seating capacity of 1,300.
The other theater of the city is the Bijou
with a seating capacity of
400.
The Germania hall, built in 1877 for the
accommodation of the
various German organizations, combines all the
facilities for public
meetings, balls, dinners, etc., which call
together large numbers of
people for edification or amusement. The
building, two stories above
the basement, is sixty-two by one hundred and
ten feet and faces on
Fifth street. The main hall is forty by fifty
feet, and its seating capacity
is supplemented by commodious galleries. The
basement is occupied
by parlors, dining-room, kitchen, etc. The
original cost of the
building was $15,000.
The Armory, headquarters for the military
organizations of the
city, is a large building of red brick, situated
on South Sixth street,
number 707.
The Masonic Temple, on the corner of Main and
Eighth streets, is a
plain, unpretentious building of red brick, the
headquarters for all the
Masonic organizations. The audience room is also
frequently in use
for public gatherings of various kinds,
lectures, conventions, balls, etc.
There are various other halls in the city,
used for the headquarters
of organizations or for public meetings, but
they are, for the most
part, apartments in business blocks and not
separate buildings.
CHAPTER XI.
THE BENCH AND BAR.
SETTLEMENT OF LEGAL DIFFICULTIES IN THE EARLY
DAYS - MEMBERS
OF THE EARLY BAR - ORGANIZATION OF LA
CROSSE BAR ASSOCIATION
- COUNTY AND PROBATE JUDGES - FIRST TERM OF
COURT AT PRAIRIE
LA CROSSE - CIRCUIT JUDGES - DISTRICT
ATTORNEYS - DISTINGUISHED
MEMBERS OF THE LA CROSSE COUNTY BENCH AND
BAR - "THE FIRST
JUDICIAL STOVE."
In the very early days of La Crosse
private rights were maintained
in much the same manner that they have been in
every community
of the frontier line, before legal supervision
was sufficiently near to
influence the actions of violators of the law.
Personal prowess stood
for legal process in most cases. In every such
community there has
been a general union of action in regard to
certain infractions which
dealt out summary punishment to the offenders,
and perhaps justice
was meted out as impartially under those
conditions as under a more
civilized system.
Young men from the East were even then
looking to the West as
their El Dorado, and the proportion of
professional men, and especially
lawyers, in the embryo city, was very large. In
a private census,
taken in 1854, the following are entered as
lawyers: Joseph K. French,
George Gale, H. E. Seymour, Edwin Flint, Charles
G. and M. G.
Hanscome, Chase A. Stevens, Thomas B. Stoddard,
D. R. Wheeler,
Harvey E. Hubbard, William Dennison and James I.
Lyndes. Daniel
Reed Wheeler died November 14, 1857, aged
thirty-eight, in the midst
of a promising career.
The La Crosse Bar Association, organized to
promote the interests
of the profesion and to create a feeling of
fraternity among its
members, began its existence in 1856, with Hugh
Cameron as its first
president, James I. Lyndes, treasurer and M. P.
Wing, secretary.
In a review of the business and professional
life of La Crosse, published
at the close of 1861, the following law firms
are named: Hugh
Cameron, Cameron & Losey, E. Fox Cook, Bingham &
Pettibone,
Flint & Stodgill, McKenney & Johnson, Lyndes &
Burroughs, John
J. Cole, E. H. McMillan, Montgomery & Tyler, C.
K. Lord and W. M. Hall.
The first person elected to the county
judgeship was Timothy Burns.
He was succeeded by George Gale who had on his
calendar for the
April term of court, 1853, fifteen cases. In the
fall of 1853, October
19, Judge Gale presided for the last time over
the county court. He
102
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
103
was succeeded by R. C. Van Rensselaer, who
had served as county
judge in Waukegan, Ill., previous to his removal
to Wisconsin. He
was nominated on the Democratic ticket, and
there was a determined
effort on the part of the managers to whip in
line all of the stragglers
at this election, as is shown by the following
announcement: "Resolved,
that we, the representatives of the Democracy of
La Crosse
county, disown all persons who shall hereafter
run for any office in
opposition to a regular Democratic nomination."
Evidently their
plans succeeded for the record gives Judge Van
Rensselaer a majority
of 152. The judge was a resident of Onalaska at
the time of his election,
and his opponents endeavored to make capital out
of a rumor
that he would endeavor to remove the seat of
justice to his own village.
This allegation he emphatically denied.
James I. Lyndes, for many years a prominent
member of the La
Crosse bar, was nominated for the office of
county judge in 1857, was
elected and began to serve in 1858. The complete
list of county (now
called probate) judges is as follows:
Lieut. Gov. Timothy Burns was the first to
occupy the
office, although his occupation was brief and
the machinery of the
office was scarcely in operation during his
judgeship. He was elected
in the spring of 1851 and in the fall of the
same year was followed
by George Gale, who filled the office for two
years, resigning shortly
before the expriation of his term. His
successor, R. C. Van Rensselaer,
occupied the position from 1853 until 1858, and
was followed
by James I. Lyndes, who resigned the following
year. Samuel S.
Burton was appointed to fill the vacancy, and
was later elected to the
office, his term expiring in 1865. Hugh Cameron
followed and occupied
the position until 1870. All of these names are
intimately associated
with the early history of the city. The two
following judges,
Capt. Daniel Webster and Col. B. F. Bryant, are
familiar names
not only in legal, but in military history.
Captain Webster was connected
with the First Light Artillery and Colonel
Bryant with the
One Hundred and First Ohio Volunteers, Company
A. Captain Webster
remained in office for a few months only, and
after his resignation
Colonel Bryant was appointed by Governor
Fairchild to the position.
In 1874, C. S. Benton was elected and was
re-elected in 1877,
resigning in March, 1881. Hugh Cameron, who had
already held
the position from 1865 to 1870, was appointed to
fill the vacancy,
and later elected to the office, his term of
service expiring in 1886.
E. J. Hughes was elected in 1886 and remained in
office about two
years; after his resignation, Thomas A. Dyson
was appointed to fill
the vacancy and was later elected for one term,
his connection with
the office terminating in 1898. He was followed
by the present county
judge, John Brindley, who is now serving his
second term.
The first term of court in which La Crosse
appears as having a
legal existence was held in the house of John M.
Levy, at the corner
of Pearl and Front streets, May 27, 1851, and
was presided over by
Hon. Wiram Knowlton. He was a native of
Chautauqua county,
N. Y., and came to Wisconsin in 1848. Robert
Looney, afterward
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
justice of the peace, was the first clerk,
and Almanzo Eldred, late of
West Salem, was the first sheriff of the county.
The order for the
first term of court was made by Judge Knowlton,
and that it should
"be holden at Prairie La Crosse." The items of
the first court calendar
are meager. Chase A. Stevens was admitted to the
bar as an
attorney and counselor at law, and it was
further ordered that Chase
A. Stevens be appointed district attorney, for
La Crosse county, "for
the time being"; also "that the seal of the
circuit court of the county
of Chippewa be adopted as the seal of this
county until a proper seal
should be furnished therefor." On his April
calendar for 1853,
Judge Knowlton had thirty cases, five of them
being for divorce.
He held the office until 1856 when he was
succeeded by Judge George
Gale, who was elected by 600 majority,
notwithstanding the fact that
his advocacy of the division of the county and
the creation of the
county of Trempealeau had made him some enemies.
The judicial
district at that time included beside La Crosse,
the counties of Bad
Ax, Monroe, Trempealeau, Jackson and Buffalo.
In order to reward Col. Isaac E. Messmore for
certain political
services, the circuit was divided so as to place
Trempealeau county,
where Judge Gale was at that time residing, in
the Eleventh district,
of which he was declared judge, leaving the
governor to appoint
Colonel Messmore for the unexpired term of Judge
Gale. Messmore
held a few terms of court, but was relieved of
his position soon after
by a decision of the supreme court. In 1862
Edwin Flint was elected
judge for the term to begin January 1, 1863. He
came to La Crosse
in 1851, and filled the judicial position
satisfactorily. He was calm,
gentlemanly and dignified, with a keen and
penetrating intellect, and
dominated at all times by a high sense of honor
and responsibility.
In 1868, the second court house was finished and
Judge Flint held
his last term of court in it.
The list of circuit judges which have
included La Crosse county in
their jurisdiction, from the organization of the
judicial district until
the present with the beginnings of their terms
of office are as follows:
Wiram Knowlton, 1851; George Gale, 1857; Isaac
Messmore, 1861;
Edwin Flint, 1862; these were all of La Crosse.
Romanzo Bunn,
Sparta, 1869; A. W. Newman, Trempealeau, 1877;
J. M. Morrow,
Monroe; O. B. Wyman, Vernon; John J. Fruit, La
Crosse.
The list of district attorneys who have held
the office from 1851
until 1907 are as follows: 1851, Chase A.
Stevens, Edwin Flint;
1853, J. K. French; 1855, C. R. Rogers; 1857, M.
G. Hanscome; 1859,
Alex Cameron; 1861, J. W. Losey; 1863, E. H.
McMillan; 1865, G.
M. Woodward; 1873, B. F. Bryant; 1875, H. M.
Stafford; 1877, B.
F. Bryant; 1881, John J. Fruit; 1888, Geo. H.
Gordon; 1890, Clarke
E. Hood; 1894, John E. McConnell; 1898, Thomas
Morris; 1902,
Otto Bosshard.
The first court-house was a dingy little
wooden structure, built by
subscription, and it occupied the ground where
the present fine building
stands, surrounded by the court-house park. It
served for the
holding of courts from 1852 to 1867 when it was
moved to the north
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
105
side of Vine street between Second and Third,
where it was remodeled
into a hotel, and is still known as the
Washington House.
The second court-house was a substantial
building which served
for thirty-six years, when it was torn down to
make place for the
present structure, which was erected in 1903-04,
at a cost of $175,000.
The early litigation was largely occupied in
wrangles between the
advocates of the common law and the students of
the new code, which
ceased only with the deaths of the lawyers and
judges who lived
and practiced before the code was adopted. In
1856 some of them
found their way to the supreme court. They were
men of ability and
high professional character, including among
them Flint, Dennison,
Tucker, Johnson and others.
Among the distinguished members of the La
Crosse bar and bench
whose names repeatedly occur in connection with
other matters may
be mentioned C. C. Washburn, congressman,
general and governor
of the state; Angus Cameron, United States
senator; Judge Gale,
who, dying at the comparatively early age of
fifty-one, had attained
more than a local celebrity, not only as a
jurist, but as an enthusiastic
advocate of the higher education. Among others
who represented
La Crosse in the state senate were William H.
Tucker, Edwin Flint,
Merrick P. Wing, T. A. Dyson, Thomas Morris.
The La Crosse county bar also gave its quota
when the call came for
volunteers in 1861. Beside General Washburn, La
Crosse was represented
by Alex. Cameron, G. M. Woodward, A. W. Bishop,
W. H.
Tucker and others.
An interesting bit of history was published
in a local paper a few
years ago which is inserted here in its
entirety, because even though
some are mentioned who are not connected with
the legal fraternity,
they were all early comers whose doings and
sayings have passed into
local history and deserve a place in any
compilation of its chronicles.
The story is headed "The First Judicial Stove
Used in La Crosse, and
How It Was Bought."
"The old La Crosse court-house was built in
1852. The money
used for its erection was raised by
subscription. When the building
was completed it was necessary to heat it and a
stove was purchased
of M. M. Manville who was a pioneer dealer in
stoves and tinware in
La Crosse. The original subscription list for
this purpose has been
shown to us by Mr. Manville, and it is so much
of a curiosity that we
reproduce it.
"'We, the subscribers, agree to pay M. M.
Manville, for the stove
now standing in the court-house, with the
stove-pipe attached, the
sums we severally subscribe.
"'La
Crosse, November 20, 1852.
"'Milton Barlow (paid), $2.50; Howard Cramer,
$2.50; F. M.
Rublee (paid), $2.00; Walter Brown, $1.00; Edwin
Flint (to be paid
December 1), $1.00; Benjamin W. Reynolds, $1.00;
S. D. Hastings,
$1.00; William W. Ustick, $.50; S. T. Smith,
$1.00; Robert A.
Darst, $.50; Cash, $.50; Robert Looney, $.50;
Cash, $.25; M. M. Manville,
$2.85. Total, $17.10.'
106
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
"The stove continued to do good service
until the erection of the
new (second) court-house. More than one-half of
those who contributed
to pay for the stove are dead.
"No man was better known in La Crosse or in
northwestern Wisconsin
than Milton Barlow. He resided for years in the
house now
occupied by his widow, on the east side of
Fourth street between Main
and State, where he died.
"Howard Cramer continued an honored and
respected citizen of
La Crosse until his death two years ago (1892).
"F. M. Rublee went to Colorado when the Pike
Peak's excitement
broke out and died at Central City.
"Walter Brown is one of the oldest citizens
of La Crosse, having
been here continuously since 1851.
"Edwin Flint was a lawyer of ability and
distinction. He was
elected judge of the circuit court for six
years. At the end of that
time he removed to Mason City, Iowa, where he
died about two years
since (1892). The fact that Judge Flint
stipulated that the dollar
subscribed by him should not be payable until
December first, shows
how little money there was in the country.
"Benjamin F. Reynolds was the celebrated
'Elder' Reynolds, afterward
well known throughout the northwest. The elder
was an almost
universal genius. He was a clergyman, a school
teacher, a land
speculator, a farmer, a political orator, an
editor, a Federal officeholder,
and an all-round man of genius. He resided for
many years
on the corner of Cameron avenue and Second
street, and died there
in 1877.
"In 1852, S. D. Hastings was conducting a
drug business, with the
late George Howard, in a store located about
where D. W. Marston's
store now is. He soon after removed to
Trempealeau and while residing
there was elected state treasurer.
"William W. Ustick was known as 'Deacon'
Ustick. He engaged
in a variety of occupations, and finally after
the death of his wife,
removed to Dubuque where he now (1894) resides.
"S. T. Smith came here from Cincinnati, Ohio,
and was one of the
most useful of our early citizens. He was widely
known as 'Deacon'
Smith. He was a strict and rigid Baptist, and
was of as much influence
for good in this pioneer settlement as any other
person. He lived in
a large house on Twelfth street, and died there
four years ago (January,
1890), at a very advanced age.
"Benjamin B. Healey removed to Trempealeau
and resided there
for a number of years. He now (1894) lives in La
Crosse and is one
of our wealthy citizens. It would not trouble
him much to-day to pay
the fifty cents he subscribed toward paying Mr.
Manville for the
court-house stove.
"Robert Looney was an early La Crosse
justice. His wife was a
sister of David Wright and Mrs. William Hood.
They all came to
La Crosse in 1851 from the lead regions of the
state. Chase A.
Stevens and Joseph K. French were two of the
pioneer lawyers of
La Crosse. They were men of extraordinary
ability, but they adapted
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
107
themselves to the rough ways of the frontier
courts. On one occasion
they were engaged in the trial of a case before
Justice Looney. As
the trial progressed the counsel became
extremely abusive. The court
repeatedly told them to keep quiet and to be in
order, but they went
from bad to worse, until the patience of the
court was exhausted.
The squire then laid down his pen, took off his
coat and threw both
of the lawyers out of the office. Having done
this judicial act he
resumed his coat and pen and quietly remarked
that he would have
order in his court if he had to whip every man
on the prairie. Squire
Looney moved to California many years ago and is
long since dead."
CHAPTER XII.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
THE FIRST DOCTOR - PHYSICIANS IN 1854 - THE
PROFESSION AT PRESENT
- LA CROSSE COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION -
THE ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL
- THE LA CROSSE HOSPITAL - THE LUTHERAN
HOSPITAL -
BIRTH RATES - DEATH RATES - R. S.
MACARTHUR, M. D.
The earliest mention of a doctor in the
annals of La Crosse was in
1842 when one Doctor Snow was engaged at Prairie
La Crosse as an
Indian trader. There is no indication in
contemporaneous history that
he was a practical physician, or to what he owed
his title. Dr. Bunnel,
of Detroit, Mich., settled in the village in
1844, with his family,
and was the first located physician. There is
mentioned about the
same time another Indian trader named Snaugh who
was known as
the "Dutch doctor." It is altogether probable
that the names "Snow"
and "Snaugh" are identical and refer to the same
person. Mr. Spencer
Carr in his census of the villiage taken in 1854
gives the following
list of physicians resident at that time: Jacob
McCreary, Joel Talmadge,
Thomas B. West, Dugald D. Cameron, Daniel Duck
and S. C.
Johnson.
The organization of the La Crosse County
Medical Society, December
12, 1855, and its list of officers suggest who
were the leading
physicians at that time. Dr. S. C. Johnson was
elected temporary
chairman and Dr. Dugald Cameron, temporary
secretary. Dr. Cameron,
at that time assemblyman elect, and re-elected
the following
year, was one of the four Cameron brothers so
notably connected with
the history of La Crosse. Dr. A. P. Blakeslee,
afterward editor of
the National Democrat, was the first president
of the society; J. B. G.
Baxter was vice president, D. D. Cameron,
secretary; S. C. Johnson
treasurer. Dr. Cameron was appointed delegate to
the State Medical
Society and Dr. Johnson delegate to the American
Medical Association.
The committe on constitution and by-laws was
composed of
Drs. McCreary, Blakeslee, Baxter, Cameron and
Myre; and on a code
of medical ethics, Drs. Baxter, McArthur and
Cameron.
The growth of the city and the moving
populaton would make a
complete list of the physicians who have lent
their aid to the sick and
suffering of the city, too long for insertion.
The half century that has
come and gone since the organization of the
society has numbered
among its members many men who have ranked high
in their profession,
and at the present time include some of the most
skillful physicians
and surgeons in the northwest.
There are at present (1907) in the city
forty-two physicians, among
108
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY 109
them several specialists, and twenty-one
representatives in the allied
profession of dentistry. In each of these
professions there is one
woman practitioner. In addition to the nurses
employed in the hospitals
there are twenty-seven private nurses in the
city.
The present officers of the La Crosse County
Medical Society are
Dr. A. Gunderson, president; Dr. D. S. McArthur,
vice president;
Dr. C. H. Marquardt, secretary and treasurer,
and Drs. E. Evans, C.
Miller and G. J. Evans, censors.
The three well-equipped hospitals now
established in the city have
greatly aided the medical fraternity in its work
of healing. Each of
the hospitals employs one house physician, but
in all the principal
attendance is by the city physicians, any of
whom may take their
patients to the hospitals for treatment,
subject, of course, to the rules
of the hospitals.
The earliest hospital was the St. Francis,
established in 1883. The
city hospital was established in 1900 and the
Lutheran hospital,
although incorporated in 1890, was not built and
ready for use until
1902.
The St. Francis hospital, under the
jurisdiction of the Francescan
sisters of Perpetual Adoration, is located on
Market street between
Tenth and Eleventh. The main building is 120 by
24 feet; the west
addition is 40 by 80 and the east addition 40 by
56 feet. The first building
was erected in 1883. In 1886 the west wing was
added and in
1891 the east wing, containing the chapel, was
built. In 1896 the needs
of the work compelled the building of another
addition which was
made on the west side, facing Tenth street. This
contains the surgical
department and is fully equipped with every
appliance demanded
by modern surgery. In the X-ray department about
one hundred
and fifty cases are treated annually, especially
for skin affections,
cancer, etc. A morgue is fitted up in the
basement for post-mortem
work, and in the basement is also the department
of hydro-therapy;
this occupies four rooms and has a complete
outfit for Turkish baths,
sprays, douches, etc. The building has all the
modern appliances for
heating, lighting, water supply, communication,
etc. There are six
wards and thirty-five private rooms, furnishing
accommodations for
about one hundred and twenty-five patients. The
statistics for the
year ending January, 1905, give the number of
patients remaining in
the hospital at the end of the year, 86; number
admitted during the year,
770; number of out-patients treated, 397; total
number, 1,167. The
total number treated during the past year
(1906), was 1,312. About
two-thirds of the cases treated in the hospital
are surgical cases. In
the medical department, aside from those
classified as "general and
infectious," and which include alcoholism,
rheumatism, and typhoid
fever, the largest group of cases was that
afflicted with some form
of nervous disease. In the surgical department
the largest groups
suffered from some form of appendicitis and from
affection of the
eye, ear and throat. There is one resident
physician and one trained
male assistant, but the attending physicians are
selected by the patients.
About one-fourth of the patients are
house-wives; farmers furnish
the next largest group, and laborers, domestics
and retired persons
110
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
send about the same number. The great
majority of the patients at
this hospital come from these five classes.
The building is of red brick, and in spite of
the fact that the additions
were made at different times, a unity of
construction has been
observed, and the building presents a pleasing
architectural appearance.
The first floor contains offices, the chapel,
lecture rooms for
nurses, private, toilet and bathrooms. On the
second floor are two
large operating rooms with a sterilizing and
preparing room between
them; consultation, waiting and dark rooms and a
pharmacy. The
remainder of the floor is occupied by wards and
private rooms. On
the third floor are private rooms and wards and
a suite of rooms for
the X-ray treatment. On the fourth floor is the
laboratory. The hospital
is furnished with an elevator and has its own
heating plant. In
connection with the hospital is an excellent
training school for nurses,
with a three years course, preceded by a period
of apprenticeship.
Sister M. Rose was the first and Sister M.
Matilda is the present head
of the institution.
The La Crosse Hospital is located between
Thirteenth and Oakland
streets with a forty foot front on Thirteenth
street and one hundred
and five feet on Badger street. It is three
stories above the basement,
and is built of red paving-building brick with
trimmings of Portage
red sandstone. The main entrance is on the north
and is a large vestibule
with marble wainscoating and tiled floor. The
building is fireproof,
no lumber having been used except for floors,
doors and trimming
for the windows. The walls and ceilings are all
painted, and
all the bedrooms have a south light. In the
middle of each floor is
a "sun room" for the use of the patients. The
north side of the building
is used for offices, nurses' and servants'
rooms, kitchen, toilet
rooms, etc. A corridor extends through the
center of the building,
giving direct ventilation. The main entrance has
a vestibule, hall,
reception room and office, separated from the
main corridor, so that
visitors may come and go without disturbing the
patients. All beds
stand with their heads to the outside wall so
that the patients' eyes
are protected from the direct rays of light. On
the first floor are the
matron's room, and consultation room with
private lockers. On the
second floor is a children's ward with the
nurses' room adjoining. On
the same floor is an eight-bed ward with a
fire-place at one end, and
a quiet room for nervous patients. The maternity
ward is on the same
floor. On the third floor is the operating-room
lighted with sky-light
and north windows, surgeons' dressing-room, and
etherizing and recovering
room, three rooms for two servants each, four
rooms for two
nurses each, and a single nurse' room. The
janitor is provided with a
room in the basement. The kitchen is provided
with modern, sanitary
appliances and conveniences. The hospital was
established in 1900.
The report of the city hospital for the year
ending June 7, 1906,
is as follows:
Balance on hand March 1, 1905, $180.32;
Receipts, $13,677.32; total
$13,857.64; Expenses $13,744.00; Balance on hand
June 7, 1906,
$113.64.
Resources: accounts receivable, cash and
supplies, $2,191.75.
Liabilities, $1,317.96. Charity, $1,554.96.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
111
Value of buildings, $39,835.64;
furnishings, $8,952.82; real estate,
$3,254.60; total, $52,043.06.
Patients in the hospital, June 1, 1906, 16;
patients died during the
year, 22; patients discharged, 379; total 417.
Medical cases, 189;
surgical cases, 163; obstetrical cases, 35;
cases not treated, 5. Average
number of patients per day, 24; average number
of days per
patient, 22. Number of nurses, 10; number of
probationers, 2; number
of employees, 9.
The La Crosse Lutheran hospital was
incorporated October 9, 1890,
by members of the Lutheran church belonging to
the Norwegian or
German synods. It was formed without capital
stock, and for benevolent
and charitable purposes. It was built by gifts
mainly from the
members of the churches named, and was completed
November 27,
1902. It is located in the southern part of the
city, overlooking the
Mississippi, and the bluffs across the river,
and has about two acres
of park about the buildings. It is a handsome
building of red brick,
four stories above the basement, the circular
ends of the wings breaking
the severer lines, and adding much to the beauty
of the exterior.
The hospital faces the northeast and thus
sunlight is admitted into
every room of the building, and it was built
with special reference to
warmth, dryness and ventilation. The length of
the main building is
114 feet, with an average width of 42 feet. On
the northwest side of
the main building is a wing 57 by 36 feet. There
are spacious corridors
on all the floors, and there are, exclusive of
the fifth floor, which
is not yet completed, 104 rooms. The heating and
ventilation is furnished
by the Sturtevant hot blast and ventilating
system, which is
installed in another building. A spray plant has
also been installed
through which the air passes, entering the
hospital free from dust and
dirt. The second floor of the heating-plant
building, which is a
solid stone building, 80 by 42 feet, - is used
as a laundry, and the third
floor for domitories for the nurse-pupils.
Although the hospital is conducted by the
Lutherans of the synodical
conference, patients are admitted regardless of
creed, and physicians
or spiritual advisors attend the patients
according to their own
wish.
The X-ray laboratory was completed by Drs.
Christensen and Gundersen
in November, 1904, the former having made a
special study of
X-ray treatment in Europe. The machine was made
in Germany
after the most advanced principles. The Finsen
light which was imported
from Copenhagen in 1904 is now in working order.
There is one house physician or interne, Dr.
Fortney. The superintendent
is Miss Kate G. Wemp, a graduate of Lakeside
hospital,
Cleveland, Ohio; Miss Bessie L. Colter, a
graduate of Hartford hospital,
Hartford, Conn., is the surgical nurse, and Miss
N. G. Paxton,
a graduate of Chatham, Ont., is head nurse. The
nursing is done by
graduates of the Illinois training school for
nurses, and other first
class hospitals, assisted by members of the
hospital's training school.
This school offers a three years course of
thorough instruction, both
theoretical and practical. The first class of
seven was graduated in
December 1905. There are at present twenty
student-nurses in the
school.
112
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
There have been admitted to the beds of
the hospital during the
past year 781 patients, making a total of 13,542
hospital days, an
increase of 1,638 over last year. Of the 781
admitted patients there
were 117 medical cases, eleven of whom died and
670 surgical cases,
eight of whom died. Besides these a large number
of dispensary
patients were operated upon but not afterward
taken care of in the
hospital. In all 891 surgical operations were
performed during the
year.
In the medical department the larger groups
of patients were suffering
from diseases of the stomach and intestines or
from some form
of nervous disease; the next in number were
troubles of the lungs and
throat. In the surgical department apendicitis
in some form far exceeded
any other trouble, there being in all 230 cases
operated upon.
The marine hospital service, of which Dr. J.
A. Rowles is surgeon,
treated in the hospital twenty-three seamen, and
in the office one hundred
and seventy-seven seamen during the year.
The total number of births in the city in the
year 1905 were, males,
260; females, 301, making a total of 561. In
1906 the numbers were,
males, 309; females, 303, total 612. The total
number of deaths in
1905 was 448 and for 1906, 434, showing a
lessening mortality with a
probable increase of population.
R. S. MacArthur, M. D., was born in Wales,
Erie county, N. Y.,
October 30, 1822, and was the son of Moses and
Mary (Salisbury)
MacArthur. Dr. MacArthur was educated in the
east, receiving his
degree as M. D. from the Buffalo Medical College
in February, 1847.
He practiced in Holland and Caledonia, N. Y.,
until the fall of 1855,
coming to La Crosse, October 22, of that year.
He was married before
coming west to Miss Mary Dean, of Caledonia, N.
Y., who survives
her husband, being still a resident of La
Crosse. Dr. MacArthur
was one of the most widely known physicians of
the northwest, his
practice here continuing until his death. His
son, Dr. D. A. MacArthur,
a graduate of Rush Medical College in the class
of 1884, succeeded
his father in the practice of medicine in the
city.
CHAPTER XIII.
LA CROSSE COUNTY PRESS.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY EDITORIAL WRITERS - THE
FIRST PAPER PUBLISHED
- THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES SUCCEEDED BY THE
DEMOCRAT
- CHANGES IN NAME AND EDITORIAL MANAGEMENT
- THE INDEPENDENT
REPUBLICAN - PEN PORTRAITS OF THE LA CROSSE
EDITORS
IN 1857 - "BRICK" POMEROY AND THE DEMOCRAT
- THE
CHRONICLE, ELLIS B. USHER - THE STAR AND
THE FREE PRESS - THE
LEADER, LUTE A. TAYLOR - THE LEADER AND
REPUBLICAN - THE LA
CROSSE SUN - THE GERMAN PAPERS - THE
NORWEGIAN "FAEDERLANDET"
- OTHER EARLY PUBLICATIONS - CITY PAPERS IN
1907 -
THE ONALASKA RECORD - THE NONPAREIL
JOURNAL, WEST SALEM
- THE BANGOR INDEPENDENT - CLIPPINGS FROM
THE EARLY PRESS.
The early press of La Crosse was
distinguished for the number of
men of striking originality who gained much more
than a local reputation
by their fearless, clever and witty pens. The
ethics of journalism
in the fifties was somewhat different from that
of the present day
in the circumstance that the personality of the
editor was a much more
prominent factor than at the present time, when
the politics of the
journal control the utterances of its editorial
writers. In one of the
early papers we have the views of the editor and
proprietor, a pronounced
Democrat with strong pro-slavery sympathies,
balanced
upon another page by the radical utterances of
another writer who was
given control of a portion of the paper, and
through his advocacy of
temperence measures, struck from time to time, a
blow at the other
crying evil of the day. A little later the same
paper under another
management, had one editor upholding the
secession movement and
another denouncing it. Then, too, the
personalities passed between
the editors, sometimes jovial, sometimes
bitterly venomous, would
not be considered in good form in journalistics
circles of today; and
while the profession has gained in dignity from
these changes it has
lost some of the piquancy that make the reading
of the early files so
interesting. It is the difference between the
fearless exposition of
the views, prejudices, loves, hatreds, ambitions
of the man and the
determined policy of the machine.
The first paper published in La Crosse was
the Spirit of the Times,
and the first editor was Albert La Due, who
brought the first press
into the village in the early part of 1851, and
issued the first number,
April 10, 1851. Unfortunately the file of this
paper has not been
preserved, and at an old settlers meeting held a
few years since, a
careful search produced only a single copy, of
the date, November 6,
113
114
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
1852, which is believed to be the only copy
in existence. Although
the paper has disappeared, some record of the
man remains. He was
a man of pronounced personality, a politician
who had already served
in the legislature from Sheboygan, and was
anxious for the continuation
of his political honors. The conflict of his
claims for preference
with those of other young men with similar
aspirations made his
editorial career anything but smooth sailing,
and with his election to
the legislature in 1852 his editorial career was
ended by a foreclosure
of a chattel mortgage upon his newspaper outfit,
and the paper passed
into other hands.
The purchaser of the office, W. W. Ustrick,
sold the plant to Chase
A. Stevens, a man whose name was prominently
associated with the
early history of La Crosse in many ways. He
associated with himself,
William C. Rogers, a practical journalist and
printer, and the politics
of the paper were Democratic, as were those of
the Times, although
Mr. Rogers was a Whig. Mr. Stevens changed the
name of the
paper to the La Crosse Democrat. In company with
Mr. William C.
Rogers he published the paper from April, 1853,
to April, 1854.
Stevens was the moving spirit in the paper and
was a typical newspaper
man, sanguine, enthusiastic, and clever, and in
the main fair
even to rival towns, which is the severest test
of journalistic good
temper. He was a Democrat, but gave up several
columns of his
paper to be edited by Samuel B. Hastings, an
uncompromising abolitionist,
and nominated on June 7, 1853, for state
treasurer on the
Free Soil ticket. The column was headed
"Progress and Reform"
and was devoted very largely to the temperance
question. A large
proportion of the paper during Mr. Stevens'
administration was devoted
to the prospective railroad between La Crosse
and Milwaukee
and to setting forth the advantages of La Crosse
as a business proposition.
The motto of the paper was characteristic of the
times, "The
Battle is not to the strong alone; it is to the
Vigilant, the Active, the
Brave."
The paper continued under this management for
a year, and presents
an excellent picture of the time, the
conditions, aspirations, difficulties
and development of the frontier village. Among
its advertisers
appear the names of many, who at that time were
struggling with the
hardships and poverty of pioneer life, but who
afterward became the
leading citizens of the city which grew out of
the frontier village.
At the end of the year Stevens and Rogers
retired from their editorial
position as presenting too many difficulties to
be successfully
met by a single publication. Politics were even
then growing accrimonious,
and all phases of political belief demanded
opportunity for
expression, and there was a large if scattered
constituency to consider.
Shortly after the discontinuance of the
Democrat a paper called the
La Crosse National Democrat was established by
Thodore Rodolph
and Cyrus K. Lord, who after an editorial
experience of three months
sold out to A. P. Blakeslee and F. E. Moore,
with the former as the
leading spirit in the editorial management. To
the latter, however,
the later generation is indebted for the
spirited reproduction of local
happenings, whose fidelity to the actualities
sometimes brought out
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
115
protests from people who did not enjoy having
their little foibles held
up to public view and comment.
About the same time, William C. Rogers, who
had been associated
with Chase Stevens in the publishing of the
Democrat, established
the Independent Republican, which, edited with
somewhat less of
spirit than characterized the Democrat, - whose
esprit seemed to descend
from one editorial management to another, - was
a clean, newsy
paper, devoted to the interests of the Whig
party. At a gathering
of the editors at the opening of the Newhall
House, Milwaukee, September
15, 1857, there is given the following
description of the La
Crosse editors as they appeared to their
contemporaries, and described
in the Milwaukee Wisconsin:
"Here comes a man who is jocosely introduced
as a 'border ruffian'
editor. He is full-sized, no beard, pleasant
features and gentlemanly
in his manners, - Blakeslee, of the La Crosse
Democrat. Coming up
at the same moment, and equally as cordial and
unwarlike in manner
is a Republican contemporary, Rogers, of the La
Crosse Republican."
The division in the ranks of the Democracy in
1859 resulted in the
establishment of another Democratic paper, under
the management
of A. P. Swineford, U. P. Olin and C. P. Sykes.
This was called
the Daily Union, and began its publication on
October 16, 1859. The
publication of the daily issue, compelled the
other papers to adopt a
like policy, and the Daily Independent
Republican was out ten days
later and followed on the next day by the Daily
National Democrat.
Even the heat of the presidential campaign,
already practically if not
formally opened, was insufficient to keep life
in three daily papers in
the little city, and in a few weeks a compromise
was effected by which
Mr. Olin retired from the Union, his place being
taken by Mr. Moore
of the Democrat, and a consolidation of the two
papers took place
under the name of The Daily and Weekly Union and
Democrat.
During the year Mr. Rogers had retired from
the Republican, which
had been purchased by Lottridge & Seymour by
whom it was run
until upon the appointment of the former to the
position of postmaster
in 1862, after which Mr. Seymour was the leading
spirit in its
management until its consolidation with the
Leader in 1871.
In the meantime the two factions represented
in the Union and
Democrat were still at variance as to the
political attitude of the
paper, and Mr. Sykes retired from it, selling
out his interest to Mr.
Mark M. Pomeroy, editor of the Horicon (Wis.)
Argus, who later
obtained a wide notoriety under the sobriquet of
"Brick" Pomeroy.
This change intensified rather than lessened the
differences already
existing, as Mr. Swineford was a supporter of
Mr. Buchanan for the
presidency, while Mr. Pomeroy as ardently
advanced the interests of
Stephen A. Douglas. The controversies were
brought to an end by
the closing up of the establishment by its
creditors, and after the susension
of its publication for a week, it was resumed by
Mr. Pomeroy
and Mr. Moore, Mr. Swineford having withdrawn
from the field.
The two daily papers had been issued for
about eight months, when
an arrangement was effected between the two for
tri-weekly issues,
the Union-Democrat appearing on Mondays,
Wednesdays and
116
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Fridays, and the Republican on Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays,
thereby giving the people the advantage of a
daily paper with less
expense to both proprietors and patrons.
There is no doubt that the personality of
"Brick" Pomeroy, one of
the most brilliant and erratic men who ever
wielded the editorial pen
in the state, established a unique record for
the paper of a town of
the size of La Crosse during his resdence there.
He was clever, fearless
and enthusiastic, but he was also unbalanced,
and vindictive. The
fact that his paper, at one time, reached a
circulation of 90,000 was
due in part to his disregard of the conventions,
which stimulated curiosity
as to what he would do next, in part to his
witty pen and in part
to an appeal to those whom the stirring events
of the times led to the
extremes of controversy.
At the beginning of hostilities between the
states, Mr. Pomeroy
was an ardent advocate of the war, although from
the first he was
inclined to be critical of those in authority.
His spirit of lawlessness
and intolerance of control culminated in bitter
attacks upon the Federal
government and upon Abraham Lincoln, and his
subsequent seeking
of a larger field in New York brought him into
conflict with factions
of his own party, and his attempts to expose the
graft of the
Tammany ring brought upon him an enmity which
compelled him
eventually to seek other fields. He experimented
with journalism in
Chicago for a while, returning in 1879 to La
Crosse, where he reestablished
the Democrat, which in a single year reached a
circulation of nearly 30,000.
When Mr. Pomeroy obtained complete control of
the paper in 1860
he dropped the "Union" from the name, and it was
known as the La
Crosse Democrat, until his removal to the east
in 1868. Upon his re-
establishment of the paper in 1879, it was known
as Pomeroy's Democrat.
He was a man whose fearlessness and disregard of
consequences
naturally attracted the following of bold and
independent spirits, and
if his judgment and generosity of spirit had
equaled his abilities
he would have gone down into history as one of
the great men of a
time that brought into prominence many men of
large caliber. Unfortunately
he did not measure up to his opportunities, and
while a
long list of admirable qualities of courage,
industry, energy, just and
generous business relations, and personal good
habits go to his credit;
yet the admiration which these excited were
always qualified by his
extravagance, intemperate speech and vindictive
spirit, which prevented
him from attaining a position in the public
esteem which
otherwise would have been easily within his
reach. His second journalistic
venture was sold in 1880 and was used as the
basis for the
Daily News.
Another pen-portrait of the La Crosse editors
has been preserved
in the Chatfield, (Minn.) Democrat:
"Early in the day we made our bow to the
editor of the Democrat,
and we confess we were somewhat disappointed in
his general appearance.
We expected to find him with a fiery red head of
hair and
whiskers, with comets for eyes, and a
corporation of aldermanic proportions.
But not so. We are pleased to say that we found
him to
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
117
be just like the balance of mankind, only a
little more so. He is
rather a small man, physically, with but a
slight covering of hair
upon his head, and that very similar in color to
a Milwaukee 'Brick';
a clean-shaved, boyish face, and bright blue
eyes. His nose and
mouth are nothing remarkable, but his tongue is
hung in the middle,
and never says a silly thing. His body, we
should judge, to be a composition
of whip crackers and steel wire, and the motive
power of his
brain, electricity and gun cotton. In short, he
is a little, white-headed,
withy cuss, brave as Caesar, 'sharp as tacks',
and saucy as the devil
himself.
"Messrs. Lottridge and Seymour, of the
Republican, are polished
and companionable gentlemen, with whom we were
much pleased.
They publish a sprightly, able, independent,
Republican paper, which
does not prevent them from turning the white
side out, when occasion
may demand it."
Some of the difficulties of editing a paper
at this turbulent period
were listed in the Democrat of May 5, 1863:
"Editing a paper is very pleasing business.
If it contains too much
politics, people won't take it; if it contains
too little, they won't have
it. If the type is large, it does not contain
enough reading matter; if
it is small, they can't read it. If we put in
the telegraphic reports,
they are lies; if we omit them, the paper has no
enterprise, or the
omission is for political effect. If we put in a
few jokes, they call
us a rattlehead; if we omit them we are an old
fossil. If original
matter is given, they blame us for not giving
selections; and if we
have selections, we are lazy, and are giving
them what they get in
other papers. If we give a complimentary notice
we are condemned
for being partial; if we do not, we are a greedy
hog. If we try to
please the ladies, the men are jealous; if we do
not, the paper is not
fit to enter the house. If we attend church, it
is for effect; if we do
not, we are deceitful and desperately wicked. If
we speak well of the
President, it is because we dare not do
otherwise; if we censure him,
we are a traitor. If we remain at home and
attend to our business,
we are too proud to mingle with our neighbors;
if we go out we never
attend to our business. If we do not pay out
bills, we are not to be
trusted; if we pay them promptly, it is presumed
that we stole the
money. If we wear poor clothes, our business is
poor; if we wear good
clothes, we are spendthrifts. What is a poor
fellow to do?"
It is noticeable that when the editors of the
La Crosse papers did
"give selections," they usually endeavored to
"add to the gayety of
the nations," by quoting from the Josh Billings
school of writers,
of which a sample, which may be of interest to
another generation, is
given. Josh claimed to have dropped into the
sanctum of "The Dala
Pokeepsian" and found that both the good-looking
editors were "non
est on handibus" and proceeded to read and
answer the correspondence
which he found on the editorial table "Lines to
a Sleepin Infant, bi
Alice, - received. Tha are tender, dredful
tender, almost tu tender
to keep thru this hot spel. You have talons of
the highest order but
yu must kross yur t's, or you kant suckseed in
potri. Good-by Alice.
118
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
"When this yu see, remember me,
Yure frend, Josh B., eternallee.
"Will Yo kiss Me, Dearest?, By Mary Ann, -
Accepted. We take
all of them kind of chanses. The potri aint
first-rate, but we expect
the kissin kant be beat."
Upon the departure of M. M. Pomeroy for New
York in 1868, the
Democrat was edited by John and George Peck and
Alfred E. Haven,
until August, 1871, when Pomeroy sold out to
Symes & Peck, and the
name was changed to the Liberal Democrat. In
1874 Mr. Peck withdrew
from the Liberal Democrat and Mr. Ellis B. Usher
entered as a
partner. The following year another change was
made, Mr. Symes
selling out to Mr. Robert Howard. As Mr. Pomeroy
contemplated
returning to La Crosse, and did return in 1879;
and still claimed the
privilege of the use of the name "Democrat" for
his prospective paper,
the paper so long known under that title was
changed to the Chronicle
before Mr. Pomeroy started his Pomeroy's
Democrat. In 1895 the
daily issue was established, under the name of
the Morning Chronicle.
The daily and weekly (Thursdays) being still
published under those
names. The politics of the paper changed from
Democratic to an independent
attitude.
Mr. Ellis B. Usher's connection with the
Chronicle lasted until 1901.
He was a native of Bixton, York county, Maine,
and was born June
21, 1852. The family came west in 1855 and the
following year to
La Crosse county settling near Onalaska. Mr.
Usher began working
for himself when he was sixteen years old, and
when he was
twenty was engaged in his first reportorial work
for the Republican
and Leader. In April, 1875, he purchased a half
interest in the Evening
Liberal Democrat, the name of which was soon
changed to The
Chronicle, and remained in connection with that
journal until 1901,
most of the time as leading editor. Recently Mr.
Usher has accepted
a position with the Allis-Chalmers Company of
Milwaukee as advertising
representative. Mr. Usher took a great interest
in the early
history of the county, and many of the early
records which have been
preserved will be found only in the files of the
Chronicle.
Mr. Charles K. Lush succeeded Mr. Usher as
editor of the Chronicle,
remaining in charge until the paper passed into
the hands of the
present maangement, the La Crosse Publishing
Association.
Lute Taylor, one of the founders and editor
in chief of the La Crosse
daily and weekly Leader, which was established
in August, 1869, with
Joseph S. Ewell as partner, and after two years
was consolidated with
the Republican, was born in Norfolk, St.
Lawrence county, N. Y., September
14, 1834. He was the son of Adolphus Taylor, a
Congregational
minister, who died when Lute was eight years of
age. Some four
years later he went to live with a
brother-in-law and remained with
him until 1856, working, attending school and
teaching. In 1856, in
company with his younger brother Horace A., -
familiarly known as
"Hod" Taylor, and who afterward became one of
the best-known men
of the state, as an editor, as a politician and
as a genial and whole-souled
man, - he established the River Falls Journal.
Horace Taylor
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
119
retired from the partnership two years later
and in 1871 Lute Taylor
moved his office to Prescott, in Pierce county,
where he published the
Prescott Journal until 1869. In August of that
year he became one
of the publishers and the editor-in-chief of the
La Crosse Leader,
which position he held until a short time before
his death. He held a
number of Federal offices, having served as
assistant assessor of internal
revenue, as assessor of the sixth congressional
district of Wisconsin,
until the abolition of that office in 1873, and
received the appointment
of surveyor of the port of La Crosse when the
city was
made a port of entry, holding that position at
the time of his death.
Mr. Taylor resigned his editorial duties with
the intention of entering
the lecture field, which was at that time a
popular way for a
man of brilliant attainments to bring himself in
touch with the public.
Mr. Taylor had already won a hearing for himself
by his editorial
writings, some of which had been gathered into
book form under the
name of "Lute Taylor's Chip Basket," and had had
a wide sale. His
route was planned and a number of engagements
made when he died,
after a brief illness, November 11, 1873, in the
prime of his life and the
beginning of what promised to be an
exceptionally brilliant literary
career.
Beside his unusual powers as an essayist he
was a virile and convincing
political writer, and a humorist whose fun
carried no sting of
venom. His intellectual range was wide, for he
was not only a logical
thinker, but had a poetic imagination whch added
spiritual life to his
writings. Through everything shone the
brightness of his optimistic
nature, which made what he said, secondary to
what he was. Wisconsin
literature suffered a serious loss in his death,
as no one has
since filled in the editorial ranks just the
place left vacant by his untimely
death.
Previous to the consolidation of the Leader
and the Republican, the
latter had moved into new quarters and had
purchased (in 1864) the
first steam presses and engine that came to La
Crosse. The Republican
was edited at this time and until it was
replaced by the Leader-
Republican by Mr. Charles Seymour, Mr. Seymour's
advocacy of certain
measures which he thought the public weal
demanded, aroused an
enmity which was at the time thought responsible
for the burning out
of his plant soon after the installment of the
new presses and engine.
Notwithstanding the heavy loss which this
entailed, and declining offers
of pecuniary assistance, Mr. Seymour
re-established his plant and
continued the publication of the paper until
1871 when Mr. Lottridge
became the business manager and local editor and
again entered the
journalistic field. After the consolidation of
the Leader and Republican
the paper was conducted for many years by
William R. Finch,
who had been superintendent and assistant editor
of the Republican
from 1864 to 1871. Mr. Finch, one of the most
widely known journalists
of the northwest, has but recently returned from
his sojourn
in South America, where he was envoy
extraordinary and minister
plenipotentiary to the republics of Paraguay and
Uruguay.
In 1874, George W. Peck, afterward governor
of Wisconsin, and
at that time a well-known editorial writer,
severed his connection with
120
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
the Liberal Democrat, and began the
publication of Peck's Sun, spoken
of by its contemporaries as "a licensed budget
of fun and satire." Mr.
Peck continued the reputation of La Crosse for
racy editorial writers,
but he soon longed for a larger field than could
be given by even the
rapidly growing metropolis of western Wisconsin
and in 1878 removed
his paper to Milwaukee.
The La Crosse Star, established by B. W.
Reynolds, in North La
Crosse in 1875 was succeeded by the La Crosse
Free Press, which ran
from February to July, 1877, and was in turn
succeeded by the Sunday
Free Press, which was edited by A. S. Foote, but
was discontinued
the same year.
The La Crosse Daily News was established in
July, 1880, by J. J.
Stuart and Alex. Nevins. Mr. Stuart shortly
after withdrew from the
enterprise which was continued by Mr. Nevins
until its suspension in
December, 1881. The News had used for it
foundation the Democrat
which had been established by M. M. Pomeroy in
1879, with A. S.
Foote as editor. Another paper called the La
Crosse Sunday Morning
News was established in 1882, by Geo. M. Read,
and conducted
by him until February, 1886, with H. L. Miller
as associate editor
from October, 1882 to February, 1884. During Mr.
Miller's editorship,
the paper was the organ of the Odd Fellows and
issued an edition
called the Odd Fellows News. It was conducted by
E. M. Read
for two years and sold to D. O. and P. W.
Mahoney and F. Z. Alexander
in February, 1888, who conducted it for one
year, after which
Mr. Alexander retired and the Mahoneys continued
its publication
until March, 1891. Under Mr. Read's management
the paper supported
the Labor party, and under the Mahoneys, the
Republican
party. In 1891 the paper was purchased by Carl
Dalton, who had, in
February of that year, established the Sun, with
which the News was
consolidated.
The first German paper published in La Crosse
was established in
November, 1856, and the following year purchased
by Fisher and Ulrich.
The latter soon purchased the control of the
paper and conducted
it for over a quarter of a century. The paper
while Democratic
at the time of its organization was really
independent, changing
its party allegiance as the issues of the day
commended themselves to
the judgment of the editor. The paper issued for
many years as a
weekly, is still an institution of the city,
being at the present time a
Republican semi-weekly, with Adolf Candrian as
editor, having been
a power in the education and development of the
German population
for over half a century.
A Norwegian paper, the Faederlandet, was
established January 1,
1864, by Fleischer & Schroeder. This was
afterward consolidated
with the Emigranten, published first at
Janesville and afterward at
Madison. After the consolidation of the two
papers, it was published
at La Crosse, and ably edited by Mr. F. A.
Husher.
Other papers which had an ephemeral existence
during the sixties
were the Daily Mirror, the Appeal and the
Democratic Journal. The
first was established in the spring of 1860, by
Mr. Harry Hayden, for
the support of Bell and Everett, and
discontinued March 4, 1861.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
121
Within a few days the press and type of the
Mirror was used in the
composition of the Appeal, a paper edited by
Thodore Rodolph as a
straight Democratic organ. Its publication was
continued for a few
weeks only. The Democratic Journal used the same
printing outfit
in 1862-1863 in issuing the organ of the war
Democrats, the Democratic
Journal. The last journalistic venture was
edited by Blakeslee
& Walrath, and was merged into the Democrat.
Following is a summary of the journalistic
enterprises of La Crosse
in 1907: The Leader-Press and the Chronicle,
respectively morning
and evening papers and descended in a direct
line from the Republican
and the Democrat of the early days are at
present under one
management, of which Mr. R. B. Gelatt is the
moving spirit. The
papers, however, still retain their identity,
and have each its own corps
of editors. It is interestng to note, as a phase
of modern journalism,
that the lineal descendants of the two papers
which in the fifties and
sixties spent no small proportion of their space
and energy to informing
the public as to the personal failings and
political sins of their
respective editors, are now housed peaceably in
the same offices, both
announcing themselves as politically
independent. Both papers are
ably edited and cover the general field of
journalism as well as the
local news.
The La Crosse, (Wis.) Tribune was organized
in May, 1904, and
incorporated with $10,000 capital stock, to
issue a daily newspaper
and other work connected with the printing
business. Its stockholders
included about sixty-five of the prominent
business men of La Crosse,
making it a merchant's paper. The original
officers were Willis E.
Barber, president; W. V. Kidder, vice-president;
A. M. Brayton, secretary
and treasurer, and the five directors were
Willis E. Barber, W.
V. Kidder, A. M. Brayton, Henry Waters
(deceased) and David S.
Fairbairn. The first copy of The Tribune was
issued May 16, 1904,
and its publication has been continuous since
its organization.
Notable in the career of The Tribune was its
fight, lasting for over
two years after its organization, against a
lighting monopoly in La
Crosse. Through its influence the monopoly was
broken and an independent
system was inaugurated. The Tribune has been
especially
fearless in its policies, always taking the side
of the people against
the public service corporation, and it never
during its existence lost
a battle of principle.
With unusual support from the business people
of La Crosse, most
of whom were stockholders, The Tribune was able
to succeed from
the start, something unusual with young
newspapers, and after the
legal period had been passed (two years) became
the official paper
of La Crosse county and the city of La Crosse.
The Tribune is an
8-page (or larger) daily, except Sunday, and
politically has been independent.
While favoring democracy in a general way it has
never
hesitated to advance the interests of what it
believed to be capable and
honest Republican candidates. It was always a
strong advocate of
the principles of Senator Robert M. LaFollette.
The Tribune is published
every day by its own machinery. The Tribune
offices and publishing
house is situated in the Montague building in
"newspaper row," 121 Main Street.
122
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
By action of the board of directors,
composed of W. E. Barber, W.
V. Kidder, A. M. Brayton and D. S. Fairbairn the
plant, accounts and
good will of the La Crosse Tribune was sold
February 9, 1907, to the
Lee Newspaper Syndicate, an organization
operating The Davenport
(Ia.) Times, Ottumwa, (Ia.) Courier, Hannibal,
(Mo.) Post-Courier
and the Muscatine, (Ia.) Journal. A new
corporation with the following
stockholders take over the Tribune: A. W. Lee,
Muscatine,
Ia., president of the Lee Syndicate; E. P.
Adler, secretary of the syndicate
and publisher of the Davenport Times; W. E.
Barber, W. V.
Kidder, A. M. Brayton, James F. Powell,
publisher of the Ottumwa
Courier, and Frank H. Burgess.
Mr. Burgess becomes business manager of The
Tribune, Mr. A. M.
Brayton publisher and Mr. W. V. Kidder managing
editor. The new
owners have ordered a three deck press, three
Linotype machines and
equipment which will make The Tribune the best
equipped paper in
Wisconsin outside Milwaukee. As soon as possible
The Tribune will
be established in a building of its own on Main
street in the heart of
the business district.
The Argus, an independent weekly with
Republican leanings, is published
in North La Crosse, and is edited by F. H.
Hartwell.
The Nordstern Association, incorporated with
a capital of $25,000,
issues the following publications: The
Abendstern, established in 1892
is an evening paper and is issued daily except
Sunday. It is Republican
in its politics and has a circulation of 1,200.
The Nordstern,
semi-weekly, is issued on Tuesdays and Fridays.
It was established
in 1856, is Republican in its politics and has a
circulation of 3,800.
The Volkspost is a weekly publication, and
circulates all over the United
States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. It is issued
on Wednesday
and every other week has a sixteen page
supplement, the Volksrath,
whose prominent feature is its physical culture
department. It was
established in 1900 and has a circulation of
20,000. These are all
German publications. The company also issues an
English monthly
magazine also devoted to physical culture. It
was established in 1906
and has a circulation of 8,000. Mr. Adolf
Candrian is president of the
publishing association and managing editor of
the periodicals.
The La Crosse Herold and Volksfreund was
established December
22, 1876, under the name of "Der Sauk County
Herold," Wm. Reatzmann
and Richard Porsch, proprietors, at Reedsburg,
Wis. In 1877
Mr. Raetzmann became sole owner of the paper,
and in 1891 moved
his business to La Crosse. Here the paper was
printed at the old
Ulrich building, (now Linker Block) at the
corner of Fourth and
Main streets; later at Scandia Hall, now the Y.
M. C. A. building, on
King street. January 22, 1891, the paper became
a semi-weekly, the
Wednesday issue was called the La Crosse
Volksfreund and the Saturday
issue the Herold and Volksfreund. Mr. John
Baenziger became
a partner of Mr. Raetzmann and the company was
changed to
a stock company, under the name La Crosse
Volksfreund Company.
Mr. Baenziger died August 3, 1902; his successor
as president and
editor, Maximilian Hahn, May 11, 1903, and
February 1, 1904, Gerhard
A. Kuehn became president, editor and business
manager of the
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
123
paper. The present stock-holders and officers
of the company are
Gerhard A. Kuehn, president; W. F. Wolf, vice
president; John N.
Cyonaniak, treasurer; A. Piotrowski, secretary.
The paper is Democratic
and very popular among the Germans of La Crosse
and vicinity,
a real friend of the people as the name
suggests. July 28, 1906,
the paper issued a souvenir edition, on its
thirtieth anniversary, which
was highly commended as credible work by
newspapers far and near.
The paper is published in German.
The Vlastenac, the only Bohemian paper in the
northwest, was established
by Thomas and John Soukup in 1898. In 1902 John
Soukup
purchased Thomas Soukup's interest and became
sole proprietor. It
is a Catholic weekly and has a circulation of
3,300.
The Patriot, a religious paper published in
the interest of the
Catholic population was established in 1881. It
is published by the
Excelsior Publishing Company, and has a
circulation of 2,000.
The Light, a paper published by the Purity
Association, is edited
by B. Steadwell. It was established about ten
years ago.
The average daily circulation of the
newspapers is 20,500 copies;
the average weekly circulation of the newspapers
is 30,200 copies.
Beside the papers published in La Crosse
there are three published
in the county. The Onalaska Record, Mrs. W. J.
Showers, proprietor,
was established in October, 1884, by a stock
company which employed
an editor, Mr. Ball filling that position first
and followed by Mr. Moran
for the three years which the paper was owned by
the company. In
1887 the paper was purchased by Mr. W. J.
Showers, who edited and
published it untl his death in the spring of
1904. Since that time it
has been managed by Mrs. Showers with the
assistance of her two
sons. It is independent in politics, and has a
circulation of 900.
The Nonpareil Journal at West Salem is edited
by Mr. W. Trimbell.
The Journal was organized by Geo. M. Reed, and
consolidated with
the Nonpareil in February, 1900, there being two
papers published
in the village for a short time. Leonard
Lottridge, well known as one
of the early settlers of La Crosse county, and
editor for some time of
the La Crosse Republican, in company with
Charles Seymour, was
one of the editors of the paper for a time, as
was also Stirling W.
Brown. The paper is at present independent in
its politics, and has
a circulation of about 1,000.
The Bangor Independent, F. B. Gesler, editor,
was established in
1887, by John Haynes, who ran it for three years
and sold it to R. W.
Davis. Six years later it was purchased by Mr.
Gesler, the present
proprietor. It was established as a Democratic
paper, but is at present
independent, with a leaning toward the
Republican party. It has a
circulation of 1,200.
In connection with this review of the La
Crosse Press it may be
interesting to note a few of the peculiarities
of the early papers. The
advertisements, then as now, took up a large
amount of space, but
instead of flaring headlines of fancy type the
advertisements were
printed solid in very small type, and the object
seemed to be to give
the readers the greatest possible amount of
information in the smallest
possible space, instead of arresting their
attention sufficiently to make
them investigate for themselves.
124
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Like Silas Wegg, the advertisers sometimes
"dropped into poetry."
One M. M. Manville, a hardware merchant, was
especially given to
this style of advertising:
"He warrants all with hearty cheer,
And spends his life without a fear;
He sells so cheap, you'll think it funny
To get so much for so little money."
And again:
"O, Manville is the queerest man
In this wide Yankee nation;
And for his selling tins and stoves
He beats the whole creation."
The editor seemed to approve of this method
of attracting attention
for he sometimes used it himself:
"Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
'I will my county paper take,
Both for my own and family's sake.'
If such there be, let him repent,
And have the paper to him sent;
And if he'd have a happy winter,
He in advance should pay the printer."
Sometimes personalities were indulged in
in the advertising column
that are amusing now, however serious they may
have seemed fifty
years ago. In October, 1853 a notice appeared in
which all persons
were warned against buying a note of $525, in
the hands of one Amos
Elliot as the note had been paid. This was
signed by Thomas Douglass,
Jr. In the reply, printed directly beneath the
first notice it was
claimed that there was still due $50 or $60 on
the note, and it concluded
thus: "He need have no fear of my selling the
note, for his
credit must have improved wonderfully recently,
or it would be impossible
to find a purchaser for this or any other note
bearing the
name of Thomas Douglass, Jr."
A "Daguerrian Gallery" was advertised in
which all persons could
have the privilege of sitting until a
satisfactory impression was obtained.
Rafferty & Leash, hat merchants, took advantage
of this invention,
and advertised to "put a deguerreotype likeness
of each customer
into his hat, free of charge," a device that
might attract customers
at the present day.
Another cheerful advertisement which would
attract the bargain
hunter was: "Metalic and Wooden Coffins, of all
sizes and shapes,
which will be sold at liberal prices."
Another in the "Lost and Found" column is
suggestive: "Found,
a set of teeth. Apply at the Augusta House
saloon."
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
125
One editorial comment is worthy of
preservation, as showing that
the editorial flights were not so lofty that the
men of the pen could
not note the effect of a bonnet, in passing:
"We are gratified to notice that many of our
young ladies are
sporting broad-brim hats, instead of the little,
flimsy, fuzzy-guzzy bonnets
so much in vogue. The change is sensible, and
shows off the
girls wearing the broad-brims to a hundred per
cent advantage."
If a cut in a milliner's advertisement in the
same paper, - a "scoop"
resembling the old-fashioned "shaker," -
represented the editor's idea
of a "little, flimsy, fuzzy-guzzy" chapeau,
one can but wonder how
some of the "creations" of to-day would strike
him.
The following comments on some women who
dared to appear on
the streets without the immense hoops that were
then in vogue are
but examples of a number which appeared about
the same time, all
of the same import, a humorous suggestion that
the non-wearers
were liable to be arrested for immodest
dressing:
"Two girls with very red faces, and wearing
big muslin stripes,
were in town Saturday, without any hoops on. The
marshall walked
across the street with them, but concluded not
to arrest them."
"Quite an excitement was created by the
appearance of a couple
of good-looking girls from the country whose
dresses were near the
size marked by nature, and minus the 'wagon
tires.' At first the city
marshal thought best to have them arrested, but
as they carried themselves
honestly and modestly he concluded that no
insult was intended
to our 'hoop institutions' and let them slide."
Patent medicines met with a good sale in the
fifties, if one may judge
from the many advertisements, and the book-agent
was even then a
recognized member of society for the
distribution of knowledge, being
offered from $3 to $5 per day for his services.
The familiar claim of a lack of worldly goods
by the editor and
his willingness to take up with any chance that
might offer for the
betterment seems to have been a joke even in the
fifties, by the suggestion
of the following:
"Money Found. - Any person having lost a sum
of money may find
it at the store of O. D. Rundalt. - Sparta
Herald.
"All right. We lost some from our pockets two
years since, and
lost some more on the election last fall. We
will call on Rundalt,
and if he has it as stated, we will write him an
O. D."
That the newspaper fraternity did something
more than stay at
home and applaud the patriotic sentiments of
others, during the strenuous
period of the Civil War is shown from the fact
that five employes
went out from one office, viz., John Hancock,
Major of the
Fourteenth Infantry; C. C. Messervey, captain in
the regular service,
afterward promoted to be captain in the Heavy
Artillery; J. W.
Wood, lieutenant in Company B, Second Infantry;
William H. Jones,
lieutenant in Company E, Twenty-third New York
Infantry; R. W.
Burns, corporal in Company B, Second Wisconsin.
CHAPTER XIV.
EDUCATION.
FIRST SCHOOL DISTRICT ORGANIZED - FIRST OFFICERS
- EARLY TEACHERS
- STATISTICS OF THE FIRST YEAR - FIRST
SCHOOLHOUSES - TEACHERS'
WAGES IN THE EARLY DAYS - SOME IDEAS AS TO
THE MISSION
OF SCHOOLS FIFTY YEARS AGO - SCHOOLROOMS
OVER-CROWDED - DEMAND
FOR COUNTRY TEACHERS - PRIVATE AND
PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS
- ORGANIZATION OF THE LA CROSSE HIGH SCHOOL
- FIRST GRADUATING
CLASS 1876 - CITY SUPERINTENDENTS - SCHOOL
STATISTICS
1906 - NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING - PAROCHIAL
SCHOOLS - 1906 -
COMMERCIAL SCHOOLS - ONALASKA SCHOOLS -
VILLAGE GRADED
SCHOOLS, WEST SALEM, BANGOR - COUNTY
STATISTICS - PAROCHIAL
SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF LA CROSSE.
The question of education for the children
of the pioneers received
early attention in La Crosse. The opening of a
public school preceded
the building of the first schoolhouse, for a
school was opened in the
newly-completed court-house in the fall of 1851,
the teacher being Mr.
Abner S. Goddard. The summer term of 1852 was
also taught in the
court-house, by Miss Clementine Bowe. The
organization of the
school district had, however, taken place in the
summer of 1851, district
number 1 being located as follows: the territory
lying north and
west of the centers of sections 4, 9, and 16, in
township 15 north, of
range 7 west, including sections 31 and 32 and
the west half of section
33 in township number 16 north, of range 7 west.
This territory includes
about the limits of the present city of La
Crosse. The qualified
electors of the district, numbering twenty, were
notified and they
met at the house of Simeon Kellogg for the
purpose of organization.
Lorenzo L. Lewis had been elected town
superintendent of schools
at the village election in April and it was he
who called this meeting
for August 2, 1851. After electing a chairman
and secretary for the
meeting the following officers were duly
elected: Edwin Flint, clerk;
H. J. B. Miller, treasurer; Timothy Burns,
director. A tax of $75,
was voted for the payment of teachers' wages and
the purchase of
necessary books for the keeping of records.
The first annual report of the District
clerk, Sept. 1, 1852, showed
the attendance during the year to have been 109;
the whole number of
days lost by absence, 2,196, and the number lost
by tardiness, 60. At
this meeting the subject of a new schoolhouse
was agitated, and a tax
of $300 voted for the maintenance of the school.
John M. Levy was
elected clerk at this meeting, S. T. Smith,
treasurer, and Simeon Kellogg,
director. Mr. Whelpley was engaged to teach the
school, but
126
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
127
the increased number of pupils made an
assistant necessary, and Miss
Mary Bayley was engaged for that work.
A committee appointed for the purpose of
selecting a site for the
schoolhouse soon after reported an offer made by
Messrs. Rublee and
Stevens, of an acre of land, fenced and set out
with trees, which offer
was accepted, and arrangements made for the
building of a brick
school house of two rooms. The building was not
however, completed
until 1854, the Methodist church having been
rented during the
previous year. It was scarcely taken possession
of before the question
of enlarging it came up and in 1856, a tax of
$5,000 was voted
for the purpose of erecting a main building
adjoining the first structure.
The next year (1857) a tax of $5,000 was levied
for the construction
of a school-building in the first ward.
Fortunately a vivid picture of the conditions
surrounding them has
been preserved by one of the editors of the time
who seemed to have
a special penchant for lingering around the
schools. He characterized
the teachers as "heroic workers" and scored the
city fathers for
the fact that their labors were so poorly paid
in comparison with other
professional work. They received only about nine
dollars a month
above their board, out of which they had to
clothe themselves and
provide for their other expenses. This was in
1857 when five teachers
were engaged in the newly-incorporated little
city.
At this time there were two school buildings
with two rooms each,
and if not graded in the present sense of the
term, there was at least
a division based on age and proficiency. In the
brick building Mr.
Montague had fifty or sixty children ranging
from ten to fifteen
years of age, crowded three in a seat. The
teacher was accredited
with energy and freshness of method, and the
pupils were generally
well-behaved and diligent. The adverse criticism
was that the recitations
seemed to be a matter of memory rather than a
comprehension
of principles or ideas. Miss Hanscome was the
teacher in the upper
room of the same building, and the fact that a
number of four-year
old children who had not yet learned their
letters were included among
her pupils was deemed "inexcusable negligence"
on the part of the
parents.
In the schoolhouse located "near Judge
Lord's" Miss Knight had
thirty pupils. One class of seven or eight in
the Third Reader, read
"promptly and well." Miss Vincent had about the
same number in
the room above, "mostly small." Miss Gordon in
the first ward had
had a serious time and drew most heavily on the
sympathy of the
narrator. He said: "She has been driven from
post to corner until
she has now a month's quiet in two little
bedrooms opposite Mrs. Finney's,
the doctress (afterward Mrs. Leonard Lottridge).
Here without
desks or hardly any conveniences, she tries to
house some fifty
little people. Miss G. shows energy and true
heroism in her place,
and we trust she will see better things in the
future. We noticed
Master Eddy Rodolph and Master Patten as very
spunky, and ahead
in the reading class. We think they should
occasionally be allowed
to stand on their heads, wrestle at 'side hold'
and take a lesson in
boxing."
128
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
The friendly critic was pleased with the
schools and the teachers
as a whole and the lack of life and interest in
some cases was properly
attributed to the poor unfit schoolrooms and the
neglect of parents.
He let the fathers off lightly but scored the
mothers. "Our business
men are much occupied and have a color of
excuse; not so with the
mothers; if they showed half the interest in
educating their children
that they do in sowing their silk dresses on
Sunday, our young America
would get along much better."
About the same date the statement is made
"that the new large
center of the brick schoolhouse is progressing
rapidly and promises
to be the crowning glory, if not the ornament of
the city." The following
year, Mayor Campbell, in his inaugural address
called the attention
of the citizens to the imperative need of more
school buildings,
although $10,000 had just been expended for that
purpose. The northern
part of the city, especially was in need of more
room.
A later review of the schools reported Mr.
Green as installed in the
new center building, with eighty pupils, from
twelve to sixteen years
of age. Mr. Green was "sharp, energetic and
well-qualified for his
place," and taught geography, grammar,
arithmetic, physiology, algebra,
rhetoric and Latin. Miss Hanscome had fifty
pupils in the
lower room of the old building, ranging from
eight to fourteen years
old. The branches which she taught were reading,
writing, spelling,
geography, grammar and arithmetic.
Misses Gordon and Knight conducted the
primary or "Menagerie"
department and had charge of "eighty young
hopefuls fresh from the
trundle-bed, taking in all sizes, from a pint
cup to a coffee-pot." It
was conceded that any resemblance to order in
such a box was out
of the question. "The little chaps are packed in
seats as close as they
can stick, their toes just touching the floor,
with nothing to do but
look out of their eyes, scratch their heads, or
punch the next little bub
beside them. The teachers, we may say, stand the
joke cheerfully and
patiently."
The visitor went on to say that "little
jokers" had eyes, ears, fingers
and muscles to be trained as well as minds, and
suggested, among
other things that seemed necessary a requisition
of soap and hair-
brushes. He also thought that the rooms should
be supplied with pictures,
maps, drawings, plenty of chalk and pencils, and
was even so
daring as to suggest a tamborine or bag-pipe and
lessons in dancing
and gymnastics. "The true idea of a school for
young children," he
said "is where the body and senses, which are
the most active, and the
mind can be trained together." It appears that
about this time better
accommodations must have been secured for the
first ward as it recorded
that on January 1, 1858, the first ward schools
re-opened with
Mr. Bradish and Miss Roosevelt as teachers. The
charges of the latter
had increased in number from fifty to seventy,
but the range in
age, four to eight, was about the same. The
seats furnished were long
benches without desks which had formerly been in
use in the old
court-house. The teacher, "by managing to be
everywhere at once
keeps them heads up and toes down."
Educational facilities for the out-lying
country districts were not
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
129
neglected, although the buildings and
appliances for work were of the
most primitive order. Notices for meeting for
the consideration of the
needs of districts, and for voting of taxes for
building schoolhouses
appeared from time to time in the papers; also
occasional advertisements
for teachers for the country schools. The supply
did not seem
to equal the demand, and it is scarcely to be
wondered at when a
"Citizen" reveals the real state of the county
finances. "Where is the
school money? Not a teacher in the county can
get his pay unless he
takes it in county orders, which are worth only
seventy-five cents on
the dollar." When one considers that the village
teachers received
only $9 per month above their board, and that
the rate for district
schools must have been even lower, and they
received only seventy-
five per cent of that, it is not to be wondered
at that the patrons were
obliged to advertise for teachers. The only
wonder is what were considered
"liberal wages" offered to the persons "of good
moral character
and educational qualifications" required.
The deficiency in the school funds was
accounted for by a too high
assessment of property in comparison with other
parts of the state
and the fact that the state tax was paid before
any other claim. There
was also some difference of opinion in regard to
the expenditure of
money for building purposes, some being in favor
of supplying the
immediate needs at the least possible expense,
while others claimed
that this was only a foolish and useless
expenditure of money, and that
it was necessary, especially in the rapidly
growing town, to provide
somewhat for the future, and especially urged
the securing of large
and pleasant sites for school purposes, while
the prices of real estate
were still moderate.
While these beginnings of the public school
system did not meet the
demand, the lack was in a measure supplied by
private schools. The
first one for little children was opened by Miss
Bentley, who secured
a pleasant room in a building near the
Presbyterian church, where she
had about twenty little pupils. Here, as
elsewhere, there was a lack of
suitable seats and desks, but the children were
not crowded as in the
public schools. Miss C. M. Bowe opened a select
school September
7, 1853. She taught English, Latin, French,
drawing, oil-painting, embroidery,
and writing. The tuition for the English
branches was $3,
for other branches from $2 to $5 per term.
Miss Bentley's school afterward developed
into the La Crosse Academy
where she was assisted by her sister. This was
opened in May,
1856, in which the rates were advanced to the
following figures:
English branches, $5; French, $3; music, $8.
There were also a number
of extras, such as painting, wax flowers, etc.
This institution had
the support of the community and the citizens
assisted it in various
ways.
The La Crosse Female Seminary was another
school for advanced
pupils opened in September, 1857, by Misses S.
E. and S. M. Wells.
The first parochial school was opened in
1856, under the auspices of
St. Mary's church, in a building near the
church. In August, 1858,
the opening of the school-year was advertised
under the name of St.
Mary's Academy, under the direction of Miss
Ellen Gray. When the
130
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
German Catholic church built, in 1868, a new
school-building on the
corner of Sixth and Main streets, the Catholic
school was moved
into it. The second parochial school opened was
that under the auspices
of the German Lutherans in the building that was
at that time
also used as a church. The pastors were the
early teachers. In 1865,
Mr. Kertschmer was engaged as teacher and from
that time the school
has been in charge of teachers employed in that
vocation alone. In
1880 the increase of attendance demanded a new
and larger schoolhouse
and an assistant teacher.
The Civil War made its demands upon the
schools as upon other
professions. John D. Anderson, principal of the
Third ward school,
accepted a lieutenancy in the La Crosse
Artillery, his place being supplied
by John J. Jewett, formerly the principal of the
Dubuque high
school. In 1863 the following report is given:
First ward, H. Denton,
principal; Misses E. C. Messervey, Annie Edgar,
Eliza Warren,
and Wood, assistants. Number of pupils, 68;
boys, 28, girls, 40;
average age, 13-1/4 years. In the Third ward, R.
A. Donaldson, principal;
Misses Emma Horton, Mary Meeker, Emma Smith,
Laura
Rodgers, assistants. Number of pupils, 53;
average age 12-1/2 years.
The decade from 1850 to 1860 was the era of
beginnings but in each
decade following until 1900 the increase in
population averaged 7,700,
and the educational facilities kept pace with
this rapid growth. As
nearly two-thirds of the population of the
county is within the limits
of the city of La Crosse, the greater growth in
educational matters
will be found to correspond with the increasing
needs of this center
of population.
It would be impossible within the limits of
this chapter to trace the
development of the public school system from
these small beginnings
to the present. Only a summary of the latest
statistics can be given
and to those interested in this line of research
the records of the intermediate
stages are easily accessible.
A resolution was adopted by the board of
education of the city of
La Crosse, December 5, 1870, to open a high
school in the second ward
building. La Crosse had at that time less than
8,000 population and
four wards. The board consisted of Judge James
I. Lyndes, William
R. Sill, George Scharps, George Howard, Fred
Tillman, and Rev. N. C.
Chapin was the superintendent of schools. The
new building erected
in the second ward cost $13,000. Mr. M. Varney,
principal of the
Third ward school was elected the first
principal of the high school.
There is no record of the exact number enrolled,
but judging from
the number of promotions, it was about seventy.
Physical geography,
general history, physiology, Latin and German
were included in the
course of study. In June, 1871, nineteen were
promoted to class B;
twenty-five to class C, the rest remaining in
class D. At the opening
of the following year ninety were enrolled in
the high school. It
started without any well-defined course of study
and the three years
course was adopted until 1877 when the course
was extended to four
years, and a higher standard for admission
required. In consequence
the number admitted fell from 83 in 1873 to 49
in 1874. The first
class was graduated in 1876 and consisted of the
following persons:
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
131
Augustus L. Abbott, Minnie E. Sabin, John B.
Richards, Stephen
Martindale, Jr. Four left school in 1875 and
were admitted by examination
to the University of Wisconsin. On account of
the change
in the course there was no graduating class in
1878.
The total number of students admitted to the
high school since 1887
(twenty years) is 2,321. In the thirty classes
which have graduated
there have been a total of 543 students, the
largest class numbering 42,
being that of 1901. The enrollment in the high
school was 355 in
1905 and 410 in 1906. The present principal of
the high school is Mr.
W. R. Hemmingway, who has been in that position
for twenty-eight
years.
Mr. Albert Hardy, principal of the First
district, has been connected
with the city schools since 1881, having served
as superintendent for
seventeen years.
The list of superintendents is as follows:
1867-1868, J. Atwater;
1868-1872, Rev. N. C. Chapin; 1872-1873, M. F.
Varney; 1873-1877,
J. W. Weston; 1877-1880, C. W. Roby; 1880-1881,
J. J. Fruit; 1881-
1897, Albert Hardy; 1897-1907, John P. Bird.
Among those who have maintained an active
interest in the high
school since its organization may be mentioned
Dr. Wendall Anderson,
mayor of the city in 1899-1900. He was president
of the school
board from 1873 to 1877 and did much to perfect
the graded school
system.
The following interesting items in connection
with the city schools
are taken from the report for the year ending
August 31, 1906:
Total receipts for the year, $158,368.13;
total expenditures, $111,609.05;
balance August 31, $46,759.08. About one-sixth
of the receipts
come from the interest on the school fund.
Total amount of teachers' salaries,
$77,417.28; janitors' salaries,
$9,728.23; other expenses, including fuel,
furniture, apparatus, books,
etc., $24,463.54. The salary of the
superintendent is $2,300 and of
the principal of the high school $1,700; the
average salary of the assistant
teachers is about $500; of the assistants in the
high school about $750.
There are seventeen school buildings in the
city. The school census
gives the number of boys, 4,886, of girls 5,239,
total 10,125. The
number between the ages of seven and fourteen,
4,272; the number
that attended school thirty-two weeks or more,
2,953; the number
that attended private schools thirty-two weeks
or more 1,271. Total
enrollment for the year 4,978; average daily
attendance, 4,098; number
of volumes in the school library, 4,581;
estimated value of the
library $3,351.
The board of education of the city of La
Crosse at the present time
consists of the following perons: William
Luening, president; John
P. Bird, superintendent; Th. Arenz, clerk;
Edward Evans, Henry
Grund, J. J. Durland, Otto Loeffler, C. L. Lien,
and George H. Hay. The
office of the board is in the new high school
building at the corner of
Cass and Fifteenth streets. The high school is
one of the eight independent
high schools of the state. The principal of the
high school
is W. R. Hemmingway; the principals of the ward
schools are Albert
132
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Hardy, First district; James W. Congdon,
Second District; N. S.
Donaldson, Third district; Fourth District,
discontinued; Henry
Spence, Fifth district; Frank H. Fowler, sixth
district; Harry G. Hayden,
Seventh District; special teachers, Barbara A.
Russell, supervisor
of music; Sarah H. Maeniar, supervisor of
drawing; Elizabeth H.
Irish, teacher of the deaf; Anna Grams, teacher
of German.
The high school has just taken possession of
the handsome new
building at the corner of Cass and Fifteenth
streets, the old one, at the
corner of Main and Eighth, being temporarily
vacant. The grounds
of the high school building is the block between
Fifteenth and Sixteenth
streets, facing Cass. It is a large rectangular
building, of paving
brick, with Bedford stone trimmings. Its
architectural appearance
is imposing rather than ornamental. It is 215
feet long and 120
feet wide, exclusive of the boiler and dynamo
rooms. The main
entrance is on Cass street, but there are also
entrances from both Fifteenth
and Sixteenth streets. The building has two
floors above the
basement with the addition of four rooms for
drawing in the front on
the third floor and immediately above the main
entrance. The main
corridors, seventeen feet wide on all the
floors, extend from east to
west, with smaller corridors opening into the
rooms at the sides and
rear. The building is excellently lighted, the
interior rooms by two
courts. In the front of the main floor are the
superintendent's and
principal's offices and class room. On the
opposite side of the corridor
between the two courts is the assembly hall,
seating 600, with accommodations
in the gallery for about 200 more. It has a
gently
sloping floor and is seated with opera chairs,
with a stage elevated
about three feet. At the sides and at the rear
are class-rooms, toilet-
rooms and lockers. On the second floor the same
general plan is followed.
The front rooms are for the commercial
department, typewriting,
library, and teachers' rest room. There are
about twenty-five
class-rooms on the two floors. The botanical
laboratory is on the
second floor and the laboratories for chemistry
and physics in the basement.
The main corridor extends through the basement
as on the
upper floors. There are also large rooms for
book-supplies, lunchroom
and the cooking and sewing departments. In the
rear of the
basement is the gymnasium, 75 by 35 feet, with
separate entrances for
the boys and girls and toilet rooms with lockers
and bath rooms with
tubs and sprays connected with each.
The city supports, in addition to its public
schools, nine private and
parochial schools; seven of these are under the
direction of the Catholic
organizations, and are all in charge of the
Francescan sisters. St.
Joseph's school has a registration of 312; 143
boys and 169.girls; the
Holy Cross school, 94; 55 boys and 39 girls; St.
James school, 227,
95 boys and 132 girls; St. John's school, 85; 42
boys and 43
girls; St. Mary's school, 105; 52 boys and 53
girls; Holy Trinity
school (German) 218; 102 boys and 116 girls; St.
Wesceslas, 183; 99
boys and 84 girls. This makes a total of 1,224
pupils receiving instruction
in the Catholic parochial schools, for whom
about thirty-five
teachers, Francescan sisters, are employed.
There are also two parochial
schools conducted by the German Lutheran church,
one at 517
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY 133
Cass street, under the supervision of Rev. J.
T. Gamm, and the other,
the Emanual Lutheran school, on the north side,
at the corner of St.
Paul and Avon streets, under the supervision of
Rev. G. M. Thurow,
of which Mr. Hugo Krieg is the teacher.
La Crosse has two commercial schools covering
the branches usually
taught in the commercial colleges. The Wisconsin
Business University
is the oldest business training school in the
northwest, having
been in continuous operation for nearly forty
years. It came under
its present management in 1892, and was
incorporated at that time.
Mr. F. J. Tolland is at its head and under his
management it has advanced
rapidly in standing and enrollment. Over five
thousand of its
graduates are employed at the present time,
three hundred of whom
were sent from the college to excellent
positions during the past year.
The Keefe Business College covers similar ground
in the preparation
of its students for mercantile and commercial
life, and has a reputation
for giving excellent preparation for business
life.
The Onalaska city schools are housed in a
substantial brick building,
erected in 1896-97, following the burning of the
old building. It
is situated on the main street and is surrounded
by ample grounds.
The school employs six teachers in the grades
and three in the high
school. The whole number of children enrolled is
310, being divided
as follows; high school, 64; seventh and eighth
grades, 40; fifth and
sixth grades, 41; fourth and fifth grades, 40;
third grade, 35; second
grade, 36,; first grade, 56. The average
attendance is 301, and the
whole number of children in the city, of school
age, 353. The school
building, which is valued at $17,000, has
accommodations for 500
pupils; the value of the apparatus in use is
$1,000. The principal is
Prof. J. H. Jordon, a graduate of the University
of Wisconsin. He
receives a salary of $1,000, and the average
salary of the assistants
for the school year is $396.
The number of school districts in the county,
outside of the two
cities, and under the supervision of B. J.
Oltman, county superintendent,
is seventy. Of these, two, West Salem and
Bangor, support
graded village schools, and there are also four
state graded schools
of the second class. The schools of West Salem
have for principal,
Chas. H. Deitz, a graduate of the University of
Wisconsin. He has
three assistants in the high school and four in
the grade schools, each
teacher of the lower rooms having charge of two
grades. One of the
high school assistants takes charge of the music
and drawing for all
the departments. The schoolhouse is a commodious
building of red
brick. It was built in 1888 and remodled in
1902-03. The school
property is valued at $12,000 and the apparatus
at $300. The library
contains about 1,000 volumes. The school is
accredited to Group A,
and Mr. A. W. Tressler, secretary for the school
commission of the
University, in a recent visit, commended the
work of the teachers, the
spirit of the pupils and the general condition
of the school. About
two-thirds of the pupils are from the village.
The rest are pupils who
pay tuition or are from the surrounding
community, the limits of the
school district extending beyond those of the
village corporation.
The Bangor high school is under the direction
of Principal C. H.
134
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Bashhuber, who has seven assistants, three in
the high school and four in
the grades. The number of pupils in the school
is 190, of whom 37 are
in the high school. The schoolhouse is a plain
building of Milwaukee
brick, and has a sightly location, but rather
bare surroundings. The
value of the building is $4,500 and other
property, including the heating
system apparatus and library $2,000.
The whole number of school buildings in the
county, outside of the
cities, is 70, with accommodations for nearly
4,000 pupils. There are
in the same jurisdiction 4,396 children of
school age, 2,214 of these
being boys and 2,182 girls. The total population
is 14,100. The number
between the ages of seven and fourteen is 2,200
and the number
between the ages of four and twenty enrolled in
the schools is 2,814.
The number of graduates from the district
schools last year was 38.
The estimated value of the school, property in
the county, exclusive of
the cities, is $86,322; of the school apparatus,
$13,870; the number of
volumes in the district libraries, 9,719, and
the estimated value of the
libraries, $5,377. The annual salary of the
principal at West Salem
is $1,200 and that of the Bangor school $900.
The average salary of
the assistants in the village schools and the
teachers of the district
schools is about $35 per month. Since the
average monthly salary
of the assistants in the West Salem school is
about $47, it would seem
that the salary for the country schools was very
low.
There is one parochial school under the
charge of St. Joseph's
(Catholic) church, with an enrollment of about
75; one in the town of
Barre, (Lutheran) with an enrollment of about 65
or 70, and an average
attendance of about 50, and one at Burr Oak
(Lutheran) with an
enrollment of about 90. These are all among the
German speaking
people. As reports of these schools are not
filed with the county
superintendent the numbers are merely estimated.
It is probable that a new normal school will
soon be located at La
Crosse, a bill providing for it being now before
the legislature, the site
having been already purchased by the state.
CHAPTER XV.
CHURCH HISTORY.
FIRST RELIGIOUS MEETING - NON-ORTHODOX SOCIETIES
- RELIGIOUS SECTS
REPRESENTED IN 1854 - BAPTIST CHURCH,
ORGANIZED 1851 -
FIRST CHURCH BUILDING ERECTED - LATER
BAPTIST CHURCHES
- FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH - FIRST
METHODIST CHURCH -
LATER METHODIST CHURCHES - CATHOLIC
CHURCHES - ST. ROSA'S
CONVENT - EPISCOPAL CHURCH - LUTHERAN
CHURCHES - JEWISH
CONGREGATION - PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - ST.
PAUL'S UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH - GERMAN EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION -
GERMAN REFORMED
CHURCH - ADVENTIST CHURCH - CHURCH OF
CHRIST, SCIENTIST -
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION - YOUNG
WOMEN'S
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
Whether or not the aboriginal inhabitants
of this section of the
country received any religious instruction from
the priests who first
traversed this region, there is no way of
learning at the present time;
that they did is, however, altogether probable.
During the captivity
of Father Hennepin farther up the Mississippi he
gave the name to
the St. Croix river in commemoration of the
first setting up of the
cross in the wilderness, and it is among the
legends that the name La
Crosse had a similar derivation. Although that
legend is discredited
by the best authorities, yet it might easily
have been the case.
The first authentic record which we have of a
religious meeting
held within the present limits of the county as
one at which an itinerant
Methodist minister, - the circuit rider of the
early day, - officiated. His
name was George Chester and he preached in the
little village of La
Crosse in July, 1851. But neither of the
churches which have been
the advance agents along the frontier line, the
Catholic or the Methodist,
was the first to organize a society. That honor
belongs to the
Baptist and Congregational churches whose
organizations date from
the same day.
Although the condition that governed the
early development of La
Crosse as a lumber town and the depot of
supplies for the vast pineries
to the north brought a floating population
containing a lawless
element, yet the sturdy, uncompromising piety of
some of the early
settlers was a leaven of sufficient strength to
more than counterbalance
this disregard for the fundamental principles
that govern both the
social and the ethical life, and the growth of
the churches has been
steady through the intervening years.
Antedating the establishment of any of the
orthodox sects in La
Crosse county, there came a company of several
hundred Mormons
135
136
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
from Nauvoo, Ill. With characteristic thrift
they selected some of the
most fertile valleys in the county and some of
the best lumbering
points on the Black river and established
themselves there in 1843.
The events culminating in the death of their
leader, Joseph Smith, resulted
in the calling together of the Mormon bands, and
relieved western
Wisconsin of the incubus of their presence and
institutions.
After the removal of the Mormons to Utah and
their subsequent defiance
of the Federal authorities, the La Crosse papers
give much space
to the reports concerning their one time
neighbors, and to editorial
comment upon the same, always in a spirit of
bitter denunciation,
showing that their departure to other localities
was not in any way
deplored by the other early settlers. There
still remains a small remnant
of this sect in La Crosse and the vicinity and
although they have
no regular pastor, hold weekly services.
Another sect, somewhat without the pale of
orthodox limitations,
made an early entry into La Crosse circles and
for a time exerted a
considerable influence in the community. The
first announcement of
the advent of the Spiritualists was a notice in
the Democrat of October
31, 1856, that a Mrs. Burgess, a Spiritualist
medium from Racine
would lecture "in a trance state." The paper
spoke of her as "quite
an accomplished lady and very intelligent."
Other speakers and meetings
were commented upon in a spirt in which wonder
and mockery
seemed equally in evidence. In December, 1857,
there were five Spiritulistic
"mediums" in the little city, and "circles" held
every night in the
week. At one meeting at Barron Hall, a Miss
Force, possessed by
the spirit of Lord Chesterfield, is recorded as
"a regular brick, who
knocked right and left among the sectarian
crockery."
Although La Crosse was for the first decade
without religious
organizations, yet it was not without religious
sentiment and influence.
In a compilation made in 1854 by Rev. Spencer
Carr, in which all the
heads of families, numbering 300, and all the
single men and women
aboye eighteen, numbering 116, in La Crosse and
the immediate vicinity,
were included, a very large proportion of them
were enrolled in
some church organization previous to their
immigration to the frontier.
In his little community, in all about 800
persons, fifteen denominations
were represented. The following gives the
principal ones in the respective
order of their numerical strength: Baptist,
Methodist,
Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Universalist.
Other denominations
whose adherents numbered less than twenty were
Episcopalians, Disciples,
Christians, Adventists, Free-will Baptists,
Dutch Reformed,
United Brethren, Friends and Swedenborgians. All
these in one small
community certainly presented a sufficient
variety of creeds to have
met the spiritual needs of the most conservative
or the most advanced
thinker along theological lines.
Of these sects which planted the seeds of
their peculiar tenents in
the frontier village, many have developed into
strong congregations,
occupying edifices of their own, some of which
are models of ecclesiastic
architecture, and possessing all the necessary
auxilliaries for the
upbuilding of Christian sentiment in the larger
community of today.
These and others which have later entered the
field will be considered
separately.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
137
The Methodists and Baptists of the early
day came largely from
New York, the Universalists from New England, a
group of Presbyterian
descendents of a Scotch-Irish colony of
Pennsylvania, came
west by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers,
and were of the type
known as "blue." The Methodists and Baptists
were also of the
sterner mold of the earlier day that frowned
upon the rollicking amusements
of the times. The German immigrants were divided
between
the Catholic and the Lutheran churches, while
the Irish, with the exception
of the Scotch-Irish, belonged almost wholly to
the former and
the Norwegians to the latter.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
"On October 1, 1851, some seven members of
the Third Baptist
Church of St. Louis, Mo., immigrated to La
Crosse with a view of permanent
settlement and the early organization of a
Baptist church. They
brought a forty dollar Sunday School library
with them to supply a
school that had been previously organized by one
of the members, who
preceded the small colony. On arrival they found
a resident population
of about one hundred whites and as many or more
Indians. Soon
after their arrival Elder William H. Card
visited the village and upon
learning of the intention of a church
organization at an early day consented
to bring his family here and aid in the
movement. In November
Mr. Card and family and four other Baptists
arrived in La Crosse
and on January 22, 1852, the church was
organized in the house of
S. T. Smith with fourteen members. The
Congregational church of
twelve members being organized at the same time
and place, the two
churches assisting each other in their
organization and the minister of
each church, William H. Card and J. C. Sherwin,
giving the hand of
fellowship and recognition to each other as
representatives of their
respective churches." A quarter of a century had
passed when this
article was first written by Deacon S. T. Smith,
the founder of the
First Baptist Church, and he said: "It is
gratifying to reflect that for
a quarter of a century these two churches have
lived side by side, often
working together always harmoniously. May the
Centennial celebration
of the two churches witness the same spirit of
Christian fellowship and
brotherly kindness." May these words be
prophetic. The writer of
this article was present at the Fiftieth
anniversary of these churches
and the words were still applicable, and only
this last winter after fifty-
four years' these two churches stood shoulder to
shoulder in their
efforts for righteousness and salvation. The
building of the First
Baptist Church was completed in ninety days and
in August, 1852,
was dedicated by Rev. Mr. Walker of the Third
Baptist Church of St.
Louis; his text was Ps. 20:5: "In the name of
our God we will set up
our banners." The Sunday School which has never
taken a vacation
even in the extreme of winter and summer, is
today the largest English
speaking Sunday School in the city. In 1864 the
second house
of worship which was built to accommodate the
growing congregation
was dedicated. In 1866 this house was destroyed
by fire. Again was
the church rebuilt, and again was it destroyed
by fire but these pioneer
Christians were made of sturdy material and once
more did they erect
138
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
a church, the building which stands today.
Among those who have
served as pastors are men whose influence has
been felt far and beyond
this community. Rev. W. S. Sweet went out to
China where during
the later Boxer trouble his influence and
services were used for peace.
Rev. Stanley S. McKay became President of
Shurtleff College at
Upper Alton, Ill. Rev. L. A. Abbott also was a
member of the faculty
of Shurtleff College. Eight churches have been
organized; five in
Minnesota and three in Wisconsin through the
influence of members
of the First Baptist Church and the church
itself sent out from its
members those who formed the Tabernacle Baptist
Church. Today
under the zeal and earnest efforts of its young
pastor Rev. John Wellington
Hoag the church is in a most prosperous
condition financially
and spiritually. There is a successful Mission
School in the south
-eastern part of the city, a branch of the First
Church, the four societies
in connection with the church are in a
flourishing conditon.
TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH.
This church was founded by Rev. D. B. Cheney,
pastor of the First
Baptist Church of La Crosse on the evening of
February 8, 1887, with
a membership of 28, most of whom withdrew from
the First Church.
The Rev. S. E. Price was the first pastor; he is
now president of the
Baptist college situated at Ottawa, Kan. This
church has had much
to contend with. With the passing of the lumber
mills, the membership
moved away, and the few who remained have had
heavy loads
to carry. At the present time the outlook is
brighter. Their new pastor,
Rev. Mr. Sanders is a young man full of fire and
zeal and prosperity
seems to be within reach.
The German Baptists have an organization of
their own as have
also the Norwegian Baptists. The former is
located at the corner of
Winnebago and Seventh streets, and Rev. Benjamin
Graf is pastor.
The Scandinavian Baptist church is on the north
side, at the corner
of Charles and Logan streets, and Rev. H. M.
Anderson is the pastor.
The Congregational church was organized Jan.
22, 1852, on the
same day that the Baptist association was
effected. Rev. J. C. Sherwin
was the pastor and the ten original members were
Stephen C.
Johnson, James E. Brown, Mrs. Frances A. Barber,
Francis M.
Rublee, Mrs. Sarah Rublee, Byron Verts, Mrs.
Millie Verts, Mrs. Virginia
A. Sherwin, Mrs. Lucy Reynolds, Walter Brown.
The society
was organized under the state laws on September
20, of the same
year, and reorganized Dec. 6, 1855. In 1854 its
membership had increased
to forty-one with a dozen who had not presented
their letters.
A lot on Fourth street was given to the
society by Peter Cameron
and the first church was built in 1855 and
dedicated on November 1,
of that year, by Rev. Dexter Clary of Beloit. It
was a small, low
building of the architectural style and
dimensions of a country school-
house, with two doors in the front and five
windows on each side.
This church was enlarged the following year.
The present church edifice on the corner of
Main and Seventh
streets was built in 1870 at a cost of about
$30,000, and was dedicated
by Dr. J. L. Dudley of Milwaukee. In 1885 a
number of changes and
[Picture]
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, LA CROSSE, WIS.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
139
improvements were made at a cost of over
$5,000. In 1890 it was
relighted at a cost of $600, and the organ was
rebuilt in 1898. The
organ was originally a gift from Luther E. Webb.
The expense of
placing in new furnaces was met by Mr. Charles
Dunton in memory
of his wife. In 1900 other improvements were
made costing about
$3,000, and the church was reopened Sunday,
Sept. 30, 1900, with a
special program.
A study of a list of members from 1852 to
1892 is interesting. A
very large proportion of the members during the
first half of this
period were dismissed by letter, showing the
migratory character of
the early comers.
The church has always included in its
membership a very large
number of men who have been active forces in all
the departments of
the life of the city. It has not confined its
labors to its own circles,
but has constantly reached out to wider
opportunities. It is active in
missionary work, both home and foreign, and
maintains a city mission
and also supports two foreign missionaries, Rev.
and Mrs. C. H.
Maxwell, at Natal, South Africa. The Sunday
school has a remarkable
record in that it has had during its long
existence, but two superintendents.
The present superintendent, J. M. Holley, has
officiated
for over thirty years. The list of the pastors
of the church is as follows:
Rev. J. C. Sherwin, January 22, 1852 - October
1, 1857; Rev.
C. C. Chapin, 1857 - June 1, 1872; Rev. E. Y.
Garrette, October 6,
1872 - July 10, 1880; Rev. Robert Nourse,
October 10, 1880 - December
31, 1883; Rev. T. M. Boss, December 7, 1884 -
December 31, 1887;
Dr. Henry Faville, the sixth pastor, was called
December 2,
1888, and has served the church continuously
since, and is now, (January,
1907) beginning his nineteenth year.
The present membership of the church is 350
and the annual expenses
about $5,000. A Pastor, Auxilliary, a Men's
Bible Parliament
and a Men's Sunday Evening Club have been
features of the church
work under the pastorate of Dr. Henry Faville.
The church also supports a mission chapel,
Bethany, in the southern
part of the city, between Farnum and Tyler
streets, in which Sunday
school is held at 2:30 p. m. The school is
largely attended, the teachers
being supplied by the parent church.
At a session of the Wisconsin conference held
at Fond du Lac, September
1, 1852, Jesse Pardun was appointed pastor of
the Prairie La
Crosse circuit of the Methodist Episcopal church
in the Minnesota
district. The appointment was made by Bishop
Ames. The same
year a class was organized consisting of Messrs.
E. H. Chambers,
C. K. Lord, Jacob Patterson and their wives.
January 1, 1853, the
first Sunday school was organized with nine
pupils. The church
proper was organized September 25, 1853, and
consisted of eleven
members. The first quarterly conference was held
October 25, 1853,
with Rev. Alfred Bronson presiding elder. There
were also present
Rev. Enoch Tasker, pastor, C. K. Lord, local
preacher, R. H. Elliott,
recording steward, Jacob Patterson, class
leader, George Gale and E.
H. Chambers, stewards. Rev. Enoch Tasker was
afterward a prominent
member of the West Wisconsin conference, and
died in Eau
140
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Claire, December, 1880, being at that time
the pastor of the First
Methodist church of that city. In the fall of
1853 a church was built,
costing $500, the lot having been donated to the
society by Peter
Cameron. In 1858 the old church was moved back
on the lot, and a
new one built which would seat about three
hundred persons. It cost $4,000
and was at that time considered the best church
in the city. Between
1875 and 1878 the first parsonage was built,
which was afterward exchanged
for the lot where the First Methodist church now
stands.
Between 1883-86 the present church at the corner
of King and Eighth
streets was erected, costing $17,000, and the
next year the new pipe
organ was installed. In 1887 the Colman chapel
was built, which
later developed into the West Avenue church.
About 1900 the church
was repaired and rededicated at a cost of about
$3,000, and by a gift
of $10,000 from Mrs. C. L. Colman, an addition
for Sunday school
and social purposes was built and dedicated
February 3, 1907. The
parsonage, 231 South Eighth street, was
purchased in October, 1899,
at a cost of $4,300.
There is a number of auxiliary societies with
efficient officers, of
which mention can be made of only the Sunday
school, under the
superintendency of Prof. F. H. Fowler, and of
the woman's Foreign
Missionary Society, whose president is Mrs.
Elihu Colman. The early
policy of the church of changing the pastors
every year, makes the
list for this church a long one. Jesse Pardun,
1852; Enoch Tasker,
1853; R. R. Wood, 1854; C. P. Hackney, 1855-56;
E. C. Weirich,
1857; T. C. Golden, 1858; T. C. Clendenning,
1859; H. T. Magill,
1860-62; William Haw, 1862-63; William
Brocksome, 1864; J. S.
Anderson, 1865; W. S. Wright, 1866; J. E.
Springer, 1867-70; M. B.
Balch, 1870-73; T. H. Phillips, 1873-75; George
Haigh, 1875; E. E.
Clough, 1875-78; P. S. Mather, 1878; W. R.
Irish, 1879; M. B. Balch,
1880-83; G. W. Case, 1883-86; S. W. Horner,
1886-91; R. F. Randolph,
1891-94; S. W. Trousdale, 1894-97; E. W.
Mueller, 1897-99;
W. J. McKay, 1899-1900; W. H. Vance, 1900-1905;
J. W. Irish, the
present pastor, came in the fall of 1905.
The West Avenue Methodist church is situated
on West avenue,
between Mississippi and Jackson streets. On
August 27, 1875 a Sunday
school was started by Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Colman,
members of
the First Methodist church, in their house on
South Sixth street, which
increased so rapidly that in six weeks it was
removed to rooms in the
fire department building, where it was
successfully conducted for nine
years. From this place it was removed to the
White schoolhouse on
Johnson street, where it remained until the
erection of the new building,
when it found temporary quarters in a hall at
the corner of Ninth
and Johnson streets. The official board of the
First M. E. church,
taking interest in the work, purchased a lot on
Jackson street, and
erected a chapel which was occupied by the
school two weeks before
Christmas, 1886. The building was named Grace
Chapel, which
name was retained until 1887, when by official
action it was named
Colman chapel. As a result of this work a church
was organized in
1887, and Rev. Mr. Troy was appointed its first
pastor. During the
year an addition of twenty feet was made to the
building. The
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
141
pastors following were Rev. Thomas Foulks,
1889; Rev. W. W. Hurd,
1890; Rev. James Benson, 1890-93; Rev. Wm.
Atkinson, 1893-95.
During Mr. Atkinson's pastorate the church
building was moved
to lots on West avenue, on which the parsonage
was also built. In
accordance with a resolution presented by Mr. J.
S. Colman the name
was changed to West Avenue church. In 1895 Rev.
F. L. Hart was
appointed pastor. During his third year he was
appointed to other
work and Rev. H. W. Bedford was sent to fill the
vacancy. Rev.
Henry Goodsell was appointed in 1899 and
remained five years. During
his pastorate another addition was made to the
church building.
Rev. W. W. Hurd, the present pastor was
appointed in 1906.
There is also a Methodist Episcopal church on
the north side, on
Caledonia street, with a membership of over
three hundred. This
church property is valued at $7,000 and the
present pastor is Rev. A.
L. Wood. The Methodist societies own their three
parsonages, valued
at $10,000 and include 550 children in the three
Sunday schools.
The First German Methodist church has one of
the handsomest
church buildings in the city. It is located at
the corner of Seventh
and Ferry streets. The first work of the German
Methodist ministers
in and about La Crosse was done in 1857 by Rev.
Chas. Leipprandt,
who still resides in Michigan. He was succeeded
by Rev.
Peter Schaefer, Herman Richter and Wm.
Schreiner. Under the latter
a small church was built in 1859 on rented
ground on Jay street. In
1866 John A. Salzer came to La Crosse as pastor
and served in that
capacity for three years. During his
administration the present
church site was purchased and upon this site the
old church, which
stood on Jay street was removed. In 1879 the
society remodeled this
property, the pastor at that time being Rev. H.
R. Fiegenbaum. This
church, when the present new structure was begun
in 1895, was sold
to the Methodists in Stoddard, Wis. and removed
there.
Since 1880 the following pastors have served
the church: George
Hoerger, 1880 to 1882; Charles H. Priebe, 1882
to 1883; John Schneider,
1883 to 1886; John H. Klaus, 1886 to 1891; Louis
J. Brenner,
1891 to 1894.
In the fall of 1894 Prof. Fred'k Schaub was
appointed pastor
During his administration the present beautiful
church was built and
dedicated December 9, 1895. Owing to ill health
Prof. Schaub resigned
in 1897, whereupon Rev. L. J. Brenner was
reappointed, remaining
two years. From 1900 to 1902 Rev. Geo. C.
Rheinfrank was
pastor; from 1902 to 1904 Rev. W. H. Rolfing was
pastor and in the
fall of 1904 the present pastor, Rev. J. L.
Panzlau was appointed.
The present membership is largely young in
years, energetic and progressive
and numbers according to last statistics, 280.
Sunday school
numbers 250, Epworth League 100, and the Ladies'
Aid Society, 60.
The Second German Methodist church on the
north side was an
outgrowth of the earlier congregation and was
organized for the
accommodation of those members living in that
part of the city. Rev.
W. P. Schlein is the pastor.
The Norwegian Methodist Episcopal church of
North La Crosse,
at first belonged to the American conference and
its first pastor, Rev.
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Peter K. Rie, was appointed by Bishop D. W.
Clark, October 17,
1870, and arrived at La Crosse November 10. The
first pastor remained
two years and was followed by Rev. Carl Halz. In
1880 the
Danish and Norwegian conference was organized at
Racine and the
same year the Norwegian church at La Crosse was
incorporated, both
congregations, on the north and south sides
being included. Rev. A.
R. Gustofson was appointed pastor in 1880 and
during his pastorate
both churches were erected, the one on the south
side being erected
first, the first board of trustees was elected
November 6, 1881; they
were Gilbert Collier, John C. Jenson, Olaus C.
Wall, Bernt Oleson,
Gunder K. Skramsta. Following the Rev. A. R.
Gustofson in the
pastorate were Revs. C. H. Hauge, S. C.
Simonson, Christian Hackner,
C. X. Christofson, (student-pastor) Fred Ring,
A. O. Christanson, P.
Jensen, T. M. Hauge, L. C. Knutson, M. S.
Stenson, Elliott Hanson,
R. Welhelmson, B. C. Carlison. The present
pastor is Rev Elliott
Hanson, who is serving his second pastorate, the
first having been
four years. He is now in the second year of his
second term. The
value of the church property is about $5,200.
The first public record of Catholic services
in La Crosse was that
of May 29, 1853. The following month $500 in
cash was subscribed
and the northeast corner of the public square
was secured for building
purposes. Some of the Black river lumber firms
subscribed the whole
bill of lumber, and Lieut. Governor Burns
donated an acre of land for
building purposes. The proposed church was to be
thirty by forty feet
and was expected to be a "splendid edifice and
an ornament to the place."
Evidently the progress was not as rapid as
anticipated as in January,
1854, a notice in the Democrat called a meeting
of all French Catholics
in the vicinity for the purpose of uniting all
members of that organization
into a church society, and the erection of a
Catholic church.
Some eighteen months later, (July, 1856) the
same paper stated that
the Catholic church was nearly finished, and was
one of the largest
in the village. The following year, in the
summer of 1857, a large
addition was built and the steeple erected.
Services were held every
alternate Sunday in English, the early members
being mostly French.
The first resident pastor was Rev. W.
Tappert, and he held services
in private houses and in the court-house
previous to the completion of
the church which was a frame building, 60 by 35,
situated on the
corner of Seventh street and Cameron avenue. It
was named St.
Mary's and was the religious home of all the
Catholics in the vicinity,
numbering about twenty-five families. In 1863
the Catholics had so
increased in number as to render a division of
the church advisable,
the French and English speaking people remaining
in St. Mary's congregation
and the Germans and Bohemians organizing the new
church
of St. Joseph's.
The diocese of La Crosse, Rt. Rev. James
Schwebach, bishop, was
erected in 1868 and includes twenty-two counties
and a territory of
17,299 square miles. The Rt. Rev. Michael Heiss
was the first bishop
and during his office the Francescan sisters
were established here and
the convent of St. Rose erected, also the
cathedral of St. Joseph, St.
Wenceslaus church, St. Michael's orphan asylum
for boys and the
[Picture]
ST. JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL, LA CROSSE, WIS.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
143
bishop's residence. After the promotion of
Bishop Heiss to the arch-
bishopric of Milwaukee, Rt. Rev. Kilian C.
Flasch was appointed to
succeed him. Bishop Flasch died August 3, 1891,
and Rev. James
Schwebach, who had officiated in the city, first
as deacon and then as
recor of St. Mary's church since 1869, was
raised to the episcopate,
Archbishop Frederic X. Katzer, of Milwaukee,
officiating. Rev. John
Rapp, is the bishop's secretary, and two of the
resident pastors, Rev.
G. Sluyter, of St. Joseph's and Rev. William
White of St. Mary's are
among his counselors.
St. Joseph's church, established in 1863, by
Father Tappert, was for
some years housed in a small building, the
corner stone of the present
cathedral not having been laid until 1869. Some
nine or ten pastors
served in the church before its completion,
prominent among them
being Rev. Father Kampschroer. It is a fine
brick building 62 by 140
feet, and its original cost was about $35,000.
In 1880 the same congregation
built a parsonage at a cost of $4,000. The tower
was built
in 1883 and the building for the parochial
school the following year.
In 1887 the congregation was divided, those
living on the north side
forming the church of St. John. There are eight
auxiliary societies
connected with the church, beside the parochial
school, which is mentioned
in another chapter. The present pastor is Rev.
G. Sluyter, a
native of Rhenish Prussia. He was born February
20, 1860, and
ordained to the priesthood, June 24, 1885.
St. Mary's church was the first Catholic
organization in the present
city of La Crosse, the society having been
organized in 1855, and
the building erected the following year. In 1863
the congregation was
divided, the French and English speaking people
remaining with St.
Mary's and the Germans and Bohemians organizing
the church of
St. Joseph's. The first pastor was Father
Tappert who was succeeded
by Revs. Etschmann, Schraudenbach, Marco, and
Abbelen.
Then for a short time Rev. H. Kampschroer had
charge of both St.
Mary's and St. Joseph's congregations, until the
ordination of Rev.
James Schwebach, the present bishop. During his
administration the
present commodious church and school buildings
and priest's house
were erected. In January, 1892, upon the
ordination of Rev. James
Schwebach as bishop, the charge was given to the
present pastor, Rev.
William White, a native of Vermont, but of Irish
extraction, and a
graduate of the University of Wisconsin. The
church was again
divided in 1886, the French families organizing
the church of St.
James, in North La Crosse. In 1874 the
congregation of St. Mary's
began the erection of a new church, 44 by 115
feet which was built at
a cost of about $20,000.
The St. Wenceslaus church was the third
established and included
the members of Bohemian nativity. It was
organized by Rev. Leo
Suchy in 1873, and he remained as pastor until
1875. Seven pastors
followed between that date and 1901, when the
present pastor, Rev.
Xavier Till, took charge of the congregation. He
is a native of
Bohemia, coming to the United States in 1894.
There are twelve
auxiliaries connected with the church.
The Holy Cross church was organized in 1886
for the Polish people,
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
which includes about eighty-five families.
The first resident pastor
was Rev. John A. Blasche. He was followed by
nine pastors until
the appointment of Rev. John Sroka, who is in
charge at present.
The church has five auxiliary societies.
In 1887 three more organizations were
effected. From the large
congregation of St. Joseph's those in North La
Crosse formed the
St. John's Parish, and those in the southern
part of the city, that of
the Holy Trinity, while St. James was an
offshoot of St. Mary's, and
included the French of North La Crosse. The
first services for St.
John's congregation were held in the schoolhouse
at the corner of
Avon and St. James streets, but a large and
comfortable church was
erected and was dedicated in March, 1894. It is
in charge of Rev.
Kuluza, a native of Upper Silesia, of Polish and
German ancestry.
The Holy Trinity church was first in charge
of an assistant of St.
Joseph's cathedral. The first resident pastor
was Rev. Peter Alfes.
A new church was built under the administration
of Rev. Paul Geyser,
and was dedicated December 4, 1892. He was
succeeded by the
present pastor, Rev. Herman J. Untraut, a native
of Germany. The
congregation consists of about one hundred and
ninety families.
St. Rosa's convent on Market street, between
Tenth and Eleventh
streets, is a large building, four stories above
the basement, of somewhat
severe architectural lines. It was begun in 1870
and completed
ready for occupancy in the spring of 1871. In
1874 the north wing
and a chapel were added. A new chapel, just
completed, built in the
Romanesque style, has external dimensions 164 by
76 feet, and the
height of the dome is 130 feet. It is fire-proof
and the interior decorations
are costly and beautiful. The altars are of
marble and onyx
and the art glass windows were imported from
Munich. Qne hundred
and seven sisters of the Francescan order, with
Mother Antonia
as the first superioress, took possession of the
convent in 1871. The
number at the present time is professed sisters,
349; novices, 40;
postulants, 42. They assist in the work of the
church, the hospital,
the orphans' homes and the parochial schools.
The present Mother
Superior is Mother Ludovica Keller. St. Clara's
convent, in North
La Crosse, is a branch house of the St. Rose's
convent. Rev. Kilian
Beyer is the present chaplain.
St. Ann's orphan asylum for girls, Mother
Genevieve, superintendent,
takes care of seventy orphans; and St. Michaels,
for boys, of
seventy. Rev. Edmund Beyer is the chaplain.
The St. Francis' hospital, belonging to the
Catholic church and the
parochial schools are noticed in the chapters
devoted to those subjects.
Outside of the city the first churches of the
Catholic faith were
built in the towns of Greenfield and Washington.
The first called "St.
Joseph's on the Ridge" to distinguish it from
the St. Josephs' in the
city, was built in 1867, the first church being
a small lot building, which
was replaced by a brick structure in 1870. The
one in Washington,
called St. Peter's, is a missionary station
supplied from St. Joseph's.
The first Episcopal minister who came to La
Crosse was Dr. Breck,
a devoted missionary to the people of the
wilderness. With one or two
companions he traveled on foot from Nashotah to
La Crosse. Dr.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
145
Breck writes: "We spent the fourth Sunday
after Trinity, 1850, at
Prairie La Crosse. It is a hamlet of fifteen or
twenty houses. We
held services and celebrated communion on a
bluff about two miles
from the landing." This bluff is now known as
"Grand Dad's Bluff";
Dr. Breck later refers to it as "Altar Rock."
"In the afternoon," he
writes further, "we held services at the river
side, and baptized a child,
and gave holy communion to four German
Lutherans."
After some years of occasional services, Mr.
Justus White suggested
the formation of a church organization. He was
assisted by Mr. Wm.
R. Sill, and on the first canvass four
communicants were found, Chas.
J. Stafford, Albert Marsh, Albert A. Stevens and
wife. Mr. Stevens
offered his house for church services. It stood
on the northeast corner
of Fourth and King streets. For a few Sundays
services were
held in Barron's hall, at the northwest corner
of Front and Main
streets. Then the congregation moved to the
court-house, and later
to the Baptist church, which was on the
southwest corner of the court-
house square. In December, 1856, Rev. Fayette
Durlin took charge
of the congregation, at this time a mission, and
the church was organized
early the following year, and the first warden
and vestrymen
were elected. They were Chas. J. Stafford,
senior warden, S. W.
Albert, junior warden; Chas. S. Benton, W. W.
Crosby, Joel Marsh,
A. A. Stevens and J. H. Campbell, vestrymen. On
January 22 the
documents for incorporation were ordered and on
February 10, they
were signed before Police Justice Hubbard. On
May 4, a vestry
meeting was held at which W. R. Sill was elected
secretary and J. M.
Levy, treasurer; A. A. Stevens was appointed to
buy a melodian. The
next vestry meeting was held nearly a year
later, Easter Monday,
April 5, 1858. Among the vestrymen elected at
this meeting was the
Hon. Angus Cameron.
In 1860 Rev. Mr. Durlin resigned and Rev.
James Young was called.
In 1863 Rev. C. P. Dorset came and the lots
where the present church
stands were purchased and the first church
built. He introduced the
first pipe organ and organized the first boy
choir in the city. Succeeding
pastors were Revs. W. J. Rafter, 1867-68; M.
McNamara, 1868-
70; Ten Broeck, 1870-76; Dr. Washburn, of
Cleveland, was called
to succeed Dr. Ten Broeck, and was killed in the
Ashtabula disaster
on his way to La Crosse. After short pastorates
by Dr. A. M. Lewis
and Rev. Mr. De Forrest, Dr. Ten Broeck was
induced to return.
He resigned in 1893 after a rectorship, in all,
of about twenty years.
Rev. Henry Kingham succeeded him remaining about
two years. Dr.
J. J. Wilkins came in 1895. During his pastorate
the present church,
a large gray stone building with terra cotta
trimmings, and one of the
finest edifices in the city, was built. It was
dedicated September 10,
1899. The present rector, Dr. C. N. Mioller, was
called in 1901. In
fifty years the church has had only eight senior
wardens: C. J. Stafford,
A. A. Stevens, Angus Cameron, S. L. Nevins, T.
D. Servis, B.
F. Bryant, H. C. Stevens and Orlando Holway. In
these years there
have been 670 baptisms, 699 confirmations, 265
marriages, 449 burials.
The St. Peter's Episcopal (mission) church of
North La Crosse, an
outgrowth of Christ church, until recently in
charge of Rev. Richard
Bolton, is temporarily without a pastor.
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MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
The first Lutheran service held in La
Crosse was a missionary service
conducted by a Norwegian Lutheran minister, Rev.
H. A. Stub,
of Coon Prairie, Vernon county, in 1857. The
German Lutherans,
although not the first in the field, were the
first to effect an organization.
Their largest congregation is the German
Evangelical church
whose building is at the corner of West and
Cameron Avenues.
Forty-eight years ago, in the year 1859, the
German Lutheran
church was organized here. The first pastor was
the Rev. Fachtmann,
who had charge until 1862. He was succeeded by
the Rev. Stark,
who in turn in the year 1865 was followed by the
Rev. H. Kittel. The
The latter remained until March, 1870. In the
year 1869 the church
at the corner of Fifth and Cass streets was
built. From 1870 until
1902, over 32 years, the Rev. C. G. Reim
administered to the spiritual
needs of the congregation. Failing in health he
resigned his pastorate
in 1902 and was succeeded by the present pastor,
the Rev. J. T. Gamm.
During the summer of 1904 the congregation
decided to build a new
and larger church to accommodate the great
number of worshipers
who regularly attended the services. A most
desirable location was
secured at a consideration of $7,000. The
foundation and first floor
were completed in October, 1904.
While the first floor, which will be used for
Sunday school and the
gatherings of the church societies, has a
seating capacity of about 500,
the main auditorium seats about 700 and the
balcony about 350, making
a total seating capacity of over 1,000. The
entire structure, built
in Romanesque is of the best modern construction
and equipment, the
aim being to realize true church dignity of
appearance but at the same
time to afford a spacious auditorium having
perfect accoustics, with
no pillars or posts to obstruct sound or vision,
so that visitors will enjoy
attractive comfort during the services. The
entire cost of location,
building and complete furnishings is $50,000.
Almost all contracts
were carried out by La Crosse firms and the work
was done by
La Crosse workmen. A. Gutzke was given the
general contract.
Schick & Roth were the architects. The building
committee which had
the work in hand consisted of George Zeisler,
Adam Kroner, August
Miller, Fred Dittman, Fred Techmer and Rev. J.
T. Gamm.
The corner stone was laid April 9, 1905, with
appropriate exercises,
and the church dedicated Dec. 17, 1905.
The congregation has a membership of over 500
families. The affairs
of the church are in the hands of the church
council, the Rev.
J. T. Gamm, George Zeisler, Albert Gutzke,
Johann Mueller, Carl
Roesner, Gustav Kromrey, Robert Albrecht, Fred
Tessmann, Otto
Krenz, George Otto.
The officers of the church are: Rev. J. T.
Gamm, pastor; George
Zeisler, president; Albert Gutzke, secretary;
Robert Albrecht, treasurer.
The officers of the school board are: Adam
Kroner, George Zeisler
and Rev. J. T. Gamm.
Mr. O. Frey is church organist and leader of
the church choir, of
which there are two, a maennerchor (president of
which is Mr. Adam
Kroner) and a mixed choir. There are three
societies within the
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
147
church ever active for its welfare. The
Ladies' society, founded 40
years ago by Mrs. Barbara Rehfuss, has a
membership to-day of nearly
200 and is under the leadership of Mrs. Lizzie
Warninger. The
Young Ladies' society, organized 20 years ago,
is also in a very prosperous
condition. Its president is Miss Lenore Zeisler.
Four years
ago a Young People's society was organized,
which already enjoys a
membership of 125 its president being Mr. Robert
Albrecht.
The Sunday school has an average attendance
of 350 to 400 children.
It is under the leadership of the pastor,
assisted by 25 teachers.
The Emanuel German Lutheran church in North
La Crosse is an
outgrowth of the original congregation on the
south side. Rev G. M.
Thurow is pastor. Rev. Mr. Thurow also supplies
the church of the
same denomination in Onalaska, so that services
are not held in the
home church on every Sunday. The Sunday school
is held every Sunday
at nine a. m.
The first Norwegian Lutheran church was
organized in 1862, by
Rev. Mr. Brandt, a Lutheran missionary. Previous
to this, however,
there had been occasional services held. The
charter members were
John Halvorson, Charles B. Solberg, Halvor
Anderson, Rudolf Gripp,
Torger Torgerson, and a few others. John
Halvorson, associated for
many years with the Mons Anderson firm, is still
living in La Crosse,
and is familiarly known as "Uncle" Halvorson.
Rev. J. B. Frick was
the pastor of the church at Half-way creek and
also served the new
church. In 1875 he removed to La Crosse,
continuing as the pastor
for ten years longer, when he was succeeded by
Rev. A. K. Sagen, who
remained until 1903. In January, 1903, the
present pastor Rev. H. G.
Magellssen, was installed. The first church
building was the old Congregational
church on Fourth street, which was purchased for
$2,500.
The present church, on Division street, was
built in 1883. The value
of this property is $18,000. In January, 1907, a
new pipe organ was
put in at a cost of $2,700. The church
membership includes one
hundred and twenty-five families. It has several
strong auxiliary societies;
the Ladies' Aid and the Young Peoples'
societies, each numbering
over one hundred, have semi-monthly meetings, as
does the men's
society, which is of a semi-literary nature. The
Sunday school has
over 225 scholars and thirty teachers. The
church belongs to the
Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical church of
America.
Belonging to the same general organization is
the Lutheran church
of North La Crosse, at the corner of Charles and
Sill streets, of which
Rev. E. O. Vik is the pastor. During the
pastorate of Rev. A. K. Sagen
the congregation was divided, those on the north
side being placed
in charge of Mr. Vik, then assistant pastor of
the south side church.
Later he was regularly installed as pastor,
holding that position at the
present time. It is a strong organization with a
large church and a
commodious parsonage directly in the rear of the
church, on Charles
street.
St. Paul's Norwegian Lutheran church, on West
avenue and
Division street, was organized in 1868, by Rev.
P. Asborjorsen, at that
time a resident of Bostwick's valley, and was
also served by Rev. Mr.
Millboe, a non-resident. The first resident
pastor was Rev. P. Nelson,
148
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
who came in 1881 and served the church for
seven years. The next
pastor was Rev. E. P. Harbo, who remained with
the church until
1893, when Rev. Rasmus Anderson, the present
pastor was placed in
charge. The congregation has worshiped in three
churches. The
first was a small building on Eleventh street,
which was moved and remodeled
in 1871-72. In 1883 the society purchased the
old Presbyterian
church on King street; this they sold in 1896,
and the present
handsome church was erected on West Avenue. The
membership includes
over eighty families, with about 300 adults and
150 children.
There are 94 men over twenty-one years of age on
the church roll.
The Sunday school numbers about 150. The present
value of the
church property is about $20,000.
The Trinity Norwegian Lutheran church, of
North La Crosse, of
which the Rev. T Hoverstadt is the non-resident
pastor, and the St.
Paul's Lutheran church belong to the same
general society, the United
Norwegian Lutheran church.
The Norwegian Lutheran Bethel church, at the
corner of George
and Sill streets on the north side, is under the
supervision of Rev. O.
L. Christianson, pastor.
The English Lutheran church of the Holy
Trinity, on West avenue
and Ferry street, was organized September 9,
1898, by the missionary
pastor, Rev. Ernest A. Trabert, with nine
charter members. The first
services were held on Whitsunday, June 5, 1898,
in Leinlokker's hall,
on the corner of Fourth and Pearl streets. In
the fall of the same
year the mission moved to the Y. M. C. A.
building, and a new life was
given to it. February 28, 1900, the first
missionary left and was succeeded
by Rev. A. C. Carty, who began his work on Palm
Sunday,
April 8, 1900, and remained until the fall of
1903. The present pastor,
Rev. J. J. Clemens assumed the duties of pastor,
January 1, 1904.
The church has been self supporting since the
present pastor has had
charge of it. It belongs to the English
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
of the Northwest, a synod belonging to the
General Council of the
Lutheran Church of America, having entered that
synod at Milwaukee
in 1899. The fall of the same year a beautiful
lot was secured at
the corner of West avenue and Ferry street and
the cornerstone of the
fine Romanesque church built thereon was laid
Sunday, December, 8,
of the same year. It is forty by ninety feet in
size and seats about
400. The congregation numbers about 150
communicants and 410
baptized members. The Sunday school has an
enrollment of 200.
The church has a bright and prosperous future
before it.
Rt. Rev. A. K. Sagen, president of the
eastern district of the Norwegian
Lutheran synod, and for many years a pastor of a
Lutheran
church of the city, died at the Lutheran
hospital, Feb. 7, 1907. He
was born in Koshkonong, Wis., February 11, 1851.
He was graduated
from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, and
Concordia Seminary,
St. Louis. He was ordained in 1879 and took
charge of the Norwegian
Lutheran church at the corer of Sixth and
Division streets in
August, 1888. In 1903 he was made president of
the eastern district,
which position he occupied at the time of his
death. He was the chief
factor in the establishment of the Lutheran
hospital.
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
149
The Anshe Chesed (Hebrew) congregation was
organized in 1858
at the house of I. Cantrivitz. Their numbers
have always been small
and in the early years they had no resident
rabbi, but their services
were read by some of their members. In 1880 they
had about twenty
members on whom they could depend for support.
The congregation
is at present in charge of Rabbi D. R. Sigal and
assistant Rabbi M.
Redman.
Forty years ago August, 1906, the First
Presbyterian church, now
known as Christ Presbyterian Church, Sixth and
King streets, was
founded, but it was 40 years on Jan. 31, that
the Rev. J. Irwin Smith,
set foot in La Crosse. He arrived on the ice
from St. Saul, a young
man of 35 years, and began his labors. He was a
graduate of Jefferson
college, class of 1851 and of the Western
Theological Seminary of
1854. He had served 12 years in Michigan, before
coming to La
Crosse. He was in his second year as synodical
missionary for the
synod of St. Paul, at that time covering the
territory included in Minnesota
and the western portion of Wisconsin. La Crosse,
with 6,000
inhabitants, offered the right field for his
labors. Sheldon Jackson,
the home missionary, and general assembly
moderator, who lived at
La Crescent, informed him of La Crosse
conditions.
"The Congregationalists and Presbyterians
worshipped together
then, but other denominations had pastors and
buildings of their own.
The Rev. J. C. Sherwin served the combined
congregations. He was
serving when Mr. Smith arrived. He was
encouraged by Presbyterians
to form a church and did so, seventeen
volunteering their services.
"The task of rallying the little flock was
begun and the Chippewa
presbytery aided in the work. The family was
housed in a building
on the east end of Jay street. The Chippewa
presbytery prayed for
an organization in La Crosse and accordingly on
Aug. 23, 1866, the
presbyterial committee assigned to this duty
attended. After consultation
and prayer, twenty-one persons were constituted
into the First
Presbyterian Church of La Crosse. That list of
charter members was:
Adelaide E. Davison, Mary Babbitt, Enoch
Fleming, William Ferguson,
Agnes Ferguson, Colin Ferguson, Jane Ferguson,
Barbara Gordon,
Margaret Gordon, Jane Gordon, Margaret McMurchy,
James
McRae, Eglantine McDonald, Agnes McBain, Anna
Prowell, Benjamin
C. Prentiss, Samuel F. Smith, Esther E. Smith,
Martha B.
Smith, Louisa L. Smith and Nancy Williams.
"Three of these charter members are still
living, Mrs. Eglantine
McDonald, Mrs. Anna Prowell and Miss Margaret
Gordon, the latter
two invalids.
"Names that should stand close to this roll
of honor are Mr. and
Mrs. Duncan McMillan and Mr. and Mrs. William
Taylor. A Presbyterian
church is not complete without its elders. Those
elected at
the organization were: Samuel F. Smith and
Benjamin C. Prentiss.
Their whole life since has been spent in the
eldership.
"Mr. Smith purchased lots on King and Sixth
streets, designing to
set a chapel on the alley and build a main
edifice later. The chapel
walls were in before winter. The edifice went up
the next year and
150
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
the brick veneer the second summer. The
original edifice now stands
in the rear of the church and is occupied by the
Scientist church. It
was used throughout Mr. Smith's pastorate of
fourteen years. The
church became self supporting at the end of five
years, gradually
decreasing the amount received from the home
missions.
"The first child of the First La Crosse
Presbyterian church, appears
in the following note on page 48 of volume I of
the sessions minutes:
'By an act of the presbytery of the Chippewa,
passed April 29, 1870,
fifteen members of this church, including the
elder-elect, were detached
from it and on May 1, constructed the church of
North La Crosse.'
"Ten years later, when Mr. Smith resigned,
the roll had grown to
10.
"The next pastor was found in the Rev. W. D.
Thomas of the
neighboring town, Winona, Minn., presbytery. His
pastorate began in
December, 1880. Getting matters in hand, the new
edifice was started
at once. Plans were presented in the season of
1882 and funds subscribed.
With the old building sold to the Lutheran body
for $3,000,
the present beautiful church was begun in the
spring of 1883 and
dedicated the following year. At the end of
eight years of service of
Dr. Thomas, the church had grown to 235 members.
"A much shorter pastorate followed in the
ministry of the Rev. J.
W. McNary, beginning November, 1889, and ending
September, 1891.
It witnessed a splendid advance in mission
Sabbath schools, the rearing
of Grace, Olivet and Westminster chapels. While
Olivet, on the
North side, has been discontinued, and the
building sold, the Westminster
chapel is now organized with 34 members, the
mother church
giving 27 names to the roll call. The Rev. J.
Kronemeyer is the
pastor, taking charge one year ago. The Young
People's society
also was organized during the pastorate of the
Rev. McNary.
"The Rev. William Torrance succeeded the Rev.
McNary in a
pastorate of four years, beginning December,
1896.
"The sucessor to the Rev. Torrance, during
whose administration,
the splendid pipe organ was purchased, was the
Rev. Guido Bosshard,
"The present pastorate that of Dr. John
Fowler, began in September,
1903. The formal intsallation was held Nov. 3,
1903. During
his service, 143 names have been added to the
roll of the church,
and the number now stands at 359.
"Chief among the losses has been the death of
the senior elder and
clerk of the session, the beloved and lamented
George McMillan. He
had nursed the church, almost from infancy.
"The church is moving forward strongly and
bravely in the Sunday
school, in its chapel missions and in its men's
and women's societies."
There are two branch Presbyterian churches,
one on the north side,
organized some ten years ago by Rev. Mr. McKee,
now pastor of the
Presbyterian church at West Salem. Rev. W. J.
Turner is the present
pastor. The Westminster church, on Redfield
street is in the extreme
southern part of the city, and is under the
pastorate of Rev. John
Kronemeyer. Two mission chapels, Grace, at the
corner of Pine
and Badger and Olivet, on Wood street, north
side, are also maintained.
St. Paul's Universalist church was organized
June 20, 1865. The
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
151
incorporators were Leonard Lottridge, F. P.
Metcalf, W. S. Hanscome,
Edwin A. Tenney, G. C. Hixon, H. C. Heath, M. T.
Burke and
B. F. Montgomery. The first church officers were
E. A. Tenney,
president; M. T. Burke, secretary; Gysbert Van
Steenwyk, treasurer.
Their church, at the corner of Cass and Eighth
streets was built during
the succeeding year and dedicated in August,
1866. Previous to this
official organization there had been some
movement looking toward
this consummation in the late fifties. The
breaking out of the war
and the consequent drawing away of many who were
interested in the
project, carried its postponement until the
later period.
Rev. S. C. Bubcley was the first pastor,
coming September 19, 1866,
and remaining one year. The pastors immediately
succeeding were
G. H. Deere, October 22, 1867; September, 1871;
W. S. Ralph, January
1872 - April 1874; Rev. L. W. Brigham was called
April 12, 1874
and served some six or seven years. The
succeeding pastors, Revs.
Mr. Haskell, J. M. Payson, A. C. Greer and S. S.
Hebberd, all served
short terms. In 1886 Rev. C. C. Connor came,
remaining until 1898,
when the church called Rev. Nellie Mann Opdale
who served for four
years and until the beginning of the pastorate
of Rev. John Lowe,
who came in 1902. The present membership is 200,
resident 150.
Mr. Lowe is an eloquent and earnest young man
and has during the
past year added nearly fifty to the membership
of his church. The
Sunday school numbers about 100. Since the
building of the church
proper, a commodious Sunday school room has been
added in the rear
and a pipe organ installed.
All of the organizers of the church were well
known citizens, a
number of them having been prominent in
commercial circles for
many years, and to whom reference is made in
other connections. The
first president of the church, Mr. Edwin A.
Tenney, died August 16,
1898. He was a loyal supporter of the church as
is his widow who is
still living and is a woman of charming
personality and remarkable
keenness of intellect. Dr. Laflin, one of the
leading physicians of the
city has been clerk of the church for many
years.
The German Evangelical Association, organized
some ten years
ago, has a pretty little church on the corner of
West avenue anad Vine
street. Rev. Charles Etzelmuller is the pastor.
The St. John's Reformed Church is located on
the corner of South
Fourth and Market streets. Rev. Paul Ebinger is
the pastor.
The Adventist church was organized in 1892.
The society purchased
a church and moved it to the present location,
1527 Kane street,
North side. Among the pastors who have served
the church are Revs.
J. B. Snow, Sanborn, William Covert, and L. E.
Sufficool. The present
pastor, Rev. W. W. Stebins took charge of the
church in 1906. The
auxiliary societies are the Sabbath school and
the tract and missionary
societies. The regular services are held
Saturday afternoon.
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Mrs.
Mary Wolcott, reader,
occupies the old Presbyterian church on King
street. Miss Alice
Bunting is the assistant reader. Services are
held every Sunday and
the reading room of the church is open daily
from two to five p. m.
The Young Men's Christian Association was
organized April 10,
1883. The first officers were E. E. Bentley,
president; J. M. Holley,
152 MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY
secretary; J. C. Van Valkenburg, vice
president; H. B. Smith, treasurer.
Among its twenty-five charter members are the
names of M. B.
Greenwood, L. C. Colman, G. W. Burton, George
McMillan, G. R.
Montague, and other leading business men of the
city. A room was
secured and fitted up in the Montague building.
At the end of the
first year there were fifty-three active and
sixty-six associate and one
hundred and five sustaining members. Several
times want of more
room necessitated a change of quarters and
agitation for a permanent
home resulted in the purchase of Scandia hall,
on King street, of the
Norwegian Workingmen's Society. This was
refitted and dedicated in April 1895.
During the last year and under the
stimulating influence of General
Secretary J. W. Stafford the society has
increased in membership from
200 to 550. It is divided into bands of Reds and
Blues, the former
under the leadership of J. M. Holley and the
latter of Prof. F. R. Fowler.
The reading-room, bowling-room, gymnasium and
bath-rooms are
over crowded at the hours when young men are at
liberty. The need of
a new and larger building is much felt, and Mr.
W. W. Cargill has recently
offered the Association $25,000 for that purpose
if an additional
$75,000 can be raised. The following general
secretaries have served
the Association: N. B. Williams, of Elmira, N.
Y., 1885-86; J. B.
Pratt, Troy, N. Y., 1886-89; W. B. Miller, of
Appleton, Wis., 1889-90;
Messrs. F. D. Hopkins, Winton and Leonard,
1890-95; George Tummings,
Eau Claire, 1895-1905; J. M. Stafford, the
present secretary,
came in 1905. In 1885 a branch was started on
the north side which
was for several years in a flourishng conidtion.
It was partly supported
by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Company.
The Young Women's Christian Association was
organized in 1903
in response to a need that was felt for such an
organization by the
earnest women of the city. Two young women who
were actively interested
in its formation were Misses Lucy Hogan and Anna
Goodland.
The Association owns its headquarters, the
substantial mansion
which was formerly the home of one of La
Crosse's pioneer merchants,
Mons Anderson. The desirable location for
residences has
in recent years moved eastward toward the
bluffs, but this point at the
corner of Fourth and Cass streets is admirably
fitted for the purposes
of the Association. It is a large, well-lighted
house, with pleasant
rooms in which are housed about fourteen
lodgers, two secretaries
and three house-maids. A lunch, given for the
bare cost, is served
at the noon hour. This department of the work is
made self-supporting.
The stables have been transformed into a
gymnasium for girls
and is well patronized. All the general lines of
work carried on by
the Association are followed here. There are
classes in English,
French and German, in Bible study, and in sewing
and cooking.
The work is carried on very largely by donations
and subscriptions.
Devotional meetings are held every Sunday
afternoon. The membership
is between four and five hundred. The present
officers are Miss
Lucy Hogan, president; Mrs. Elihu Colman, vice
president; Miss
Martha Jessup, recording secretary; Mrs. W. F.
Ruehlman, treasurer;
Miss Lida Willson, general secretary; Miss Phebe
Dudley, physical
director.
CHAPTER XVI.
LODGES AND OTHER
ASSOCIATIONS.
FREE MASONS - ODD FELLOWS - ANCIENT ORDER OF
UNITED WORKMEN -
KNIGHTS OF HONOR - ROYAL ARCANUM - KNIGHTS
OF PYTHIAS -
JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS - LATER ORGANIZATIONS
- TEMPERANCE
SOCIETIES - AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL
SOCIETIES -
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONS - BOARD OF TRADE -
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS
- LITERARY CLUBS AND READING CIRCLES -
MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS
- MUSICAL SOCIETIES - PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES -
PHILANTHROPIC
ASSOCIATIONS - SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS.
Benevolent and other associations for
mutual benefit or for philanthropic
purposes have come to have so large a place in
the complex
conditions of modern life that no history of a
community would be
complete without some account of them, although
limited space forbids
a full account of each, the fundamental facts
will be recorded,
which will at least furnish a point of departure
for the future historian.
For easy reference these will be placed in
classified lists, the lodges
of secret benevolent societies, the earliest
organizations, being considered
first and afterward other associations under the
following
general heads: Agricultural and Horticultural,
Athletic, Commercial,
Historical, Literary, Military, Musical,
Patriotic, Philanthropic and
Social. These headings alone suggest that there
is no part of the
social fabric into which they are not intimately
woven. In this list
those associations which are strictly auxiliary
to the churches are
omitted.
The Ancient Order of Free and Accepted Masons
was first represented
by Frontier lodge No. 45, which was organized in
October,
1852, under a dispensation from the Grand lodge
of Wisconsin. Its
charter was granted in June, 1853. There were
but eight members
at the time of the organization but two years
later there were thirty-
seven. The first officers were Morrison
McMillan, W. H.; Solomon
Howe, S. W.; J. R. Grossett, J. W.; Col. E.
Childs, Treas.; C. A.
Stevens, Sec. Among other of its early officers
were S. S. Janes, Ira
Myrick, C. K. Lord, Ole Knudson, Thomas Heart,
William McConnell,
Judge R. C. Van Rensselaer, Harvey E. Hubbard,
Simeon Kellogg,
S. D. Hastings. Its present membership is 221,
and the present
officers, Robert Christie, W. M.; G. A. Barrett,
S. W.; Wm. Torrance,
J. W.; Ole Elbertson, treas.; Lafe Holmes, sec.;
J. S. Lennon,
S. D.; E. B. Keeler, J. D.; C. N. Dunham, S. S.;
R C. Kuhn, J. S.;
G. H. Dalton, tyler.
The North La Crosse lodge, No. 190, was
instituted July 7, 1873,
153
154
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
by Harvey E. Hubbard, and the following
officers were installed; P.
M. Plumb, W. M.; John C. Morrison, S. W.; D. A.
Thayer, J. W.;
C. J. Lambert, treasurer; I. Dimon, secretary;
A. S. Mitchell, S. D.;
B. Franks, J. D.; J. Gale, tyler. Their meetings
were held in Hammond's
Hall at first, and in 1880 they moved to rooms
in Hahn's
block, Third street. Their present quarters are
in the Masonic Temple.
The lodge numbers at the present time 122
members, and their
officers are Frank Brown, W. M.; John Mulder, S.
W.; Chas. Simcock,
J. W.; Fred Shumway, J. D.; Chas. McInnis, S.
D.; C. L.
Lien, treasurer; F. Hartwell, secretary.
The Smith chapter, No. 13, R. A. M. received
its charter February
6, 1856, with the following charter members:
Parschal P. Brooks,
James D. Condit, Allenson B. Couch, Solomon
Howe, Chester C. McClure,
Morrison McMillan, Julius Smith, Chase A.
Stevens, William
H. Tucker. It took the entire membership to fill
the first offices. Its
present membership is 135. The chapter offices
are filled at the present
time by Ole Elbertson, H. P.; P. F. Keeler, K.;
Joseph Miller, S.; E.
S. Case, treasurer; F. L. Page, secretary; P. W.
Mahoney, C. H.; W.
S. Woods, P. S.; Wm. Torrance, R. A. C.; J. S.
Lennon, 1st V.;
G. D. Wright, 2nd V.; E. A. Daniels, 3rd V.;
Geo. S. Dalton, S.
Commandary No. 9 was organized under a
dispensation granted
April 5, 1870, and their charter was issued on
January 19 of the following
year. The charter members were James D. Condit,
Samuel
M. Dickinson, J. H. Gardner, John T. Hemphill,
John J. Hofstetter,
H. E. Hubbard, Hiram E. Kelley, W. L. Kennett,
George M. Leach,
B. G. Lennox, Horace B. Loomis, E. M. McIntosh,
S. J. Prentiss, W.
H. Rawlinson, Fred Ring, John N. Robinson,
Thomas D. Steele,
Thomas B. Tyler, M. P. Wing, C. G. Wycoff. The
order has at the
present time 101 members, under the supervision
of the following
officers: J. B. Funke, E. C.; W. S. Woods, G.;
J. E. Langdon, C. G.;
William Torrance, S. W.; E. S. Case J. W.; Fred
Ring, P.; R. A.
Scott, treas. and rec., Joseph Milton, St. B.;
F. A. Smith, Sw. B.;
J. S. Lennon, W.; A. E. Daniels, 1st G.; B. F.
Keeler, 2nd G.; W. W.
Kingsley, 3rd G.; G. H. Dalton, S.; Fred
Redhead, Organist.
Later Masonic organizations are the Smith
Council, No. 12, R. H.
S. M., with the following officers: D. S.
McArthur, T. I. M.; M. J.
Pitkin, dep. T. I. M.; G. R. Dalton, P. C. of
W.; J. B. Funke, treas.;
W. S. Woofs, rec.; Lafe Holmes, C. of G.; F. L.
Page, C. of C.; P.
W. Mahoney, S.; J. E. Langdon, G.; the La Crosse
Chapter No. 22,
organized June 23, 1891, and Ruth Chapter, No.
23, organized August
20, 1891, of the Eastern Star. The officers of
the La Crosse Chapter
are Miss Lillie Smith, W. M.; Mrs. O. H. Berg,
A. M.; Miss Nettie
Torrance, sec.; O. H. Berg, W. P.; Mrs. Della
Van Nocker, treas.;
of the Ruth Chapter, Mrs. J. E. Wilson, W. M.;
A. Adair, W. P.;
Miss Cora Frey, A. M.; Mrs. M. Kaufman, con.;
Miss Rose Gray,
A. con.; Mrs. Richmond, treas.; Miss Ethel Main,
sec.
All of the Masonic organizations of the south
side meet in the
Masonic Temple at the corner of Main and Eighth
streets; those of
the north side in the Masonic Temple at 802 Rose
street.
The first lodge of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows was
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
155
instituted in the summer of 1853 by a few
persons who had belonged
to the order previous to their settlement in La
Crosse. It was named
La Crosse lodge, No. 69, but gave up its charter
in 1859, and for nearly
ten years following the order was not
represented in the city. In
1868, La Crosse Valley lodge, No. 149 was
organized by some members
of the old lodge and others who held cards from
other lodges.
As a majority of them were Germans, their
charter was issued to work
in that language. The charter members were A. P.
Mazurkiewitz,
John Rau, Theodore Rodolph, George Scharpf, F.
Steffin and A.
Wehausen. Immediately upon organization six
others were admitted
by card and four were initiated, so that they
started out with sixteen
members. The organization rapidly increased in
membership and standing.
It has at the present time (1906) forty-five
members and expended
during the year ending June, 1906, $200 for
relief. Following
are the officers: J. Waecher, N. G.; John
Schwartz, V. G.; Joseph
Goodman, sec.; Carl Werner, treasurer.
The same year of the institution of the La
Crosse valley lodge, another
lodge for the English-speaking members was
organized with
Parker C. Dunn, George Howard, George M. Leach,
Harvey J.
Peck, Orrin L. Smith and Jacob P. Whelpley as
charter members.
Daniel Webster made the first application for
membership after the
organization. Alexander McMillan, Angus Cameron,
P. S. McArthur
and D. D. Polleys were among those who joined by
card soon
after. This is the Gateway City Lodge, and has a
membership of
fifty-nine.
The La Crosse Encampment was instituted
October 25, 1871, with
H. C. Heath, Harvey J. Peck, Theodore Rodolph,
Fred Scholl, George
Scharpf, Orrin Smith and G. W. Williams as
charter members. Eight
additional members were received on the day of
organization. This
is now known as the Rodolf Encampment, No. 9,
and has the following
officers: O. J. Johnson, C. P.; Theo. Neswold,
S. W.; A. S. Frink,
H. P.; A. C. Kunitz, J. W.; A. Peterson, Scribe;
A. Kirschner, treas.
The Normanna lodge, No. 260 of the I. O. O.
F. was organized for
the Norwegian people, on June 13, 1876, with P.
A. Fodstad, G.
Holmberg, O. S. Lund, A. Magnussen, John Miller
and C. P. Oefstaas
as the charter members. The present officers are
Theo. Neswold,
N. G.; Chris. Johnson, V. G.; C. J. Stokke, rec.
and per. sec.; Edward
Emilson, treas., and the membership, 81.
The Adela lodge, No. 40, Daughters of Rebekah
was organized May
27, 1874, with thirteen charter members and
twelve sisters. This was
also organized among the German speaking people.
The Rebekah
lodge at present existing is called the M. P.
Lindsey Lodge, No. 104.
Mrs. Anna Wold, N. G.; Mrs. H. G. Ferguson, V.
G.; Mrs. Ella Atkinson,
sec.; Mrs. Lizzie Wynne, treas.
The Ancient Order of United Workmen have two
lodges in the
city, the first, La Crosse lodge, No. 2, having
been organized September
8, 1876, and the Teutonia lodge, No. 3,
September 13, of the same
year.
The Knights of Honor organized two lodges,
also: La Crosse lodge,
No. 727, on September 6, 1877 and Eagle lodge,
No. 1528, April 4,
156
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
1879. The officers of No. 727 are Carl Sjoholm,
dictator; R. Calvert,
vice dictator; D. D. McMillan, assistant
dictator; J. L. Pettingill, reporter;
W. A. Sutor, treasurer; G. E. Mariner, financial
representative;
C. M. McDonald guardian.
The Royal Arcanum, T. B. Stoddard Council,
was organized March
22, 1879, with thirty-one charter members, which
included many of
the most prominent citizens of that time. The
present officers are
Mills Tourtellotte, regent; Alex. Metcalf, sec.;
W. A. Sutor, treas.;
Geo. E. Mariner, collector.
The Knights of Pythias and the American
Legion of Honor were
both organized in 1880, the former on April 22,
and the latter three
months later. Officers of the former are La
Crosse Lodge, No. 27,
C. W. Hunt, C. C.; Albert Kischner, V. C.; C. A.
Hunt, K. R. S.;
C. C. Hamilton, M. of F.; J. D. Wilson, M. of E.
Hamilton Lodge,
No. 57, D. L. Wartenbee, C. C.; H. L. Rood, V.
C.; Geo. M. Young,
K. R. S.; Robt. Schulze, M. of F.; C. L. Lein,
M. of E. Endowment
Rank, Sec. No. 436, J. D. Wilson, pres.; E. W.
Ford, sec. Gateway
Company, No. 4, U. R. K. of P., W. G. Allen,
capt.; C. A. Munson,
1st lieut.; C. W. Waterson, 2nd lieut.; Fred
Phillips, recorder; L.
Kleeber, treas.
The officers of the Rathbone Sisters, La
Crosse Temple, No. 4, are
Mrs. Bertha Zeigler, P. C.; Mrs. Anna Jojade, M.
E. C.; Miss Alma
Hosley, E. Sr.; Miss Sarah Talley, E. Jr.; Mrs.
Alida Watterson,
M. of R. & C.; Mrs. Minnie Stevenson, M. of F.
Two orders, similar in scope to those already
mentioned are the
Cremieux lodge, I. O. O. B., and the La Crosse
lodge, No. 166, K. S.
B., the former organized in 1870 and the latter
in 1877, which limit
their benefaction to members of the Jewish
congregations.
Later organizations are The Knights of
Columbus, La Crosse Council,
No. 839; Eagles, La Crosse Aerie, No. 1254;
Elks, La Crosse
Lodge, No. 300; Independent Order of Foresters,
Gateway City Court,
No. 153, Court La Crosse, No. 944, and Court
Gateway, No. 963; the
Knights of the Maccabees, Cosmopolitan Tent, No.
62; The Ladies of
the Maccabees, La Crosse Hive, No. 49; the
Modern Woodmen of
America, Gateway City Camp, No. 360, Black River
Camp, No. 507,
W. A. Northcott Camp, No. 9695; the Royal
Neighbors of America,
Mayflower Camp, No. 393, Ivy Camp, No. 1125;
Harmony Camp, No.
4121; The Brotherhood of American Yoemen,
Hickory Homestead,
No. 806; the Equitable Fraternal Union, La
Crosse Assembly, No.
154; The Sons of Herman, La Crosse Lodge, No.
48; The Catholic
Order of Foresters, Marquette Court, No. 395,
Carroll Court, No. 536;
Women's Catholic Order of Foresters, No. 294;
the Catholic Knights
of Wisconsin; St. Mary's Branch, No. 23, St.
James Branch, No. 76,
St. John's Branch, No. 130, St. George's Branch,
No. 131.; the I. S.
W. A.; three Bohemian societies, the C. S. P.
S., Lodge Delnic, No.
44; the Z. C. B. J. and the Bohemian Workman
Society; the Mystic
Workers of the World, the National Union; the
Woodmen of the
World; the Yeomen of America, La Crosse Council,
No. 350, and
Enterprise Council, No. 351.
There are also the following Labor
Organizations, - Trades and
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
157
Labor Council; Cigar Makers International
Union; Order of Railroad
Conductors, La Crosse Division, No. 60;
Typographical Union
No. 448; Stone Masons, No. 23.
Among the earliest societies organized, most
of which having served
their purpose in causing an arrest of thought on
an important moral
issue, have been discontinued, or superceded by
later organizations
having the same end in view, - were the Good
Templars, organized in
1858, the Sons of Temperance, organized in 1873,
Temple of Honor,
organized in 1876, and the Mendotas, organized
about the same time.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
organized in 1880, has
much the same object in view as the earlier
organizations, with these
differences; it is not a secret organization,
and it lays the stress of its
work upon the prevention of habits of
intemperance, rather than upon
the reclamation of those upon whom the habits
are already fixed. It acts
under the direction of the following officers:
Mrs. Sarah Blanchard,
president; Mrs. Earl M. Higbee, vice president;
Miss Sophia Hains,
corresponding secretary; Mrs. Minnie Stevens,
recording secretary;
Mrs. Jessie Blanchard, treasurer.
The La Crosse Agricultural Society is among
the first of the associations
formed in the county for the general good of the
community.
The subject was agitated for some time before
the sentiment of
the community crystalized into action. The first
meeting was held in
the court-house, La Crosse, October 16, 1858,
where an organization
was completed under the following officers: T.
L. Smith, president;
E. B. Richardson, D. J. Jenkins, Milton Barlow,
Conrad Reedsburg,
John Hemstock, V. M. Adams, J. C. McGivin, D. A.
Kennedy, Isaac
Martin, John Clark, M. A. Gedney, Mr. Owen, vice
presidents; B. E.
Brower, secretary and treasurer. Two weeks after
the organization
was completed the society held its first fair in
the city of La Crosse.
At this initiative effort the total number of
entries were less than a
hundred, but the following year the society
purchased a tract of twenty-
five acres near West Salem where their fairs
have been held annually
since that time. The officers of the society are
T. L. Smith, president;
B. E. Brower, secretary and treasurer. The
income for the past
six years has been, 1901, $3,200; 1902, $4,000;
1903, $4,500; 1904,
$3,200; 1905, $3,100; 1906, $4,500.
The Northwestern Horticultural society was
organized December
26, 1879, at a mass meeting held for the purpose
of awakening interest
in the subject. The meeting was largely attended
and addresses
made by prominent citizens. At the close of the
public meeting the
organization was effected and the following
officers elected: J. W.
Losey, president; L. H. Pammel, treasurer; L. W.
Brigham, secretary;
Charles Otillie, E. Wilcox, I. H. Usher,
executive committee.
The first athletic society organized in La
Crosse was in the summer
of 1855, when a number of young Germans,
associated themselves
together under the name of "Gymnastic Society,"
and practiced the
athletic exercises of the Turners in the open
air. In 1859 they bought
one lot, and soon after purchased several
others, upon which "Turners'
Hall" was erected about 1861. The enlistment of
a number of the
members in the companies formed in La Crosse and
the vicinity at
158 MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY
the beginning of the Civil War checked the
growth of the society for
a time, but after the close of hostilities, the
interest in the organization
was resumed. In 1874 it united with a German
musical society, called
the "Liederkranz" and adopted the name
"Deutscher Verein." In
this association one department is devoted to
physical culture under
a special director.
The La Crosse Shooting Club was organized in
1867 and a clubhouse
erected on the prairie east of the city; two
years later ground
was leased and buildings erected a short
distance south of the city,
where the members held weekly meetings for
target practice.
The present associations for the
encouragement of athletics are the
Professional Base Ball Association, E. R.
Hawley, manager; the La
Crosse Bowling League, J. E. Kinder, president;
the Sharpshooters
Club, John Mohr, president; departments in the
Norden and Turnverein
Societies and the Schaghticoke Country Club. The
last mentioned
has a fine club-house and beautiful grounds at
the corner of La
Crosse street and Losey Boulevard, at the foot
of the bluffs. It is an
ideal situation for the porpose, and the golf
links, which run back into
Miller's Coulee, are among the best in the
United States.
The first movement looking toward the
organization of a Board of
Trade for the city of La Crosse, was a mass
meeting called January
28, 1868. At an adjourned meeting February 7,
following, the Board
was permanently organized with C. L. Colman,
president; W. W.
Jones, vice president; James McCord, recording
secretary; Ira H. Hill
corresponding secretary; Gysbert Van Steenwyk,
treasurer; Mons
Anderson, G. C. Hixon, S. Steinman, W. H. Luman,
I. A. Shepard,
M. F. Colton, S. L. Nevins, H. T. Rumsey, W. W.
Crosby, S. Newman,
Joseph Clarke, J. B. Jungen, as a board of
directors. Other
committees were appointed, the annual fee fixed
at $10, rooms fitted
up for the use of the organization, and a number
of commercial
publication ordered for the use of the members.
During the first twelve years of its
existence the work of the Board
was directed chiefly toward conferences with the
various railroad
companies, and in conjunction with the city
council, were instrumental
in having the Milwaukee and St. Paul line
extended from North La
Crosse into the city, and a depot erected south
of the La Crosse river.
Negotiations were also made with the Chicago &
Northwestern,
Green Bay & Minnesota and other roads relative
to their connections
with the "Gateway City." The location of a large
flouring-mill and
river improvements were accomplished through the
influence of the
Board.
At the first annual election the old officers
were re-elected with the
exception of the treasurer, S. L. Nevins being
elected in place of G.
Van Steenwyk. At the annual meeting in 1871, W.
W. Jones was
elected president; Alexander McMillan, vice
president; Fred. Tillman,
recording secretary; M. T. Carlton,
corresponding secretary; G. Van
Steenwyk, treasurer. The next year the
president, corresponding secretary
and treasurer were retained and W. W. Crosby
made vice president
and Theodore Rodolf, recording secretary. In
1873 all the officers
of the Board were re-elected. In 1873 the only
change made
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
159
in the personnel of the officers was in the
office of the vice president,
to which James McCord was elected. In 1875 W. A.
Sutor was
elected in place of Mr. Van Steenwyk. In 1876 a
change was made
in the office of corresponding secretary, J. S.
Medary being elected
to that position, and G. Van Steenwyk again
placed in the position of
treasurer. In 1877 James McCord was chosen
president and Joseph
Clarke, vice president, and W. W. Jones,
corresponding secretary, the
other officers remaining unchanged. In 1878
Albert Hoppin was
elected recording secretary, which was the only
change made. In
1879 the officers of the organization were as
follows: Joseph Clarke,
president; S. S. Burton, vice president; A.
Hoppin, recording secretary;
W. W. Jones, corresponding secretary; G. Van
Steenwyk,
treasurer. The next year the two secretaries
were changed, Ellis B.
Usher acting as recording and Fred Tillman as
corresponding secretary.
The following year the two secretaries were
retained and J. S.
Medary was chosen president, A. Hirshheimer,
vice president and J.
M. Holly, treasurer. The policy of the
association seemed to be to
retain its tried officers as long as possible,
and when changes were
unavoidable to make them so that a part of the
old officers would hold
over, and thus avoid sweeping changes in the
policy of the board.
The Board of Trade has been a very efficient
factor in the prosperity
of La Crosse. It has watched for opportunities
to enlarge the commercial
and manufacturing interests of the city, and
having upon its
membership roll most of the active business men
of the city was in a
position to promote united action for whatever
would tend to the
public welfare or promote private enterprises.
Its list of presidents
since its organization is as follows: 1868-1869,
C. L. Colman; 1870-76,
W. W. Jones; 1877-78, James McCord; 1879-80,
Joseph Clarke; 1881-
82, J. S. Medary; 1883-86, A. Hirschheimer;
1887-88, G. R. Montague;
1889-90, C. F. Klein; 1891-93, J. M:. Holley;
1894-95, George
Salzer; 1896-97, E. A. Copeland; 1898-99, H. J.
Hirshheimer; 1900-
01, Joseph Boschert; 1902-03, Grant E. Reynolds;
1904-05, Roland B.
Gelatt; 1906-07, George H. Ray.
Probably no single member of the Board has
rendered service comparable
with that of Mr. Robert Calvert who was its
efficient secretary
from 1881 until 1906. Since 1881 he published
the reports of
each year, and these bound in volumes give a
condensed but correct
report of the proceedings of the Board and the
development of the
city from year to year. Mr. Calvert is the
surveyor of customs with
his office in the postoffice building, and
continues his interest not only
in the Board, but in all that pertains to the
welfare of the city.
The names of the committees give an idea of
the scope of the organization:
finance, publication, membership, manufactures,
railroads,
freights, postal facilities, river improvements,
roads and bridges,
meteorological, public health, civic affairs and
taxation, transient
merchants.
At the close of 1904 there were 191 members;
eleven joined and
two were reinstated during the year, making a
total of 204. During
1905 five members withdrew, four died, eleven
went out of business
or left the city, eight were suspended, so that
the membership in the
160
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
beginning of 1906 was 176. Every department
of manufacturing and
commercial life and the leading professions are
represented.
The receipts of the society are wholly from
the dues and from the
sale of the annual reports and amount to about
$1,000 per year. The
principal expense is the secretary's salary,
$720 per annum, the balance
being expended for printing, circulars, postage,
etc. The present
officers are Geo. H. Ray, president; R. S. Reid,
secretary; P. C. Wigginhorn,
vice president; W. S. Woods, treasurer.
The La Crosse County Historical Society was
organized at West
Salem, May 28, 1898, and had for its object the
preservation of the
county records. It was incorporated under the
following officers: E.
B. Usher, president; A. McEldowny, vice
president; W. W. Jones,
secretary; M. M. Buttles, treasurer; G. R.
Montague, John Dawson,
L. B. Cox, advisory committee. The society began
the important
work of collecting and preserving the early
records and history of the
county, but allowed its enthusiasm to die out
after a few years.
Old Settlers Association was organized on
June 17, 1881, its object
being to renew the associations and preserve the
records of the early
days. Its first officers were John M. Levy,
president; C. K. Lord, vice
president; Charles Volner, secretary; Theodore
Rodolf, treasurer. The
executive committee consisted of Charles
Seymour, John Ulrich, I. L.
Usher, J. W. Losey and Howard Cramer. A
constitution was adopted,
amount of annual dues fixed and provisions made
for later membership.
Those who became members at the time of
organization, with
the date of their settlement in La Crosse are as
follows:
1851. - Howard Cramer, George Farnam, N.
Hintzen, Harvey E.
Hubbard, Harvey J. Peck, H. N. Solberg.
1852. - Pernue Clark, George Howard, Andrew
Pfiffner, George
Scharpf.
1853. - Theodore Rodolf, C. F. Scharpf.
1854. - Edwin Howard, Stephen Martindale, Milo
J. Pitkin.
1855. - Henry I. Bliss, Lemuel Drake, H. C.
Heath, Fred Mueller,
W. A. Roosevelt, Isaac L. Usher, James Vincent,
Charles Volner.
1856. - Harrison Griswold, Albert Hirshheimer,
J. W. Losey, David
D. Polleys, E. G. Robbins, A. Steinlein, John
Ulrich, A. M. Watson.
1857. - J. W. Birney, W. S. Burroughs, S. S.
Burton, Angus Cameron,
Charles Seymour, J. A. Spier, O. H. Smith.
1858. - Henry Esperson, M. M. Manville, Albert
Pfiffner, L.
Wachenheimer.
1860. - John S. Medary.
The La Crosse Library Company, organized
April, 1853, and incorporated
under the laws of the state was the first
distinctly literary
movement in the village. Its membership fees
were placed at $5 and
were transferable; and its constitution provided
for a course of public
lectures, and a lyceum during the winter season.
Following are the
topics and speakers for the first course:
"Progress," Samuel D. Hastings;
"Ireland," James Gallagher; "Miasm and
Contagion," Dr. A.
Ferns; "American System of Popular Education,"
D. W. Gilfillen;
"Female Education," Edwin Flint. Some of the
weekly debates were
on "War and Peace," "Colonization," "The Mexican
War," "Land
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
161
Reforms," "Women's Rights," "Capital
Punishment," "The Maine Liquor
Law." The second course of lectures
semi-monthly, extending from
December 16, 1853 to April 7, 1854, began as
follows: "The Object
and Advantages of the Association," by Rev.
Enoch Tasker; "The
Necessity, Propriety and Dignity of Labor," C.
K. Lord; "China and
the Chinese," Rev. J. E. Sherwin; other speakers
were Rev. Spencer
Carr, S. D. Hastings, D. D. Cameron, Edwin
Flint, Chase A. Stevens,
James J. Lyndes, D. R. Wheeler. These topics and
list of speakers
sufficiently indicate the object and trend of
the organization. The
transplanted New England conscience insisted
upon a serious discussion
of vital principles of living, and each one
contributed to the public
edification according to his ability.
The Library Association continued its
existence through all the early
years of the city's development, and if it did
not actually accomplish
great things in a material way, it kept alive
the sentiment which later
crystalized into the present splendid Public
Library, and supplied, at
least in some measure, by its small circulating
library, the demand for
knowledge of the great literary world outside.
The modern popular development of social
literary life, the woman's
club, flourishes in La Crosse as elsewhere. Most
of the clubs are small
unfederated classes which meet and quietly study
by themselves without
actively associating themselves with the larger
movements of the
federations. There is no large department club
in the city and the
two which are connected with the general and
state federations are the
Twentieth Century club and the Woman's club of
North La Crosse.
The former was organized April 29, 1901, and
federated May 18, of
the same year, and combines with its literary
study other lines of work
or investigation such as the preservation of
landmarks, juvenile courts,
traveling libraries, school alliance, home
economics, forestry, etc. It
has forty members, and its officers are Mrs.
Elsie Gile Scott, president;
Mrs. Emma Law, and Mrs. E. A. Burnham, vice
presidents; Mrs. C.
W. Noble, recording and Mrs. C. W. Elmore,
corresponding secretary;
Mrs. Agnes Vincent, treasurer.
The La Crosse Woman's Club on the north side,
meets fortnightly
at the homes of the members. The officers are
Mrs. E. H. Pope,
president; Mrs. Chas. Crosby, vice president;
Mrs. G. W. Lueck, recording
secretary, Mrs. E. Parker, corresponding
secretary and Mrs.
A. A. Bentley, treasurer. It is an incorporated
society. Its line of
study is chiefly literary with occasional
discussions of questions of
civic or social import, and it has assisted in
library and other public
movements. Its membership is limited to forty.
The oldest purely literary woman's club in
the city is the Cotorie,
which has been in existence for thirty-four
years, having been organized
in 1873, before the woman's club was
popularized. It is an unfederated
club, limited to twelve members. Mrs. Mary
MacArthur is
president, Miss Kate McDonald vice president and
Miss Gertrude
Hogan, secretary and treasurer.
Another woman's club worthy of especial
mention is the Wednesday
club. This is also a small organization of seven
or eight members,
but one of the earliest, and its members, have
made a careful and
thorough study of the great art treasurers of
the world.
162
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
The Franklin Club is a men's debating club
on the north side and
has maintained its organization and the interest
of its members for a
number of years. The annual banquet is a feature
and at the last one
held January 19, 1907, 125 members and guests
were present.
The Euterpean, recently organized, is a mixed
club, or rather a fraternity,
in which the main idea is the correlation of
music, art and
literature. The three departments meet together,
and while special
class-work is given, the general program relates
to all three lines of
study. It has a membership of 250. Dr. Henry
Faville is the presiding
officer and Prof. Frank Fowler, director. The
society meets in the
new parlors of the First Methodist church.
Sketches of the lives of
the exponents of the study are given, readings
from the authors, interpretations
of the music of the composers, and the art of
the painter
is reproduced by lantern slides. The membership
includes many of the
city pastors, teachers, musicians and people of
general and literary
culture.
The organization of the first La Crosse Light
Guard, which became
one of the first Wisconsin companies to enter
the service of the United
States upon the breaking out of the Civil War,
and of the La Crosse
Artillery Company, are noticed in the chapter
devoted to the services
of La Crosse in the war. At the close of that
sanguinary struggle
there was no disposition to play at military
maneuvers for some time.
The first military organization subsequent to
the disbanding of the
volunteer army in 1865, was the Governor's
Guard, organized in
August, 1873, with Charles de Villiers as
captain.
The second La Crosse Light Guard was
organized August 14, 1878,
with L. Rossiter, captain; M. T. Moore, first
lieutenant; J. M. Holley,
second lieutenant.
There have been some changes and
reorganizations in the military
companies, those at present in active drill
being Companies B and M,
Third Infantry, Wisconsin National Guard.
Company B (Governor's
Guard) is officered as follows: Fred Schultz,
captain; P. Wendling,
first lieutenant; John Smisky, second
lieutenant; A. E. Edgell, quartermaster
sergeant. The Governor's Guard meets every
Thursday, for
drill, in the armory. There is also a Governor's
Guard association of
which W. H. Berg is president which meets the
first Wednesday of
each month in the armory. The officers of
Company M are C. R.
Rawlinson, captain; G. H. Hale, first
lieutenant; Frank H. Fowler, second
lieutenant. The company has a weekly drill. The
resident regimental
officers are Col. Orlando Holway, regimental
commander;
Julius E. Kircheis, lieutenant colonel; Dr. D.
S. MacArthur, captain
and surgeon.
With so large a contingency of German
population it was inevitable
that musical societies would have been of early
origin. In August,
1856, the La Crosse Maennerchor was organized,
the charter members
being Charles Freiberg, Fred. Frey, Charles
Koenig, Jacob Kohlhaus,
A. Reiher, Henry Schroeder, Isaac Tuteur, and
John Ulrich.
Charles Schaefer was elected president, John
Ulrich, secretary, Isaac
Tuteur, treasurer, and Charles Freiberg, leader.
The name of the
society was changed not long after to La Crosse
Leiderkranz. The
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY 163
first concert was given by the society in
December, 1857, the society
having previously added to its membership,
Messrs. Weiss and Moeller,
two accomplished musicians and leaders. Regular
meetings were
held for rehearsals, and the association became
not only a musical, but
a social center, especially for the German
people. In 1861 the Leiderkranz
purchased lots on King and Third streets and the
following year
was incorporated under the laws of the state,
and erected a building
for its use, known as Singers' Hall. The first
state singers' festival
was held under the auspices of this society; at
which the Northwestern
Saengerbund was formed. In 1874 the society
united wieh the Turners,
and formed what is known now as a "Department
Club," in which
musical culture occupied the attention of one
section. This larger
society adopted the name of Deutscher Verein.
The interest in musical societies is still
maintained in the city and
preparations are now being made for the
entertainment of the national
Saengerfest which will bring about three
thousand singers and other
musicians to the city.
The present officers of the Liederkranz
Singing Society are Geo.
Linker, president; C. B. Noelke, vice president;
Carl Zoerb, secretary;
H. J. Bitzer, treasurer. It meets every Friday
evening in Germania
Hall.
On June 1, 1869, a musical society was
organized among the Norwegian
population called the Normanna Sangerkor, with
H. A. Haugen,
president, C. R. Jackwith, vice president; L.
Coren, secretary,
Emil Borresen, treasurer; Emil Berg, director.
It had twenty-five
members at the time of organization, and
continued its separate existence
until 1874 when it united with the Scandinavian
Society, under
the name of Norden Society, the objects of the
new organization being
very similar to those of the Deutscher Verein,
the musical department
being maintained under the original name. In
1876 another separate
musical society was organized under the old name
and were incorporated
as the Normanna Sangerkor in 1880.
This early interest in the cultivation of
music has been maintained
down to the present time. The officers of the
Normanna Sangerkor
are C. Kreibel, president; John Lier, secretary;
Ole Anderson, treasurer;
C. Forseth, director. It meets every Friday in
Frohsinn Hall.
La Crosse is represented by the patriotic
societies which commemorate
both the establishment and the maintenance of
the Union. The
sons of the American Revolution and the
Daughters of the American
Revolution both have chapters which perpetuate
the memory of the
earlier struggle. The former was organized May
29, 1897, and is the
La Crosse Chapter No. 94. It meets annually on
April 19, and upon
the call of the president. The charter members
were Norris C. Bacheller,
Charles R. Benton, Ellis B. Usher, Edward R.
Burke, Daniel S.
MacArthur. The officers are George H. Ray,
president; C. W. Dow,
secretary; R. C. Whelpley, treasurer; Dr. D. S.
MacArthur, historian.
The Daughters of the American Revolution were
organized December,
1896, and the chapter, No. 291, has a membership
of forty-five.
Miss Gertrude Hogan is the regent, Mr. Orlando
Holway, vice regent,
Mrs. D. S. MacArthur, secretary; Mrs. L. W.
Foster, treasurer, and
164
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Mrs. G. W. Scott, registrar. The chapter
meets monthly at the homes
of the members. It has endeavored to inculcate
the spirit of patriotism
by giving prizes for the best historical essays
written by the boys
and girls of the eighth grade. During the
Spanish-American war it
raised funds for hospital supplies and it is at
present raising funds for
the marking of historic sites.
The Grand Army of the Republic organized its
first post, the Wilson
Colwell, No. 38, July 15, 1882. Its present
officers are J. M.
Holley, C.; W. J. Scott, S. V. C.; H. K.
Vincent, J. V. C.; B. F. Bryant,
Q. M.; G. H. Dalton, chaplain; W. J. Davidson,
adjutant. The
post meets in the G. A. R. hall in the
court-house.
The John Flynn Post, No. 77, was organized
May 5, 1883. It is a
north side organization and meets weekly in its
hall at the corner of
Caledonia and Clinton streets. The officers are
Gilbert Jenks, C.;
Albert Allen, S. V. C.; C. S. Fourt, J. V. C.;
J. W. McCann, adjutant;
A. S. Nobles, Q. M.
The William McKinley Post, No. 15, was
organized November 29,
1901, and has for officers C. S. Sisson, C.;
Henry Gleason, S. V. C.;
C. B. Phelps, adjutant; C. Caldwell, chaplain.
It meets the second
and fourth Wednesdays of each month in the G. A.
R. Hall.
The associated societies are the Ladies'
Circle of the G. A. R., Mrs.
Ida Shackley, president; the Woman's Relief
Corps, No. 2, auxiliary
to the Wilson Colwell Post, Mrs. J. Desmond,
president; and the
Woman's Relief Corps, No. 3, auxiliary to the
William McKinley
Post, all of which meet in the G. A. R. Hall.
There is one camp of the Spanish War
Veterans, No. 11, which also
has quarters in the court-house. The officers
are John E. Swan, C.;
A. H. Englehard, S. V. C.; F. A. Schulz, J. V.
C.; A. B. Chandler,
adjutant; A. Iverson, Q. M. The auxiliary is the
Casberg, No. 3, of
which Flora E. Olson is president.
With the growth of every city the necessity
for systematic philanthropic
effort becomes more and more pressing. Those who
have
become the wards of the city, either through
poverty, sickness or old age,
have had the consideration of those more
fortunately situated through
the medium of a number of societies, of which
the Associated Charities
includes the principal ones. Others, organized
for the special purposes
which their names indicate are the Hospital
Association and the
Home Finding Association, the Hebrew Ladies'
Benevolent Society,
and the National German Aid Society. The
officers of the Associated
Charities are Rev. J. J. Clemens, president;
Mrs. W. Weinell,
vice president; Frank Smith, secretary; Rev. Mr.
Strand, treasurer;
C. H. Berry, agent. The representatives of the
various societies meet
monthly in the city hall.
There is in La Crosse, as in every city, a
large number of associations
of a purely social nature. These are, for the
most part, private and
informal groups of people of similar tastes, or
departments of larger
organizations with a number of interests. The
social life, is, in fact a
considerable factor in many of the societies,
clubs and associations
already enumerated.
The La Crosse Club, a business men's club,
whose house is located
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
165
at 115 North Fifth street, probably carries
out more than any other of
the societies named the original meaning of the
club before the word
was so largely monopolized by women's
organizations, - that of providing
for busy people of affairs something of the
freedom and relaxation
of the home, without troubling them with the
vexatious details.
The management of the La Crosse club is at
present in the hands
of L. C. Colman, president; Andrew Lee, vice
president; J. J. Ablett,
secretary; Alfred Bosshard, treasurer.
CHAPTER XVII.
BANKS AND BANKING.
FIRST BANK IN 1856 - JOHN M. LEVY, FIRST BANKER
- SECOND BANK
OPENED BY S. D. HASTINGS - THIRD BANK,
CRAMER, CLINTON & COMPANY
- BANK AT ONALASKA - BANK OF LA CROSSE -
GREEN BAY AND
OTHER BANKS - BATAVIAN BANK - NATIONAL BANK
- STATE BANK
OF LA CROSSE - EXCHANGE BANK - SECURITY
SAVINGS BANK - BANKING
STATISTICS FOR 1906 - LA CROSSE COUNTY BANK
OF WEST SALEM
- WEST SALEM STATE BANK - BANGOR STATE BANK
- GYSBERT VAN
STEENWYK.
The first bank established in La Crosse
was opened in 1856 by John
M. Levy. This first banker was associated with
the early history of
La Crosse in very many ways, but perhaps in none
was more helpful to
the frontier town than in financiering its
infant industries. Although
this was not done through the medium of the
bank, which failed during
the panic of 1857, but whose indebtedness was
all subsequently paid by Mr. Levy.
The second bank was also opened in 1856, -
soon after the opening
of Mr. Levy's bank, - by S. D. Hastings, a
forwarding and commission
merchant, also intimately connected with the
early history of the
city, and subsequently widely known throughout
the state. He remained
in the business only a short time and was
succeeded by Griggs,
Newland & Company.
In October of the same year a third bank was
opened by Cramer,
Clinton & Company, and about the same time a
bank was opened in
Onalaska. None of these early institutions seem
to have been able to
weather the financial crisis that followed soon
after their establishment.
In 1861 the Batavian Bank was opened with
Gysbert Van Steenwyk,
for president. On September 15, 1863, it was
burned out, but did not
suffer loss, being fully insured, and the
proprietor immediately resumed
business in another location. This bank has been
one of the institutions
of the city and has for fifty years maintained
the confidence of
the citizens of La Crosse.
The bank of La Crosse was established October
3, 1862, W. D.
Bannister president, and the Green Bay Bank,
financed by Daniel
Wells, Jr., about the same time. At the annual
review of the city's
manufacturing, commercial and other business
firms, December, 1863,
the following banks were in business: the
Batavian bank, the La Crosse
bank, the Green Bay bank, and the banking house
of Cole, Sumner & Company.
Other banks established at later dates are
the La Crosse National
166
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
167
bank, which began business January 3, 1876,
with a paid-up capital of
$100,000, and Holley & Borreson, which was
established in July, 1879.
The banks at present in the city are the
Batavian, already mentioned
as established in 1861. It is located at 319-321
Main street in the
Batavian building, and is one of the solid
institutions of the city, having
been continuously in business for nearly half a
century. Its founder,
Mr. Van Steenwyk, was a man of sound business
principles and unimpeachable
integrity, and the institution which he started
has maintained
the high standard of its originator. Its capital
stock is $400,000 and
surplus $100,000, and is under the following
management: E. E.
Bentley, president; S. Y. Hyde, vice president;
E. M. Wing, cashier;
John A. Bayer, assistant cashier.
The next oldest bank is the National bank of
La Crosse, incorporated
in 1876 and reorganized in 1896. This is also
financiered by men who
have been leaders in the business circles of the
city for many years.
Its capital stock is $250,000, its surplus,
$200,000 and its undivided
profits $50,000. The officers are Geo. W.
Burton, president; F. P.
Hixon, vice president; L. C. Colman, vice
president; F. H. Hankerson,
cashier; Joseph Boschert and Alfred Bosshard,
assistant cashiers.
The State bank of La Crosse is the successor
to the banking firm
of Holly & Borreson established in 1879. It is
located at 311 Main
street and its officers are Geo. H. Ray,
president; A. Platz, vice president;
J. M. Holley, Sr., cashier; J. M. Holley, Jr.,
assistant cashier.
J. M. Holley, Sr., has been continuously
associated with the business
for twenty-eight years. Its capital stock is
$50,000.
The Exchange bank, established in 1884 and
incorporated in 1889,
is located on the north side, 800 Rose street.
It has a capital stock of
$25,000, and is under the following management:
J. E. Wheeler, president;
Orlando Holway, vice president; J. P. Gohres,
cashier; Robert
B. Lowry, assistant cashier.
The Security Savings Bank, at 110 North
Fourth street was incorporated
in 1894 and reorganized in 1900 with a capital
stock of $30,000.
Its officers are E. C. Swarthout, president; M.
F. Platz, vice president;
W. W. Withee, cashier; J. A. Thwing, assistant
cashier.
BANK STATISTICS FOR 1906 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
|
Banks
|
Aggregate
Deposits
|
Aggregate
Discounts
|
Exchange
Bought
|
Exchange
Sold
|
Currency
Imported
|
Currency
Exported
|
| Nat. of LC |
$38,865,527 |
$12,046,147 |
$21,204,833 |
$20,676,040 |
$ 820,000 |
$1,950,000 |
| Bat. Nat |
25,500,579 |
6,940,965 |
19,966,032 |
18,941,632 |
1,880,000 |
1,819,000 |
| State |
6,548,000 |
2,921,000 |
2,967,000 |
2,492,000 |
20,000 |
55,000 |
| Sec. Sav |
1,002,042 |
984,237 |
1,910,764 |
1,805,431 |
|
|
| Ex. State |
1,242,055 |
555,537 |
1,300,769 |
1,291,635 |
|
|
| Totals |
$73,158,203 |
$23,447,886 |
$47,349,398 |
$45,206,738 |
$2,720,000 |
$3,824,000 |
In 1881 the La Crosse banks showed an
aggregate of deposits
amounting to $12,243,000. Twenty-five years
later the aggregate, as
shown above had increased to $73,158,203.
The other banks in the county make the
following showing:
168 MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY
The La Crosse County bank of West Salem
has a capital and surplus
of $36,000. The officers are W. I. Dudley,
president; L. C. Sander,
vice president; G. W. Dudley, cashier.
The La Crosse County Bank was organized in
1889 by Leonard
Lottridge and he associated Andrew McEldowney
with him soon afterward.
They did a general banking business as a private
bank until
1903 when it was incorporated as a state bank.
Soon after this J. G.
McEldowney, the cashier, died and the bank was
sold to the present
management. The bank has always done a good
business and has
grown very fast during the last few years. At
present the total resources
are about $275,000. The bank stands for the
solidest and
most conservative interests in the county and
has a bright future.
The West Salem State bank has a capital of
$16,000; surplus $500;
deposits, $97,500; total $114,000. Its resources
are loans and discounts,
$80,000; cash in banks $30,000; cash on hand
$4,000; total
$114,000. The officers of the bank are George D.
Sprain, president;
Sterling W. Brown, cashier.
The Bangor State Bank has the following
officers: I. A. Richardson,
president; William Smith, vice president; J. E.
Fencel, cashier. The
bank was organized July 23, 1903. Its financial
standing is as follows:
capital, $15,000; surplus, $1,500; loans and
discounts, $83,000; deposits,
$96,000.
Gysbert Van Steenwyk, founder and for many
years president of the
Batavian bank, was a gentleman of unusual
culture and ability, and
has a place not only in the local records, but
in the annals of the state
as well. He was born in Utrecht, the
Netherlands, January 13, 1814,
and was educated at the University of Utrecht,
graduating in the
departments of philosophy and literature. He was
a volunteer in the
army of the Netherlands in 1830-31, and a
commissioned officer of
the National Guard, from 1838 to 1849. In the
latter year he resigned
his commission and immigrated to the United
States. He located in
Milwaukee and remained there for five years. The
building of the
railroad from Milwaukee westward occasioned the
planning and platting
of many towns along its supposed route. One in
which Milwaukee
men were largely interested was located in Sauk
county, at a place
called Newport, about two miles below the
present site of Kilbourn,
on the west side of the Wisconsin river. The
Wisconsin was to have
been bridged at this point, and a large town was
platted, public buildings
erected, churches built, large stores opened, a
saw-mill in active
operation, many substantial homes built and a
large population gathered.
Mr. Van Steenwyk was among the projectors of the
town, and
built a large house overlooking a beautiful
sweep of the river. Subsequent
disagreements between the citizens and the
railroad company
resulted in the location of the bridge two miles
up the river, and the
ultimate dissolution of the aspiring village of
Newport. Mr. Van
Steenwyk removed to Kilbourn in 1858 which was
his nominal home
until 1862 when he moved to La Crosse. During
all these years Mr.
Van Steenwyk was largely occupied by public
affairs. He was appointed
consul of the Netherlands for Wisconsin in 1849,
and also
served for Minnesota and Michigan in 1850.
Governor Farwell
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
169
appointed him the commissioner of immigration
for Wisconsin, in which
capacity he served during 1852-53. In 1857 he
was appointed brigadier
of the Wisconsin state militia and in 1859 was
elected to the state
legislature from Columbia county. He was
appointed bank comptroller
for 1860-61. After his removal to La Crosse he
became immediately
a prominent factor in the development of the
city. He
established the Batavian bank in 1861 and was in
1873 elected mayor
of the city. In 1879-80 he served as state
senator. He died in La
Crosse, April 13, 1902.
CHAPTER XVIII.
LA CROSSE HOTELS.
THE FIRST TAVERN - HOTELS OF THE VILLAGE - LIST
OF HOTELS IN
1861 - HOSTELRIES OF TODAY, NORTH LA CROSSE
- HOTEL SECTION
ON SOUTH SIDE - LIST OF HOTELS - "THE
STODDARD."
One of the earliest necessities of the
"Gateway City" was a gatekeeper's
lodge, and the records show that it was
considered before
almost any other public convenience. In 1846, J.
M. Levy, an Indian
trader, stopped at La Crosse and very soon after
opened what was
known in the pioneer days as a "tavern." The
first hotel opened after
the survey of the village plat, was in a
building owned by J. W. Levy
and operated by Simeon Kellogg, one of the early
postmasters who
came to La Crosse from Waukegan, Ill. His house
was known as
"The Western Enterprise," and kept by "an old,
experienced and widely
known landlord."
The La Crosse Hotel, William McConnell,
proprietor, was located
in front of the steamboat landing and the
enterprising landlord purchased
a ferryboat which he named "Wild Kate" and added
a handsome
sum to his profits by being able to transport
across the river his
guests who were desirous of examining the rich
farming lands in
southern Minnesota.
In 1853 the Talmadge House was open to the
public. This is
described as sixty-four by thirty-one feet, four
stories above the basement,
and had accommodations for one hundred and fifty
persons, and
as being "an ornament to the village." Besides
these there opened as
early as 1853 the Black River House, William G.
McSpadden, proprietor,
and the "New England House" opened in May, 1853,
G. H.
Wilson, proprietor. The latter was situated on
Front street and its
recommendations to the traveling public included
"a commanding view
of the river, attention to the furnishing of the
table," a proprietor
"experienced in the business," who was certain
that he could make his
guests happier and more pleasantly situated than
any other house
in La Crosse.
The summer of 1853 the hotels are reported as
all full and all making
money, and some of the attractions of the table
were "goose, duck,
chicken and venison."
A new hotel eighty feet square and containing
one hundred and
four rooms was built in 1856, by J. M. Levy, at
a cost of $20,000.
This hotel was leased by Bicknell and Rice,
experienced inn-keepers
from Beloit.
170
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
171
The Mississippi House, proprietor, R. I.
Johnson, was commended
by the editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel, a
transient guest, as well-
kept, clean and comfortable.
Four new hotels were opened during the months
of August and September,
1857, which made twenty hotels in operation in
the city, all
full and making money. This in a little city of
about three
thousand inhabitants, shows an abnormally large
transient population.
A summary of the business houses of La Crosse
taken at the close
of 1861 gives the following list of hotels:
Augusta House, Pense &
Hartwell, proprietors; accommodation for 200
guests. Columbian
House, O. H. Smith; 30. Gardner House, H. L.
Beach; 75. Harrington
House, Harrington & Son; 200. Union Hotel, C.
Justen; 40.
Washington House, Adam Jacobson; 40. Kellogg
House, S. Kellogg;
45. St. Louis Hotel, J. Valiquette. La Crosse
House, Hanson Rauber;
85. City Hotel; 24. Soelburg House, A. Ameson;
25. State
Street House, G. Voight; 50. Farmers' House,
Plank Road, John
Branch; 40. Farmers' Hotel, Joseph Hiscox; 10.
While the hotel business in later years is
not proportionally as large
as in the early days, yet the location of the
city at the crossways of a
number of leading lines of travel has always
demanded a considerable
accommodation for a transient population. At the
present time twenty-
five hotels, fifteen public boarding houses and
twelve restaurants cater
to the wants of the traveling public and
transitory guests of the city;
beside many private boarding and lodging houses
where transient
guests are sometimes accommodated.
The list of the hotels, arranged
alphabetically, is as follows: North
Side - Allen Hotel, Exchange Hotel, Hotel
Goddard, North Star Hotel.
South Side - American House, Cameron, (The),
City Hotel, Eagle
Hotel, Germania House, Gillmeister House, Green
Bay Hotel, Hotel
Boycott, Hotel Bronson, Hotel Burlingame, Hotel
Doering, Hotel
Grand, Hotel La Crosse, Law Hotel, Nora House,
Northwestern Hotel,
Stoddard, (The), Union Hotel, Wisconsin House,
West Side - Isle
of Rest Hotel, (summer hotel).
The hotel section of the city is from Vine
street on the north to Pearl
street on the south and includes besides these
two streets, State and
Main; and extends back four or five blocks from
the river. With the
exception of the hotels on the north side and
French Island, and one
in the extreme southern part of the city, all of
the hostelries will be
found within these limits. The Cameron, built
some twenty-five or
thirty years ago, was for many years the leading
hotel. It is now connected
with the station of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
Paul Railway,
and is a favorite stopping place for commercial
traveling men,
as are also the Law Hotel and Hotel Grand, and
some others.
The leading hotel of the present time is The
Stoddard, which was
recently built a cost of $200,000. It is
centrally located, is fire-proof,
and its hundred and twenty rooms are fitted up
with everything that
is demanded of a modern first-class hotel.
CHAPTER XIX.
PUBLIC GROUNDS AND DRIVES.
PETTIBONE PARK - ALBERT W. PETTIBONE - MYRICK
PARK - BURNS PARK
- CAMERON PARK - SCHAGHTICOKE COUNTRY CLUB
GROUNDS -
INTER STATE FAIR GROUNDS - LA CROSSE COUNTY
FAIR GROUNDS - OAK
GROVE CEMETERY - JOSEPH W. LOSEY - CATHOLIC
CEMETERY - NESHONOC
AND HAMILTON CEMETERIES - FAIR VIEW
CEMETERY, BANGOR
- GRAND DAD'S BLUFF - DRIVES - LOSEY
BOULEVARD.
The parks of the city are Pettibone Park,
on Barron's Island, Myrick's,
formerly Lake Park, and several small parks, -
Burns and Cameron.
Pettibone Park, a few years ago a piece of
wild marshy land,
through the munificence of one of La Crosse's
wealthy citizens, has been
transformed into a place of wonderful beauty.
Much work was necessary
dredging, filling, laying out roads, forming
lagoons clearing and
planting, before the transformation was
accomplished. The park, laid
out in 1900, covers 230 acres, and had the
natural advantage of large
and beautiful trees, which made the work
designed comparatively easy
of accomplishment when backed by energy and
ample means. The
result has been to give to La Crosse one of the
most beautiful parks
in the northwest. It was the design of the donor
to give the city
control of the park through legislative action
in Minnesota and Wisconsin
whereby the island, now a part of Minnesota,
could be transferred
to the domain of Wisconsin. This, so far,
Minnesota has refused
to do, so that the park while the property of
the city of La Crosse,
is beyond its jurisdiction as a municipality,
and hence cannot be afforded
proper police protection, and this to some
extent limits its usefulness
to the city. It is the favorite resort of the
citizens, notwithstanding,
its facilities for driving, boating, bathing,
picnicing, etc.,
being much greater than those afforded at any
other point easily accessible
from the city. The city issues free tickets to
cross the bridge
during the summer.
Albert W. Pettibone, donor of the Pettibone
Park, was one of the
leading lumber merchants of the era of that
industry. He was born
April 22, 1827, in Bennington county, Vt., and
came to La Crosse in
1854, where he still resides in his beautiful
home at 145 South Eighth
street. Mr. Pettibone was three times elected
mayor of the city, in
1862, 63 and 64. He has spent eighty thousand
dollars for the improvement
and maintainance of the park which he donated to
the city.
Myrick Park, lying in the rolling country
between the prairie and the
bluffs, northeast of the city, has great
possibilities. The grounds are
172
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
173
spacious, and have beautiful trees, and the
plan of the city to add
something to its improvement each year, will
eventually result in a
park not easily surpassed, because the natural
beauty of the location
makes improvement comparatively easy. Last year
a music pavilion
was erected at a cost of $800 and electric
lights and a sprinkling service
installed at a cost of about $500.
Myrick Park was formally renamed July 31,
1904. It was formerly
called Lake Park, but the origin of the name,
singularly inappropriate
of this site, is lost. It has also been called
Oak Grove Park, borrowing
the name of its near neighbor, Oak Grove
Cemetery. There was at one
time a suggestion, favorably received, to call
it "The Mounds", on account
of the mounds, elsewhere described, which are
within its borders,
but the final decision was to name it in honor
of the first settler of
La Crosse, Nathan Myrick.
Burns Park on Main street between Seventh ad
Eighth, and Cameron
Park on the south side of King street between
Fourth and Fifth
are small parks, and without great
possibilities, but are restful bits of
green, as are the three or four triangles made
by Forest avenue where
it cuts across from West avenue to Oak Grove
Cemetery.
The expense of the parks for cleaning and
other labor, for the past
year was $1,047, and the total amount expended
for parks, $2,604.
The Schaghticoke Country Club grounds east of
the city between
Miller's Bluff and Grand Dad's are very
delightfully located. Since
the establishment of the club the grounds have
been much improved.
The golf links which extend back into Millers
coulée, are considered
very fine, and the state golf tournament was
recently held there.
There is a driving park and fair grounds
adjacent to the city, to the
northeast of the original plat, on the road
between La Crosse and
Campbell. The Interstate Fair Association, by
which these grounds
are controlled, was organized March 6, 1890,
with a capital stock of
$15,000. The first officers were B. E. Edwards,
president; Levi
Withee, vice president; W. E. Lockerby,
secretary and H. P. Magill,
treasurer. Many improvements have been made and
the row of
trees set out between the grounds and the street
have now attained a
fine growth and are a great attraction to the
drive. The present officers
of the association are T. H. Spence, president;
Geo. H. Ray, vice
president; E. M. Wing, treasurer, and C. S. Van
Auken, secretary,
all leading business men of the city.
The La Crosse County Agricultural Society,
organized October 16,
1858, at the court-house in La Crosse, has good
grounds at West
Salem. These grounds are twenty-five acres in
extent and are valued
at $6,000.
The Oak Grove Cemetery, located northeast of
the city on La Crosse
and Fourteenth streets, was first called
Wautonga Cemetery, and was
purchased in 1861, by Deacon S. T. Smith who
disposed of it in 1869
to C. S. Strasberger, who enlarged it to
thirty-two acres and remained
in possession until 1872. At that time it passed
into the hands of a
corporation called the Oak Grove Cemetery
Association, of which the
first officers were J. I. Smith, president; H.
I. Bliss, secretary; M. P.
Wing, R. Weston, A. H. Hankerson, H. I. Bliss
and Charles Michel,
174
MEMOIRS OF LA, CROSSE COUNTY
trustees. The grounds were surveyed by H. I.
Bliss, winding drives
laid out and bordered by native trees, and a
fountain placed near the
entrance near the southwest corner. It appears
by contemporaneous
reports that the work of beautifying the
cemetery was actively begun
about 1878. This has been continued through the
intervening years.
A gentleman who has traveled extensively through
the United States,
recently made the statement that while there
were larger cemeteries
within the borders of the nation, and very
beautiful ones, there were
none more beautiful than the Oak Grove Cemetery
of La Crosse.
The one man to whom the city is more indebted
than to any other
for the present beautiful surroundings of the
city of the dead, was
Mr. J. W. Losey. This feeling found expression
in the erection of the
beautiful Losey memorial arch which was
presented to the association
May 30, 1902, with appropriate ceremonies. The
presentation was
made by Mr. E. C. Higbee and accepted by Judge
B. F. Bryant, after
which Mr. C. L. Hood pronounced an eloquent
eulogy in which he
reviewed Mr. Losey's earnest life and admirable
character. Although
Mr. Losey filled many positions of trust and
honor in the city, it is perhaps
most fitting to briefly review his life in
connection with that work
which his fellow citizens have chosen to mark
with special honor.
Joseph W. Losey was born in Honesdale, Pa.,
December 30, 1834,
the son of Dr. Ebenezer T. and Lucy M. Losey. He
entered Amherst
College in 1853 and remained there two years. In
1856 he came to
La Crosse, then a little frontier town, where
all the rest of his life
was spent. He studied law in the office of
Denison & Lyndes, and in
1857 was admitted to the bar, and the same fall
was elected district
attorney, which position he held for two terms.
He became city attorney
in 1860, and after the death of Mr. Denison in
1861, became the
partner of Judge Lyndes, and later one of the
firm of Cameron & Losey.
In September, 1859, he was married to Miss
Florence T. Lehman,
of La Crosse. His death occurred in March 1901.
Mr. Losey was
among the leaders of his profession in the city,
and was identified in
one way or another with almost all the important
litigations of the
northwest, and during this formative period of
the state, many important
legal decisions were rendered. His native good
judgment,
wide legal knowledge, tireless energy, temperate
living and generous
nature gained for him wide recognition in boih
legal and social life.
The present officers of the Oak Grove
Cemetery Association are J.
C. Medary, president; S. Y. Hyde, vice
president; R. Calvert, secretary;
F. H. Hankerson, treasurer.
Beside the Oak Grove Cemetery there is the
Catholic Cemetery
pleasantly located on the Losey boulevard, and
living at the foot of the
bluffs. Outside of the city are several
cemeteries which have exceptionally
fine locations or are notable for the care with
which they are
made beautiful. In the town of Hamilton are two,
both near the
village of West Salem but outside the
corporation limits. Neshonic
Cemetery the earlier one, and of interest as the
resting place of some of
the pioneers, has the prettier site. The
Hamilton Cemetery Association
was organized November 21, 1870, with H. L.
Dudley, president, and
J. M. Hayes, secretary. The association has done
much to care for
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
175
and beautify the Hamilton Cemetery. The
present officers of the association
are H. D. Griswold, president; S. W. Brown,
secretary, L. R.
Dudley, treasurer.
Fairview Cemetery, at Bangor, has a
wonderfully sightly location,
and the grounds show evidence of care, although
much more might
be accomplished, considering the natural beauty
of the site.
There are a number of beautiful bluffs easily
accessible from the city,
the favorite ones being Grand Dad's, Miller's,
Eagle and Cliffords,
Grand Dad's is the favorite for picnics, and
from its summit is a magnificent
outlook over the city, the river and the bluffs
beyond. Eagle's
Bluff is a favorite camping place, and a number
of people have established
their summer homes there. Clifford was planned
as a summer
resort, - by Mr. Mons Anderson, but his plans
were not carried out.
The bluff is somewhat difficult of ascent.
There are also many charming drives leading
out of the city, a favorite
being that to St. Joseph's Ridge. It is not a
long one and can be
accomplished with ease. Drives to West Salem,
Neshonic, in fact, on
almost any road leading out of the city, give
contrast of fertile valleys,
level stretches of prairie, rugged bluffs and
winding streams
which cannot be surpassed for beauty.
Plans have been under consideration for some
time for the improvement
of Losey boulevard, which is laid out east of
the city at the foot
of the bluffs. It was estimated that $25,000
would be necessary to
complete the plans, and it is hoped to raise the
amount by subscription,
on the plan of the Madison Park and Pleasure
Drive Association.
CHAPTER XX.
LITERARY LA CROSSE.
LITERARY PEOPLE AMONG THE PIONEERS - THE
OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTOR
- EARLY POETS - WHAT THEY READ - EDITORIAL
WRITERS -
"BRICK" POMEROY - LUTE TAYLOR, GEORGE W.
PECK, E. B. USHER,
HELEN A. MANVILLE, MARIAN MANVILLE POPE -
HAMLIN GARLAND
- STERLING W. BROWN.
La Crosse in the early days did not lack
for literary life. There
was included an unusual number of brainy men
among its pioneer
citizens. They edited papers, served in the
legislature, appeared upon
the platform as both political and literary
speakers, inaugurated lyceums
and debating societies and circulating
libraries, took an active interest
in the schools, and encouraged in every possible
way the intellectual
life of the people.
The independent thought thus stimulated found
the usual outlet for
embryonic literary aspirations, and rushed into
print on slight provocation,
providing the papers of the time with numerous
articles signed
"Citizen", "Tax-payer", "Fair Play", "Common
Sense," "Country
Born," etc., nom de plumes somewhat in
vogue at the present time.
The editors of the papers good naturedly open
their columns to lengthy
discussion on almost any subject, political,
religious, descriptive, and
even to "poetry". The latter contributions were
usually unutterably
bad, and ranged in topic from the extremely
sentimental with such
subjects as "Love, Friendship and Life," "The
Lone Indian," "O,
Who Would Not Then Wish to Rest with the Dead?"
dwelling on
the brevity and usually unsatisfactory
conditions of life; to the jocose,
bordering very closely on the coarse and vulgar.
The latter style
was "The First Kiss," Popping the Question,"
"Riding on the Rail,"
etc. A few of these effusions were signed by the
author's rightful
name, but most of them rejoiced in such
signatures as "Florilla Fleetwood,"
"Winnie Wildwood," "Josh Jones," a style made
popular in
those days by such writers as "Fanny Fern," and
"Jenny June."
Occasionally the longsuffering editor felt
called upon to defend
his reputation for literary taste and judgment.
A rhymed contribution
from North La Crosse which appeared in the
National Democrat
of March 1, 1858, and which was evidently given
to the public just as
it left the inspired pen of the writer, unmarred
by any touch of the
editorial blue pencil, was accompanied by the
following explanation:
"The original poetry in this number was
published to oblige a friend,
176
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
177
without our being influenced particularly by
its beauty or freshness,"
The closing stanza of the "poem" was
"It will be summer soon and that breeze
Shall ease this ice cold pain
That Knawes at the heart of good old trees
In Valley and on plain.
It is then that I'll sing and play the flute
Outside my loved ones door;
The breeze shall whisper so soft and mute,
Libertys native shore."
The last line is evidently "padding", which
better writers than the La
Crosse poet sometimes fall back upon as a
dernier ressort, but "Ice
cold pain", is refreshingly original as is also
a "mute" whisper. Evidently
the optimistic spirit displayed overcame the
editor's critical inclinations
to disturb the poet's dream.
The exuberant style displayed in the prose
writings was a phase
of the time. It was the era of pompous writing
and seems both labored
and artificial in comparison with the crisp and
direct style of the
present day. Writers went to the extreme of both
laudation and invective,
and their readers read between the lines to find
out the real situation.
It was the era of heroines with a "wealth of
golden hair" or
a "mass of raven tresses," and they still
swooned on every possible occasion.
There still remained something of that
chivalrous attitude
toward women which at the present day we
associate with Kentucky,
when all women were lovely and charming, except
when they neglected
their domestic duties and stepped aside into the
forbidden land of
professional life, when they were denominated
"females" and had the
feminine ending attached to their titles, being
known as "authoresses"
and "doctresses". Other than reflecting these
hall-marks of the time
the La Crosse writers of the fifties, bore a
strong resemblance to
writers of the same class at the present day,
and compare very favorably
with them.
If the two proverbs, "Tell me what a man
reads and I will tell you
what he is," and "the man is known by the
company he keeps," be true,
something of the character of the pioneers of La
Crosse may be known
to a later generation by the books and
periodicals which supplied the
popular demand. The earliest periodical
advertised was "Littell's
Living Age," and the persistence with which the
advertisement was
maintained indicates that there was a continued
demand. Very early
in the publishing of the "Harper's Magazine",
there is a record of a
call for one hundred copies from the book
sellers. The "Atlantic" was
also one of the periodicals which found its way
to this village, far
distant from the centers of literary thought.
This perodical received
repeated editorial comment of a very
complimentary and appreciative
nature. One editor claimed to have read every
article between the
covers of the current number, and speaks of an
essay from the pen of
Ralph Waldo Emerson as "perfectly reeking" (sic)
with "gold dust
and diamonds", which showed an appreciation of
the gifted writer,
even if there was an editorial mix-up of
metaphors in his description.
178
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
Other periodicals which found early
subscribers were Putnam's
Magazine, Godey's Lady's Book, and Graham's
Magazine. No. 1, of
volume 43 was recently found in an old building
- which was undergoing
reconstruction. Its date is July, 1853, and its
table of contents of interest.
The articles, most of them very well written,
were on "The
Rhine", "The Grave of Izaak Walton", "George
Washington", "The
High Lands of the Earth", "A Summer in Rome",
and "Pilgrims of
the Great St. Bernard". The fiction exhibits the
characteristics of
the time. There are fifteen contributions of
poetry, some of them of
considerable length. Out of the twenty-six
contributors the only names
that would strike a person of this generation as
at all familiar are
James T. Fields, Thomas Buchanan Read, Eliza
Cook, and possibly
Mrs. S. C. Hall. As a whole, for careful
preparation, dignity and
high ideals, the magazine will compare favorably
with the magazines
which occupy the attention of the public to-day.
In 1858 the following list of "new books" is
advertised for sale:
"Jane Eyre and The Professor, by Currier Bell;
Dynevor Terrace,
by the author of 'Heir of Redclyffe'; Heiress of
Greenhurst, by Mrs.
Stephens; Henry Lyle, or Life and Existence, by
Mrs. Marryatt; Little
Dorrit; Things not Generally Known; Macaulay's
Biographical and
Historical Sketches; Olmstead's Texas Journey;
Days of My Life, by
Margaret Maitland; Isabel, or the Young Wife and
the Old Love;
Inquire within, 3,700 Facts for the people;
Testimony of the Rocks,
by Hugh Miller; Chit-Chat of Humor and Wit; Life
of Tai-Ping-
Wang; Aurora Leigh, by Mrs. Browning; Dore, a
Stroller in Europe;
The Dead Secret, by Wilkie Collins. Another
contemporary list
duplicates "Little Dorrit, Inquire Within,
Testimony of the Rocks,
Chit-Chat of Humor and Wit, The Dead Secret,"
and adds "Nothing
to Wear; Life of Charlotte Bronte; Napoleon and
his Marshals; Life
of Empress Josephine; The Banished Son, by Lie
Hentz; Festus, a
Poem, by Philip J. Baily; Four Years on the
Pacific; Major Jones'
Scenes in Georgia; Scandal, by J. L. Bickford;
Married, not Mated,
by Alice Cary."
Among the editorial writers "Brick" Pomeroy
of the Democrat was
widely known for his fearless, trenchant and oft
times vindictive pen;
but he, at least, wrote in such a style that
even his enemies could not
resist buying his paper. His "Sense and
Nonsense" contained some
clever and pertinent writing and had a wide
sale.
Lute A. Taylor, one of the editors of the La
Crosse Leader was one
of the most brilliant and piquant writers of the
northwest. His "Lute
Taylors Chip-Basket," a collection of his
editorial writings published
in book form, was a clean, clever and
sweet-spirited book and won for
him many friends outside of his personal
following.
George W. Peck, ex-governor of Wisconsin was
more widely
known, and will be longer remembered as the
editor of "Peck's Sun,"
which was called a "privileged budget of fun and
satire", than by his
acts as the chief executive of this great
commonwealth. "Peck's Bad
Boy", will outlive his creator.
Ellis B. Usher, editor of the Chronicle from
1874 until 1901 was a
clear writer on general topics, outside of
strictly journalistic work, as
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
179
was also Charles A. Seymour, who was well
known in his connection
with the editorial work of the Republican. While
the exigencies of the
times demanded clever writers in the editorial
rooms, and La Crosse
furnished the required quota, there was not in
the environment of the
generation just stepping from the stage, much
incitement to literary
work. They were too busy living to write. Even
the opportunities
for culture and the leisure which has come to
the later generation
seems to have developed little along that line,
and there have been few
of the native-born of La Crosse county who have
won more than a
local reputation in literature.
Among the writers, whose graceful verse
frequently appeared in
periodical literature some years ago, may be
mentioned Mrs. Helen A.
Manville.
Mrs. Marian Manville Pope, daughter of Mrs.
Helen Manville, inherited
her mother's talent for composition. Her
humorous 'Ascent
of the Matterhorn" and some of her writings
descriptive of her travels,
as "The Land of the Teakwood", came to the
public through the exclusive
pages of the Century, and established her
literary reputation.
Her story of "A Day in Tophet", descriptive of
one of the disastrous
fires that have swept from time to time over the
pine county of northern
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, is a strong
bit of writing. Mrs.
Pope resides at present in Santiago, Chile.
Hamlin Garland, whose name is associated with
the village of West
Salem, was born in that village, September 6,
1860, and is the son of
Richard and Isabella (McClintock) Garland. Mr.
Garland is still living
and maintains his home at West Salem. Hamlin
Garland was
educated in the common schools of Wisconsin and
Iowa where a part
of his boyhood was passed, and the memories of
which he has preserved
in "Prairie Folks". He also attended the Cedar
Valley seminary of
Osage, Iowa, and spent the year of 1881 in the
Boston public library.
He taught school in Illinois in 1882-83 and
about the same time took up
land in Dakota. Some of this pioneer life he has
preserved in
"The Little Norsk." He returned to Boston in
1884 and began to
write fiction the following year. He taught
English literature
in the Boston schools for six years. His first
book, published in 1890,
"Main Traveled Roads", reflects perhaps more
than any other, the location
of his birth and early life, although he
borrowed frequently from
the nomenclature of this locality for other
works. In 1899 he married
M. Zulume Taft, daughter of Prof. Don. Carlos
Taft, and sister of the
distinguished sculptor, Leonardo Taft.
The list of Mr. Garland's works is as
follows: Main Traveled
Roads, 1890; Jasen Edwards, 1891; A Member of
the Third House,
1892; Prairie Songs, 1893; A Spoil of Office,
1893; Rose of Dutcher's
Coulee, 1895; Wayside Courtships, 1897; Ulysses
Grant, 1898; Trail
of the Gold Seekers, 1890; Boy Life on the
Prairie, 1899; Prairie
Folks, 1900; The Eagle's Heart, 1900; Her
Mountain Lover, 1901. The
Captain of the Gray Horse Troop, 1900. One phase
of Mr. Garland's
writings called forth much adverse criticism on
account of a tendency
to exploit certain degenerate phases of social
life. In spite of his
voluminous writings Mr. Garland's style has
still a touch of amateurishness
180
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
but he has attained a wider recognition than
any other native
Wisconsin writer of fiction. He is fond of
outdoor life and athletic
recreations, and is still a frequent visitor to
his old home at West
Salem.
Sterling W. Brown, of West Salem, at one time
editor of the West
Salem Journal, and now cashier in the West Salem
State Bank, is a
man of literary tastes and employs his leisure
in recording his observations
of life about him. A little volume, "In The
Limestone Valley",
quoted in this work, was issued a number of
years ago. Mr. Brown
has recently published another entitled "Deacon
White's Idees". Both
books are dedicated to the pioneers of La Crosse
County, and are
rich in local coloring.
CHAPTER XXI.
LATER COUNTY HISTORY.
INCREASE OF POPULATION SINCE 1860 - POPULATION
PER SQUARE MILE
- PROPORTION OF MALES AND FEMALES -
PROPORTION OF NATIVE AND
FOREIGN BORN - VALUE OF REAL ESTATE IN THE
COUNTY - PRINCIPAL
FARM PRODUCTS - VALUE OF STOCK - NUMBER OF
HOMES -
CREAMERIES - CHEESE FACTORIES - COUNTY
OFFICERS.
The general development of the county is
considered in the history
of the cities, villages and towns within its
borders as well as a number
of institutions that come directly under the
supervision of county
authorities. There are, however, some general
statistics which are not
found elsewhere and will be considered here.
These relate especially
to the value of property and to the development
of industries outside of
the city and village corporations.
The population of La Crosse County in 1860
was 12,186. The increase
is shown from the following figures taken from
the Federal
census of each succeeding decade: 1870, 20,297;
1880, 27,073; 1890,
38,801; 1900, 42,997. The population per square
mile is 90.52, La
Crosse being the fifth in order of density of
population. The counties
that have higher figures being Milwaukee,
1035.53; Racine 141.31;
Winnebago, 123.36; Sheboygan, 98.72.
The proportion of males and females in the
county is males 21,278;
females 21,719. The number of native born is
32,095 and of foreign
born 10,902; The proportion of the native born
is steadily rising, as
in 1880 the figures stood, native born, 17,120,
foreign born 9,953; in
1890, native born, 25,848, foreign born, 12,953;
in 1900 native born,
32,095, foreign born 10,902. Of the present
population the number of
males is 15,611, females, 16,484 among the
native born and 5,667 males
and 5,235 females among the foreign born,
showing the preponderance
of males to be only among the foreign
population. Of the population
only 70 are negroes, showing an increase of that
race, of only seven in
twenty years.
Of the foreign population of 10,902, 4,397
are German and 3,456 are
Norwegians. The next largest group, is that of
Bohemians, numbering
549. 311 are of English and 219 are of Canadian
birth.
The German settlements are mainly in the
southwestern part of the
county, the Scandinavians in the northwest, the
Bohemians in the south-
east and the English, Welsh and Americans along
the river valleys.
The latter were the first to come into the
country and in the absence of
roads found their way into the interior along
the river bottoms and
through the bluff ranges by the natural passes
cut by streams.
181
182 MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE
COUNTY
Abstract of statement of assessments of
items appearing on the
assessment rolls of the several towns, cities
and villages in the county
of La Crosse, as returned to the county clerk
for the year 1906 under
| TOWNS, CITIES AND VILLAGES |
Value of City and Village lots
Exclusive of Buildings |
Value of Buildings as
Improvements |
| Bangor |
|
|
| Barre |
|
|
| Burns |
$2,555 |
$11,985 |
| Campbell |
4,968 |
11,476 |
| Farmington |
5,740 |
12,215 |
| Greenfield |
|
|
| Hamilton |
|
|
| Holland |
2,980 |
8,445 |
| Onalaska |
783 |
7,950 |
| Shelby |
9,135 |
5,270 |
| Washington |
|
|
| Bangor, Village of |
56,250 |
192,575 |
| West Salem, Village of |
111,428 |
203,717 |
| Onalaska City |
43,045 |
128,160 |
| La Crosse City |
5,751,945 |
7,283,148 |
| Total Value |
$5,988,829 |
$7,864,941 |
the provisions of section 1066, Wisconsin statutes of 1898, showing the
aggregate number and value thereof.
The total number of homes in the county is
8,486 and the total number
of families 8,940; and the average size of the
family, 4.7. The
number of farm homes is 1,895 of which 893 are
free from encumbrances
| NAMES OF TOWNS |
NUMBER OF [BUSHELS]
|
| Wheat |
Corn |
Oats |
Barley |
Rye |
Potatoes |
Root Crops |
| Bangor |
3,525 |
46,885 |
100,850 |
31,625 |
2,030 |
3,761 |
|
| Barre |
2,600 |
43,030 |
76,520 |
18,450 |
80 |
4,165 |
|
| Burns |
2,360 |
48,635 |
72,350 |
36,010 |
150 |
4,176 |
|
| Campbell |
2,235 |
27,615 |
23,960 |
14,034 |
8,685 |
14,001 |
|
| Farmington |
10,063 |
100,875 |
161,202 |
32,063 |
12,779 |
11,177 |
|
| Greenfield |
7,470 |
27,700 |
77,603 |
18,045 |
540 |
8,279 |
|
| Hamilton |
7,678 |
110,085 |
115,570 |
52,090 |
690 |
13,410 |
|
| Holland |
5,113 |
69,608 |
69,382 |
7,143 |
7,902 |
10,200 |
6 |
| Onalaska |
4,540 |
74,310 |
76,240 |
14,235 |
6,945 |
11,555 |
|
| Shelby |
6,060 |
36,110 |
46,845 |
9,385 |
1,600 |
17,700 |
3,000 |
| Washington |
6,840 |
18,735 |
104,360 |
27,700 |
475 |
5,170 |
|
| Bangor, Village of |
|
2,240 |
2,800 |
1,300 |
|
150 |
|
| West Salem, Village of |
|
2,955 |
2,650 |
1,140 |
|
500 |
78 |
| Onalaska, City of |
|
2,800 |
740 |
|
460 |
5,350 |
700 |
| Totals |
58,484 |
611,683 |
931,072 |
263,220 |
42,336 |
1,095,944 |
3,784 |
MEMOIRS OF LA CROSSE COUNTY
183
697, encumbered 35 unknown, 350 rented, 10
unknown. The
homes, not farm, 6,985; free, 2,179; encumbered,
1,157; unknown, 48;
hired, 3,261; unknown 270.
| Total Value of City and Village
Lots and Improvements |
Total Value of Real Estate for
1906 |
Total Value of Real Estate and
Personal Property for 1906 |
Total Value of Real and Personal
Property for 1905 |
County Assessments as Fixed by
the County Board for 1905 |
Price per Acre including
improvements as fixed by County
Board for 1905 |
| |
$557,905 |
$665,875 |
$667,935 |
$813,516 |
$30 |
| |
514,840 |
598,068 |
589,640 |
659,954 |
42 |
| $14,540 |
821,630 |
980,465 |
949,700 |
1,019,995 |
27 |
| 16,444 |
724,466 |
798,631 |
780,767 |
950,821 |
40 |
| 17,955 |
867,824 |
1,075,958 |
1,045,655 |
1,310,349 |
22 |
| |
403,452 |
482,496 |
483,507 |
627,530 |
28 |
| |
944,302 |
1,172,854 |
1,149,445 |
1,604,117 |
40 |
| 11,425 |
522,952 |
666,156 |
593,476 |
803,252 |
22 |
| 8,733 |
620,708 |
730,943 |
723,488 |
865,975 |
24 |
| 14,405 |
591,880 |
673,160 |
548,330 |
860,035 |
37 |
| |
350,361 |
430,164 |
426,876 |
565,226 |
20 |
| 248,825 |
302,045 |
374,415 |
378,154 |
462,079 |
135 |
| 315,145 |
461,335 |
601,482 |
505,317 |
614,933 |
300 |
| 171,205 |
206,490 |
238,010 |
219,575 |
226,872 |
29 |
| 13,035,093 |
13,035,093 |
18,820,469 |
18,499,107 |
18,247,842 |
|
| $13,853,770 |
$20,925,283 |
$28,309,146 |
$27,560,972 |
$29,672,496 |
|
Outside of the city of La Crosse the chief
occupations of the people
are agriculture and dairying, and following is
the statement of the
principal crops and other farm products with the
number of bushels
or pounds produced. |
|
