A History of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1900-1950 / Miller, Stanley N.

Special Collections Rare Books F589.L13 M51

A HISTORY OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN

1900-1950

Stanley N. Miller

Master of Arts

George Peabody College for Teachers

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of

Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

in nhe

Division of Social Science

of the

Graduate School

George Peabody College for Teachers

Augus t 1959

Approved:

Major Professor:

Second Faculty Reader:

Dean of Instruction: C t 6j . 6e/
(Vy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION . ...........

II. ECONOMIC TRANSITION, 1900-1920 ......

The Demise of the Lumber Industry . .
Manufacturing Before 1900 .......
Manufacturing After 1900 ......
Wholesale Trade .............
Labor and Cost of Living .........

III. INCREASED CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY, 1900-1920.

City Transportation . .
Matters of Government. .
Poli-ce and Fire Protecti-n
Public Utilities ..
A Park System. ...
Public Health. ...
Public Schools ......
1 Ly Pr"lLi iL al . .....

IV. THE PEOPLE AND THE CITY, 1900-1920

Sports .......
The Public Library .
La Crosse's College.
Newspapers . . . . .
The City' Hmositals
The Great War. . .

V. THE DECADE OF PROSPERITY, 1920-1930 . . . .

Building and Industrial Expansion . .....
Beginning of the Growth of Large Factories . .

VI. CIVIC ACTIVITY DURING PROSPERITY, 1920-1930..

. .108
. 11i0
. A112
. . 117
· . 120
.. 123

134

135
150

163

Page

. .· 7

7
15
22
34
35

39
47
51
58
66
73
82
96

100

0 0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0·
·I· · ·
0 0r
0 9 0

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

Chapr Le Page

Street Improvement .........168
Traffic and Police Problems ...... 174
Utilities . .......... .. ...... 17
Schools .................. 180
Public Health ......... 103
City Planning . . . . . ... . .. .. . . . . 1

VII. DEPRESSION YEARS, 1930-1940 ......... 193

Effects and Problems of the Depression . ... 196
Transportation . ............... 217

VIII. CIVIC ACTIVITIES DURING THE DEPRESSION,
1930-1940 ....... .......... .227

Protection ................... 231
Mississippi River Bridge Collapse .. .240
City Parks. Recreation, and Library ..245
Schools ................... 247
City Planning .................250

TY TE PEOPTE OF THE CITTY 1920-1950 . ...... 25

Social Events ................. 2256
Sports .. ............ 59
Culture . .. ................. 263
College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

X. ECONOMIC LIFE AT MID-CENTURY, 1940-1950 .... 269

War Years ...................270
Post-War Economy ............... 278
Trade Area ..................292
Summary . ................. . 296

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

Chapter Page

XI. THE CITY IN WAR AND PEACE, 1940-1950. ..297

The War.................. 297
Civic Activity . ............... 301
Summary . .. . ........ ........ 335

APPENDIX ....................... 338

BIBLIOGRAPHY . ..............345

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

La Crosse is a Midwestern city located on the left bank

of the Mississippi River at the confluence of the Mississippi,

Black, and La Crosse rivers in southwestern Wisconsin. The

site of the city is a sandy prairie that extends for several

miles from the Mississippi River to the bluffs that parallel

the river. The La Crosse River with its marshy bottom land

separates the city into two sections. The part lying north

of the La Crosse River is called the North Side, while the

larger part lying south of the river is called the South Side.

In 1900, there was one connecting link across the river and

marsh. This was known as the Causeway or Plank Road. This

physical separation of the city into two sections has been

the cause for much dissension within the city.

The topography of the area around TL Crosse iS rhar-

acterized by alternating ridges and valleys that are a result

1. Northern States Power Company, Industrial Development
Department, "Community Fact Survey La Crosse, Wisconsin"
(Minneapolis, MinnesouLt; . l)uu tLi L DVe-veuIpmeCLtL puJL tuenL,
[n. d.1), p. 3. (Mimeographed.)

of stream erosion. This area that contains some of the

roughest and most dissected land in Wisconsin is in the un-

&laciated or driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin. The

driftless region is unlike the land around it because it was

untouched by ice during the Pleistocene Period or the Great

Ice Age, Vihile the region is one of picturesque beauty, the

land is only moderately fertile.2

The first peruan'ent settlment v began in 1841 wlhen Nathan

Myrick, an Indian trader, came up the Mississippi River by

raft from Prairie du Chien to build a cabin on Barren's

Island and carry on trade with the Winnebago Indians. In

1842, Nathan Myrick moved to the ma iland at the present site

of La Crosse. For the next decade, the Village of La Crosse

was principally a trading post. The beginning of the lumber

industry and an influx of settlers occurred during the fifties.

The lumber industry began before there was even an attempt to

develop the area agriculturally. As early as 1852, there were

two sawmills in operation with several more reported in

2. Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, County
Agriculture Statistics Series, "La Crosse County Agriculture"
(iiaison, Wisconsin: The Department, [n. d. ), p. 6.
(Mimeographed.)

operation the following year. The sawmills were supplied by

the pineries of the Black River. The village of La Crosse

was incorporated as a city with a council-mayor form of

government in 1856.3

For the next fifty years, La Crosse was a lumber town,

home of numerous mills, and headquarters for the largest fleet

of raft towboats on the upper Mississippi River. The lumber

industry became the largest single industry of the city.4

For many years, La Crosse depended upon river transporta-

tion to bring in freight and new settlers. In 1844, three

small steamers ran from Galena to Fort Snelling; and by 1856,

the steamboat traffic averaged over two hundred boats a month

landing at La Crosse. Road building commenced in 1845, when

a wagon and ox trail was hewn from Prairie du Chien to La

Crosse. During the fifties, La Crosse became a "Gateway"

city, a focal point, for stage routes and wagon roads. These

roads followed the coulees to the Black River Valley, the

3. Northern States Power Company, Industrial Development
Department, "Community Fact Survey La Crosse, Wisconsin"
(Minneapolis, Minnesota: Industrial Development Department,
[_. d. I, p. 3. iie . .graph U)
4. Ibid., p. 3.

Fox-Wisconsin portage, Baraboo, and the Root River Valley,

T i _ ier s in rMinnesota.

In October 1958, the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad,

now the Chicago, Milwaukee, -nd St. Paul Railroad, entered

the city, and in 1872; the Milwaukee Road's tracks to St.

Paul were completed. Four years later the Chicago and

Northwestern sent its first train into the city. Earlier,

in 1866, the Chicago, Burlington, and quincy tracks reached

Prescott, Minnesota, through La Crosse. The Green Bay and

Western also entered the city in this period so that by

1900, four railroads served the city making it the largest

railroad center between Chicago and the Twin Cities of

Minnesota .

To the growing city, immigrants added their numbers.

Many Germans and Scandinavians settled in La Crosse with

smaller groups of Bohemians and Poles arriving later in the

century. The census of 1910 recorded the largest three

foreign-born nationalities in La Crosse as numbering 2,723

5. Ibid.; Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture,
CoAty iAriculture Statistics Series. "La Crosse County
Agriculture" (Madison, Wisconsin: The Department, [no. a.l),
p. 3. (Mimeographed.)

Germans, 1,428 Norwegians, and 564 Austrians.6 In 1900, the

percentage of foreign-born white was 25 per cent of a total

population of 28,895. 7

The principal crops grown in the county by 1880 were

wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, root crops, and

tobacco. Until 1890, wheat was the leading crop. Depletion

of soil fertility due to constant cropping brought changes

in the crops. To meet the local demand, flour mills were

erected early with several owned by city businessmen. The

decline of wheat production in the eighties and nineties,

led to diversification of farming and to dairying. As a

result, creameries were established in the county and the

city.8

Manufacturing connected with farm products were among

the diversified manufacturing that began to develop in

6. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of
the United States:- 1910, Population, Vol. IIi, Reports by
States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1912), p. 1096.
7. Ibid.; Donald Berthrong, "La Crosse a Case Study in
Social History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1948)°, pp. 14-15.
8. Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, County
Agriculture Statistics Series, "La Crosse County Agriculture"
(aiudison, Wisconsin: The Departnt, [n. d. ), pp. 3-4.
(Mimeographed.)

La Crosse in the last two decades of the nineteenth century.

The principal concerns were the La Crosse Plow Works, the

John Gund Brewery, the G. Heileman Brewery, and the C. and

J. Michel's Brewery.9 Other types of manufacturing such as

rubber products, clothing, candy, and crackers were a result

of the transportation advantage and local demand of the city.

By 1900, the city directory was able to state that La Crosse

was a center of jobbing for southwestern Wisconsin, south-

eastern Minnesota, and northern Iowa.

Late in the 1890's, the lumber industry began to

decline due to the exhaustion of the pineries. In 1900, the

decline was almost complete with the final demise of the

lumbermills coming in 1906. At the turn of the century, the

thriving city faced the problem of its single largest

industry completely disappearing.

9. Ibid., p, 3.
10. Nineteen Hundred Philippi's Souvenir Directr of
the City of La Crosse (La Crosse: L. P. Philippi Company,
1900), p. 39.
11. Northern States Power Company, Industrial Develop-
ment Department, "Coninunity Fact Survey La Crosse, :Wisconsin"
(Minneapolis, 1 M innesota T Indstr-ial Developmennt Departmn nt,
n. d. ), p. 2. (Mimeographed.)

CHAPTER II

ECONOMIC TRANSITION, 1900-1920

The Demise of the Lumber Industry

The Alumbe idustiLy uf La- CL-Ue between o188 and 1906

rose to its peak and declined to nonexistence. The decline

was rapid, and the new century brought with it not optimism

"but te i; a."int death of the iy- s single large s industry

The effect of this decline upon the future growth of the

city had tragic possibilities.

lTere a-re severai means of measuring the importance or

the lumber industry to the economy of the city. In 1880,

the payroll of lumbering--sawmills, logging, rafting, and

towing--amounted to 60 per cent of the total industrial

payroll of La Crosse. The progressive decline of the

industry is illustrated by the constant decrease of the

industry's percentage of the total industrial payroll of

La Crosse. In 1885, the lumber industry paid 47 per cent of

the total; in 1895,- 39 per cent of the total; in 1900, 16

per cent of the total; and in 1905, one-half of 1 per cent

of thetotal industrial payroll. From 1880 through 1890.

the industry as a whole--sawmills, logging, rafting, towing--

averaged a payroll of $948,765 annually. By 1899, the

sawmill's payroll was only $431,000. It declined to

$178,855 in 1900, and continued at about this figure until

1904, when it dropped to $16,150.1 By 1906, the process was

complete when the last sawmill closed.2 The closing of the

lumber industry deprived the city of almost a million-dollar

payroll.

The number of men employed in the lumber industry is

difficult to determine, for many men who worked in the mills,

or rafting, or towing in winter, logged in the summer. It

has been estimated that 50 per cent of.the men who logged in

summer, worked in the sawmills, or rafted, or towed in the

winter. Therefore, employment figures must be adjusted to

this situation TIn 1890, 2,500 men were employe in the

sawmills, rafting, and towing while 2,000 men logged during

the same year. Deducting 50 per cent from the 2,500 men for

1. H. J. Hirshheimer, "The Passing of the Sawmills and
the Growth of Manufactures in La Crosse, 1880-1905," The
Lumber Industry (2nd ed.; La Crosse: La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1937), ppo 70-71.
2. Donald Berthrong, "La Crosse a Case Study in Social
-History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. Lhesis. LUniversity of
Wisconsin, 1948), p. 70.

the men who worked at one job in the summer and another in

winter, the estimated total number of men employed in the

lumber industry for that year was 3,250. Using the same

mthd f deducA ltion, 4A '1 were mpl yed in 1 892 3 283 in

1896, 3,006 in 1899, and 1,833 in 1900. From 1880 to 1890,

the average number of men employed in the lumber industry

was 3,612. With the closing of the mills, not only did

La Crosse lose a tremendous payroll, but over three thousand

men lost their jobs in a six-year period.3

Another loss to the city was the physical loss of the

plants. The average investment was about $800,000 in

buildings arnd machinery from 1882 to 1899. It dwindled to

$15,000 in 1904, which indicates a substantial shrinking in

assessed valuations, irrespective of the ratio between

owner's v.al e and valuie or tax n -rpoes.

For the period 1890 to 1899, the average year's cut at

La Crosse was o177.7 million feet. From 1900 to 1903

inclusive, the annual cut was about 40 million feet. The

3. Hirshheimer, op. cit., p. 71.
4 Z Thb
5. Ibid., p. 70.

decline can be expressed in the amount of lumber shipped

from the city. In 1898, 120 million feet of lumber was

shipped by rail from La Crosse. This figure dwindled to

less than 50 million feet by 1900 6

The by-products of the mills, i.e., slats, edgings,

trimmings, shingle blocks, and sawdust were the main sources

of fuel in La Crosse for a long period of time. Many of the

local industries used these by-products for fuel. Even the

residences used the split shingle blocks for the kitchen

stove and the slats for the furnace. The demand for the by-

products employed about 150 teams engaged in haling and

delivering the fuel to factories and houses during the sawing-

season. The teamsters too were thus affected by the closing

of the sawmills.

Coal brought into La Crosse before 1895 was practically

all anthracite coal for domestic use and coal used in the

manufacturing of illuminating gas. Cheap fuel for La Crosse

industry ceased with the end of the lumber industry. The

necessary shift to coal by La Crosse manufacturers more than

6. Ibid., p. 76.

'I _, _ -

doubled their fuel costs. Two cords of edgings, which was

more than equal to a ton of coal, cost about $1.80 after

1895. Coal shipped in from northern Illinois cost from

$3.35 to $3.60 per ton.7

Other industries that depended upon the lumber industry

for a portion of their business were seriously affected

Blacksmith shops; which derived much of their business from

teamsters engaged in the lumber industry, employed nearly

three hundred persons in 1899. By 1905, their employment

dropped to one hundred. Harness shops, in the same situa-

tion, declined from eight in 1885 to three shops in 1905.

The manufacture of carriages and wagons had a peak of one

hundred employed in 1895, only to drop to sixty-five in

1900. The Freeman Mill, a cooperage firm, employed one

hundred persons during the 1890's, but dropped its employment

to sixty-eight in 1905 due to the decrease in slack barrel
8
manufacture.

What happened to the workers who depended upon the

lumber industry for their livelihood? A partial answer is

7. Ibid., pp. 76-77.
8. Ibid., p. 83.

supplied by the following notice that appeared in the

La Crosse Morning Chronicle:

The removal of so many of our large milling
interests from the city has left us a large force
of experienced lumbermen who cannot obtain work
in their old lines here. Rather than learn a new
business, many of th.m are aLL6g advantae LL.
offers made by lumber companies of other cities
and as a result is a heavy drain on our working
population. The Aspin Lumber company of Grand
Rapids has placed orders here for the entire
number of men and teams available. They pay
transportation for the men and their families
and horses and have already secured a large
number.

Fifty men, a large portion taking their
i f i A C· 4 ~Al A_ _ - -I. _ _ - 1 _ _ _ _ A 1 J _ - A. _ - * . ____
falies went Cub W= last Wee ude r te&=L die c-t-iL o L oLL OL
the La Crosse Intelligence office and 15 go this
morning. The company is building new mills at
Bruce, Aspin, and Catwaba and in Manitoba.>

The owners of the lumbermills also did not remain in

La Crosse. They moved to the west coast and to Arkansas

in search of new fields of operation. There has been

criticism of the lumbermen for moving away from the city,

taking with them their millions of dollars accumulated

while in La Crosse. One writer explains the reason for the

lumbermen's moving away in the following manner:. The

9. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, January 26, 1900.
10. Berthrong, o. cit., p. 16.

_ _

business organizations existing in the city were already

solidified organizations in which family profits were plowed

back into the business. The outside capital was unwelcome.

Thus the lumbermen with their accumulated capital could find

no place in La Crosse to invest their money. For this

reason, then, they moved west and south.ll

There is no evidence to credit or discredit the theory,

but there would be no reason to prevent the lumbermen from

bringing into the city new enterprises and utilizing the

labor supply of the defunct lumber industry. Rather, it

would be logical to assume that the mill owners preferred

to remain in a business that they knew, and this could be

done by moving west and south.

That the demise of the lumber industry halted the

growth of La Crosse can be easily seen from a quick examina-

tion of the city's population figures.. Between 1880 and

1890, the city' npopulation increased from 14,505 to 25,090,

an increase of 73 per cent. From 1890 to 1900, the popula-

tion increased fro-m 25, 90 to 28,890, an increase of 15.2

11. Ibid., pp. 71-72.

_ _ __ _ ___ _ _

per cent. The dramatic decline of the lumber industry is

demonstrated in that by 1910, the city's population in-

creased to only 30,416, an increase of 5.2 per cent. The

effect of this closing of the mills was carried to 1920,

when the census reported that the population was 30,421, a

standstill for ten years.12

For a twenty-year period, the population of the city

remained about the same. Between the years 1900 and 1910,

other Wisconsin cities of comparable size showed a steady

gain in population. It can be illustrated that by 1900,

La Crosse ranked third in size among the state's cities. .

By 1910, La Crosse dropped to the rank of fifth. Of the

state's eight largest cities, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison,

Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Racine, Sheboygan, and Superior, the

city of La Crosse had the lowest rate of increase between

1900 and 1910.13

12. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of
the United States: 1940, Population, Vol. I, Number of In-
habitants (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1942),
P. '1162.
'13. U. S. Bureau of the Census, ThirteenthCensus o
the United States: 1910, Population, Vol. III. Reports by
-States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1912),
pp. 1048-1049.

A short summary reveals that the closing of the

lumbermills resulted in the loss of a large payroll, in

several thousand men losing their jobs, a loss in the

physical valuation of the former lumber property, the loss

of freight receipts, hardship on teamsters, a doubled fuel

bill for La Crosse Manufacturers, hardship on allied

industries, the loss of the accumulated capital of thpe

owners, and the halting of the city's population growth for

twenty years.

Manufacturing Before 1900

The years between 1880 and 1905 include the peak and

decline of the lumber industry in La Crosse, but during the

same nerind there was a steadv growth of diversified

manufacturing that enabled the city to survive the closing

of the sawmills without a serious loss of population or an

irreparaDly crippied economy.

At the beginning of this period in 1880, flour was

second to lumber in value of output. Breweries ranked third

in output, with agricultural implements, including foundries

and~ machine s hops, ra nkin fourth. On the ban S of payroll,

agriculture implements, foundries, and machine shops were.

second, breweries third, and flour mills fourth. In the

decade of the eighties, a total of twenty-four new factories

of medium size began operation in La Crosse.l4 Among the

products of the new factories were clothing, church interiors,

knitted goods, brooms, beer, and sash and doors. Dluring the

next decade, more new factories added their products of candy,

crackers, agricultural implements, shoes, paper boxes, cigars,

rubber goods, and steel roofing to the city's products.15

For two decades before 1900, La Crosse was acquiring new

diversified manufacturing, for about forty new factories were

added to the city's economy during the two decades.16 It is

true that most of these concerns later went out of business

due to thee usual causes of change in market demands, local

raw products, and ir some cases, poor management. LThe

important fact is that the new factories were established

concerns that helped carry the load of employment past the

i i _ i

C14. H. J. Hirshheimer, "The Passing of the Sawmills and
the Growth of Manufactures in La Crosse, 1880-1905," The
Lumber Industry (2nd ed.; La Croasse: The La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1937), p. 79.
15: Ibid., p. 82.
16.C TLa Crose Tr an Leaer Pre Jul 2 1938.
-- E.'--LU- ML i 02.
16. La Cro__ -_ .d _ _ Leader Press, July 21- 1938.

shock upon the city's economy of the closing of the mills.17

A brief survey of a few of the firms that were typical

of the industries that were established in the nineteenth

century and survived well into the twentieth century will

present a clearer picture of the varied types of enterprises

that aided the economy of the city during its transition

period from lumber to diversified manufacturing. The locating

factor for most of the concerns was either local demand or

local raw materials.

The Segelke-Kohlaus Company was founded in 1867 with the

purpose of making sash and doors. Based upon local products,

the company prospered acquiring new buildings for expansion.

In 1892, the company was incorporated and managed to with-

stand a devasting fire in 897, It absorbed the R. C. Kuhn

Sash and Door Company in 1900. The trade area of the company

expanded with the improved transportation facilities of La

Crosse so that by the end of the first decade of tfhe twentet

century its trade area included Wisconsin, northern Iowa,

Minnesota, and the Dakotas.18

17. Hirshheimer, o. cit., p. 80.
18. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 27, 1927.

i a _ i

Among the twelve clothing manufacturers existing in

1900, the Mons Anderson Store was the oldest. It rapidly

expanded to wholesaling, and a few years later began to

manufacture men's garments. To meet the area demand, their

specialty was mackinaw coats designed for lumberjacks. In

1902, Mons Anderson retired, and the business was taken over

by L. H. Martin. Under the new management, new machines were

installed to meet increased demand, and the company expanded

to the manufacture of all types of men's wear. The distribu-

tion area of the company ranged widely in the northern states

and followed the lumber industry to the northwest. The

states Ou Lhib area were Wisconsin, Michigan, iiinois,

Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming,

Colorado; Utah, Washington, and Oregon.

The eight foundries and machine shops established in

the city by 1900 emplpyed 108 persons, an average of about

thirteen employees per firm.20 Although none of the

foundries of La Crosse have been large, they have offered a

constant source of employment for the last seventy years of

19. Ibid., July 31, 1927.
20. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the
United States:> 1900, Manufactures, Vol. VIII, Parzt 2, States
and -Territories (Washington:' Government Printing Office,
1902), p. 964.

the city's history. Representative of the foundries at this

time was the Torrance and Sons Foundry and Stove Manufactory.

Established in 1R87 the firm manufactured stoves, iron work

for bridges, and furnished the steel work for many dwellings.

Its trade area has been about one hundred miles around La

Crosse.21

One of the most successful industries of La Crosse

during the first decades of the twentieth century was the

John A. Salzer Seed Company that originated in 1868. From a

very modest beginning, the company expanded into one of the

largest producing and distributing firms of plants and seeds

ir anIT T"tziAQ T-'s _ ol w I.LLS
in the nied States. Is catalog wa not only widely dis-

tributed in the United States, but it was also used in many

foreign countries .

A unique factory in La Crosse was established in 1881

for the making of church interiors such as altars and pews.

The E. Hackner Company, utilizing many local products, was

the contribution of an immigrant who continued his craft in

the New World. Pride in their work and the uniqueness of

21. La Crosse Tribune°ana Leader rress, November 13,
1927.
22. Ibid., May 7, 1927.

each interior was characteristic of the master carvers who

were employed to design and produce the interiors. The

distribution area of the company was very wide in the Middle
23
West.

An example of a small industry originally based upon

local products was the Miller Broom Company. The founder,

August Miller, raised broomcorn. When the factory that

bought his product closed in 1889, he established his own

factory. The distribution area of the Miller brooms in-

cluded all of the surrounding states with 50 per cent of the

brooms going to the west coast states. The hard maple

handles were obtained from Michigan while the broomcorn was

later received from southern Kansas, Oklahoma, and parts of

Texas.

The Yeo and Clark Company erected its mill in 1880

while wheat was still the number-one crop in the county.

The mill, curing its operation, had a capacity of seventy-

five barrels of wheat, flour at day. Expansion in 1888 allowed

23. Ibid., OCtober 9, 1928.
24. Ibid., June 12. 1927.
, · i

a ton per day capacity producing feed and graham flour. The

flour mills of La Crosse by 1900, numbered four with the

average employment about forty-eight. The value of the

products exceeded $1,200,000. 5 The employment of the mills

by the year 1905, increased to seventy-four with the value

of products amounting to over $2160, 00026

The North Side Bttlirg. W.or"k, a 1smal concern, estab-

lished in the 189.0's, was the first carbonated beverage

business of La Crosse. The new concern was established to

take advantage of the new demand by the public. The company

made practically all of the known carbonated beverages of

cne time--lemon soda, strawberry, ginger ale, and root beer.

The trade of---this concern was restricted to the area surround-

ing La Crosse including parts of Minnesota and Iowa.27

25. U. S. Bureau of Lthe ensus, wellfth Census of the
United States: 1900, Manufactures, Vol'. VIII, Part 2, States
and Territories (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1902), p. 9 4.
26. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Special Report on
Manufactures: 1905, Part 2, States and Territories (Washitg-
ton: Government Printing Office, 1907), p. 1206.
27. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, November 6,
1927.

2 2)

Manufacturing After 1900

By 1900, the old and new industry other than lumber had

a payroll about equal to that of the lumber industry during

its height. This is an indication of the diversified in-

dustries' importance although total employment in the city

declined after the close of the lumber industry. During the

years before World War I, more industry entered the city.

Although these years were not ones of spectacular industrial

growth, the city industry managed to hold its own with

respect to employment and the value of products28

The U. S. Census reported an increase from 131 to 151

in the number of manufacturing establishments in the ten-

year period from 1899 to 1909, and by 1914, a total of 167

were reported." From 1899 to 1904, nineteen new industries

began operation in the city. Even with the new industries

combined with the old established ones, employment dropped.

28. Ibid., July 21, 1928; U. S. Bureau of the Census,
Twelfth Census of the United States: 1900, Manufactures,
Vol. VIII, Part 2, States and Territories (Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1902), p. 962.
29. U. S. Bureau of thee Census, Census of Manufactures:
1914,- Vol. I, Reports by States (Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1918), p. 1655.

Although there was an increase in the number of establishments,

employment dropped from 2,763 to 2,644, btt wages, instead of

dropping with employment, increased from $1,001,000 in 1899 to

$1,065,000 in 1904. The value of products increased from

$7,677,000 to $8,139,000. Generally employment dropped while

wages and the value of manufactured products increased. From

the above figures, it is seen that the transition from a

lumber economy to a diversified economy was accomplished with-

out a serious setback to the city.

For the next five years until 1909, only one new manu-

facturing establishment was added to the city's economy, but

1904 to 3,329 in 1909. With the rise inJ4U te LUnmber of w

1904 to 3,329 in 1909. With the rise in the number of wage

earners came another rise in the total wages paid to the

workers that in 1909 amounted to $1,539,000. The greatest

increase was in the value pf products which increased to

$14,103,000, almost double the value of products of five

years before.30

30. U. S. Bureau of the Census,- Thirteenth Census of
the United States: 1909, Manufactures, Vol. IX, Reports by
States (WasLin ion. o.uvt:rnmUnL Printi ng Office, o 192),
p. 1360.

The first five years after the end of the lumber

industry were hard ones for labor. The nineteen new firms

did prevent the situation from hernming worte. Even though

employment was down for this five-year period, the total wages

paid to employees in manufacturing increased slightly which

was due to an increase in the individual's wage. Value of

the products manufactured also increased. The next five-year

period from 1904 to 1909 had only one new establishment, but

employment increased substantially as did wages and value of

the products. During this later period, industries caught

up with the effects of the closing of the lumber mills. The

census o -194 z.or -.mnuacturing in La C osse is. similar to

the 1909 report. The average number of wage earners was

3,340. Wages totaled $1, 97 7000, and the value of products

was $14,739,000, only a slight gain in each case.31

The La Crosse Board of Trade takes much of the credit

for attracting new industries into La Crosse during this era

of transition. It was organized in 1860 by leading

31. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Manufactures:
·914°, Vol. I. Reports by States (Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1918), p. 1655.

businessmen with the avowed objectives of developing the

business of the city, opening up direct and cheap transporta-

tion with the surrounding country, inculcating just and

equitable principles of trade, disseminating valuable

business information, and encouraging the establishment of

manufactures. The organization went defunct in 1864 and

reorganized in 1868. Its activities included the aiding of

the building of wagon roads, railroad projects, and relief
32
f or th or3 RBetween the years 1880 and 190i5 the

organization did attract small industries to La Crosse.33

After the demise of the lumber industry, the breweries,

a-" i plemen.t L Qmanu.LLacturers, th. . e rubber mills,

flour mills, foundries, and machine shops substantially

aided the economic situation and became leading industries.

Aft;. the t. . of the century, there were p five companies

engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements

, _ i. - r. I ,, E, _ ,d

32. E. S. Hebberd, "La Crosse Boards of Trade and
Chamber of Commerce," La Crosse County Historical Sketches;
Series Six (La Crosse: La Crosse County Historical Society,
1942), p. 6.
33. Donald Berthrong, "La Crosse a Case Study in
Social History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1948), p. 18.

employing 148 persons. The La Crosse Plow Company, a leading

manufacturer, was by 1910 employing about two hundred men.

The four flour mills, in 1900, employed an average of forty-

eight men, and the Listman Mills, by 1910, employed about

two hundred men.34 The La Crosse Rubber Mills was a new

industry struggling in the field of rubber goods. In 1912,

when the controlling interests changed hands, the mill was

producing 1,200 pairs of shoes a day and employed about two

hundred persons.3 The five breweries, at the beginning of

the decade, employed about two hundred men directly, and

about 650 more men indirectly owed their jobs to the breweries

in allied trades and saloos ovf te city. ine coubined wages

of all men involved in the making and dispensing of beer was

$i,Z45,000 which provided a livelihood for 8,000 of the

28,895 citizens of La Corsse. The foudries., at the beginning

of the century, employed 108 men, the companies producing

lumber products including sash-and doors employed 232 persons,

the cigar makers numbered 133, and finally persons manufactur-

ing confectionery totaled 147.36

34. Ibid., p. 20.
-J. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 10, 1921.
36. Berthrong, op. cit., p. 18.

The advancements in science made possible the great

increase of the output of the breweries. One was Prasteur '

discoveries in fermentation and yeast, while the other was

the introduction of artificial rfrigeratioL earl y u-i the

1890's. Before the introduction of artificial refrigera-

tion, beer could be made only in the winter. Now it was

possible to make beer all year around.37 The new machinery

was installed in Wisconsin's breweries, and in 1900, the

state ranked fourth in the outpuit of beer rwith a producing

capacity of 4,000,000 barrels a year, and by 1910, was

producing 5,000,000 barrels. The growth f. the id-s.-y was

just as rapid in La Crosse as in other sections of the

state 38

To raise their capacities, the La Crosse breweries

started to install refrigerating equipment as early as 1891.

The five La Crosse breweries; the John Gund Brewing Company,

the G. Heileman Brewing Company, the C. and J. Michel

Brewing Company, the Monitor Brewing Company, and the Bartl

Brewing Company were in operation during the first decade of

-g1 * WV A4t LAJ6 JoA G us a & ALU, s -& `;&4 9X be 6go
1932.
-38. Ibid., February 28, 1932.

the twentieth century. It was partly upon these breweries

that La Crosse relied to fill the vacuum left by the closing

of the lumber industry. Their total investment was

$5,000, n0. The importance of the breweries to the city's

economy becomes clear by an examination of their investment,

payroll, and the number of employees. Although the breweries

reached their peak in 1914, by 1910, there were 1,640 men

employed directly or indirectly by the five breweries. Local

plants employed 990 men, directly. The payroll of these men

amounted to $900,000 a year, almost the same amount of the

lumber payroll at its peak. In addition, the breweries paid

more than $600,000 yel farml t ers from the surrounding

area for cereals. Allied trades employed 150 men in the

city, and they were paid about $45,000 a year. Five hundred

men were employed in the city's saloons and received about

$300,000 a year in salaries. The total amount paid out in

salaries and wages to men employed directly by the breweries,

men employed in saloons, and men who worked in allied trades

was $1,245,000. Another $2,000,000 was paid annually by the

breweries for taxes, rent, repairs, advertising, and freight.

The combined breweries of the city paid out a total of

$3,875,000 a year in salaries, rent, taxes, repairs,

advertising, freight, and cereals.

The largest city brewery was the John Gund Brewery. By

1910, it had 450 employees with a payroll of about $500,000

annually. Rent, taxes, freight, repairs, advertising, and

cereals totaled $1,000,000 a year for the brewery. Gund's

owned saloon equipment valued at $50,000. In this period it

was legal for breweries to set up saloon keepers with equip-

ment to sell their beer. Peerless Beer was made by the Gund

Brewery, and it was considered one of the best known beers in

the country.

The G. Heileman Brewing Compnanv had an irnvestment of

$1,250,000 and employed over 285 men at the end of the: decade
T.i7r rin M e. .". -. A_ T !0 XtDa o n *-i^u_ a__f
*J-e f i- .- . .4, , A; y.-vvO &vv v I 0.Ij.mA. Lo.I, .~ o JL JL ~ L.AC ULCWJL^

was shipping over 1,409 carloads of beer a year. The company

at this time was brewing 100,365 barrels of beer a year with

sales of $1,136,586. Old style Lager Beer was. its most

famous product.

The Michel Rrewery which completed a new plant in 1907

represented an investment of more than a million dollars.

Thi brevery alone paid out over $75 nn000 a yar for lari s
%0 J ·I%.- ).9 u V$75%

plus over $600,000 a year for bottles, kegs, and cases.

Eifenbrau Beer, its product, was well known through the

country.

The other two breweries were smaller than the big three.

The Monitor Brewery's output and overhead were small compared

to the others, but its beer, the Monitor Lager, was well

K.luwL in the Middle West. Bartl's Brewery's output, too, was

small, but its product, Bartl's Matchless and Bartl's Premium

were well known in the area.

One other brewery was located in La Crosse. Of this

brewery little is known. Its name was the Kohn Brewery.

Oniv two hatr hes of heer were brewed. The first batch was a

tremendous success, but someone put bread crumbs in the

second b .tc. La sOiled itXL. U mU .e beer was made by tne

brewery 39

The La Crosse Rubber Mills, a manufacturing concern that

was oudesLined to become La Crosse's largest at a later date,

was organized in 1879. The original purpose was to make

rubber clothing. Them business developed satisfactorily for

Q39. Ibi,4.
RqiT· U

y~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1

a time, but in 1906, because of market conditions, the

company left the crowded field and began making rubber foot-

wear. The next six years were critical ones due to the many

techi, a puroblems of rmanufacture and the inexperience of

those in charge. In 1912, A. Funk and A. Hrshheimer bought

the controlling interest of the company. At this time the

company consisted of an old wooden building and 160 employees

producing 1,200 pairs of shoes a day. The product was not

well known or of a high quality. Under the new management,

the company began to grow. The following year, a new concrete

building was erected and production was raised to 6,000 pairs

of shoes daily of improved quality.40

The variety of industrial firms that entered the city

b.,tween 1900 aund 1914 continued the strengthening and the

diversification of the city's economy. A partial list of the

new firms that entered the city between 1900 and 1905

illustrates their diversification:. Machine Manufacturing

Company (agricultural implements), Western Banana Crate

Manufacturing Company, Wisconsin Pearl Button Company, La

40. The Manufacture of Rubber FootWear fLa Crosse:
La Crosse Rubber Mills Company, 1934), p. 27.

In.. J '~[I-mI][ 'IIm ]

Crosse Rug Company, Vaught Berger Company (telephones), and

the La Crosse Garment Company. In the following years the

North Side Yarn Company, the Bump Paper Fastner Company, the

G. J. Lunde Foundry, the McKenzie Company (agricultural

implements), and the Nustad Coffee Company were a few of the

manufacturing concerns that began operation in the city.4

The automobile industry, during these early years, was

just beginning in a small way. The city directory of 1905

lists one automobile dealer and two automobile repairers.42

There were no filling stations in La Crosse until 1910, when

the first station was built on the Causeway. It was located-

behind a picket fence o the west of the ta .ndard Oil property

with a small metal building erected to house a crude gasoline

pump from the elements. A driveway led up to the tence.

Several pickets of the fence were removed to allow the

attendant to step through to serve the customers. There was

no gate,, and the attendant had to step over uprights

...L Crosse. Triu a ar 7 1917;
Ibid,, June 5, 1927; Ibid., June 19, 1927; Ibid., June 26,
1927; Ibid., September 18, 1927..
42. Nineteen Hundred and Five Philippi ts Sotuvenir
Directorv of th riAt- oAf TLa o'rO-n (T.a C^rnoa* T. -P
Philippi Company, 1905), p. 469.

supporting the fence in order to slip through the hole with

the hose. Although business was good with cars lined up at

times, the business did not warrant a full-time attendant.

A warehouseman who worked from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. also

43
attended the station.

Indlstry in La Crose dring the f"irst two deadesA a fter

the turn of the century faced one great problem, that of

replacing the old lumber industry. For the first five years,

the established and new industries aintined the level o

total wages and the value of the products although employment

slumped. The following five years all three made slight gains

with the value of products showing the greatest increase. The

next five years were maintained on the previous level without

any significant gains. The transition period fromman economy

based on lumber to one based on diversified industry was

critical. The city was able to maintain old levels without a

disastrous collapse, as was the case with other cities in

the same situation.

43. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, May 1, 1927.

Wh^.1oOenle Trade

The advantageous location of La Crosse on three rivers,

good rail service, and the fact that the city was the only

one of its size in the area, secured its position as a trade

center. During the entire period that includes the rise and

decl-ineC of the 1.mbr industry CL.nd the a.L.sition to many

small diversified industries, the retail trade, as a whole,

showed a steady gain.'

The city directory of 1900 stated, regardi'g jobbing and

retailing, that there were several jobbing institutions that

handled certain lines of goods of their own manufacture; but

athe r tailr ws now dis inct from the jobber aid mouf f turer.

It was one of the distinguishing characteristics of the city.

k oL-UbUi wabs da iuvjLi;A ,ay j Ai. i. i-.i ty m uvuk Aiei

northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, and western Wisconsin.

The importance of jobbing to the city is indicated by the

amount and the progressive rise in value of the goods sold

at wholesale. For 1881, it totaled $2,578,000. By 1890, the

44. H. J. Hirshheimer, "The Passing of the Sawmills and
the Growth of Manufactures in La Crosse, 1880-1905," The
Lumber Industry (2nd ed.; La Crosse: The La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1937), p. 85.

value of wholesale goods rose tG $5,341,000. It increased

to $9,080,000 in 1900. In 1905, the time of the demise of

the sawmills, the value of the wholesale goods rose to
;. z
$14,616,800.5 A partial list of the products of the city's

jobbers reveals that only two of the commodities could be

classed as: perishable, confectionery, and groceries. The

perishables did, of course, have a limited area of distribu-

tion. Other goods distributed by jobbers of the city were:

cigars, furniture, hardware, harnesses, liquor, oil, and
46
windmills.

Labor and Cost of Living

Labor in La Crosse in 1900 was not a homogeneous group.

It Can be dviLded into LtLr.e large A.asses or types--

unskilled, craft, and salaried workers. The only type of

labor organized by that time was the craftman. They were

.ntensively organized by such unions as the Railroad Brother-

hoods, Typographers' Union, Cigar Makers' Union, Bricklayers'

45. Ibid., p. 89,
46. Nineteen Hundred Philippi s Souvenir Directory of
the City of LaT Crosse (La Crosse: L. P. Philippi Company,
1900) , pp. 53o-5oo .

Union, and Plumber s U nions.47

The salaried worker was unorganized, and by the nature

of his work, he was and considered himself separate from

the rest. The unskilled or daily worker between 1900 and

1910 had difficult times. After the lumber industry rapidly

began to close, employment sagged, and it was not until the

latter part of the decade that employment rose above the old

level. Generally wages were not cut although a few of the

employers took advantage o siuailon by reduring wages.

The average annual earnings of the unskilled individual

worker was about $360.00 a year. His earning increased to
eIAnn (n 42, iQ(n 48
$4J0 .00 in , and to $460.00 hy 1909. The skilled

craftsman earned about $1,100.00 a year, and salaried

workers earned about $ 1,0.00 a year at the begnning o f

the century. Although the number of salaried workers

doubled from 299 to 737 during the decade, their salaries
49
remained about the same.

a Crrnsse did not have a great deal of labor difficulty,

47. Ibid., p. 149.
48. Berthrong, o. cit., p. 150.
49. .Iid.., p. ,

and strikes were rare. In the few strikes that occurred

involving union men, the employers followed the practice

of the day by hiring nonunion men as strike breakers. In-

most instances, the men who returned to work were hired at a

&ighL r wage although er ome instances of men being
wb
rehired at a lower rate.

For the most part, labor and management were not

antagonistic. The skilled and organized labor group was

predom inarnty GIerman. The I olwder uLions, such a4- thLe Lypo-

graphers, brewers, cigarmakers, wood workers, and building

trades were led by the Germans. The Germans retained many

of their old d ideas concerning the place of labor and

respect for the owners. As an example, w hen, one of the

proinnt brwery wnrs died i n 15 thA c Brewers1

Union Number 81 published a memorial eulogizing him.

The cost of living was low or in line with the prevail-

ing wages which enabled a worker to support a family on

$400.00 a year. The practice of keeping cows and chickens

in the city and maintaining a garden, in a large marmer,

50. Ibid.
c1 ".- it. _ 1 I. '7
Jr. LU L,.„ rp,,I
'~' ~ jLu » ^ f

contributed to the family's food supply so that less cash

was needed to support a family. Prices, as listed in the

newspapers, were low by today's standards. A dozen eggs

cost 13 cents in 1900 and 20 cents in 1915. A pound of bacon

cost the homemaker between 8-1/4 cents and 8-1/2 cents in

1900 and 12-1 cents in 1915. in 191,. food prices were

listed in the newspapers as: potatoes 35 cents a bushel, sugar

at 10 pounds for 50 cents, and coffee 20 cents a pound.

Clothes, too, were cheap. Workshirts were priced at 29

cents, while a top quality man's suit cost $16.00, and a

person could obtain a cheap suit for $7.00. A woman's

tailor-made suit was listed as $10.00. Although both food

and clothes prices show a slight increase from 1900 to 1915,

the worker's average earning increased during the same

period.52

52. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, February 8, 1900;
Ibid., February 20, 1900; La Crosse Tribune,January 3, 1910;
Ibid., February 2, 1915.

CHAPTER III

INCREASED CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY, 1900-1920

Ubanr people were becoming increasingly aware thaL such

problems as water supply, street improvements, and public

health were the responsibility of the city as a whole rather

than of each ..iividual. It was slowly becoming evident that

their problems could be solved most efficiently by the co-

operative effort of the citizens working Lhrough their civic

government. Before entering the new century? La Crosse had

already taken its first steps forward in this direction, as

had most cities, by establishing paid fire and police depart-

ments. The old system depended upon the individual citizens

volunteering their time for fire and police protection of

the city. By 1900, the city government had begun to accept

the responsibility of providing the equipment and paid profes-

sional persons for the protection of the city. The

acceptance by the city of the responsibility to provide

protection and civic improvements developed gradually.

City Transportation

ri,_- ..-___ -.eC .. ,O.n-. , otl t -
J.sLz C1:dL J-, yCLLa -_ , ~.o ,.U O.,,- q .. r,..-. - -, . --C ....

I- i

transportation in the city were marked by several outstanding

events. In each case, a controversy involved the question of

who was responsible for the improvement or change.

In the history of La Crosse Dr. Wendell A. Anderson was

one of the few outstanding leaders. The day he took office

as maynr in 1899, there was a marked change in the atmosphere

in the city hall. He was a "doer" with foresight, and his

administrations were landmarks of civic improvements. The;

outstanding achievement of his first administration was the

brick paving undertaken by the city. Previously, there had

beeu some macadam laid in the downtown section composed of lime-

stone rocks, but the sharp horses' shoes and narrow wheels of

vehicles ground it into dust so that in a short time there

wcirw due p u.Lsb 4LlU LlS L 1 a-u_ w pi_ SV=cXMCU irct C L.L1SV -UCc

tried.1

Before the city could begin the paving project, the

council had to adopt certain sections of the Wisconsin

statutes by which the city would be permitted to make street

1. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Cr-osse: La Orosse
_.i.i. Ay , .i . _ s _ - _I a 951 ), pr\ C 19 0 .1 97
Qv - alsoy nJ.lbU~l.J.fpl 5JSLCL.J s X7^^A. s or- re A^w @^

I1
'+1.

improvements to be paid in whole or in part by the city or

by the property owners to be benefited thereby as the council

directed. In no case could the amount assessed to any parcel

of real estate exceed the benefit accruing to such real

estate by the improvement. It also provided that the board

of public works view the premise to determine the benefits

and damages, then advertise that a report was open for rPviPru,

after which objections could be filed. If any property owner

considered himself aggrieved by the determinations of the

council, he could appeal to the circuit court within twenty

days. The adoption of the state statute was necessary because

the city charter. did not permit charging for improvements

where streets were already paved.

Tha ronrin1 iftir miruh dcphnat-p dont_?td the' nrrdinanrp

and approved a plan which included the issuance of $102,000

of bonds for laying forty blocks of brick pavement from Front

Street to Fifth Street and intersecting streets from Mt.

Vernon Street to Pine Street. Despite a vigorous protest

from property owners which ended in a court case, the city

proceeded with the brick paving which was completed during

the following vear. The otooertv owners finally volunteered

to pay the assessments.2

After the initial large paving project under the leader-

ship of Mayor Anderson, paving of the streets continued to

b.e. _L.-£ _ _ a-j-. I ,I fI _! ,i..e u.-Ic f' I I 1 I

years. The people of the city took great pride in what they

U Lidered he Li f* L LiV str et._

An incident occurred in the summer of 1919 that re-

mindedu the citizens of the early efforLs of paving. Heavy

rains in the sumer proved to be disastrous to the few

streets that had beep paved with wood blocks covered by a

_,__ -L _. _s.- L..JsT_ A A. UI CLA . - CL -

headlined, "Block Paving on Cass Street Floats in Flood."4

The story went on to state that due to the teriffic rain, the

long-neglected creosote block pavement swelled and distorted

into all sorts of grotesque shapes, burst into pieces, and

floated away. Periodically, the street had been afflicted

2. Ibid., p. 197; Special Charter. and Ordinances of the
City of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1911. Ordinance No. 335;
a Crosse Morning Chronicle, November 24, 1901.
3. La Crosse Mning Chro le, Nvember 2, 1 01 . ; Ibd.
July 17, 1901; Ibid., July 25, 1901; Ibid., January 30, 1902.
4. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 20, 1919.

with bubbles so that the motorist got the sensation of

driving over the deep blue sea.

ill a opeed, fr =-i- 1911, <L e wa.asse.d_
~ -s'

which limited automobiles to the sane speed of six miles an

hour in the business district, but it allowed them to "speed"

up to fifteen miles an hour in ther sectio:s of the city.

A controversy between the city and the Milwaukee Raii-

road involving the responsibility of maintaining a viaduct

began in 1902 and was to last more than ten years. The

1t7i cAI t1 e , t -eh Mi l wttIesL t-raeks non RoeAa Strcat wnc i n nnnor

condition. Parts of the structure were crumbling which made

it particularly dangerous to cross while trains were passing

below. The railroad officials maintained that the city must

share the expense of replacement. Even after the Wisconsin

Railroad Commission had condemned the structure ordering the

railroad and city to build a new e, othing was .dne.

The controversy was brought to a climax one Sunday

5. Special Charter and Ordinances of the City of La
Crosse, Wisconsin, 1911. Ordinance No. 518.
6. La Crosse Tribune, March 14, 1913; Ibid., April 30,
1A,1 - -- .
4 /J -.

morning in July, 1913. While the city slept, the Milwaukee

Road officials took matters into their own hands. With a

wrecking crew of -forty the va ,lnt - wa torn down Rv the

time that the exiedu ciLy uoficials reached the scene in

the morning, the bridge was gone for it took less than one-

half hour to demolish it. The railroad officials pointed

out that their action was taken for the safety of their

trains and patrons.

The Wisconsin Railroad Commission roened the case and

made an investigation to determine a fair adjustment. The

street railwaL y coumlpy was asoV concerned, for it was to use

the viaduct to eliminate the dangerous crossing of the

Milwaukee tracks on Mill Street. Following the hearing, the

commission ordered the construction of a viaduct with the

cost apportioned between the city, the railroad, and the
8
streetcar company.

Yet another controversy involving transportation facili-

ties stirred the city during the early years of the twentieth

7. Ibid., July 21, 1913.
8. Ibid., November 20, 1913.

century. The Mississippi River wagon bridge was maintained

by the city as a toll bridge. The only way of reaching

Barron's Island, now called Pettibone Park, was Uy crossing

th wagon bridge. The effort to make the wagon bridge Lree

to citizens of La Crosse on Sundays and holidays so that they

could utilize the new park acquired by the city was the first

step toward abolishing tolls. Early in Mayor Boschert's

administration, Alderman Spence introduced an ordinance to

allow citizens to coss the bridge free betw-en the hours of

8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p m. on Sundays and holidays between

T.. C 1 ,_ 1-- _ _'I
JunLe aL cU Uc Lur i. Lne oruinance passed without opposi-

tion .

The businessmen of uhle city periodically tried to have

the tolls abolished. They claimed that the tolls.were keep-

ing people of Minnesota from trading in the city. The issue

came to a climax in 1910 when, after considerable debate,:

.the aldermen iiL ally decided to submit the question Fo the

people in a referendum election in April, 1911: A heated

campaign followed. The businessmen of La. Crosse offered. to

9. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, July 4, 1901;.;Ibid.
SentembhrT 1& 10QCl

_ __

raise $10,000 to pave the causeway to La Crescent, Minnesota,

if the tolls were abolished and the farmers of La Crescent

rounty and Winona County agreed to raise $iU,u0u0 o improve-

rte highways leading to tlhe La Crescent end of the causeways

The msU w paed by a sbsat j or tI it y. I n tne
ILM UL=C1 .LLL= W1Z F IZOO=%A y a ~Lu L4Li LJiAL UIJ UL.L LY n Lnl

following month the council passed an ordinance which

abolished the tolls to become effective September 1, 1911.

The ordinance also stipulated that before the first day of

September the citizens should subscribe the $0, 000. The

following tolls were charged at the time that they were

abolished: For single or double teams, with driver and lady

25 cents for each round trip, each passenger in excess of

driver and lady the same as foot passengers; for horse and

rider 15 cents for single or round trip; for sheep and hogs

on foot 5 cents each for single trip; for cattle or horses

each 10 cents for single trip; for foot adult passengers 10

cents, and children uver twelve accompanied uy aduuts Lree.

All tolls were placed in the bridge fund of the city of

La Crosse.10

10. La'Cr6sse Tribune and .Leader Press, De.cemnei. 7,
1930.

Matters of Government

Party politics were rife in La Crosse as in most other

cities. It was Republican versus Democrat for mayor and

alderman. Party politics meant the caucus and convention

which, at the end of the nineteenth century, had come under

increased criticism and attack for heing boss controlled-

Although the direct primary had supplanted the nominating

convention in many counties of western states and in the

.South, it was not until 1904 that the first comprehensive

state-wide mandatory primary legislation was adopted in

Oregon and Wisconsin. Robert La Follette, as governor, led

t-h figh t fnor the nri mnary. He pnreva ld inn the state

legislature to enact the kind of direct primary law that he

r- o A 1 +- U >».,r e%w-:1-->*%< A/^.F\ % A·r~·C - ^. »-» ' ml
.* L &k A V A.LA % L" %.& % . . ; _-LLI*. _. ILL

direct primary law adopted by the people swept away all nom-

in.ating conventions. It provided that every candidate should

be chosen by the party voters at the primary. Names could be

placed on the primary by petition; it required 3 par cento-i

the case of muoicipal U6oiciais.-s

11. HowardR;. Penniman, Sait's American Parties and
Eleccions, (4th ed.; New- Yok:;, App'JLuL-CunLuL-y- rorfts
Incorporated,° 1936), pp. 30i-302.

The municipal election of 1905 in La Crosse was con-

ducted for the first time under the new primary law

Candidates filed petitions to be placed on the primary ballot

*.LStCo L oC£SU U kA.' 0;-Ir. LJLinAtiw t ugh cLcLL aJb .d v iI-- L..niLLo .

Mayor Torrance filed for re-election on the Democratic ticket,

while George Bungte filed fr eiecLio on iiLthe Repulican

ticket. Torrance received the Democratic nomination with

1,306 votes and Bunge received the Republican nminatin with

1,205 votes. The party platforms were then adopted. The

Democrats were pledged to build a high school. find a means

of purifying the water supply, and not to raise taxes. The

Republicans, as is often the case with the outs, denounced

alleged graft and gambling. They also 'promised to support a

rrew high school and find a means of purifying the. water

supply.2

A week of hot campaignngn lulo~wed with speeches made

in halls all over the city. Mayor Torrance was re-elected

with the entire Democratic ticket, and the Democrats won

12. La Crosse Morning. Chronicle, March 30, 19.0Q5; Ibid.
April 4, 1905. "

zJ
tq. - -

eleven of the twenty-one council seats.l3

For a time the people of La Crosse flirted with the idea

of a commission form of government advocated by the La Crosse

Board of Trade to put the city overn--ent on a business basis.

The agitation for a commission form of government reached -ts

peak in 1915. This was thirteen years after the Galveston

experiment of 1901 in which the mayor-council government in

Galveston was unequal to the .task of restoring order and

meeting the chaos created by the-tidal wave-and flood of 1900.

During the early decades of this century, especially between

1901 and 1917, there was great enthusiasm for the commission

form of government. Thereafter its popularity declined from

the 500 American cities employing the commission form to 383-

cities in I953.4

The board of trade led the agitation for a commission

form of government for La Crosse during the year 1914. The

primary reasons expresse by the advocates for the commission

form of government were economy and efficiency. It was cited

13. Ibid., April 5, 1905.
14. 4 Jewell CasS Phillips, State and Local .Cvernment in
Akmerral (New Yor-k: r Ampriren Rook Company; 1954); pn 4l12-.1t

that eleven Wisconsin cities already had adopted the commis-

sion form of government with successful results. However,

popular onininn could not be swung favr ably in the city, and

15
tLLs; L UiLe:r was U r- pp D

During this era of progressive state government in

Wisconsin under the leadership of Robert La Follette. there

was a continuous struggle for more democracy or more popular

control of government. One direction of this fight was the

control of bossism in political parties. Part of this effort

was the elimination of the nominating convention. A more

radical step was taken when in 1913 the state legislature

enacted a new nonpartisan electiop and regaistration la for

the local level designed to eliminate politics from municipal

elections. All candidates for city offices. as well as ward

offices, were to make their campaigns as nonpartisans. All

old registration and poll lists were destroyed, and three

registration days were held at which new lists were prepared.

Voters went to the voting booths of their wards to register

15. La Crosse Tribune, October 5, 1914; Ibid., October
7,. ;. cber 9, ; id .October 14, 1-914.
- 11 "- * v%IsIr -t- d r ; - ** l ~*w-%.- I
/, .fi "v*; LD3o. . VctoDer to, lilq; ildu , Ouctober 14, L-i14.

-O

16
on the day designated for that purpose.

Party politics and party loyalty could not be legislated

out of existence so easily and quicky. Party identification

and voting continued into the administration of Mayor

Sorensen, the first nonpartisan mayor, but an indication of

the future was brought to light when party lines were broken

for the election of the city attorney. Although the Demo-

crats had a majority in.the council, J. E. Higbee, a Republi-

can, defeated the Democrat for that office. Politics wete

eliminated on several other matters that had been decided
17
before on strictly party lines. Thirty years later, local

party politics had been .aLuLos. C.ulletLely -e.iminated.

Police and Fire Protection

The control and appointment of the police department had

caused many bitter fights between the mayor and council, as

well as between Democrats and Republicans. In 1896, although

La Crosse had a special charter, the city came under a

general charter law which was enacted in that year. in each

16. Ibid., March 10, 1913-; Ibid.. March 18, 1913.
17. Ibid.* March 19, 19133.

- - - --- - L-- - --CC- '- --

city of second or third class, an office for police and fire

commission was created to consist of four citizens. Not

more than two of these were to belong to the same political

party. They were to be appointed by the mayor to serve a

four-year term without compensation. The power to appoint

all officers was granted to the commission. Appointments

were to be made on the basis of educational and physical

qualifiLcations, L=rpu LUtati, LAd the experience of the appli-

cants. These officers were to retain their positions on good

behavior. This section of the general charter law was

designed to eliminate the "spoils system." This section

reflected the general feeling of the country and state that

politics should be withdrawn from positions which were

administrative, rather than policy making, and that the evils
1.8
of the spoils system should be curbed,

By 1904, the police department consisted of twenty-six

officers. New additions were constantly made until 1920.

when the force totaled forty men. Chief John B. Webber was

18.. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse: La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1951), p. Ul.

appointed to his position in 1906, a job he held for thirty-

three years. During the first two decades of the twentieth

century, one policeman was killed in the line of duty. On

nte ninht or September , iq( (Off .r rrt rG-tos W,.S6

patrolling the city streets looking for three men who had com-

mitted a robery in TL Crescent and were rpnprt-dh heading- for

La Crosse. -He spotted three m.en nd ordered them to halt.

Shots rang out, and lfficer Gates fell fatally wounded. Im-

mediately armed posses gathered and made a search, but the

19
three men made good their escape.

Because the city was a railroad center. the area had

more than its share of pickpockets and confidence men. Chief

Webber's mos cfec iv . tod of dealing .wth pLcpucke ts

was to escort them out of the city as soon as they were

spotted by an officer. Most of these characters were known

to the chief and the force.

As has been noted, in 1912 cars became so numerous in

the city that a speed ordinance was enacted. Until this time,

the department used horses. The council took action to deal

19. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 10, 1934.
e - p 91934_

__ __

with traffic law violators by furnishing the police with a

motorcycle to patrol the streets. It was also in this year

that the force nhtained it-s fist automobile, a touring car.20

L. L a r.l ,, Y arym b . . u , ss L L.L t, L I6ieSg UepelUdeU

upon volunteer fire companies. The companies were popular

for the social fuLc tiLon. in which they engageu. Alltough tne

fire companies were on a volunteer basis, they were subject

to municipal regulations and inspection. The companies owned

some of their equipment, and the city furnished the rest of

it for them. The city officials in control were a chief

engineer, three. assistants, and a fire marshall, all selected

by the council. Finally, a regular paid fire depart ^ment was

establishted in 1896 which came under the control of the La

Crosse Fire and Police Commission established in 1897."'

When the paid fire department was started) it consisted

of forty-five men situated in five fire stations. The equip-

ment, of course, was drawn by horsepower at this time. The°

first printed rules and regulations which appeared July 1,

1899, cantioned the drivers '"They must slacken sneed in

20. Ibid., July 21, 1938.
IX1 C,.^% _-»-FAUTN U_ ^4okm<n- ; I _ 1 1 n AI1 al
-~ I~^ -=K~.-. - O r*> -& Ar*AAe *

coming to and turning corners and crossing principal streets;

if necessary to avoid accidents come to a full stop. Keep on

the right side of the street and in single file; do not drive

.,.U- ., ,_-- _1- _,_22
abLrast of eL acIL U LLother.

By the 1900's the city's fire department was operating

efficiently with a resulting drop in the frequency of major

fires. It is true that in the early years of 1900 there were

A.A.. C- 0s L. L.lL...
several umajor lazes, but thelr occurrence was greatly

diminished.-

Radical changes began to occur in 1912, w en the first

step toward mechanization was taken. This transition from

horse to motorized equ ipment began when L. C. Colman pre-

sented the city with a. Knox Runabout for use as a fire chiefis

car. Three years later, in 915u, the first motorized equip-

ment was purchased by the council, a combination chemical and

hose machine. The motorization of the department was

completed in 1926, when a chemical and hose machine replaced

a horse-drawn wagon at station number five.

22. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 3, 1938.
23. Ibid. Februry 15, 1948.
am) I & q u%,C6 i A.J- M J- A. -

--- L __

At the same time, the department added new men so that

the number of firemen was fifty-four in 1919. A major change

was brought about to i mprove th worki ng ..-dit ions and

f-fici, f te me .. -The t wo-platoon system was confirmed

by the citizens at a referendum election in April, 1919. The

old method was one day off duty for every four days oln duty.

The change to twelve hours on duty and twelve hours off duty

required an addition of nineteen new men, or a total of

seventy-thre-e. Snce ths first change, the hours have been

changed to twenty-four hours on duty and twenty-four hours
24
off dutyA4

The major fires from 1900 to. 192C0 were the Tausche

idi arLe Stoe LVL ti 1 0iVL L , Lt. LVa Ll L LlteVaLoULS Ln iU9i, thne

Spence McCord Company and the Cameron House in 1916, and the

Hoean School in 1920. It can readily be. seen that the number

of major fires was declining.25

The most dramatic fire of 1

destroyed the combination Miiwaukee Depot and Cameron- House

in 1916. The Monday edition of December 25, 1916, of the

24. Ibid., January. 1, 1946.
25. Ibid.. February 15, 1948.

La Crosse Tribune printed the following account of the fire:

Fire which routed out 40 guests and a
donzn employees, most of the m In Lthir night
shirts, early on S.day morning destroyed the
Mi lwnlukee railroad station at Second and Vine
streets and the Cameron House, which occupied
part of the depot building, at noon the fire
was still blazing fiercely, but was under
control. .

rFe. toork tim to dress carrying a few
hastily gathered belongings, they flocked down
th stairs which were by that time filled with
smoke, and fled into the snowstorm which was
blowing outside. Railroad men and traveling
men in paams and underwear, with trousers and
overcoats flung over their arms, dashed through
the six-inch snow for nearby hotels, restaurants
and other warm spots. Chambermaids and waitresses
in kimonas and with hair streaming down their backs
took refuge in neighboring saloons and other
establishments. Most of e save their crloheP.
Few saved anything else.

The old buiiding burned rapidly although the
fire department was on hand in a few mi3nutes after
the alarm was given. Central Station was first on
the scene, and at 8 O'clock the f ir had gaid
such headway that McGlachlan rang in a 'four eleven,
th generl al whh ruh out the fire
companies of the city to the spot. Five streams
were played on the blaze, but despite all efforts
the fire rapidly gained headway . ..

26. La Crosse Tr ibune, December 25, 1916.

Public Utilities

The problem of acquiring an adequate water supply L-f

uuh fLL L i san -Litary purposes was a long and controversial

one. It was one of trial and error, elections, private and

public ownership, and name calling. It is not complete

roiayv Tn many wTaJysr the stoy U % A. wtrr cpp %l i Li tp.ca,.l -f

the problem of urban government illuminating some of the

strong and weak points of the mayor-council form of govern-

ment and the democratic process.

The first expressed need for a ready water supply in

the early part of the city s history was for fire protect on.

A series of cisterns, each with a capacity of from eight

hundred to one thousand gallons, were established at inter-

vals. This system, as the city grew, became expensive and

unsatisfactory. Several alternate proposals were made and

rejected.. One involved piping water in from a nearby creek,

but the supply was inadequate. Artesian wells were tried by

the city, bu thne wells failed to produce flowing water. in

Decmber , lo75, the citizens turned down, in a referendumt

the floating of a $60,000 bond issue to build a city water-

works-using the river or creek water.

January, 1876, a private waterworks, pump, hydrants, and

fire department were established by the Ta Crosse L-umbe

Company for its mill. Goaded by agitation. the council made

an agreement with the Colman and Paul mills for them to pump

river water into city furnished mains and hydrants for a fee

of $600.00 a year. Finally in 1880, the city erected its

own pump house using river water. A second pump was added

in 1884. By 1900, the system had thirty-nine miles of pipe.

This system was designed for fire protection, and

residents secured drinking water from their backyard wells.

The water system was gradually atteched to many homes as

sanitary plumbing was installed. As more and more home wells

became contaminated, due tc the icLrease in popul tion,

people reluctantiy began to drink the city water. This

situation caused increased demands for something to be done
27
to improve the water.

By 1904, there were two alternate plans to improve the

water supply. One involved filtering tlhe water in the city

27. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse: La"Crosse
County Historical Society, 1951), pp. 185-187.

mains and the other of digging deep wells. The agitation for

a pure water system continued into 1911. At this time the

council voted a $250,000 bond issue for a new system, but the

conflict still continued over the type of plant--filtration

of river water or wells. By this time experts had recommended,

after taking samples of each, the well type of water innply.

Finally, upon request, the Wisconsin Railroad Commission made

an investigation of the water situation and advised the city

to wait until a report was submitted before starting a project.

The report of the ColOss ion recommended that a well system

was the only ogical - plan for restort.on of te La Crosse

water plant. The report suggested that the city build a

reservoir on Grandad Bluff east of the city and buy about

eighty acres of land north of the. city for well sites. Follow-

ing this report, the commisi.on issued an order requiring the

city to meet the demands of its customers. The city was given

eighteen monthos to comply with this order. With. no choice,

an expert engineer was hired to make further investigations.

His findings confirmed the report of the conmission.

28. La Crosse Tribune, June 14, 1911; Ibid., June 21,
1 11.
4 I .

_ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ ah- - -

Late in October, bonds were voted for installation of a

well system. Land north of Myrick Park ad east of the Green

Bay tracks in the marsh was bought for well sites, and con-

struction of a pumping station in iMyrick Park began Af ter

a series of delays, the pumping station was completed in

1913.29

A problem contemporary with the pure water controversy

was the ownership or control of light and power. Prior to

1900, there ha