The Industries of La Crosse, Wis., 1888. La Crosse, Wis.: Spicer & Buschman, 1888.

Special Collections Wisconsiana F589.L137 I5 1888

To search the text of this document use your web browser's Find feature located under the Edit menu.

THE

INDUSTRIES

OF

LA CROSSE, WIS.

1888.

SPICER & BUSCHMAN, PRINTERS,
LA CROSSE, WIS.

La Crosse Public Library.

Introductory

CRADLED between the towering bluffs of the Upper Mississippi, more
than eighteen hundred miles from its mouth and about two hundred
miles from the head of navigation, is the beautiful and prosperous city
CE of La Crosse. Hundreds of years ago when the pine forests of this
region were yet untouched by the lumberman's axe and, even those
dauntless French explorers, Hennepin and La Salle, had not penetrated
the great Mississippi Valley, tradition tells us that the Indians resorted
to the prairies hereabouts to play their game of la crosse, because this
point on the banks of the Father of Waters is easily accessible by canoe from
so large an area by the tributaries. Thus it is seen that man, even in his
aboriginal state, utilizes in a measure those same natural advantages which are
of so much importance to the commerce of civilized peoples.

The site of the city was passed frequently by the explorers of the beginning
of the century and the early pioneers of the Northwest, but not until 1841 did
any one make it his dwelling place. The winter of that year Nathan Myrick
passed on the island opposite the present city, and in 1842 he and several others
established the first settlement on the mainland. Several years passed away
without events of importance. The early settlers did a thriving trade with the
Indians, suffered the privations common to pioneers, yet struggled bravely on in
spite of adverse circumstances, never despairing of finally reaching the goal of
success. In 1843 a colony of Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois, settled at what is
now known as Mormon Cooley. But their practices were looked upon so
unfavorably by the pioneers that they soon returned whence they came. In these
days the arrival of a steamboat bringing supplies, and perchance emigrants, to
the struggling village, created as much excitement as a presidential election now
does. Hardships and perils were common incidents in the daily life of the early
dwellers in the "Gateway City."

In 1844 an event occurred which, though not noticed at the time, was the
beginning of the city's most important industry. In that year the first lumber
raft was sent down the river. What became of it is not recorded, but from this
humble origin the lumber trade of the city dates.

Each succeeding year brought more people to the frontier village which now
became the centre of an active and growing trade. The fertile prairies near by
on both sides of the Mississippi produced extraordinary crops, and emigrants

4 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

commenced to come in great numbers. In February, 1851, the large population
of this section led the legislature to form La Crosse County out of Crawford.
La Crosse was made the county seat provided that suitable county buildings were
erected immediately. The same liberal ideas prevailed among the people of that
day as has since characterized the policy of the city, and funds were raised by
subscription and a court house erected during the following winter.

From this event the prosperity of l a Crosse dates. There was not a busier
town on the Upper Mississippi than this during the several years that followed.
The stores were fairly overrun with business, and settlers to swell the population
were daily arriving. Many of the large wholesale houses were established about
this time, and the settlement of the fertile prairies of Southern Minnesota opened
up a new field for trade. Real estate rose rapidly in value and the volume of
transactions was large. The first newspaper, the Spirit of the Times, was established in 1852 by Messers. P. A. and A D. La Due. In 1856 the population
had reached 3000, and that year the city was incorporated. Schools were
established on a scale much in advance of what could be expected of so young a
city. The following year was one of financial disaster, and along with it the rest
of the country, the Northwest suffered greatly. But the foundations of success
were too firmly laid to be permanently injured, and a few years later the "Gateway
City" was again alive with enterprise and again animated by the bustle of a
rapidly growing trade.

What happened during succeeding years will be detailed in the description
of the industrial interests of the city, which from this time are so closely identified
with the story of its progress. The La Crosse of to-day is a worthy monument
to the energy and perseverance of the early settlers. With unequaled transportation
facilities by rail and water, surrounded by a farming country unexcelled in
fertility by any section of the United States, having the advantage of a salubrious
climate: her citizens enterprising and vigilant, in pushing forward her commercial
interests; banking facilities equaled by few cities of her size; with an advanced
system of public improvements; excellent educational facilities; distinguished
divines, lawyers and physicians-truly, La Crosse is to all appearances only
entering upon a career of prosperity in comparison with which her past, brilliant
as it is, will seem to the historian of the future of but little importance.

The City of Today

CHIEF AMONG the advantages possessed by any city is the comfort in
which its inhabitants may live. This is secured by residents of La
Crosse in a marked degree. There is a noticeable absence of tenement
Houses, a circumstance which has a great deal to do with the health and
morals of the community. Considering the size of the city good building
sites are remarkably cheap, and hence there is no necessity for crowding
people together. Rents and cost of living are lower than in most
cities of the same size, and landlords are not niggardly in the matter of keeping
the municipal government, which has never been shortsighted in its expenditures
for public improvements, yet far from being extravagant and wasteful. A considerable
sum is annually expended on the parks, which is more than repaid by the
pleasure and comfort received. The streets of La Crosse are always kept in
good condition, being thoroughly macadamized, the sewers in perfect repair,
and the public money expended liberally and even lavishly in whatever is
conducive to the good of the community in general.

THE GOVERNMENT OF LA CROSSE is in the hands of the mayor, the common
council and the board of supervisors. The council is composed of two representatives
from each ward of the city, and the board of supervisors of one from each
ward. The mayor is elected by the people bi-ennially. At present the office is
filled by Mr. David Austin, the well known lumberman, a member of the Sawyer
& Ausitn Lumber company. He has made an excellent official and his record
will compare well with that of the efficient executives who have filled the office in
past years. The board of supervisors and the common council are bodies in
which the most respected men of the community have been willing and anxious
to serve, and at present they include on their rolls the names of prominent and
intelligent citizens, whose judgment in matters municipal is not likely to be at
fault.

THAT THE AFFAIRS OF THE CITY have been wisely administered is amply
proved by the last annual report of the secretary of the Board of Trade. The

6 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

bonded indebtedness, all told, is $239,000, less than eight dollars per capita,
estimating the population at 30,000. The assessed valuation of property is
$10,247,979, and of this the entire debt is only a fraction more than 2.3 per cent.
The tax rate has always been low, never exceeding twenty-two mills. Data
necessary for making a comparison with cities of the same size are not at hand,
but the indebtedness per capita is mere bagatelle as compared with that of
Washington, $127.66; New York, $90.71 ; Pittsburg, $90.78; St Louis $65.I8;
New Orleans, $82.08. And compared with Chicago and Milwaukee, whose
indebtedness is very small, the former being $25 23 per capita and the latter
$14.42, the $7.97 of La Crosse (estimating the population at 30,000) is indeed
scarcely worthy of mention.

THE HEALTH OF THE CITY is remarkably good. This is due in a great
degree to the excellent drainage and also to the invigorating climate, whose
winters, though sometimes rigorous, are healthful on account of the dryness and

GOVERNMENT BUILDING.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 7

clearness of the atmosphere. There has been no detailed health report prepared
since 1884 and then the death rate was twelve per thousand. Mr. R. Calvert, the
secretary of the Board of Trade, in his report for I887, estimates it for that year
at six per thousand, after having deducted deaths from extreme old age and
pre-natal causes. Malaria is a thing unknown and the excellent sewage of the
city, the pure water and the health regulations make it impossible for a contagious
disease to gain headway.

DURING THE PAST LA CROSSE has sometimes suffered severely by fire. Many
times has this devouring element swept away lumber to the value of thousands of
dollars, and often, too, residences and business houses have been destroyed.
While danger from this source cannot be altogether escaped, yet such precautions
as a plentiful supply of water and a well equipped and strictly disciplined fire
department materially lessens it and make the calamities of former years well
nigh impossible. The authorities of the city have not established a paid fire
department, believing that no more efficient service could be secured than is at
present enjoyed. The chief engineer, Mr. A. M. Watson, and his assistants are
paid and on duty all the time. There are three large hose companies who
promptly and cheerfully respond to every alarm, and have rendered efficient
service on frequent occasions. There is an entire absence of jealousy among
these companies, their healthy rivalry being sufficiently tempered by hearty good
will to make it very beneficial.

PREVIOUS TO 1877 the city depended for water supply upon cisterns which
were filled from the river. That year a Blake steam pump was purchased and a
house put up at the foot of King street. This pump has a capacity of 2,500,000
gallons per day. This supply was insufficient, owing to the increase in population
and the growth of manufactures, so a few years ago a second Blake pump
was put in with a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons daily. With these two powerful
pumps a pressure of 60 pounds per square inch is constantly kept upon the
mains which may be increased to 110 pounds in case of fire. Thus fire engines
are not necessary, although as a resource a splendid Silsby steamer is kept ready
for action. The city maintains 145 fire plugs which amply protect all property,
and besides all the lumber mills and factories keep up a complete system of
fire apparatus. At present there are eighteen miles of mains, none of which are
less than six inches in diameter, the largest being twenty inches. The entire cost
of the plant has been $190,000, and it has been so ably managed that while
furnishing water at reasonable rates to consumers, it pays the city a profit, if the
cost of fire protection is taken into account. The water works are controlled by
the Board of Public Works, consisting at present of Messrs. Jos. Leinfelder, S. F.
Nice and T. S. Vickere. The annual cost of running the plant is $I 5,ooo.

THE POLICE FORCE OF LA CROSSE, thanks to the good behavior of the citizens
in general, is not large, consisting of but fifteen men besides the chief and captain.
The former responsible position is held by P. L. Clark, and the captain is John
Parks. The patrolmen are an efficient and useful body of men and are to be
complimented because they do not have that disagreeable air of officiousness so

8 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

often characteristic of the policeman. They seem to have learned that they are
the servants and not the masters of the public, a fact of which the average officer
is rarely cognizant even in large cities. The La Crosse police force have shown
themselves active and vigilant in caring for life and property and faithful and just
in enforcing the law.

AS AN AGENT IN PROMOTING moral worth and rectitude in a community, the
church is unquestionably foremost of all working in this age. Its influence on
the lives of men and on the existence and growth of a community cannot even
be conjectured, so wide is its scope, so infinite its ramifications. Early in the
history of La Crosse there were religious services held by itinerant ministers, and
in 1851 the first society was organized. Others soon followed and now there are
ten denominations represented which are organized into thirty-three societies,
thirty of which own edifices. The several congregations have built churches of
which the city may be justly proud, for they compare favorably in architecture,
beauty and in tasteful furnishings and artistic decoration with any similar edifices
of the Northwest. The divines of La Crosse are an able, gifted and progressive
body of men who are, as a rule, aggressive and forceful in their denunciation of
whatever is detrimental to the moral growth of the city, and are always found in
the van of those advocating measures for the improvement and enlightenment of

SCENE ON C.M. & ST. P. RAILWAY, NEAR LA CROSSE

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 9

the public. Intellectually, taken individually or collectively, they are worthy to
be champions of the great truths given to humanity from the hand of the Creator.

The Y. M. C. A. is also an important agent in church work. The rooms are
on Main street over 423 and 425. There is also an association on the North Side.
Both are well supported by the community and afford pleasant places for young
men to pass their evenings.

NEXT TO THE CHURCH in power and importance among the great social agents
characteristic of nineteenth century civilization is the education of the masses.
The common schools, though supported by taxation, give much more to the state
than they receive from it. For intelligent citizens are the only safeguard of our
existence as a nation, and whatever is spent for educational purposes is, if wisely
invested, the best use the state can make of funds. The schools of La Crosse,
which were established on such a liberal scale in 1856, have justly been the pride
of her people. A comprehensive course has been laid out which, if pursued,
gives a pupil an excellent foundation for a complete education or fits him well for
business life. Thirteen commodious, well lighted and thoroughly ventilated
buildings are owned by the city, which are conveniently located in the several
school districts. The High School is in the Fourth district building, Eighth and
Main streets. There were enrolled last year 3,879 pupils in all the grades.
Seventy-one teachers were employed. For some years the schools have been
under the direction of Prof. Albert Hardy, who has shown himself in this
responsible position an able and competent educator, familiar with all the advanced
methods of instruction. Mention must also be made of the school for deaf
mutes. It is organized under a state law passed two years ago. Mutes are
taught to use their vocal organs, and in time are able to speak as plainly as those
who hear. This school is open to pupils from all parts of the state. The public
schools are controlled by the Board of Education, composed at present of Messrs.
G. C. Hixon, president; Albert Hardy, secretary; W. L. Crosby, S. S. Burton,
W. L. Osborne, C. A. Marquardt, William Morris and Fred. Tillman.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH supports a number of excellent parochial
schools. These are under the charge of the Franciscan Sisters of the Convent
of St. Rosa de Vitero. This convent deserves more than a passing notice, being
a training school for teachers and nurses, the Sisters having charge of the nursing
in St. Francis Hospital and the United States Marine Hospital. They also
manage St. Michael's Orphan Asylum, an institution containing at present
seventy-six homeless children, who are here being trained and educated for the
battle of life. This asylum is supported entirely by private gifts.

Excellent parochial schools are also maintained by the German Lutheran
Church.

A description of the educational facilities of the city would be wanting if the
La Crosse Business College were overlooked. This flourishing institution was
established in 1868, and during its twenty years' of existence has turned out
many who have since become able business men. The public in this section has
always been alive to the advantages of a business education as being supplementary.

10 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

to that gained in the public schools and other institutions. For thirteen
years this college has been under the charge of Professor J. L. Wallace, a teacher
of long experience as well as a practical accountant. Those who pursue the
prescribed course in mathematics, book keeping and penmanship at this institution
are well qualified to enter business life, the instruction being made thoroughly
practical in ever detail. Many trusted clerks and also quite a number of successful
business men of La Crosse are numbered among the graduates of this college.

LA CROSSE BUSINESS COLLEGE.

SOCIAL LIFE IN LA CROSSE is blessed by not having any distinguishing
characteristics. As far as possible in this imperfect world of ours, society
here seems to havs reached the golden mean. Music, art and literature each have
their devotees, but these have the good taste to so broaden their culture that it is
impossible for them to make hobbies of any particular one. Intelligence is the
predominating trait in all who enjoy social standing.

PROMINENT AMONG the organizations which go to make social life a success is
the La Crosse Club. Its elegantly furnished and well-appointed rooms are at the
corner of Fifth and Main streets. Its members are men of the highest social and
business standing. The literary spirit of the community finds expression in the
Nineteenth Century Club and the Hamilton Club, both organizations whose
meetings are made lively and interesting by the discussion of current topics of
interest. The societies of the religious bodies and the secret society lodges, of
which there are a great number in the city, also contribute largely to the social
festivities. The Norden Society and the Deutscher Verein are flourishing social
organizations whose members mostly came from homes beyond the sea.

THE STAGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN liberally patronized by the people of La Crosse,
the McMillan Opera House affording them for many years a superior class of
entertainments. There were also the concerts of the Deutscher Verein and other
efforts of local talent, which show how much interest is taken in such affairs.
The completion of the La Crosse Theatre, which is to be opened in January, will
give the city a place of amusement equal to any in the Northwest. The building
is absolutely fire proof and has a stage equipped with all the latest devices for the
production of startling scenic effects.

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, corner Main and Eighth streets, grew out of a
bequest of $50,000 given for the purpose of founding it by the late Governor
C. C. Washburn. This was augmented by the Young Men's Library Association
giving the sum of $2000 in cash and what books they had acquired. The
building, which was lately dedicated with appropriate ceremonies, is built of red
pressed brick and is architecturally an ornament of which the city may be proud.
The shelf capacity is ample,
the reading rooms
airy and well lighted,
and in the upper story is
a hall with a seating capacity
of 300. In every
way the building is complete
and is a credit to
the architect and the
trustees of the fund. The
library now contains, exclusive
of works of reference,
7560 volumes,
which show for themselves
that they were purchased
by persons of
broad and cultivated
tastes. The fund yields
a sufficient income to
permit a considerable
sum to be annually expended
for periodicals, newspapers, etc. and for
the purchase of new books. This institution is
indeed a fitting monument to the memory of
Cadwallader C. Washburn by whose munificence
it has been established. A library of such a
character is an agent of great power in the
education of the masses. Such use of wealth is indeed praiseworthy, and the
world is ready and anxious to revere one who places the thoughts and fancies of
great minds in reach of all.

SCENE ON C.M. & ST. P. RAILWAY,
NEAR LA CROSSE

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 13

AMIONG THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS of La Crosse, the Court House, as being the
oldest, deserves attention first. Erected in I867, it is a perfect specimen of the
practical ideas that were prevalent at that time. But little attention was paid to
adornment, durability and utility being the qualities most sought after and they
were fully attained. Built of cut limestone, plainly but substantially finished in
the interior, well lighted, it has served the needs of the community well since its
erection. The grounds surrounding it are shaded by stately trees, and high
above them on the dome is a statue of Justice, blindfolded, and holding the
traditional scales. It presents a quaint but not unpleasing contrast with the new
government building just across from it, on the corner of Fourth and State
streets, which embodies the cultivated notion of what is useful and beautiful. It
is of the Romanesque style of architecture, modified to meet the needs of modern
life. The materials used are red pressed brick with trimmings of Joliet stone and
iron, so it will be entirely fire proof. The steps to the entrance will be granite.

RESIDENCE OF HON. ALEXANDER M'MILLAN.

14 THE INDIUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

Ground was broken for it last May, and before a year has passed it will doubtless
be ready for occupancy. The amount of money appropriated is $150,000. Ex-Senator Cameron and Hon. G. M. Woodward, who was in the lower house, were
instrumental in securing the passage of the bill appropriating $100,000 for this
building, and that amount being insufficient, Hon. O. B. Thomas, the present
congressman, secured $50,000 more. The first floor will be used exclusively as
a post-office. On the second will be the United States Circuit Court room,
customs offices and land offices, and on the third the internal revenue office,
signal service office, jury rooms, etc. This building was sadly needed by La
Crosse for a long time, but Uncle Sam is atoning for the delay by the way he has
hurried it to completion.

HERE A WORD MAY NOT be out of place concerning the beauty of La Crosse
and her surroundings. The residence streets are all lined with spreading trees
(some one has called them the lungs of a city) which stand along terraces gently
sloping from the comfortable homes of which the city is so proud. A walk
along these shaded avenues reminds one much of a sylvan scene. Almost
encircling the city are the great bluffs, which mark the channel of the Mississippi
in bygone ages. These lift their heads above the plain on which the city stands
as if to guard it from the cold winter winds that sweep so fiercely across the
prairies. Few prettier pictures are to be seen than that made by the city and
river when viewed in the soft light of an autumn sunset from the bluffs on the
Wisconsin side. At one's feet is Oak Grove cemetery, a spot made beautiful by
nature and the hand of man, while a little further in vivid contrast with the city
of the dead, are the homes of the living and the smoking chimneys of the
factories so distinctly outlined against the western sky, telling how eagerly and
earnestly humanity is seeking wealth. Unmindful of the bustling city the Father
of Waters sweeps majestically on toward the sea, the placid surface undisturbed
except for the ripple caused by a passing steamboat. The whole scene is lighted
by the last beams of the setting sun as he sinks behind the bluffs of the
Minnesota shore, his last rays giving their rich autumn tints a brighter golden
hue.

THE PRESS

MENTION has already been made of the establishment of the first newspaper,
the Spirit of the Times, in La Crosse in 1852, by the LaDue brothers. This
enterprise succumbed to a chattel mortgage very soon after its inception. The
city is rich in the memories of "Brick" Pomeroy whose lurid editorials were the
delight and joy of Democrats in all parts of the United States. The phenomenal
circulation attained by the La Crosse Democrat is a marvel to this day. Ninety
thousand copies were sent out and Pomeroy was perhaps one of the most bitterly
denounced men in the country. The La Crosse Republican, conducted by Charles
Seymour, was then, too, very prosperous and was continually waging war with
Pomeroy's Democrat. George W. Peck, now famed far and wide as a writer of
droll and witty sayings, began his journalistic career here. He is recalled by a
handsome drinking fountain on the corner of Main and Fifth streets which he

M'MILLAN OPERA HOUSE.

16 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

presented to the city. Inscribed on a silver plate, which also bears his name,
is a sentence characteristic of his humor, "Boys, this drink is on me."

La Crosse now supports two daily newspapers, both of which publish full
associated press reports. They are the Morning Chronicle and the Republican
and Leader. The former is Democratic in politics but is for the interests of the
city before anything else. The proprietor is Ellis B. Usher who as chairman of
the Democratic State Committee made an energetic and aggressive fight during
the last campaign. It is a journal well conducted and its policy is to keep well
up with the times in newspaper enterprise.

The Republican and Leader is owned and edited by W. R. Finch who is an
able and enterprising journalist. It is an afternoon publication and in its well-
filled columns the people of the city can read important telegraphic news at the
teatable. As its name indicates it is Republican in politics. This journal has
always been warm in its advocacy of any movement having for its end the
forwarding of the city's interest.

The Nord Stern is a weekly (German) publication of which Adolf Candrian
is editor and proprietor. It has a large circulation among the Germans of the
city and is very ably conducted. It is independent in politics.

The North La Crosse News is conducted by Mahoney, Alexander & Mahoney.
It is published weekly and devotes its attention principally to affairs on the
North Side.

The Varden is a non-political Norwegian weekly published by P. O. Evenson.
This has many readers among those who still cling to the language of their home.

The last venture in the journalistic field of this city is the Patriot, a German
Democratic paper. It is controlled by the Excelsior Printing Company, of
Milwaukee, and is very ably edited.

TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.

THE EXTENT and diversity of the exchange of commodities between
peoples more or less widely separated is a distinguishing characteristic
between man in a civilized state and man in a barbarous state. Man's
wants and desires are increasing constantly and to satisfy them he has
brought to him the products of the uttermost parts of the earth. This is called
commerce, and by it a large proportion of the human race gain a livelihood.
The prosperity and wealth of a city is largely determined by its ability to gain a
share of the world's commerce. In this respect La Crosse occupies a position
second to no city of the Northwest. By means of three great railway systems
whose lines reach every point of importance between Chicago and the Rocky
Mountains, and the great natural highway for commerce furnished by the Mississippi
and tributaries the merchants and manufacturers of La Crosse have unequaled
facilities for receiving and shipping goods. A vast territory, already rich
though comparatively undeveloped, naturally looks to this city as a market in
which to exchange the products of the fertile prairies for merchandise.

The first railroad to reach La Crosse was the La Crosse & Milwaukee,
opened in 1856, which has since been absorbed by the Chicago, Milwaukee &,St.
Paql system. Of four divisions of this corporation, which is second to none in
the Northwest in wealth and importance, La Crosse is the centre, namely: the
River division extending along the Mississippi from St. Paul and Minneapolis to
La Crosse; the Southern Minnesota division extending westward through a section
unsurpassed in fertility as far as Aberdeen, Dakota, thus bringing the wheat fields
of that section within easy reach of La Crosse; the Dubuque division extending
southward along the river and tapping the fertile districts of Northern Iowa by
branches; and the La Crosse division extending eastward to Milwaukee. The
policy of the Milwaukee is always progressive and the early extension of the
Southern Minnesota road to the Black Hills will soon be an accomplished fact,
thus affording a new field for La Crosse enterprise and placing her in communication
with that rich mineral district. At St. Paul this road connects with the
Manitoba and Northern Pacific for points in the far Northwest and at Chicago its

18 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

trains make close connections with those of the great trunk lines for the east. Its
numerous branches place La Crosse in communication with all points of importance
within the state. This company proposes to erect extensive repair shops at
North La Crosse which will further increase the population of that flourishing
addition. Already 180 men are employed by the company in the yards and at
the round house. The equipment of this excellent road has a world-wide fame
on account of its superior character. The finest Pullman coaches are run and the
"Vestibuled Limited" is well known as being the fastest train between Chicago
and St. Paul. The employes are courteous and affable and everything possible is
done to make traveling pleasant. Very naturally the share of this road in the
freight and passenger business centering here is very large. La Crosse has a
local pride in the St. Paul as it is distinctively a Wisconsin corporation, the general
offices being at Milwaukee. A great number of her citizens are large shareholders
in the road and Mr. J. C. Easton is a director. The St. Paul at present
controls 5,706 miles of track and is yearly increasing its mileage and are long will
reach the Rocky Mountains and possibly extend beyond them.

The second great trunk line to reach La Crosse was the Chicago & Northwestern.
This happened in 1876 and was an important event in the history of the
commercial progress of the city. Besides giving a second route to Chicago its

SCENE ON C. M. & ST. P. RAILWAY
NEAR LA CROSSE

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 19

coming opened up connection to a great area south and west heretofore not
in direct communication with the city. The enterprise of this wealthy corporation
is too well known to need mention in these pages. It, too, like the St. Paul, is
reaching westward through Minnesota and Dakota towards the mines of the Black
Hills and the intervening wheat-growing districts of Dakota. It is in the future
destined to be an important factor in developing this region so rich in agricultural
resources. The Winona & St. Peter railroad, controlled by this company, has
opened a fertile and prosperous country for the merchants and lumbermen of La
Crosse, contributing largely to the increased jobbing trade. The Northwestern
is a popular route and justly so for the facilities it offers for pleasant and easy
travel are unsurpassed by any rival line.

The "Burlington" was the last of the great systems of the West to extend its
tracks to La Crosse, but since its coming two years ago it has had a large share
of the freight and passenger traffic centreing here. The completion of the
Chicago, Burlington & Northern gave to the city another route to Chicago and more
direct communication with the great commercial centres of the South-west, St.
Louis, Kansas City and Omaha, than was heretofore enjoyed. The important cities
along the river from Minneapolis and St. Paul to St. Louis are reached by the
"Burlington," an advantage of great importance to this city. In other ways
besides affording greater facilities to merchants and manufacturers for the shipment
of goods, the C., B. & N. has been beneficial to the city. The company has
erected a round house and repair shops at North La Crosse, where employment is
given to two hundred men. At Grand Crossing a club house for the employes,
containing a billiard room, a reading room furnished with choice periodicals, a
gymnasium, baths, and all the other conveniences of a well appointed club house.
Railroad men can here secure lodging for a very small sum. Such liberality
toward employes should go a great ways in the solution of the difficulties continually
cropping out between labor and capital. The cheap homes which laboring
men can secure at North La Crosse make this city the best location for the shops
of the company, and from this source a large increase of population may be
expected. The terminal facilities of the "Burlington" are the finest of any
road entering La Crosse. The passenger depot, on the corner of Second and
Pearl streets, is an ornament to the city. It is built of red brick, with marble
trimmings and presents a very neat and attractive appearance, besides being
admirably suited to the needs of the public and the company. The "Burlington"
being the river route to Chicago is quite naturally a favorite road with travelers.
Its Pullman trains are acknowledged to be unsurpassed in the luxurious elegance
of their equipment by any on the continent, and as for scenery none is more
grandly picturesque than that traversed by the "Burlington."

The Green Bay, Winona & St. Paul railroad was completed in 1876, entering
the city that year by using the terminal facilities of the North-western. This road
runs through the great lumber regions of Wisconsin and is destined to become
a part of the great Lackawana system. It is important to La Crosse because it
reaches the lakes at a point considerably nearer the great cities of the east than
Milwaukee or Chicago.

20 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

But by far the most important and advantageous road for La Crosse is the
Canada, La Crosse & Western, to be built from Sault Ste. Marie to La Crosse and
thence to St. Joseph, Missouri, which will be its southern terminus. This road
will give La Crosse more direct communication with the east, via the lakes, than
she has yet had, and thus will become an important competitor with the trunk
lines for through freight. The greatest benefit the city will reap is the large
lumber trade which must at once spring up on account of the vast treeless sections
in the south-west which will be traversed by this road. The saw mills of La
Crosse will then be taxed to their utmost and Wisconsin lumbermen will reap
golden harvests. La Crosse enterprise and capital has much to do with this road
and will doubtless be pushed to a successful issue in the near future.

It is hard to realize the importance of the Mississippi in its relation to the
transportation facilities of La Crosse. Its influence on the freight rates can hardly
be estimated. As affording a way for the marketing of lumber it is of incalculable
importance. A large portion of the through traffic on the river is in the hands of
the St. Louis and St. Paul Packet Line, which was established in 1880, by
W. J. Davidson and A. N. Hutchinson. It is of special interest to this city,
since the president, Mr. P. S. Davidson, is a prominent lumberman here. The
secretary and treasurer is Mr. E. E. Davidson, of St. Paul, where the general
offices are located. The capital stock of the company is $100,000. The fine
steamers of this line during the summer season make regular trips between St.
Louis and St. Paul carrying many passengers and immense amounts of freight.
They are six in number, viz: War Eagle, Gem City, St. Paul, White Eagle,
Centennial, and Flying Eagle.

The local office of the Diamond Jo Line is near the corner of Front and
Main streets. This is the oldest line running between St. Louis and St. Paul and
its elegant boats are great favorites with tourists during the summer season, who
are traveling for pleasure. Its passenger and freight business are very large and
it is an important factor in determining rates of freight and passenger travel to
points along the river.

Mention must also be made here of the lumber rafts which are sent out from
the La Crosse saw mills. A large fleet of boats are engaged in towing these rafts
to different points on the river. In conclusion it may be said that want of
free intercourse with other parts of the country can never become an obstacle in
the way of the prosperity of La Crosse.

THE BANKS.

WHEREVER commerce is carried on between civilized peoples a certain
amount of capital is required and there must also be an easy and rapid way
for merchants to meet their obligations even in a distant land. Both these purposes
are admirably served by banks, and no town of importance is without these
institutions. Their condition accurately indicates the volume of business trans-
acted, and also the amount of capital in the community not actively employed.
There is no regularly established clearing house in La Crosse, but each of the
four chartered banks takes turns in performing the functions of such an institution.
The clearances in course of a month amount to nearly $1,500,000. The
banks of La Crosse are controlled by residents, as are all enterprises of
importance in the city.

THE BATAVIAN BANK

Occupies an enviable position among the old and reliable monetary institutions of
the Badger State. Organized in 1861 under the state banking law, it furnished
commercial facilities for the early business growth of the city and has since been
a strong factor in all the financial operations of importance in the city. The bank
building on Main street, between Third and Fourth, is, architecturally, one of the
handsomest in the city. It is completely and elegantly fitted up with all modern
conveniences, an elevator, electric light, steam heating apparatus, etc. The bank
occupies the first floor, which is furnished in a style only equaled in large cities.
The basement furnishes a well lighted and desirable store room. On the upper
floors are some sixteen offices, large, well lighted and elegantly finished in oak,
the most desirable rooms for the purpose in the city.

The institution was reorganized in 1883 to meet the rapidly growing commercial
necessities of the city, and its capital increased to $200,000, several of the
most prominent and wealthy business men of the city becoming stock holders.
The last report of the condition of the bank shows over a half a million due in
loans and discounts, $230,000 due from other banks, real estate, etc., valued at
$80,000. Funds to the amount of $765,ooo are deposited with it, showing that
it stands high in the confidence of the business men of the city. The institution
has as correspondents the Hanover National and the House of Schulz & Ruckgaber,

22 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

of New York; the Revere National, of Boston; the Union, First and
Commercial National, of Chicago; Marshall & Ilsley Bank and National
Exchange Bank, of Milwaukee; Northwestern National and Security Bank of
Minnesota, of Minneapolis; and Merchants' National, of St. Paul. The bank
does a large general business and deals extensively in domestic and foreign
exchange. Mr. G. Van Steenwyk, who, from its establishment, has been connected
with the institution, is eminently qualified for the office of president. He
organized the bank in 1861, coming here from Madison. While a citizen of that
place he filled the honorable and responsible position of State Bank Controller.
In 1873 he was mayor of this city, which office he administered acceptably,
bringing to it the liberal ideas which have distinguished his business career. Mr.
Van Steenwyk is treasurer of the Linseed Oil company and an officer and stock
older in various other enterprises of the city. Few men in any community are
so highly esteemed and trusted as Mr. Van Steenwyk is by those who have had
business relations with him.

The vice president of the bank, Mr. A. H. Davis, is known to the public as
a large minded business man, always ready to help along any enterprise for the
city's good. He is president of Davis, Medary & Platz Co. and of the Wallis
Carriage Co., and largely interested in many other important financial enterprises.
He was for many years a partner in the leather house of Davis & Medary. Mr.
Davis has been intimately connected with the affairs of the bank since its reorganization
in 1883. The accommodating and efficient cashier, Mr. E. E. Bentley,
has resided in La Crosse since 1855, removing at that time from New York.
Being connected with the bank for more than twenty years, he is eminently
qualified to perform the duties of his present responsible position. He is ably
seconded by Mr. M. B. Greenwood, the assistant cashier, a young man of unusual
business talent and abilities. The directors, besides Messrs Van Steenwyk,
Davis and Bentley, are, Abner Gile, a prominent and wealthy logger and lumberman,
also of Gile & Goodland, packers, James McCord, the wholesale druggist,
Michael Funk, President of the Funk Steam Boiler Co., Geo. F. Gund, of John Gund
Brewing Co., James J. Hogan, wholesale grocer, S. Y. Hyde, of Hodges & Hyde,
commission merchants, all men of recognized worth and standing.

THE LA CROSSE NATIONAL BANK,

Besides being one of the strongest and best conducted institutions of the state is
the oldest National Bank in the city and within a radius of thirty miles. Organized
in 1876, it has ever since been a useful aid to the commercial enterprises of
the city. The cautious and faithful way in which the institution has been managed
has secured to it not only a large patronage and the unlimited confidence of
its customers, but has also made it a rich institution and a power in the financial
transactions of La Crosse. The capital stock is $200,000; the surplus, $40,000.
The bank occupies a red brick building, trimmed with cut stone on the corner of
Main and Third streets which at once attracts the attention of a stranger by the
neatness and beauty of its appearance. The bank gives special attention to bank

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA COSSE., WIS. 23

collections, which it can make very promptly. Its correspondents are the Chemical
National, of New York; National Bank of Redemption, Boston; First National
Bank, of Chicago; First National Bank, of Milwaukee, and First National, of
St. Paul. If further assurance were desired besides the institution's unblemished
record as to its responsibility, the character and standing of the officers would
readily satisfy the most insistent. The president, Mr. G. C. Hixon, is a man
whose worth and talent have been shown to the entire community during the thirty
years that have passed away since he came to La Crosse from Massachusetts.
He was elected to the State Senate where his course was marked by the same
wisdom and forethought that have characterized his actions in private and business
life. He is at present acceptably filling chairmanship of the city school board.
Mr. Hixon's interests in the lumber business are important, and he is also an
owner in other enterprises. His entire career has been one well worthy of
imitation by young men who wish to command the respect of the community.
The vice president, Mr. G. R. Montague, is likewise a native of Massachusetts
and an old resident of the city. He is vice president and a large stockholder in
the Wallis Carriage Co.; president of the Brush Electric Light Co.; and a large
owner in the Gas Light Company. He is a man whose long experience and

LA CROSSE NATIONAL BANK

24 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

high standing are a strong guarantee of the solidity of the bank. Hon. S. S.
Burton, the cashier, is a lawyer by profession, having attained prominence at the
bar many years ago. He is a native of Vermont, having come to La Crosse in
1856. He has been elected to the State Assembly and was Judge of the La Crosse
County Court for some years. He was also Receiver of the Land Office and
Receiver of the First National Bank. He is now president of the La Crosse
Knitting Co.; treasurer of Wallis Carriage Co.; and largely interested in manufacturing
and other enterprises of the city. Mr. Burton's great financial tact and
ability have been potent factors in contributing to the success of the La Crosse
National. His whole business and professional career has been such as to gain
the plaudits of all who have come in contact with him. The assistant cashier,
Mr. Geo. W. Burton, is also a Vermonter, coming from an Eastern college nine
years ago to accept the position which he has so ably and acceptably filled.

The directors in addition to Messrs. Hixon, Montague and S. S. Burton, are
B. B. Healy, W. W. Cargill, John Paul, and Chas. Michel, all men of tried business
qualifications and of sound financial standing.

THE STATE BANK OF LA CROSSE

Grew out of the large private house of Messrs. Holley & Borresen, which was
established in 1879. These gentlemen, having had large experience in banking
and therefore possessing the confidence of the public, very rapidly increased their
business, so that in 1883, the house was incorporated under its present title with a
capital stock of 500,000. As a corporation the bank bas been quite as successful
as it was when a private institution, its last statement showing a surplus of
$20,000, loans amounting to more than $175,000, and nearly $20,000 due from
other banks. That the bank has the confidence of the public is shown by the
fact that 8225,000 is deposited with it. Among the correspondents of the
institution are the Mercantile National, of New York; the National Bank of
Illinois, of Chicago; the well-known house of Houghton Bros., Milwaukee; and
the Christiana Bank and Kredit Kasse, of Norway. The president of the institution
is Mr. D. D. McMillan, a native of Canada, but for thirty years has resided in
La Crosse and been firmly identified with every movement for forwarding the
commercial importance of the city. He is secretary of the Linseed Oil Co.;
secretary of the Black River Improvement Co.; and interested in other important
enterprises. His fellow-citizens, appreciating his high qualities, elected him
alderman. Mr. Borresen, the vice president, like so many others of our most
enterprising and most respected citizens, is a native of Norway. Before
establishing his private banking house he was for nine years connected with the
Batavian Bank. He is known to every one as a man of fine business ability,
a quality proved by long years of service in exacting and responsible positions.
Mr. Holley, the cashier, is a native of New York, but for twenty years has been in
La Crosse. His experience in banking, gained in Milwaukee and in the
Batavian Bank of this place, together with a natural aptitude for business,
peculiarly qualify him for the responsible position of cashier. The directors
besides these officers are Messrs. G. H. Ray, H. Goddard, J. W. Weston, and H.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 25

A. Salzer, men honored and trusted by the people of La Crosse. The bank
occupies and owns a neat, tasteful and admirably arranged building, No. 311
Main street.

JOHN LIENLOKKEN, BANKER,

Steamship, Real Estate and Loan Agent, does business at 309 Pearl street. He is
a native of Norway, but has resided in La Crosse County since 1860, and in the
city since 1874. For ten years he was treasurer of the county, performing the
duties of that honorable and responsible position in such a cautious and careful
manner as to win the entire confidence of the people. Being so universally
trusted, well known and respected, his business as a Banker will certainly be a
success, and he merits the patronage he will get by prompt attention to whatever
is entrusted to him. His correspondents are the Seaboard National, of New
York; Haugan and Lindgren, Chicago; Merchants' Exchange, Milwaukee. Before
embarking in his present enterprise Mr. Lienlokken was for several years assistant
cashier of Union National Bank. In addition to his banking enterprise, he
represents the great Transatlantic Steampship lines, being agent for the White
Star, Anchor, Guion, National, Inman, Allan, State, Hamburg and North German
Lloyd, handles real estate and negotiates and places loans. Though Mr.
Lienlokken only began business on September 1st, last, he has already a trade
that is very flattering to his future prospects.

THE EXCHANGE BANK
HENRY P. MAGILL, BANKER.

Was estalished in 1884 at North La Crosse by H. P. and E. B. Magill. In October
of this year Henry P. bought the interest of the latter. This bank has been
carefully and ably managed and is an inestimable benefit and convenience to the
people of the North side. A savings department is run in connection with it for
the especial accommodation of the workingmen. Mr. Magill has as correspondents
the Batavian Bank, La Crosse, Merchants' Exchange Bank, of Milwaukee,
Metropolitan National Bank, of Chicago, Chase National, of New York. He also
conducts a large real estate and loan business and is a partner in the firm of
Magill Brothers, insurance agents. Mr. Magill transacts the largest business in
real estate loans of any firm in the city. For the accommodation of his South
side customers he has an office under the Batavian Bank. Both as a banker and
as a dealer in real estate he has been very successful and is highly honored by
the public generally. Being a resident of the North side he has taken a prominent
part in every movement for the benefit of the interests of that flourishing
part of the city.

THE UNION NATIONAL BANK

Was established in 1886. It has a capital of $100,000 and a surplus of $25,000.
The officers are the following: President, Hon. Angus Cameron; first Vice
President, Mons Anderson; second Vice President, C. E. Barron; Cashier, I. N.
Perry. The directors, besides above-mentioned officers, are J. W. Losey, L. Coren
and Josiah Little.

26 THE INDIISTRIES OF LA CROSSE. WIS.

PROMINENT among the capitalists who have done much for the development
and advancement of the city of La Crosse is Hon. Alexander
McMillan, to whose enterprise and liberality she owes many costly
improvements. Coming to La Crosse in 1852 he began logging and pushing
this business with more than common energy his success was assured from the
first. He is now a large stockholder in the Black River Improvement company
and Linseed Oil company and one of the directors of the Canada, La Crosse &
Southwestern Railroad; also, a large owner of city business property. Many
years ago he remodeled the Opera House block which was erected by "Brick"
Pomeroy in the days of his
prosperity and made of it a
comfortable and cosy theatre.
The four-story brick building
on the corner of Main and
Third known as the old Postoffice
block is his property and
though erected a long time
since yet compares favorably
with newer buildings. His last
contribution to the city's architectural
adornments is the
solid stone building bearing his
name on the corner of Fourth
and Main streets, which was
built two years ago. It is a
complete office building in
every respect, having an elevator,
steam heat and all other
modern luxuries and conveniences
usually expected only
in metropolitan buildings. His residence on South Seventh street is, in the
matter of interior arrangements and decoration, one of the finest in the city. The
conservatory contains rare and beautiful plants from all parts of the world. At
West Salem, Wisconsin, Mr. McMillan owns and manages a stock farm where
blooded horses and fine cattle are bred His flouring mill, also at Salem, is
equipped with the most improved roller machinery and turns out one hundred
barrels per day. One of the best water powers in the state drives it. Mr. McMillan
has been frequently elected to public office, having been Mayor of the city.
chairman of the County Board, president of the Board of Trade, and member of
the State Legislature. During his honorable and useful life he has always been-ready to assist whatever seemed to be of advantage to the commercial interests
of La Crosse.

HON. ALEXANDER M'MILLAN

LOGS AND LUMBER.

THE PRODUCTS of the forest seem to be necessary for the comfort and
sustenance of mankind since our first parents clothed themselves in the leaves
of the fig tree. The savage makes his home in the woods because there
the animals of the chase abound and he is at no loss for materials of which
to make his rude weapons, nor does he need to labor to collect fuel. The
same trees among which the aborigines used to roam, barely eking out a
scanity living, are now felled by the woodman's axe, floated miles on the rivers
which were once undisturbed save by the solitary plash of the red man's canoe,
cut by the mills and then applied to the multifarious uses which civilized man
makes of wood. Forests hundreds of years in growing have been utilized to
furnish homes for the millions who now people the fertile valley of the Upper
Mississippi. Logging and lumbering now give employment to thousands of men,
and millions of capital are thus invested.

La Crosse is very favorably situated for receiving logs from that large and
rich region of the Wisconsin belt drained by the Black, the Chippewa and St.
Croix rivers, the first joining the Mississippi at this point. As a point from which
to ship it has splendid advantages. Timber can be rafted at any point on the
river while the treeless districts to the west and southwest, where the demand is
necessarily very large, are traversed by lines of railway which place them in
direct communication with La Crosse. With such circumstances in its favor it is
not to be wondered at that a large portion of the city's population is engaged in
logging and lumbering,

The cut of the La Crosse mills is annually from 200,000,000 to 250,000,000
feet of lumber, 100,000,ooo of shingles, 40,000,000 to 50,000,000 of lath. The logs
are cut for the most part in the Black river district, from 150,000,000 to 200,000,000
feet passing through the boom annually. The amount of money such a trade
must bring to the city is enormous. The greater part of it remains here, being
paid for labor and supplies for the logging camps.

The profits that accrue remain in the hands of local capitalists and are always
handled by them in such a way as will still further benefit the trade of the city.
The lumbermen of La Crosse are the men who have always been foremost in
promoting those plans which have placed her in the present proud position
she occupies.

THE BLACK RIVER IMPROVEMENT COMPANY was organized in 1864 with a
capital of $100,000 for the purpose of improving the Black river and driving the

28 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

logs cut along its banks. This company is composed of local loggers and
lumbermen, D. D. McMillan being president, S. I, Nevins, secretary and treasurer.
From fifty to one hundred men are employed during the rafting season. The
company delivers the logs to their owners at the mouth of the river and for this
service receives a toll prescribed by their charter. This organization has been of
great service to the lumbermen, greatly facilitating the rafting of the logs.

MANUFACTURERS

THE manufacturing establishments of La Crosse are for the most part
of comparatively recent growth and establishment. But even in their
present state of development they make a showing which tells of
success and prosperity. They possess that one element of growth
which is important above all others-diversity. There are now
established here so many different kinds of industries that each one
needs only to develop a little to make the gain to the city very large. Few firms,
if any, employ five hundred hands, yet there were last year (1887) 8000 men
engaged in manufacturing who received $2,385,000 ill ages, and produced
articles estimated to be worth more than $13,000,000. The most important contributors
to this grand total, outside of the lumber mills, were the flour mills and
breweries. The former made 511,103 barrels of flour valued at $1,737,000, which,

30 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

by the way, was an increase of 156,248 barrels over the product of the previous
year. The breweries made 88,983 barrels of beer, an increase of over 11,000
barrels. To one looking at the matter casually this may seem to be a very fair
showing for a city of 30,000, which is not known abroad as a manufacturing
center. But if the great advantages which surround any manufacturing establishment
which is located here are taken into consideration it will easily be seen that
the showing is not nearly so good as it ought to be. In the first place La Crosse,
as is fully shown in another chapter, has the best transportation facilities in all
directions that could possibly be afforded This fact has an important bearing,
not only upon securing a market for the manufactured articles, but also upon
procuring raw materials. Then, too, the country immediately tributary to the city
is now rich and will in the couse of a few years grow richer and more densely
populated. Another important item is fuel, of which an abundance can be had
cheap from the waste of the saw mills. On the La Crosse river near the city is a
splendid water power which is yet to be utilized. The Board of Trade treats all
enterprises willing to locate here in a very liberal manner. A site can be secured
for little or nothing, and everything the business men can do to help along what
is likely to prove a benefit to the city is gladly and cheerfully done.

An important material in the manufacture of thousands of useful articles is
wood, and this can be secured here in unlimited quantities. There are millions of
feet of hard wood standing in the forests which could be manufactured into various
forms at La Crosse more cheaply than anywhere else. Hickory, oak, maple and
birch could be used for making many useful articles which will at once suggest
themselves to the mind of the reader. Iron can be procured by boat from
Pittsburg, so no railroad pool could ever force up freight rates high enough to
interfere with the prosperity of any machine shop located in La Crosse. Right
in the bluffs east of the city is
clay for making crucibles and
sand for making glass. The
last is about to be utilized,
Mr. Peter Nelson being now
engaged in building a factory.
It will employ at the start
thirty hands and after getting
in running order will give
work to a hundred or more.
It is hoped that the coming of
this enterprise may make a
new epoch in the history of
the manufactures of the city.
A manufacturer erecting
his buildings here will find any material he may choose to use at a cost that will
astonish him. Lumber is to be had at the mills and is, of course, lower than
when it must be transported hundreds of miles. There are two brick yards near
at hand producing an excellent quality of brick and a few miles up the river and

THE INIDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 31

in the bluffs near the city, splendid building stone may be quarried. The quality
of lime burned by the local kilns is not surpassed in whiteness and purity. As
stated in another chapter rents and the cost of living are low here, and therefore
wages are not so high as they are elsewhere Homes too can be owned by the
workingmen, which is always of great advantage to an employer.

Although the manufacture of flour is now far from being an unimportant
industry, there is every reason that it should make great strides within the next
few years. The city is as favorably situated as any in the west, in regard to the
wheat producing districts of Southern Minnesota and Dakota, and the opportunities
for milling in transit are unsurpassed. That capitalists will long overlook
the opening here offered is not at all probable.

A subject which deserves the most careful consideration of all interested in
the future welfare of La Crosse is the establishment of packing houses on a large
scale. The rich region surrounding La Crosse must soon be given to stock
instead of wheat farming. Cattle and hogs could be slaughtered here just
as well as in Chicago. The three great railroad systems furnish ample
facilities for receiving and forwarding freight, and there is no lack of suitable sites
for such an establishment. An ample supply of ice can be gathered from the
river at a low cost, an advantage not possessed
by towns further south. Everything seems
favorable for the complete success of such an
exterprise, and whoever is first in the field will
have the best chance to gain the golden fruit.

It is scarcely possible that such advantages
as are possessed by this city will go long
unimproved. Thus far all the progress made
in this line has been brought about by local
enterprise and capital-a fact of which the
city is justly proud. But at present the
opportunities are beyond the reach of the
citizens and are awaiting the touch of outside capital and energy to yield a rich
harvest Correspondence is invited by Mr. R. Calvert, secretary of the Board of
Trade, with all those who wish to learn fully of the inducements offered by this
body for the location of manufacturing establishments. The glass factory is but
the forerunner of numerous industries that will, sooner or later, surround the
present city. Soon hundreds of tall smoking chimneys will dot the plain and the
whiz and whirr of machinery will tell how thousands of skilled eyes and trained
hands are carefully engaged in directing its wonderful operation. The value of
the articles produced will be many times doubled and thousands of workingmen
will occupy such comfortable homes as can be secured only in this city.

THE WHOLESALE TRADE.

THE REV. SPENCER CARR who, in 1854, published a very interesting
sketch of the settlement of La Crosse, pointed out then very clearly what
has since occurred. He predicted for the "Gateway City" a future that at
that time must have seemed well nigh impossible, yet if he erred at all it was on
the side of moderation. The mighty forward strides La Crosse has taken since
he wrote do not seem wonderful because of the growth of the Northwest. Her
progress is but a part of that which has marked the history of this section for the
past twenty-five years. It is something to hold a prominent position in such a
mighty development of natural resources.

La Crosse is the natural trade centre for a fertile district of considerable
extent in Wisconsin and for the rich prairies of Southern Minnesota and Northern
Iowa. She is also, by means of the railways stretching into the Dakota wheat
fields, placed in an advantageous position to compete for the large trade of that
country which is as yet only partially developed. Southern Minnesota and
Northern Iowa have not yet become so rich as they will be when once the farmers
raise stock more generally than they now do and instead of burning the straw to
get rid of it use it to fertilize their land. The farms in these sections are yet too
large to be handled with as much profit as they can be when they are divided.
In all probability the increase in population of these districts will be very large
within the next ten years.

As to the volume of trade done by the merchants the following statistics
taken from the annual report of the secretary of the Board of Trade gives a very
accurate idea:

MERCHANDISE HANDLED IN 1887.

Agricultural implements, $103,500; ammunition and sporting goods, $9,500;
boots and shoes, $325,275; books and stationery, $103,250; building materials,
$360,000; candies and confectionery, $114,700; carriages, sleighs and other
vehicles, $51,000; crockery, china and glassware, $79,500; coal and salt, $129,990;
cigars, tobacco and smokers' articles. $170,500; dry goods and clothing,
$1,731,700; drugs, oils and paints, $594,000; furniture, $115,100; flour and feed,
$1,702,640; fruits (native and imported), $137,425; fish, game, poultry, etc.,
$55,420; fine art and musical merchandise, $82,550; groceries, $3,407,410;

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 33

hardware, $475,475; hats and caps, $22,000; hides, pelts and tallow, $95,590;
ice, $55,000; liquors, $6 1,9oo; meat markets, $339,960; notions and varieties,
$75,250; pork, beef and lard, $345,890; saddlery, $ 88,500; watches and jewelry,
$72,ooo. Total in I887, $11,554,935; total in I886, $10,229,350; increase,
$1,325,585.

It must be stated in justice to the wholesale trade that of the total increase
$989,00o belongs to it.

The amount of freight handled by the railroads, which is given below, is a
reliable indicator of the commercial activity of the city and the showing of 1887
over 1886 is very satisfactory.

FREIGHT HANDLED BY ALL THE RAILROADS IN 1887.

Wheat, received 3,008,050 bushels, forwarded 1,647,195 bushels; barley and
other grains, received 854,450 bushels, forwarded 305,230 bushels; flour, received
1,450 barrels, forwarded 50o,ooo barrels; bran and other feed, received 70 tons,
forwarded 6,200 tons; flax seed, received 445,560 bushels, forwarded 52,650
bushels; other agricultural products, received 3,600 tons, forwarded 1,480 tons;
hides, pelts, wool, etc., received 760 tons, forwarded 695 tons; barrel stock, received
950 tons, forwarded 55 tons; dressed hogs, pork lard, etc., received 5000
tons, forwarded 1,525 tons; coal, received 37,500 tons, forwarded 2,490 tons; manufactured
articles, iron, etc., received 1,185 tons, forwarded 1,315 tons; building
materials, received 700 tons; bark, received 2,650 cords; lumber, received
56,276,600 feet, forwarded 84,947,300 feet; beer, forwarded 38,725 barrels;
miscellaneous goods, received 51,600 tons; forwarded 28,700 tons; total carried
in 1887, received 286,887 tons, forwarded 285,280 tons; total carried in 1886,
received 251,626 tons, forwarded 235,331 tons; increase, received 35,259 tons, forwarded
47,949; increase, 17 per cent; aggregate of ticket sales, 1887, $203,905,
an increase of 14.31 per cent; aggregate pieces of baggage handled, 1887,
96,135, an increase of 20 percent.

The money order business of the Post Office also shows a handsome increase
over the previous year and a balance in favor of La Crosse trade of nearly
$100,000.

In concluding this chapter it is no more than just to speak of the work done
by the Board of Trade in the matter of advancing and promoting the commercial
interests of the city. This body includes among its 200 members almost every
busine-s man in the city. Organized in 1868, it has since devoted itself to
forwarding whatever seemed to be for the general good. The large increase in the
volume of trade done in this city during the last twenty years may or may not be
attributed to its efforts, but at any rate the constant aim of the body has been to
aid in every way possible all projects having for their end the benefit of the city.
An unselfishness has characterized its actions, which proves how sincerely its
members are in their desire to promote the general welfare. The officers for 1888
are G. R. Montague, president; C. F. Klein, vice president; R. Calvert, secretary.

34 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

To the last named, who has filled that office for seven years, the publishers are
greatly indebted for the valuable information he has so courteously given them.

A few years ago the Manufacturers' and Jobbers' Union was organized
to forward the interests of its members, which are apart from those
remaining members of the Board of Trade. The officers are Joseph Clarke,
president; A. Hirshheimer, vice president; Geo. F. Gund, treasurer; R. Calvert,
secretary.

REAL ESTATE AND INSURANCE.

THE VALUE of real property in La Crosse has never been forced up for
speculative purposes. This is attributable to two causes The first is the
large area of unoccupied land suitable for building purposes which surrounds
the city making it next to impossible for any syndicate to control
it. The second is the high character of those men who have handled the
different additions made to the city in the past. To-day statistics show
that lots are selling lower here than in any city of its size in the Northwest. They
are thus placed in easy reach of men of moderate means and even workingmen
are thus enabled to own their homes. This fact recommends La Crosse real
estate as a sound and safe investment on which one can be sure of realizing a fair
return and at the same time run no risk worth mentioning. The future of La
Crosse has the promise of having all the substantial progress of the past assured
beyond a doubt, and unless all human foresight avails nothing, the good times
that are coming will far surpass anything the "Gateway City" has ever before
seen. Many of the most prominent capitalists here have invested large sums in the
many additions which are springing up all around the city, and this is a guarantee
that a speculative spirit will have but little to do with determining its value. New
factories, new saw mills, new flouring mills, more elevators, new railroads, large
packing houses, the growth in wealth of the city's tributary territory which must
of necessity follow the substitution of stock farming for cereal, all these and not
the greed of speculators, will make real estate steadily and substantially increase
in value. The county register's records show that from January 3, 1888, to the 1st
of December of the same year there were about 1,300 transfers of city property.
This shows a healthy activity which augurs well for the future. The building
operations for the year of 1887 amounted to $938,000. According to the report of
the secretary of the Board of Trade more than half of this sum was devoted to the
erection of buildings of a public nature, such as schools, churches, factories, etc.,
the remainder being used for the erection of dwellings.

MARSHALL CONANT, Real Estate and Loans, does business in the Gile block
corner of Fourth and Main streets. He has resided here since 1867, coming to
La Crosse from New York. He is agent for large tracts of lands in Southern

36 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

Minnesota and has a considerable amount of city property for sale. His house-renting
business is also large, some of the most desirable property in the city being
controlled by him. Mr. Conant is highly esteemed by the community and during
his long and useful career has made many friends.

S. T. SMITH'S SONS, Real Estate, Insurance and Loans, have their offices 209
and 211 McMillan building. W. Scott and Gus. Smith succeeded to the business
established by their father in 1853. Under his care it prospered for many years
and his sons have both been for a long time familiar with it in all its branches.
The real estate business of this firm is second to none in the city since they control
exclusively the Loomis & Harvey, the L.C.Smith and Smith & Batchelder's additions
and several others equally desirable for building purposes. The insurance business
of the firm is also large. Among the companies represented by them are the
Granite State Fire Insurance Company, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire;
Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania; Commercial Insurance Company,
of California; Providence Washington, of Rhode Island; all of which are
stable and prudently managed companies. They are the local agents of the great
New York Life Insurance Company and of the United States Mutual Accident
Insurance Company. The firm also negotiate loans on real estate securities.

F. A. REMICK, McMillan Building, manages the interests of The Mutual
Life Insurance Company, of New York. This is known throughout the United
States as standing first among the great companies. Always carefully and
cautiously managed and not taking venturesome risks the Mutual Life, by the
pursuance of such a conservative policy has attained its present high position.
Its cash assets are $119,000,000, some thirty millions more than any other
company doing business in this country. Its surplus is $6,326,000. Mr. Remick
also represents the Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company, of Detroit,
and the Northwestern Mutual Accident Association, of Milwaukee, both reliable
companies. He has been engaged in the business since 1869, coming to La
Crosse at that time from Portland, Maine, being the oldest established agent here.
Mr. Remick has managed the affairs of the companies he represents with unusual
ability and energy, and the foremost position held by the Mutual Life in this
portion of Wisconsin has been attained through his efforts. He controls several
sub-agencies in other parts sf the state.

B. E. EDWARDS is a large owner of real estate in La Crosse. His property
is situated in all parts of the city and is very desirable for building purposes or
as an investment. He controls considerable pine land in Oneida and Lincoln
counties, which is becoming more valuable each year. Mr. Edwards came to La
Crosse thirty-four years ago. He is now a prominent and respected citizen, foremost
in helping those enterprises which will be of advantage to the city. He is
president of the Street Railway company, and a director in the La Crosse Knitting
Works and the Linseed Oil company.

ALEXANDER McMILLAN'S BUILDING, CORNER FOURTH AND MAIN STREETS.

38 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

J. B. CANTERBURY, 311 Main street, though he did not turn his attention to
real estate until 1884, has since that date had much to do with all important
transactions of this kind which have occurred in La Crosse. He has resided
here for twenty-five years and before engaging in his present business bought
grain at the warehouses along the
Madison division of the Chicago &
Northwestern railroad. He built
the "Short Line" connecting the Onalaska
lumber mills with the Northwestern
line, which he disposed of to
great advantage and then turned
his attention to real estate. He has
pushed this with great vigor and
now controls an immense amount
of desirable real property in all
parts of the city. He has given
special attention to North La
Crosse property, and has had much
to do in promoting the growth of
that busy manufacturing district.
In him every enterprise having for
its end the benefit of the city
always finds a willing and powerful
helper. Mr. Canterbury owes
his present position to no one but himself, having attained it by close and
constant application to whatever business he was engaged in. He is largely
interested in a number of enterprises of importance and a stock holder in the
banks.

MAGILL BROTHERS, GENERAL INSURANCE AGENTS, have offices in the
Batavian Bank building, ground floor, and at the Exchange Bank, North Side.
This well-known firm began business in 884, and now write more insurance than
any other agents in the city. They represent twenty-two of the largest and safest fire
insurance companies in the world, among which are the American Fire Insurance
Co., Philadelphia; British America, Toronto; City of London, London; Connecticut
Fire, Hartford; Fire Association, Philadelphia; German Insurance Co.,
Freeport; Germania Fire, New York; Girard Fire, Philadelphia; Liberty, New
York; Milwaukee Mechanics', Milwaukee; National, Hartford; Norwich Union
Fire Insurance Society, England; Rhode Island Underwriters' Association,
Providence; Syndicate, Minneapolis; Union, California. They are general agents
for this territory for the AEtna Life Insurance Co., Hartford, and represet the
Travelers' Accident Insurance Co., Hartford. Both members of this firm are
favorably known as thoroughgoing and reliable business men and thus have
merited the patronage they enjoy.

J. B. CANTERBURY

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 39

H. B. SMITH'S Insurance, Real Estate and Loan Office in the La Crosse
National Bank building, of which the adjoining is a cut, is one of the oldest in
the city, whose patrons number to-day 2000 by actual count. Twenty years'
experience in the business and seventeen years residence and acquaintance in the
city and country tributary thereto enables Mr. Smith to give his patrons as great
advantages in any department of his business as any other, and better than most.
In real estate Mr. Smith is rather cautious and conservative than a "boomer,"
which will commend his office to those seeking true values.

In the loan department Mr. Smith's agency is far in the lead, both as to
number and amount of loans negotiated and where values and securites are
entrusted to his judgment, he makes it an invariable rule to protect the mortgagee
in payment of both interest and principal, so long as he continues to be agent for
said mortgagee.

In the insurance business Mr. Smith represents some of the very best companies
and points with commendable pride to the fact that no company while in
his office has broken faith with the policy holder or failed to make honorable
and just settlement with his patrons, effectually sealing the mouths of those who
clamor against corporations and insurance frauds as far as concerns the companies
he represents. Mr. Smith has also an office at 1210 Caledonia street. He
employes four salaried assistants and tenders faithful service, courteous treatment,
moderate terms and honest results to all who may be pleased to call for his services.

40 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

E. B. MAGILL, REAL ESTATE, Batavian Bank building, is one of the brightest
and most enterprising young men in the city. Born and raised here he began his
business career with the Batavian Bank being connected with that institution for
five and a half years. In 1884 he and his brother H. P. Magill established the
Exchange Bank at North La Crosse. In October last he sold out to his brother
in order to engage more extensively in the real estate business. During the past
year he handled nearly double the amount of any firm in the city, with one
exception. He is one of the heaviest holders of desirable and valuable real
property in the city. Belmont Place, one of the most beautiful and most conveniently
situated plots for fine residences, is owned by him and also many other
pleasant sites for homes. He has exclusive control of Highland addition,
Wachter's addition, Hyde and Cargill's addition, and upwards of 150 acres of
property within the city limits and a great deal more outside. The Exchange
Bank building at North La Crosse is owned by him, and he is erecting a number
of residences which he will dispose of on easy terms to those desiring homes. Mr.
Magill has the patronage of the best men in the city and no firm here would
hesitate to recommend him in the warmest manner as a thoroughly reliable business
man. Among important real estate transactions which he engineered was
the purchase of part of the city property for the C., B. & N. and all for the
Chicago & Northwestern. He was instrumental in securing the glass works,
which are now being erected and controls all the land about them, nearly one
hundred acres in extent. Mr. Magill is always ready to give substantial aid to
any new enterprise about to locate here. He is a member of the firm of
Magill Bros., Fire Insurance agents, and general agent of the old and reliable
AEtna Life Insurance Co., of Hartford, Connecticut, having branch agencies in the
neighboring towns.

LUMBERMEN, MERCHANTS AND MANUFACTURERS.

T. H SPENCE, wholesale and retail dealer in drugs, paints, oils and glass,
occupies a foremost position among the mercantile houses of the city. In 1874
he bought out Jno. A. Lester & Co., who established the business three years
previous to that time. Since then Mr. Spence has prospered as a man of splendid
energies and capacities should. His wholesale trade extends throughout Wisconsin,
Iowa, Minnesota and Dakota, and over
this large territory two representatives are traveling
all the time. Mr. Spence, besides being a
leader in local enterprises, is one of the best
known pharmacists of the state, having been a
member of the State Board of Pharmacy for six
years and the first president of that body. His
quarter of a century's experience in the profession
well .qualified him for these responsible positions
and makes him a favorite among physicians for
filling their prescriptions. The wholesale establishment
is at 129 North Front street, a three-story
building 30x90 feet. The retail trade is
carried on at 303 Main street in a spacious and
elegantly furnished room 22xSo feet. M r. Spence's
business increases rapidly each year, sixty per cent of the growth being in mail
orders, showing that the reputation of the store is reaching far beyond local circles.
A large business is done in Parry's Family Medicines, which are prepared and
sold exclusively by him, and he also has exclusive control of White Beaver's
popular preparations. Success is nothing more than is justly due to a man
conducting business by honorable methods and prepared in every way to intelligently
direct it.

JAMES J. HOGAN, wholesale dealer in Groceries and proprietor of the La
Crosse Coffee and Spice Mills, began business in 1858, when the commercial interests
of the city did not even presage their present importance and magnitude. At the
outset his trade was necessarily small, but as the city became connected with the
lakes and the fertile prairies west of the Mississippi by railroads and the forests of
Wisconsin began to swarm with logging and lumber camps, he was among the

42 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

first to reap the benefit of its growing importance. Now he has a wholesale trade
in groceries, coffees and spices, equalled by few dealers in the Northwest. From
the great Red River valley of Dakota to hundreds of miles south along the
banks of the Mississippi, east to the great lakes and west beyond the turbid
Missouri, the wares sent out from Mr. Hogan's establishment are known and
highly valued. He occupies a three story building, No. 111, 113 North Front St.
arranged with an eye to the convenient storing and handling of his large stock. Its
dimensions are 75x100 feet. The coffee and spice mills are at 120 North Front
street. Their products are deservedly popular and the demand for them constantly
increasing. None but the purest and best grades are ground and hence
their high reputation.

Mr. Hogan gives employment to twenty-five men. Eight active agents, more
than are sent out by any wholesale house in the city, cover the vast territory over
which the trade of the house extends. Two salesmen look after his trade in the
city. Since his coming to La Crosse, Mr. Hogan has been actively and intimately
associated with all measures for the advancement of the city's prosperity. He was
elected mayor of the city in 1875 and '76, and filled the office with credit to himself
and for the advantage of the city. His long and arduous business career
has been marked by the exercise of shrewdness and sagacity in such a degree as
to have made his the largest and strongest wholesale house in the city. Mr.
Hogan was chosen to represent the City of La Crosse in the Wisconsin Assembly
at the election, last November. By an act of Legislature the City of La Crosse
was erected into a district separate from the county and it is a just recognition of
the city's commercial interests that one so closely identified with them as.
Mr. Hogan, is the first representative of the new district.

THE SAWYER & AUSTIN LUMBER COMPANY is one of the largest lumber
firms in the city. The mill is at North La Crosse, conveniently situated along
the Black River. The cut is at present twenty-five to thirty millions annually and
will be considerably increased when the improvements now in course of construction
are finished. A band saw is being added to their already complete
equipment. They employ two hundred and fifty men in the summer season. Their
trade extends over Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and
Nebraska. The capital stock of the company is $340,000. It was organized in
I886 to succeed Sawyer & Austin, who began business in 1872. The president of
the company, Hon. David Austin came here in 1872 from Cleveland, Ohio. He
has been in the lumber business all his life and since April 1887, he has been
Mayor of La Crosse and gained the entire respect and confidence of the people.
Mrs. A T. Sawyer is vice president, and her son, W. E. Sawyer, secretary. They
took Mr. Sawyer's interest in the business upon his death in 1886. The Sawyers
are interested in many other enterprises.

JOHN PAUL'S LUMBER MILLS are situated on the river front just north of
Cass street. This immense plant has grown to its present proportions since 1860,
when it was established on a small scale by its present owner. The logs brought
from the banks of the St. Croix, the Chippewa and Black rivers are here manufactured.

SAWER & AUSTIN LUMBER COMPANY.

44 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

into lumber for the general market. This is one of the most important
industrial establishments in the city, 250 or more men being employed. The
machinery of Mr. Paul's mill is the best that can be produced and is not surpassed
by the machinery of any establishment along the Mississippi river. At
no mill are logs and lumber handled more expeditiously. The planning mill
is in every way first class in its appointments. Mr. Paul not only occupies
a leading position among La Crosse lumbermen, but the magnitude of
his business is not surpassed but by few, if any, in the northwest.
The extent of his trade may be seen from the amount of lumber sawed
and handled, amounting this year to 37,669,000 feet lumber, 17,500,000
shingles, and 7,750,000 lath. Mr. Paul is prominent in the financial circles, being
a director of the La Crosse National Bank and is largely interested in the dry
goods business. He has always been active in anything for the forwarding of the
commercial interests of La Crosse. The success he has attained is a striking
illustration of what energy and enterprise may accomplish.

LANGDON & BOYD, pork packers, occupy a two-story building 20x80 feet 223
North Third street. They also occupy a cold storage building 24x80 feet two
stories in height in another portion of the city. Mr. Langdon began the business
in 1879 and continued it until his death, two years ago. Since then it has been
carried on under the firm name of Langdon & Boyd, Mrs. Langdon retaining her
husband's interest. Mr. Boyd was some years an employe of Mr. Langdon, so
the business has thebenefit of his knowledge acquired by this experience. The
pork packed by the firm is nearly all sold to the logging and lumber camps
which are supplied from La Crosse and to retailers in the small towns of Wisconsin
and Minnesota. Their goods have an excellent reputation and command
ready sale.

THE LA CROS-E PLOW WORKS rank among the most important of the city's
industries. They were established in 1865 by Mr. A. Hirshheimer, who has ever
since energetically and successfully conducted them. The office and works are
519 North Third street. The main shop is of stone and its dimensions are 40x
450 feet. There are also two storage buildings 20x80 feet and 50x60 feet

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 45

respectively. These works are completely and conveniently arranged for the
building of plows, harrows, rakes, cultivators and other farm machinery and are
furnished with the best machinery for making such implements cheaply and
expeditiously that can be procured. From forty-five to fifty hands are employed
the year around although the demand for the machinery is necessarily confined
to a few months of the year. The plows and other machinery built here are of
excellent patterns and meet the wants of the farmer exactly. This statement is
borne out by facts, for in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Southern
Dakota no implements have a more extensive sale, give more general satisfaction
and are more popular among farmers than those turned out by Mr Hirshheimer's
establishment. This is no doubt due to the fact that the business has his personal
attention in every particular. Mr. Hirshheimer has been a citizen of La Crosse
since 1866. He was born in Germany and previous to his coming here lived in
Pennsylvania. His career as a business man and a manufacturer is one well
worthy of imitation. His years of active life have given him not only a competency
but the respect and confidence of the public as well. For eight years Mr. Hirshheimer
was alderman, succeeding himself time and again, and thrice he was
president of the Board of Trade. In whatever he has been engaged, publicly or
privately, he has done himself credit. Men of such qualities as he are potent
factors in bringing wealth and prosperity not only to themselves but to the
community also.

JOHN JAMES & CO., FOUNDERS AND MdACtINISTS take a high place among
the industries of the city, both in the amount and the character of the work
done. The foundry now controlled by the firm was established in 1854, by Geo.
Leach, who was succeeded in I868 by C. C. & E. G. Smith from whom the
present owners purchased the plant in 1874 Mr. James is an Englishman and
had years of experience in business before coming to America. La Crosse

JOHN JAMES & COMPANY.

46 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

being in the midst of a milling district, is naturally a favorable place for the
manufacture of mill machinery. Messrs. James & Co. do a large business in
this line, fitting up mills with their entire outfit of machinery, shafting, etc., from
the steam engine or turbine water wheel to the roller apparatus. Their work is
highly spoken of by the millers of the Northwest for durability and freeness from
a tendency to get out of order, that is characteristic of careless and slipshod
machine work. The extensive works of the firm are located at the corner of
Front and King street, the main shop being 44x260 feet, two stories in height. It
is fitted with all necessary machinery of the latest pattern for making and finishing
castings, both of iron and brass. Forty skilled workmen are employed in the
establishment, turning out mill and railroad work, which stands second to none
done in the country in any similar establishment. The success is largely due to
Mr. James, whose thoroughly practical knowledge of the iron business in all its
details peculiarly fits him for the management of the factory. This industry is an
important one among those contributing to the advancement and prosperity of
the city. The success it has attained is due to the painstaking care of the
proprietors to allow none but the best of work to leave the shops.

THE CITY BREWERY was established in 1858 by Gottlieb Heileman and John
Gund. After fourteen years Mr. Gund retired and Mr. Heileman continued business
alone until his death in 1878. Then Mr. Reinhard Waecker conducted the brewery
for three years in behalf of the widow and in I88I, the present manager Mr. E. T.
Mueller took charge. Under his care the business has prospered amazingly.
Growing far beyond its earlier facilities shortly after he took charge the old
buildings were torn down to give place to the present handsome ones. The main
building is constructed of cut stone, with pressed brick trimmings. It is fitted up

CITY BREWERY.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 47

with the latest improved machinery and the offices are finished in handsomely carved
hard woods, stained glass windows and other luxurious furnishings. The dimensions
are 34x83 feet. The other buildings are the ice house, 66x80 feet, three stories
high, malt house 32x80 feet, malt kiln 30x30 feet, three and a half stories high,
engine house 30x40 feet, stable 22x50 feet (all of which are built of stone), the
bottling establishment, 30x86 feet, grain ware houses, 40x70 feet, and three storage
ice houses, one, 30x40 feet; another, 59x9o feet; and a third, 40x40 feet These,
with the permanent ice house, enables the firm to store 5,500 tons of ice. The
working force of the establishment is twenty men. The products of the brewery
are well known throughout the northwest for their purity and excellent flavor.
They are sold direct from the brewery and from agencies located at Waseca and
Glencoe, Minnesota, and Aberdeen, Millbank and Wahpeton, Dakota. These
agencies are under the supervision of Mr. J. B. Mayer. Mr. Reinhard Waecker
is the superintendent of brewing and has direct oversight of the works.

THE THREE STAR ICE AND FUEL COMPANY was established and incorporated
last July with a capital of $25,000, having paid $I3,000 for the business of James
Robinson. They possess ample facilities for furnishing La Crosse and North La
Crosse with ice, coal, wood, lime and fire brick. They are agents for the Austin
Red Pressed Brick Company, which makes the finest brick in the Northwest, as is
shown by the test made by the government before using them in the La Crosse
building. One of their ice houses is located between Division street and Cameron
avenue and the other at North La Crosse. They each hold 2,500 tons and are
equipped with every appliance for rapidly and easily storing ice. The company's
wood yards and coal sheds are at 215 Cass street. The latter is 30x125 feet.
They also have a large shed on the river front for coaling steamboats. Their
lime sheds, each storing a carload of lime, are so constructed that the lime will
not slake and are patented. The company has every convenience for accommodating
the public and spares no pains to do so. The president, Mr. D.
Drummond, was a gallant soldier during the war and has since been engaged in
the jewelry business on Main street. Mr. James Robinson, the general manager,
served with distinction during the civil war and at its close in 1865 came to La
Crosse from the state of Ohio. He has had years of experience in the coal and
wood business and is highly honored and respected by the community generally.
Mr. Eugene Robinson, secretary and treasurer, is an efficient and capable man of
business. Previous to his being connected with this company he was on the river
for several years.

H. C. TECHMER, 202 AND 204 SOUTH FRONT STREET, in 1887 succeeded the
La Crosse Milling Company in the manufacture of flour, corn meal and ground
feed of all kinds. Last spring his mill was destroyed by fire, but is now rebuilt
and in first class running order with new machinery. Mr. Techmer uses only the
best grain and the products of his buhrs are in high repute among his customers
who are to be found throughout a great portion of the northwest. His specialties
are pure corn meal and graham flour, of which he manufactures large quanities. He
also deals extensively in grain and grass seed. Mr. Techmer has been a resident

48 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE. WIS.

of the city since 1869 and is by trade a millwright. His intelligent attention to
business has secured to him a lucrative and growing trade, and among his
associates he is reckoned an enterprising and progressive miller.

THE JOHN GUND BREWING COMPANY, organized in 1880, succeeded to the
business established in 1854 by Mr. Jno. Gund. The enterprise which Mr. Gund
began so modestly in the early days of the city has grown to be one of its most
important industries, employing sixty-three men constantly, and also one of the
largest establishments of the kind in the northwest. The company, of which Jno.
Gund is president, Geo. F. Gund, secretary, Jno. Gund, Jr., superintendent,
now has a capital of $40,000. It does a huge business, its products being
distributed over the wide area included in Western Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota
and Northwestern Illinois. There is an agency at Minneapolis in charge of Henry
Gund from which a large portion of their trade is supplied. The plant now
consists of a brewery and ice house 142x42 feet, malt house 140x40 feet, engine
and boiler house 60x6I feet, malt kiln 27x27 feet, ice house No. 2 71x58 feet, ice
house No. 3 71x66 feet. All are three stories in height and built of cut stone,
with iron girders, beams and columns. There is also a projecting tower 20x22
feet and 94 feet high, and a bottling house operated by steam, 35x80 feet, also
built of stone. These buildings are all admirably arranged for the purpose for
which they are intended, and are architecturally equal to any of a similar character
in the Northwest. The Gund company make a specialty of bottled beer. Their
"Extra Pale" and "Pilsener" brands are of a very superior quality, commanding
a ready and large sale wherever they are known. The success of this company
is assured by the long experience of Mr. John Gund, who is so ably seconded by
his sons, George, John and Henry, they being almost brought up to the business.

MATT. WEIX, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL dealer in cigars and tobacco, keeps as
complete a stock as can be found in the city. His store, 313 Main street, is a
resort which the smoker delights to frequent for here he can find not only the finest
brands of cigars, but a full line of meerschaum and briarwood, or, if his tastes
are more plebian he can satisfy them with a modest clay or corn cob. But

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 49

Mr. Weix's retail business is by far the smaller part of his trade. He makes a
specialty of the finer brands of imported and domestic cigars and by his strict
attention to the needs of the trade has secured a large patronage both in the city
and the northwest. Mr. Weix has been in business since 1874. For more than
twenty years he has resided in La Crosse and during that period he has built up
an excellent reputation as a reliable and trustworthy business man.

THE LA CROSSE LINSEED OIL COMPANY was incorporated in 1884 with a
capital of $100,000 for the manufacture of pure raw and boiled linseed oil and
oil cake. The business of the company is an important item in sum of the city's
commercial transactions, their trade extending to all parts of the United States.
The oils have a reputation for purity and excellence wherever they are sold, second
to none in the market. The oil cake is in demand among farmers for winter
feeding of their cattle. The company occupies a four story mill, on State street,
between Front and Second,
40x80 feet, and a spacious warehouse
also four stories high,
50x60 feet. Fifteen men are
employed during ten months of
the year. The enterprise was
successful fro m the start and is
continually growing in importance.
The affairs of the company
are managed on strict
business principles with a view
to satisfying all with whom they
happen to have dealings. Mr. M. FunkL is the president, a man prominent in the
business circles of the city, being the executive officer of the Funk Steam Boiler
and Iron Works, a large stock holder in the Street Railway company, La Crosse
Milling company and director of the Batavian bank. Mr. Abner Gile, the vice
president, has for many years been a prominent business man, being now a member
of the firm of Gile & Goodland, proprietors of the pork packing establishment,
a director of the Batavian bank and largely interested in lumber. Mr. D. D.
McMillan, the secretary, has also been prominent in business circles for many
years. He has filled many positions of honor and trust, and is now president of
the State bank. Mr. McMillan is highly and sincerely honored and respected by
the community for the honorable business relations he has sustained with the
public during his long career. Mr. Geo. Van Steenwyk fills the office of
treasurer. His large business experience eminently qualifies him for the position.
He is president of the Batavian bank, has been Bank Controller of the state,
Mayor of La Crosse, and filled other responsible positions. He is a native of
Holland and formerly resided at Madison, coming here in 1861. The immediate
direction of the mills is under A. F. Metzger. He is a native of the city and
although a comparatively young man, has shown marked business sagacity in
the management of the mill. To his faithful and intelligent superintendence of
the business can be justly attributed the flattering growth of the compang's trade.

50 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

MONS ANDERSON & SONS, Importers and Jobbers of Dry Goods, Notions,
etc., occupy the foremost place among the wholesale houses of the state and
indeed are ont-ranked by few similar establishments in the Northwest. The
business is carried on in the imposing four story structure on the corner of Main
and Second street, which is 100x140 feet, the whole of it being utilized by the
firm. The first floor is partially taken up by offices, a retail men's furnishing and
clothing store, the remainder, along with the basement and fourth floor, being
used for storing goods. On the second and third floor the celebrated "Gateway
City Garments" are manufactured, known throughout the Northwest for their
durability and excellent style and fit. Every available inch of space in this vast
building is required by the large and constantly increasing needs of the business.
Established in 1852, when La Crosse was a mere hamlet, supplying a few
lumbermen and raftsmen with rough garments, this house has seen and partaken
of that marvelous growth which has made this the second city of the state and
the center of a trade that is equaled by few cities of its size. And the growth of
this house has been even more wonderful than that of the city. Two hundred
and fifty hands are employed, a number equaled by few establishments in the city,
thus placing it among the first of the industries. Ten agents travel through
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Dakota and Michigan, selling large quantities of dry
goods and clothing. The trade of no firm in the city extends over so great an
area, nor has so many drummers on the road. Wherever this house sends goods
it is well and favorably known. For thirty-six years Mons Anderson has given
his personal attention to the direction of the interests of this great house.
Through his untiring energy and ceaseless efforts it has reached its present proud
position of eminence in the great Northwest. Mr. Anderson is a Norwegian by
birth and in 185I came to La Crosse. The story of his career is also the story
of rise and growth in the commercial importance of the city. Besides directing
the vast interests of Mons Anderson & Sons, he is president of the Wisconsin
Lumber Co., and vice president of the Union National Bank. Associated with
him is his son, A. H. Anderson.

THE LA CROSSF. STEAM LAUNDRY, C. H. Miller, proprietor, is in a three-story
brick building 119 South Front street. Mr. Miller came to La Crosse from
Michigan in 1884 and began his present business. The work done at the laundry
is of the best finish and has such a high reputation that work is sent here from
Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Dakota. Mr. Miller's city
trade is so large thas three delivery wagons are kept busy constantly. He also
does a large trade at his branch offices in North La Crosse. Although the latest
improved labor-saving machinery is used in the establishment thirty-five hands
are employed as merely superintending it. Besides the laundry in this place Mr.
Miller also has a large one at Sioux Falls, Dakota, and the work done there is of
the same excellent character.

M. M. MANVILLE, importer and wholesale dealer in wines, liquors and cigars,
has his office and warehouse in the three-story building at 112 North Front street.
The house was eatablished in 1858 by Morse & Co., changed in 1870 to Gordon

MONS ANDERSON & SONS, WHOLESALE DRY GOODS, NOTIONS AND MANUFATURERS.

52 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

& Langdon, in 1874 to Gordon & Manville, and last year, on account of his
partner's death, Mr. Manville acquired sole control of the establishment. During
its long existence the house has always maintained a high reputation on account
of the excellent quality and purity of the goods handled, a specialty being made of
the finest wines and cigars. Mr. Manville, by his long connection with the business,
is thoroughly conversant with it in every detail, and uses his knowldge and
experience for the benefit of his customers. His bar supplies are purchased
largely in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, Michigan and Iowa, three men representing
the house in this territory. Mr. Manville has been a resident of the city
since 1851 and commenced in that year the first tin and hardware business in the
city. A part of his life he spent at farming, owning several excellent farms in
Lewis Valley. Being for many years a commercial traveler he spends much of
his time on the road now looking after his trade.

THE PAMPERIN & WVIGGENHORN CIGAR Co. was incorporated in i886 to
succeed John Pamperin who established the factory in 1866. The company's
place of business is 221 and 223 Main street. The store room and office are on
the first floor, in a room 22x74 feet. The two upper stories of the building and
the basement, 44x74 feet, are used for making and storing goods. From 65 to 70
hands are employed, this being one of the few
large factories in the Northwest. The brands
of cigars made by this company are sold in
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Dakota, and
are exceedingly popular in La Crosse, the city
trade being particularly large. Thousands of
hardworked men engaged in business and
professional pursuits find a cigar a most
enjoyable and soothing after-dinner companion.
The wreaths of curling blue smoke mirror the
doings of the past and projects for the future
with a hazy indistinctness that releases the
mind and leaves it free from ambitious
thought. To such happy smokers the goods
of this company will prove an inestimable
boon on account of the fine grades of tobacco
used in their manufacture, and freeness from opiates and other deleterious drugs.
Their leading brands are "Belle of La Crosse," "Acorn," "Pride of La Crosse,"
"Harmony," "Black Rose," "Chums," "Flor de P. & W." Mr. Wiggenhorn, the
president of the company, has long been a resident of the state having until two
and a half years ago had a large cigar factory at Watertown. He is a man of
great enterprise and has been remarkably successful in pushing his business,
which is one in which the sharpest competition is the rule. Mr. Pamperin has
resided here since 1866, and is also from Watertown. He is an energetic and
active man, highly honored and respected in business circles. Both Mr. Wiggenhorn
and Mr. Pamperin are stockholders in the La Crosse National Bank and
are connected with other La Crosse enterprises. Mr. Pamperin was for six years

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 53

school commissioner and for several terms alderman. The company has the
reputation of being clever and agreeable people to deal with.

J. S. MEDARY, manufacturer and wholesale dealer in Leather, Saddlery,
Hardware, Shoe Findings, Saddles, Collars, etc., 18 to 122 Pearl street, does an
amount of business equalled by few houses in that line in the Northwest. The
house was founded in 1862 by Grant, Burke & Co., who were succeeded by
Davis, Medary & Hill in 1866. In 1871 Mr. Hill retired, Davis &Medary being
the firm name until I886, when Mr. Davis retired. Since then Mr. Medary has
conducted the business alone. In the
establishment there are thirty men
constantly employed in turning out
goods that are known all over the
country for the workmanship and the
excellent quality of the material used
in their manufacture. Three active
agents represent the house among the
dealers of Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Iowa and Dakota. Three buildings
on Pearl street are occupied by Mr.
Medary. One 25xIoo feet, one story
in height, another of the same dimensions,
three stories high with basement,
and a shop 60 feet square. Being one of the oldest business men in the city and
also one of the most successful, Mr. Medary is well qualified by experience and
training to direct intelligently and shrewdly the trade gained by the house in a
quarter century of successful existence. MIr. Medary has been a citizen of La
Crosse for more than twenty-five years and foremost in all business enterprises
for the advancement of the commercial prosperity of the city. He is also one of
the largest stockholders in Davis, Medary & Platz Co.

DAVIS, MEDARY & PLATZ COMPANY7, TANNERY.

54 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

E. C. DAILEY, Bookseller and Stationer, occupies a centrally located and
elegantly fitted store room 307 Main street. Here can be found as complete a line
of office and fancy stationery as one would wish to see. The book department is
equally as well kept up. Mr. Dailey having been in business here since 1877
and for many years before that in New York is well qualified to successfully
manage his establishment. So widely is the reputation of his stock known for its
completeness and excellence that mail orders form a large part of his trade. In
addition to the above Mr. Dailey makes a specialty of fine etchings and engravings.

Picture framing also forms an important branch of his business and for artistic
work in that line he takes the lead. Having built his business up from nothing
to what it now is and enjoying the confidence and patronage of the entire community,
Mr. Dailey can look forward to an increasing and prosperous trade as the
city and the country develop, and his success in the past is a sufficient assurance
that he will keep up with the demands of the times.

THE CITY GRANITE AND MARBLE WORKS, J. Stanek, proprietor, Third street
and Cameron avenue, were established in 1886 by the present proprietor. The
character of the work turned out by this establishment is not excelled by any
other done in La Crosse. The best of workmen are employed and Mr. Stanek
gives to every detail his personal attention. The finest grades of American and
Foreign marbles and granites are handled and designs of a very superior artistic
character are furnished. Marble, slate and iron mantels are also kept in stock.
Mr. Stanek's business has been large and promises well for the future. His
experience of some twenty years amply qualifies him for intelligently managing
these works.

E. C. DAILEY, STATIONER.

THE INDUSTRIE S OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 55

THE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL, Corner Pearl and Front streets, after being
closed for some time was re-opened by Mr. E. K. Tarbell. It is entirely
remodeled and refurnished and has every modern improvement, being heated by
steam and lighted by electricity. It also has a complete system of electric call
bells, with fire alarm attachment, a newly fitted billiard hall and saloon. The
office is artistically tiled and the dining room is newly decorated, some $10,000
having been expended in remodeling and improving the interior of the house.
The furnishings of the hotel are second to none in the northwest. The house now
contains sixty-five well lighted rooms, each of which is heated by steam. Mr.
Tarbell has had years of experience as a hotel man, having been three years at
the Burton House, Hurley, Wisconsin, and for a long time previous kept the
Tarbell House, at Montrose, Pennsylvania. His past success augurs well for the
future and La Crosse was fortunate in securing him to manage its finest hotel.
His assistants are courteous, affable gentleman who consider it no trouble to
make guests comfortable. The table affords every delicacy that can be expected
in a first class establishment. The house is managed on a liberal scale and no
more congenial, comfortable and elegant accommodations can be found anywhere
in the northwest.

J. C. BURNS, Wholesale Fruit, 309 Main street, began business in 1883. In
his large establishment fruits from all parts of the world are to be seen. The
products of the orchards of California are side by side with Messina oranges and
dates from the groves of Algiers. There are cocoanuts from the isles of the
South Sea, bananas from the West Indies, russet colored Florida oranges, luscious
rosy-cheeked apples plucked from the orchards of New York and Michigan,
grapes gathered from the vine-clad hills of the Hudson River Valley, cranberries
that foretell sumptuous Thanksgiving dinners and much else that delights the eye
and tickles the palate. In season are to be had toothsome oysters from the coves
of the Chesapeake and the inlets of Long Island Sound. Mr. Burns, during his

INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

56 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

short career as a business man has displayed wonderful energy in pushing and
building up his trade. Few houses in the city do so large a business in the
aggregate and none have a higher reputation for the quality of goods handled.
The trade extends as far west as Dakota and over the greater portion of Wisconsin
and Minnesota. Two agents are on the road for the house. It is to men of the
stamp of Mr. Burns that the city owes her present prosperity and importance as a
trade centre. He is one of the youngest men in business, but is esteemed the
equal of any in shrewdness and sagacity.

THE FUNK STEAM BOILER AND IRON WORK CO was incorporated in March,
1887, with a capital stock of $20,000. The works were begun on a small scale
in 1865 by M. Funk and have grown with the city to their present capacity.
Steam boilers for mills, steamboats and manufacturing establishments, tanks and
smoke stacks and all kinds of sheet iron work are among the company's products.
Under patents granted to Mr. Funk are manufactured the Funk Feed Water
Heater and Purifier, and furnaces which are largely used. The first is an attachment
to boilers by which the water is heated by means of exhaust steam from
the engine to boiling point before it is allowed to enter the boiler, saving a great
deal of fuel, and all the sediment and other impurities deposited, thus keeping the
boilers clean. The furnace made by the company is used by many residents of
La Crosse for heating their houses and other buildings. All the work put out by
the Funk company is thoroughly tested before leaving the shop, so that persons
buying boilers of them need have no fears as to their strength. Mr. M. Funk,
the founder of the works, and now president and treasurer of the company, has
been a citizen of La Crosse since 1865. He has given the best years of his life to
pushing the interests of the establishment and his efforts have been crowned by
well merited success. He is prominent in many important business enterprises,
being among other things president of the La Crosse Linseed Oil Company and

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 57

largely interested in the street railway company. The entire community knows
and appreciates the ability and enterprise of Mr. Funk, and also his sterling
business traits that have made him a successful man. The vice president of the
company is Mr. Augustus Grams, who has lived in La Crosse from his boyhood
and is respected as a business man of probity by the people generally. Mr.
Geo. Funk, the secretary of the company, though young, has already made himself
familiar with the details of the business and is as capable and efficient an
officer as can be found. Under such officers the establishment is destined
continued and increasing prosperity. The works are 72x100 feet and conveniently
located at the corner of Front and King streets. Fifteen hands are
employed.

THE JOHN A. SALZER SEED COMPANY, Seedsmen and Florists, was organized
in 1886 to succeed John A. Salzer, who began business in I866. The capital
stock is $50,000. The officers are John A. Salzer, president; Henry A. Salzer,
secretary and general manager; Carl G. Rau, assistant secretary; Ben. F. Salzer,
superintendent; John P. Salzer, treasurer. This company deals extensively in
farm and vegetable seeds, which are raised on its farms in Wisconsin, Minnesota
and Dakota, and also in flower seeds. Their storehouse at Adams and Eighth
streets is a large iron-veneered building 40x140 feet, five stories in height. In
this are stored thousands of bushels of seeds during the fall months, which are
shipped in the spring to all parts of the United States and Europe. As florists
this company has a reputation over a large area of country. They have thirteen
large hot houses in which they grow the choicest flowers. Their trade is done
largely by mail orders. On the outskirts of the city are the trial grounds of the
company where all the seeds handled are tested. Thus the company is able to
assure their customers that the seeds are just what they have been represented to
be. From fifty to one hundred hands are employed, the number varying with the
season of the year. The Salzer Seed Company justly holds the high position
which is universally accorded to it among the business firms of La Crosse.

THE JOHN A. SALZER SEED COMPANY

58 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

GEO. E. MARINER, Allopathic and Homeopathic Pharmacist, 425 Main street
began business this year and in a very short space of time has secured a large
patronage. His storeroom is handsomely furnished and located centrally. He
has had considerable experience as a pharmacist being four years with Mr. T. H.
Spence and also having been in business at Rockford, Illinois, and Sparta.
Besides a full line of drugs, perfumery and toilet articles, he has a full stock of
Artists' materials, the only one to be found in the city, which has proved a great
accommodation and convenience to the persons residing here who have need of
them. Mr. Mariner is favorably known to the public as a competent and enterprising
business man.

THE DAVIDSON LUMBER COMPANY is composed of P. S. Davidson, Lafe
Holmes, W. F. Davidson, S. F. Clinton and Dan'l A. Thayer. It was organized
in 1885 and succeeded P. S. Davidson, who had individually built up a very large
lumber business. Under the management of the company the trade has still
further increased until now the capital stock is $150,000 and the number of men
employed between two and three hundred. The mills at North La Crosse are
among the largest in the city and completly equipped in every particular. The
logs are cut in the Black River and Chippewa districts, where they own large
tracts of the finest timber standing in the state. The products of the company's
mills are sold mostly to dealers along the Mississippi. The able and liberal
management of this coporation has secured for it a pre-eminent position among
firms of a similar character doing business here.

D. DRUMMOND, Diamonds, Watches, Jewelry, etc., 326 Main street, occupies
one of the handsomest and most elegantly fitted up store rooms in the city, He

THE DAVIDSON LUMBER COMPANY

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

came to La Crosse from Dubuque, Iowa, in 1873, and a few years later established
this store. The stock of watches, jewelry and silverware, in quality and variety,
is not equaled in the city. Mr. Drummond also does engraving and manufactures
jewelry. He has several skilled workmen employed all the time. His trade has
always been large because nowhere is to be seen such a complete and well
selected stock. Mr. Drummond is president of Three Star Ice and Fuel Co.,
and universally respected in social and financial circles.

C. L. COLMAN'S Lumber Yard and Mills are important not only among the
industries of La Crosse, but stand foremost among the large establishments of the
Northwest. They occupy at Front and Division streets more than fifty city lots
and turn out during a year upwards of 50,000,000 feet of lumber, lath and
shingles. To do this about three hundred men are employed. The saw mills,
fitted with two band saws and one large gang saw, are marvels compared with
the old fashioned mills. Logs are brought from the river and while yet dripping
are swiftly carried to the saws and transformed into lumber, the sawyer being
enabled by mechanical appliances to handle them rapidly and easily. Mr. Colman
has thirty branch yards located in Minnesota and Dakota by which the
products of his mills are distributed and sold. He also does a large logging
business on the Black and Chippewa rivers, bringing the rafts directly to his mills.
A few years ago the entire plant was destroyed by fire but it has since been
rebuilt and fitted with the best of machinery of the newest patterns. Mr. Colman
originally resided in Fond du Lac but came here in 1854 having early perceived
the commercial advantage possessed by La Crosse, then but an insignificant
village. He has always been in the front of any movement for benefiting the
city. When the Board of Trade was organized in 1868, Mr. Colman was its first
president and ever since he has been closely connected with it and active and
alert in the prosecution of plans for increasing the commercial importance of
La Crosse.

THE CAMERON HOUSE, Fox & Smith, proprietors, has long been a favorite
resort with traveling men on account of the excellent accommodations it furnishes
and its convenient situation. The house was opened in 1878 and came under the
control of its present proprietors in 1882. The building is three stories in height
and contains forty first-class rooms, each of which is supplied with hot and cold
water. Electricity is used for lighting purposes and steam for heating. This
house furnishes spacious sample rooms for the convenience of commercial travelers.
Everything connected with the Cameron is first-class and nothing conducive
to the comfort of guests is thought a trouble by the proprietors or their
gentlemanly assistants. Messrs. Fox and Smith are both hotel men of experience.
The former was for many years proprietor of the Fox House at Portage. He is
largely interested in the lumber business at Moose Lake, Minnesota, being at
present engaged in erecting a new saw mill there. Mr. D. P. Smith was for a
good many years a landlord at Faribault, Minnesota. He is a large owner of real
estate in this and other cities and has been very successful in whatever he has
undertaken.

60 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

TRADE PALACE, Dry Goods, Carpets and Artistic Millinery. The representative dry goods house of this city is that which is known to all as "The Trade
Palace," under the able management of Mr. J. C. Smith, and which is so advantageously
located in the New Post-office Block. Close application to business
and a thorough appreciation of the wants of the public, combined with a policy
of the most liberal and equitable character form the basis upon which this firm
has built up its unrivaled reputation and immense business, their great establishment
being a monument to their enterprise, completely stocked as it is with
everything of value and artistic beauty in the comprehensive field of the dry
goods and carpet trade. The premises occupied are a four-story brick building of
the dimensions of 75x90 feet, which is internally fitted up in the most attractive
and convenient manner, the decorations being harmonious in treatment, the
counters and shelving, mirrors, frescoes, fancy wainscotings, etc., all uniting to
form one of the most attractive and tastefully conceived interiors of any dry goods
house in the country. This is the most active and extensive importing dry goods
house in the city, the firm being celebrated for its unusually fine opportunities for
the securing of the choicest French silks and velvets which form such an important
item in the trade. The bulk of its business is chiefly in the choicest imported
goods, and buying largely as they do, and possessing such extensive facilities,
the firm is universally noted for its splendid array of goods and the lowness of its
prices. A large force of competent and polite assistants are given employment,
and courteous attention is given to every customer. Their large and varied
assortment represents the choicest fabrics from all parts of the world, adapted
alike to the wants of the buyers from all parts of the country as well as to the
retail purchaser. The various departments embrace silks, satins, velvets, dress
fabrics in all textures, the finest imported laces and embroideries, artistic
millinery, the best qualities of domestic and imported hosiery, and gloves, linens,
white goods, flannels, furs, notions, etc., as well as the latest styles in Persian rugs,
and European and American carpets, including all the leading novelties in
Axministers, Wiltons, moquettes, velvets, brussels, tapestries and ingrains, druggets
and art squares in vast variety. In all the above lines the house carries an
extensive assortment received direct from the most famous manufacturers, everything
aesthetic and artistic in new shades and patterns being found here. The
business is under the efficient management of Mr. Smith, a gentleman of vast
business experience, and we cordially recommend the splendid stock secured by
this creditable enterprise to the close attention of our readers, satisfied that they
can here in every way best meet their expectations and wants, and at the lowest
prices quoted for such strictly fine goods. Mr. Smith is universally popular and
respected and has built up a business which ranks second to none throughout the
Northwest.

NELSON & OYEN, Frescoing, House and Sign Painting, are a lately established
firm who by strict attention to business and earnest efforts to please their
customers have already gained quite an honorable reputation. They have secured
the contract for frescoing the new opera house and are at present engaged upon

62 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

it and that of the new government building has also fallen to their lot. They have
painted and decorated many of the buildings lately erected. The office of the
firm is 109 South Fifth street and the shop 205 South Front street. Their trade
is not merely local, their men are to be found at work in many parts of the
Northwest. They employ from ten to twenty-five hands, more than any other
firm of the kind in the city. Messrs. Nelson and Oyen are both young men who,
during their short residenee in La Crosse, have gained many friends. They have
those qualities which are sure to bring them success.

I. G. Loomis. Music and Art, 119 and 121 South Fourth, occupies one
of the handsomest store rooms in the city. He began business in 1878 and
during the last two years the growth of his
business has been almost marvelous. The culture
of a community can be fairly judged
by the patronage it bestows upon art and
music and any one who visits the store of Mr.
Loomis can have none but a high opinion of
the taste of La Crosse for the arts. He will see
a stock of steel engravings, etchings, paintings
in oil and water colors and a great variety of
prints that would do credit to a much larger city
than this. So liberally have the people of this city
been in buying pictures that Mr. Loomis has
been justified in increasing his stock to such an
extent as to draw custom from a great distance.
His large and increasing trade in pianos, organs
and other musical instruments shows to what
extent the taste of the city is cultivated in this
direction. In sheet music this establishment
supplies a popular demand for whatever is creating
a furore in musical circles. During his career here Mr. Loomis has acquired
the confidence of those whom he has met and by his superior energy and ability
has attained his present eminence as a dealer in music and art.

C. W. RODVAN, Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Game, Fish and Poultry, has
his market at 1og North Fourth street. Beginning business in 1875 he has
always held a leading position in this trade. The finest fish from lake, river and
ocean are kept for sale and every kind of wild fowl and other game. All his
efforts are directed to please his customers and consequently his business is large.
Mr. Rodman's long experience in the business enables him to successfully cater
to the wants of the public. On Pearl street he has a large commission house
for the sale of produce.

MCMILLAN & SON, Gents' Furnishing Goods, Hats, etc., have the best
appointed store of the kind in the city. They keep a line of neckwear that is
unsurpassed and are agents for the celebrated Knox hats. Well dressed men

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 63

favor this firm with their patronage because they can secure the latest and best
styles of all kinds of goods. Though opened no longer ago than 1887 the
business done by this establishment is very satisfactory and is continually
increasing. The members of the firm are Hon. Alex. McMillan and his son, S.
D. McMillan. The latter has the entire control of the business and is esteemed as
an enterprising and energetic young business man.

THE LA CROSSE GAS LIGHT COMPANY was organized in 1863 when the city
had but a small percentage of its present population and wealth. The aim of the
company has always been to furnish the best possible light to its customers and
to do this it never spared expense, always adding such new machinery to its
plant as would improve the quality of gas. The present capital of the company
is $ 50,000, which is held entirely by the citizens of La Crosse. The plant is a
valuable piece of property located at No.
707 North Third street, of three to four
acres in extent. Two railroad switches
enter it by which supplies are brought
exactly where they are needed. The
works have a c a p a city of making
250,000 cubic feet of gas per day of the
best quality and a high degree of purity.
The president of the company is Mr. A.
H. Anderson, of the Mons Anderson
wholesale dry goods house, treasurer of
the Brush company, vice president of the
Wisconsin Lumber company and a
large stockholder in the La Crosse Knitting Works. He is esteemed as a thorough
and able business man of unusual talents. The secretary and general
manager, Mr. George McMillan, a native of Canada West, but closely identified
with the business interests of the city since his removal here in ia67. He is
manager of the Brush Electric Light company, president of the Loan and
Provident Building association, and interested in the La Crosse Fuel company.
He is respected and trusted by his business and social acquaintances as a man of
ability, shrewdness and sagacity Mr. W. L. Crosby, the treasurer, is an old
resident of the city. He is a prominent and respected lawyer and as an official
of the company is faithful and efficient in the discharge of his duties.

THE LA CROSSE LUMBER COMPANY is one of the most important corporations
doing business in the city. Organized in 1871 it has steadily increased its
operations until now the capital stock is $150,000. The immense mills at North
La Crosse along the river front, covering acres of ground, have a capacity of
200,000 feet per day. There is every facility for expeditiously taking the logs
from the river and making them into lumber. The great power necessary to
drive the saws and other machinery is furnished by a 600-horse power engine and
ten large boilers. The logs are cut from the company's own lands in Clark and
Wood counties and run to the mills. The lumber is shipped entirely by boat to

64 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

points along the river. The cut of the La Crosse Lumber Company's mills
amounts annually to more than twenty-five million feet. From 50 to 165 men
are employed, making the monthly pay roll amount away up into the thousands.
Mr. F. A. Copeland, president and treasurer of the company, is well known in
business circles, being president of the Edison Light and Power Company and
one of the incorporators of the La Crosse Theatre Company. His energy and
ability have secured for him the honorable position which he holds among the
enterprising business men of La Crosse. Mr. J. B. Grigg, the secretary, has been
for five years a faithful and efficient officer. The management of this corporation
has always been liberal and enterprising, which accounts for its pre-eminent
position among the lumbermen here.

THE BRUSH ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY was incorporated in 1881 with a
capital of $60,000. The plant is situated at the corner of Second and Badger
streets. It consists of four dynamos each of a combined capacity of one hundred
and ninety 2000-candle power lights, which are driven by a 150-horse power
Reynolds' Corliss low pressure engine Connected with it is an incandescent
plant the dynamo capable of furnishing four hundred and fifty 15-candle power
incandescent lights. The company furnishes sixty-five arc lights to the city at
present and a number to business houses. The plant is under the direction of
Mr. A. P. McMillan, to whose intelligent supervision the excellent illumination of
streets, by which the people of the city are enabled to move about pleasantly and
safely after night, is rightly due. The officers of the company are: Mr. G. R.
Montague, president, a man who as vice-president of the La Crosse National
Bank and Wallis Carriage Company is favorably known to the business men and
the public generally; Mr. James Vincent, vice-president, an old resident of the
city largely interested in the lumber trade; Mr. George McMillan, secretary and
general manager, a careful and efficient man of business; and Mr. A. H. Anderson,
treasurer, a competent and faithful official. The company deserves great credit
for entering upon the business at such an early date, for in 1881 but few cities
were illuminated by this then novel light, it having until a short time before been
a mere scientific curiosity.

TILLMAN BROTHERS, wholesale dealers in Furniture and Undertakers'
Supplies, are among the oldest and most substantial business firms in the city,
being in business since 1859. Their store can be entered at 118 Main street or
108 and 110 Second street, since it extends from one street to the other. The
ware rooms are large and conveniently arranged for storing and handling furniture.
They carry one of the largest and most complete lines of goods to be found
in the Northwest, their stock being valued at fifty thousand dollars. Their trade
is done in Western Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota and Northern Iowa. Two
salesmen travel through this territory in the interest of the house. From twelve
to fifteen hands are employed in the warerooms, preparing goods for shipment.
Messrs. Tillman during their long years of business life have always maintained
friendly relations with their customers, and been intimately connected with the
important business movements of the city. Their large trade is nothing more

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 65

than the legitimate result of close and continued application to business. Mr.
Fred. Tillman was once alderman of the city, and is now an influential member of
the School Board and treasurer of the Street Railway company. Mr. Wm.
Tillman is a stockholder in the Batavian Bank and is connected with the Ott
Bark Mill Co. He is likewise an old and influential citizen of the place,
respected and honored for his unblemished career as a business man.

RICHARDSON & RENGGLY, Photographers, No 216
South Third street and No. I IO North Third street,
do work of such a character as would be a credit
to the artists of large cities. In their skillful hands
the camera is made to reproduce the countenance
and features, not as a lifeless outline that bears only a
resemblance to the person whom it represents, but
bearing a lifelike expression that can only be placed
there by the true artist. Though but a new firm, thts
one has already acquired a large patronage from the
people of La Crosse and are continually increasing it.
Their gallery and parlors are elegantly arranged and
their mechanical equipment is the finest that can be
procured. They also make lifesize photographs, portraits
in crayon, India ink and water colors.

GUSTAV CARL, manufacturer of Ginger Ale, Soda Water, etc., etc., has been
a resident of La Crosse since 1860. He was born in Germany and formerly
resided in Milwaukee. For some years previous to his embarking in his present
enterprise he successfully conducted a restaurant in this city. His establishment
is 517 and 519 S. Third St. He has a man on the road to sell his goods,
which are largely bought in Minnesota, Iowa and Dakota, as well as having an
extensive sale in La Crosse and surrounding towns. His stock of champagne
cider, birch beer, wine cream, Buffalo mead, California wines and orange cider is
complete and well selected. Mr. Carl well deserves the large trade he has for he
makes every legitimate effort to satisfy and please his customers. Mr. Carl takes
and active part in the La Crosse Crematory association and is interested in the
Ott Bark Mill.

THE EDISON LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY was incorporated in 1887 with a
capital of $150,000, of which but $85,000 has been paid in. The plant, situated
on Second between King and Jay streets, consists of four dynamos each of which
has a capacity of 3,500 10-candle power lights. The power is furnished by two
I50-horse power engines, for which steam is supplied by three I50-horse power
boilers. The building is brick, 50xI50 feet, two stories in height. At present
there are six thousand lights connected with the company's dynamos, of which
number not more than two thousand five hundred are burning at any one time.
The company furnish chandeliers and other fixtures necessary for introducing the
light into residences and business places. Lately they have secured the contract

66 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

for wiring the new opera house and they are daily putting lights into private
residences. The superintendent of the plant is W. D. Kurz, an electrician of skill
and experience, having for eight years been engaged in the business. Previous
to his coming to this city he had charge of a plant at Appleton, Wisconsin. His
thoroughly practical as well as scientific knowledge of the workings of the plant
insure its successful management. The directors of the company are: F. A.
Copeland, president; D. A. McDonald, vice-president; E. E. Bentley, secretary
and treasurer; G. Van Steenwyk, James McCord, S. Y. Hyde, A. H. Davis.

W. P. POWERS, PLUMBING, STEAM AND GAS FITTING, 125 South Fifth street,
has been engaged in the business twenty-one years, having established himself in
1867, and from a very small beginning has built up a large and apparently
profitable business. His success has been
brought about by a thorough knowledge of
his business and a strict personal attention
to all work entrusted to him. He occupies
the ground floor and basement of his three-
story brick building, 25x80 feet, erected by
himself in 1887. His stock of gas fixtures,
globes, etc., is the finest in the city. He
makes a specialty of electric bell work, keeping
on hand all the supplies used in that
apparatus in his residence to a hot water plant, being satisfied that it is a better
and more economical methods of heating. He has taken out several patents on
inventions of his own by which the heat can be regulated and controlled so that a
uniform temperature is automatically maintained at all times, thus securing greater
comfort and less consumption of fuel. He has a large country trade and any
orders sent to him are filled promptly and at reasonable prices.

THE NATIONALELEVATO COMPANY has warehouses and elevators throughout
Minnesota and Dakota. This company buys grain and deals in coal. It owns
thirty-five warehouses and elevators, most of which are new. About fifty men
are employed. The company was organized in 1884 and incorporated this year
with a capital stock of $500,000. The business at present foots up $2,500,000
annually and is constantly increasing. The officers are: S. Y. Hyde, of Hodges
& Hyde, president; L. F. Hodges, of the same firm, vice-president; H. J. O'Neill,
secretary; M. McCormick, manager. Mr. Hyde resides at La Crosse and Mr.
O'Neill at Winona, Mr. Hodges is a resident of Milwaukee and Mr. McCormick
of Minneapolis, where the grain bought by the firm is principally sold.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 67

HODGES & HYDE, Dealers in Grain and Produce, rooms 1 and 2 Batavian
Bank building, have been in business since 1880. Their business is done principally
along the line of the Southern Minnesota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee
& St. Paul Railway. They buy direct from the farmers of this fertile district,
having some fifty-one warehouses and elevators. At La Crosse they have an
elevator and cleaning-house with a capacity of 125,000 bushels. A hundred
hands are employed by the firm. Their business annually amounts to $2,500,000.
Most of the grain they buy is shipped to eastern points. Mr. Hodges looks after
the interests of the firm in Milwaukee. Mr. Hyde has for some fourteen years
lived in La Crosse, coming here from St. Charles, Minnesota. He is a director of
the Batavian Bank and a large owner of city real estate. This firm is known as
one of the most reliable in the Northwest.

D. R. BLANCHARD, No. 118 North Front street, commission merchant and
dealer in produce, has been six years in the business. He commands a large
patronage by reason of his trustworthiness
and shrewdness in placing the goods he
handles where they will bring the highest
prices. He secures the finest butter and eggs
from the country merchants, who gather them
in the fertile regions tributary to La Crosse.
He also has a cold storage warehouse. Mr.
Blanchard is a native of Maine, where he
was for some years in the s a m e business.
During his six years of residence here
he has been successful in business and
acquired an enviable reputation for fair
dealing and caring for the interests of his customers.

GEO. ZEISLER'S BREWERY, 718 North Third street, was established by
Zeisler & Nagel, in 1867. Two years later Mr. Zeisler became sole proprietor.
He is one of the old residents of the city having come here in 1856 from
Easton, Pennsylvania. Like so many of the most industrious and substantial
citizens of La Crosse he is German by birth. The products of this brewery are
noted for their purity and on this account are very popular among the Germans
of this locality, a ready sale being found in La Crosse and vicinity for the entire
brewing. Associated with Mr. Zeisler are his two sons, Leonard and George.
The former is superintendent of the brewery and the latter business manager.
Both are young men of excellent capacity and energy, devoting their whole time
to furthering the interests of their business. Mr. George Zeisler, senior, has the
confidence of the people, having acquired it by his straight-forward and
scrupulously honest methods of doing business. He was alderman for some time
and now one of his sons fills the same responsible position.

68 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

GEORGE B. MCCLELLAND, Photographer, has his studio 125 and 127 South
Fourth street. He came here from Red Wing in 1884 where he had been
engaged in the same business. His work as a photographer is not surpassed in
the city and consequently his patronage is very large. His gallery is equipped
with the best and most improved cameras and he is careful to keep himself well
informed as to the new methods of the business. He has new scenery in porcelain
which has lately become very fashionable and as good facilities as can be procured
for doing fine work. Mr. McClelland also maintains a prompt messenger service
for the delivery of packages, parcels, etc., and the distribution of pamphlets, bills,
etc., which is largely patronized by the public. The telephone call is 206. His
success in what he has undertaken is to be attributed to conscientious endeavors
to please the public.

S. GANTERT, Furniture, 110-112 S. South St., established his present business
in 1863, the firm then being Gantert & Swartz. Ten years later Mr. Swartz
withdrew and since then Mr. Gantert has been conducting the business alone. It
is one of the best known retail houses of La Crosse and has the reputation of
carrying the best stock of any store in the
city handling the same kind of goods.
Complete lines of all the best makes of
furniture, and the finest Brussels, Wilton,
Axminster carpets and imported rugs are
to be seen in this establishment. Mr.
Gantert has been in La Crosse since 1857.
He came from New York but is a German
by birth. I-e is well qualified to success
prosecute his business, having been a
wood-turner and carver previous to his
emigration to America. During his residence
in this country he has also had
valuable experience and few men are more thoroughly acquainted with the needs
of their trade than he or more skillful in catering to it. During his long career
he has been honored by being made alderman of his ward several times, but of
late years has had time for nothing but business. He is a stockholder in the
Batavian Bank and is universally esteemed as a man of sound judgment and
more than ordinary business ability.

THE LA CROSSE CRACKER COMPANY succeeded Geo. Koenig, who began
baking crackers and fancy cakes in 1884. The capital stock of the company is
$25,000. Besides their own manufactures they handle a large and well selected
line of confectionery. The products of the company's bakeries are popular and
familiar in many households of the Northwest, being sold largely in Minnesota,
Dakota and Iowa, as well as in Wisconsin. Four salesmen travel in the
interest of the company and twenty-five hands are employed at the factory. Their
building is at No. 206 and 208 South Front street. It is 60x100 feet, two stories,
and the basement furnished with that machinery best adapted for the production of

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 69

the finest grades of crackers and fancy cakes. It is the purpose of the company
at an early date to manufacture confections on a large scale. The president of
the company, Mr. J. Geo. Koenig was formerly a resident of St. Joe, Mo, where
he was in the same business. He removed here in 1883 and embarked in his
present enterprise, the success of which is due to his careful business methods
and practical knowledge. The vice president, Mr. Henry A. Salzer, is an old
resident of La Crosse. He is largely interested in the seed business and also in
lumber. His years of business qualify him well for his duties in connection with
the Cracker company. Mr. Geo. Dabold fills the responsible offices of secretary
and treasurer of the company. Under his careful and efficient management the
financial affairs of the company have prospered in a marked degree.

THE W. A. ROOSEVELT COMPANY, 122 South Front street, was incorporated
in 1888 with a capital of $50,000 to succeed W. A. Roosevelt. They are wholesalers
of wrought iron pipe and fittings, brass goods and engine trimmings,
pumps and mill supplies. They are contractors for steam and hot water heating
apparatus. The business was established twenty years ago by Mr. Roosevelt
and during that period increased to such an extent as to necessitate a stock
company to prosecute it properly. The company's goods are bought largely by
plumbers, engine builders and millers, throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota
and Dakota, an agent being employed to travel for the convenience of its
customers and the welfare of its own interests. From ten to fifteen men are
employed in the establishment, which stands high among the reliable business
firms of the city. The company pays special attention to steam and hot
water heating apparatus. How to keep residences and business houses sufficiently
heated in this severe climate with a minimum consumption of fuel, is an
important problem to property owners; but wherever the Roosevelt company has
furnished the apparatus, it seems to have been most satisfactorily solved. Mr.
W. A. Roosevelt is president and treasurer of the company. His long
experience in the business fits him eminently for the performance of his duties.
He has resided here since 1855 and during that long period has been a useful
and prominent citizen. The vice president, Mr. James McCord, during his years
of business life here has managed a large wholesale drug business. His counsels
are highly esteemed in business circles. Mr. Andrew Rice, the secretary, has for
sixteen years been a resident of La Crosse. He is an efficient, active and careful
business man, admired for his ability. The superintendent, Mr. C. A. Krebaum,
has an extensive practical knowledge of the business and is in every way fitted
to fill the position with advantage to the company.

THE J. W. TOMS CHINA Co., 212 Main street, as the name indicates handle
china, pottery and porcelain. This house was established in 1865, by J. W.
Toms & Co., and thus continued until very recently, when the present title was
assumed. During its twenty-three years of existence this house has built up a
large and lucrative trade extending over Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota. Its
customers trust and rely upon it because they never have had reason to regret

70 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

any of their transactions with it. The retail business is one of the most
important in the city. Mr. Toms, by whose energy and ability the affairs of the
company are so successfully directed, came to La Crosse in 1865, from East
Saginaw, Michigan, where he was engaged in general merchandising. His enterprise
and sagacity have placed him in the forefront of the city's business men and
secured for him the respect of his associates.

HANSEN & SEIELSTAD, Wholesale Grocers, Headquarters Block, North
Second street, in 1885 succeeded to the business which was established in I860
by C. B. Solberg. The house, though young, ranks high among the responsible
firms of the city and commands the confidence of its patrons in an unusual
degree. They have two salesmen traveling in Wisconsin, Minnesota and
Northern Iowa, where their business is principally done. Their goods are the
best that can be secured in the market and their customers pay no higher price
than is necessary to secure a fair return for the capital the firm has invested. Mr.
O. Hansen came to the city thirteen years ago from Vernon county. Mr. Seielstad
was for some years with Davis & Medary and for a while was in business in
Dakota. Both these gentlmen have made for themselves honorable names in
business circles and are generally respected for their worth. Under their
guidance this long established business is assured a prosperous career during the
future.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 71

HON. D. FRANK POWELL, M. D., also known to the public as "White Beaver,"
occupies a high position in La Crosse, both as a citizen and as a professional man.
His career has much of the charm of a romance from the fact that he spent
many years among the Indians from whom he received the name of "White
Beaver." He received his medical education at Louisville, Ky., Medical College
where he graduated with the highest honors given to any member of his class.
For some time he was Assistant Demonstrator of Anatomy at the Kentucky
School of Medicine of which he is also a gradute. Later he became a post
surgeon in the U. S. Regular Army. In 1881 he removed to La Crosse and
engaged in the practice of medicine. His superior talents and great professional
skill at once gained for him a large practice and it has increased until it is
now second to none enjoyed by any' physician in the Northwest. His proprietary
medicines, "White Beaver's Cough Cream," and "Wonder Worker" have a
national reputation, their sale being nearly $50,000 annually. Associated with
him in this business is Hon. Win. F. Cody. In 1888 Dr. Powell became president
of the White Beaver Medical and Surgical Institute of which Jno. M.
Preissler, M. D., is vice president, and Burton F. Weston, secretary. The
patronage of this institute, which occupies the upper floors of the three story
building, corner Main and Second street; is large because of the eminent standing
of Dr. Powell, who gives personal attention to all cases treated. Owing to
his kindly and generous feelings towards his fellow men, Dr. Powell is very
popular, as is attested by his triumphant election to the mayoralty of the city
twice as an independent candidate. In this position he discharged his duties
faithfully and in such a way as to win the further confidence of the people.

D. FRANK POWELL, M. D.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

H. GODDARD, Manufacturer of Lumber, has his office on the corner of Clinton
and Rose streets, North La Crosse. His mill at Campbell, Wisconsin, is 32xI20
feet and has a cut of 6000,000 feet annually. The saws are driven by a 100-
horse power engine. Connected with this is a lath and shingle mill of large
capacity. Mr. Goddard has a yard at North La Crosse along the Black river from
which he distributes most of the products of his mills. In his employ are thirty-five
men. He began business in 1865-66 and each year has witnessed a large
increase in his sales. His trade is principally along the Mississippi river. To
men of Mr. Goddard's enterprise and push is due the growth and progress of
North La Crosse. He has resided here since 1857 and is greatly esteemed by
the community. Massachusetts is his native state. At Grand Crossing he has a
large farm of 450 acres.

A. S. TROW & COMPANY, manufacturers and dealers in Lumber, Lath and
Shingles, began business in 1882. Their large mills are at North La Crosse,
along the Black River. They are a saw mill 36x144 feet, with shingle mill
30x30 attached, an engine room 30x50, a planing mill 30x60, with fire proof
engine house 22x30. These mills are equipped with the best machinery that can
be procured. Power is supplied by a 200-horse-power engine for the saw mill
and shingle mill, and the machinery of the planing mill is driven by a 6o-horse
power engine. The planing mill is a new enterprise with the firm and has not
yet been in operation. The saw mill cuts 75,000 feet of lumber per day, the
shingle mill 60,000 shingles, the lath mill 20,000 lath. The firm also does a large
logging business in the Black River district, cutting 10,500,000 feet of timber
annually. They last year produced 7,427,000 shingles and 3,700,000 lath. From
seventy-five to two hundred hands are employed, the number varying with the
season of the year. The interests of the firm here are in charge of Messrs. J.
Trow and S. J. Waite, Mr. A. S. Trow being a resident of Merillan, Wisconsin.
This firm is second to none in La Crosse in enterprise and the success they have
attained is in every way well deserved.

E. B. MAGILL'S BUILDING, NORTH LA CROSSE.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 73

WM. STENZ, Manufacturer of Wagons, Sleighs, etc., has his shop on Third
street between Badger and Pine. In addition to manufacturing he carries on
blacksmithing, horseshoeing and general repair work very extensively. The work
turned out at this establishment bears the stamp of the skilled laborer and is
valued for its substantial character. Mr. Stenz has had long experience in this
business during his twenty years' residence in La Crosse. He is well qualified to
manage an establishment of this sort as his large patronage shows. Besides his
own goods he carries a large and well-selected stock of eastern made sleighs.

JAMES A. TRANE, Plumbing, Steam and Hot Water Heaters, 115 Pearl street,
began business three years ago, after having had fourteen years of practical
experience at the business with Mr. W. A. Roosevelt.
He is prepared to give estimates on all kinds of
plumbing and makes a specialty of putting in hot
water heating apparatus. He keeps a large and complete
stock of engineers' supplies, wrought iron and
lead pipes, rubber hose, gas fixtures, etc., not surpassed
by any in the city. Mr. Trane is prepared to
do plumbing and gas fitting at short notice. His
care to give satisfaction and his practical knowledge
of all the details of the trade have made his business
profitable and promoted its rapid increase.

THE VELVETEEN SOAP WORKS, South Front street, Arrington & Chambers,
proprietors, is a recently established industry of the city, which is rapidly growing
into prominence. Two brands of soap are manufactured, "Velveteen" and
"Bismarck," which are unequalled by any in the market. The former is a fine
toilet, as well as laundry soap, and the latter is for laundry use. They make the
soap by a new process, which retains all the glycerine contained in the materials
used in the soap and makes it a much more effective agent in cleansing. The
Little Giant Soap machine which they use is a wonder in its line. At present they
are making with it two thousand pounds per day. When running to its
full capacity two hundred pounds can be made in twenty minutes. Messrs.
Arrington and Chambers have the exclusive sale of this machine in the state of
Wisconsin, having purchased the right from the patentee. It is their intention
to put plants in all cities of the state which will be disposed of to persons wishing
to engage in the business. The unprecedented sale of their products in this city
in itself is a convincing argument that these works turn out a superior quality of
soap. The city is to be congratulated on having secured an industry which at an
early date will grow into importance.

M. KRATCHWIL, Manufacturing Confectioner and Wholesale Dealer in Cigars,
107 South Front street, began business in 1883. Previously he had been in the
same business at Milwaukee for some years. His confections are as good as the
use of the best and purest materials in their manufacture can make them. They

74 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

have a large sale in this section of the country, especially among local dealers.
Two agents represent Mr. Kratchwil on the road. In addition to confectionery
he handles a large and complete line of cigars, making a specialty of fine nickel
goods. He also does a jobbing business in nuts and cider By observing careful
business methods he has secured a large and increasing trade and the entire
confidence of his associates and customers.

THE SAW MILL OF N. B. HOLWAY, North La Crosse, is one of the most
substantially constructed of any along the river and is also one of the largest.
Soon after its establishment in 1876 it was destroyed by fire. In rebuilding Mr.
Holway used fire proof materials very liberally and now the danger of its
being destroyed in that way is less than formerly Iron doors cut off one part
from the other and water pipes are laid throughout. The cut of the mill is fifteen
million feet annually. Nearly the whole of it is rafted to points below along the
river. The appliances for taking the logs from the river to the mill and handling
them are not excelled by those of any other establishment. All the machinery
used is the best and most improved pattern, the management not
sparing any expense in fitting up the mill. Power is furnished by four engines of
400 horse power. Mr. Holway is a live and energetic business man and by hard
work has attained the position he now holds among the lumber dealers along the
Mississippi.

C. L. MUELLER came from Iowa to La Crosse in I879 and established his
barrel factory on its present site, North Front street, opposite the Milwaukee
depot. By giving the business all his time and attention he has secured a large
and lucrative trade from the home millers. His factory is 28x100 feet, fitted
with the newest and best barrel machinery to be had in the country, which is
driven by an engine, located in a separate building 20x28 feet. Thirty men are
employed in the factory, turning out eight hundred barrels per day and it has a
capacity of 1200. For a storage warehouse Mr. Mueller has erected a building
30x90 feet. All the barrels made are sold to La Crosse millers. The stock used
in the manufacture is purchased in Michigan and Wisconsin. It is such industries
as this that conduce so much to the prosperity of La Crosse They are not large
but there are great numbers of them and in each the business is under the
personal direction of the owner.

N. HA.RTER, Book Binder and Blank Book Maker, has been in business
since 1882. Being thoroughly versed in all the details of the craft the work
turned out by him is of a superior character and his reputation is far more than
local. His establishment is equipped with the most improved machinery and he
has every facility for doing work well and rapidly. His is the only establishment
of the kind of any consequence in the city and therefore the trade is very large.
Mr. Haerter has resided here since 1862, coming from Milwaukee where he had
been engaged in journalism. Mr. Haerter's specialty is a blank book which is
manufactured under Hoffman's patent, being an arrangement by which the
book remains flat open at any page.

N. B. HOWAY'S SAW MILL AND LUMBER YARD.

76 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

USHER'S ADDITION, near Sixteenth and Denton streets, in the Southwestern
part of the city, is one of the most desirable yet made to La Crosse. It is convenient
to the new glass works and already there are a number of houses built on
it and more will soon be erected. The city is built up to this addition, a circumstance
making the lots still more valuable. Easy terms are given to purchasers,
especially to those wishing to erect residences. The owner, Mr. Ellis B. Usher,
of the Chronicle, is desirous of giving workingmen every opportunity to secure
homes. This addition is controlled by S. T. Smith's Sons, the well known real
estate agents.

S. MARTINDALE, Insurance, Real Estate and Loans, Opera House block, is
one of the oldest residents of La Crosse and one of her most trusted and influential
business men. He has successfully managed many real estate operations of
magnitude, and any business in this line which may be entrusted to him is certain
to receive immediate and careful attention. Among the fire insurance companies
which he represents are the North British and Mercantile Insurance Co., of London
and Edinburgh; Imperial Fire Insurance Co., of London; Royal Insurance Co.,
of Liverpool; Northern Insurance Co., of London; German American, of New
York; American Central, of St. Louis; Northwestern National, of Milwaukee
and Trans-Atlantic Fire Insurance Co., of Hamburg, Germany. These are as
strong and as safe as any companies doing business in this section. He is also
the local representative of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Milwaukee;
the most popular on account of giving the best results on similar policies.

W. J. HICKISCH, Insurance and Loans, 321 Main street, represents a
number of well managed and reliable insurance companies, among which the
following are the more prominent: The Buffalo German Insurance Co., of
Buffalo, N. Y.; the Williamsburgh City Fire Insurance Co., N. Y.; the Michigan
Fire and Marine Insurance Co., of Detroit, Mich.; the Rochester German, of
Rochester, N. Y.; the Farmers, of York, Pa. The statements of all these companies
show a very handsome excess of assets over liabilities and the public is
fortunate in being able to insure in them. Mr. Hickisch is in every way a competent
and trusted agent, and worthily holds the patronge so liberally accorded to
him. As a loan agent he likewise does a large business. He can refer to any
banking house in the city. Having grown up in this community, he enjoys the
acquaintance of every business man in the city.

THE LA CROSSE FUEL COMPANY was incorporated in 1886 with a capital
stock of $25,000. The office is at the Chicago & Northwestern depot. The
sheds along the Northwestern tracks have a storage capacity of 5000 tons of
coal. This company also handles coke and salt. The retail trade in the city is
large and quite a wholesale trade is done in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota.
Some half dozen men are employed to deliver fuel to local patrons. The superintendent
of the company is Mr. Wm. Lohmiller. He has been with the Chicago
& Northwestern road for some seventeen years, both here and at Sparta. The
other officers are W. L. Crosby, president; I. N. Perry, treasurer.

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 77

I. H. MOULTON, dealer in Hard and Soft Coal and Salt has his office
at the freight depot of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway.
Beginning business in 1869, he has since held a leading position among the fuel
dealers of the city. His sheds, which are situated near the St. Paul depot, have a
storage capacity of a thousand tons. Besides retailing large quantities of coal
in La Crosse, Captain Moulton wholesales a great deal to warehouse men along
the Southern Minnesota road and has a large wholesale trade in salt, both in the
city and in surrounding towns. He has been in business since 1869, at which
date he became agent of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road. From 1858
to 1869 he was on the river, being captain of one of the large passenger
steamboats running between St. Louis and St. Paul. He is a man respected not
only for his sterling business qualities but for those social traits of character
which are unfortunately not often found combined with great business ability.

GILE & GOODLAND, Pork Packers, have their establishment on North Third
street. They occupy two buildings, one 25x100 feet, one story in height, and the
other 40x80 feet, two stories in height. They give employment to sixteen men
and handle from five to six thousand hogs a year. The trade of this firm extends
throughout the Northwest and is constantly increasing as the excellence of the
meat packed by them becomes better known. The enterprise was established in
1870 by Langdon, Goodland & Co., Mr. Gile becoming a partner in 1878 the firm
then assuming its present title. Mr. Gile is prominent in financial circles, being
director of the Batavian Bank and a stockholder in the Linseed Oil Co. He is a
large owner of real estate and does a large logging and lumber business on the
Black river. He has resided here some thirty years, being originally from the
state of New York. Mr. Goodland has been twenty years a resident of La Crosse,
coming here from Milwaukee where he was engaged in the packing business.
His long experience has made him thoroughly familiar with it in every detail
so he has followed it with marked success.

THE LA CROSSE THEATRE COMPANY, lately incorporated, is comprised of some
of the most public-spirited and progressive business men in the city. The officers
are J. W. Losey, Esq., president; L. F. Easton, secretary, and in addition to these
two, J. J. Hogan, F. A. Copeland, G. C. Hixon and W. W. Cargill are directors.
all of them being well known and respected business men. The capital stock is
$40,000, most of which has been invested in the new building, which is now
nearly completed. The location on Fifth street, between Main and Jay, is one of
the most desirable that could have been procured. The materials used are such
as to make it entirely fire-proof and the parquet being on the ground floor makes
the danger of anyone being hurt in a panic very slight. The stage is exceptionally
large, being modeled after the finest theatres in the country. The seating
capacity is 1,800. The decorations of the interior and the stage scenery and drop
curtain will be second to none in the Northwest. The company deserves the
praise of the public for their liberality in thus furnishing the city with another
place of amusement which will doubtless bring to La Crosse the finest troupes
that travel in this part of the country.

78 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

MARSTON & Co., Wholesale Grocers, occupy a large and conveniently
arranged three-story building Nos. 125 and 127 North Front street. The members
of the firm, Daniel Marston and Daniel W. Marston, are from Phillips, Maine,
where they were in general merchandising. They established the present business
in 1870. It is now under the management of D. W. Marston, Mr. Daniel Marston
having retired to live at Phillips in his old days. The firm does business in
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Dakota, and sells more goods to La Crosse
retailers than any other firm in the city. Four salesmen are on the road in its
interests, who cover their territory every fifteen days. Messrs. Marston's enterprise
and ability, together with diligent attention to business have borne fruit in
the form of a large and constantly increasing trade. By handling the best line of
goods and selling them as low as a fair return upon their invested capital will
allow, and taking special care that their wares are as good or better than they are
represented, the firm have secured the confidence of their customers to a marked
degree. It is some time since the elder Marston retired and since then his son
has conducted the business on the same high-toned principles and with the same
push and ability that have been characteristic of the firm since its establishment.

THE LA CROSSE BREWERY, C. & J. Michel, proprietors, is at 727 South Third
street. The plant is one of the best equipped in the Northwest and the proprietors,
by reason of the practical and scientific knowledge of the details of the business
conduct it in such a way as to make their products famed in all parts of the
country. They pay special attention to the production of a drink entirely free
from any adulteration whatever, using nothing in brewing but barley malt and
hops. No brands are more popular with local consumers of this healthful beverage
than those of this firm, and all through the Northwest their products are famed
for their unequaled purity. Messrs. Michel began business in 1856 and have
rebuilt and added to their original plant until it now is of immense proportions
and quite important in its relations to the industrial standing of the city. The
proprietors are to be congratulated on the honorable name they have made for
themselves as business men and upon having one of the finest breweries in the
Northwest.

THE LA CROSSE CITY RAILWAY COMPANY was incorporated in 1885. It
was formed by the consolidation of the La Crosse Street Railway Co., organized
in 1878, running from Third and Main to North La Crosse, and the City Railway
Co., organized in 1881, whose tracks ran from Fourth and Main to Green Bay
depot. Each of these companies controlled two miles of track at the time of
consolidation. Since that time three miles more have been built in the eastern
part of the city and on the North Side. Now all residents of La Crosse can
reach any part of it by car in a very short space of time. Further extension of
the system will be necessary at an early date, since the residence portion of the
city is rapidly extending. The track of this company is smooth and the splendid
horses used enable the cars to make quick time. The Johnson Patent Girdle
street rail is now acknowledged the best in the market. The equipment is in
every way complete consisting of nineteen cars and seventy-eight horses. The

C. &J. MICHEL BREWING COMPANY.

80 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

company do their own repairing and shoing, etc. Some thirty men are constantly
employed. Commodious barns and sheds are at each terminius of the line. The
capital stock of the company is $200,000. The officers are the following: B. E.
Edwards, president; Geo. F. Gund, vice president; J. T. Daggett, secretary;
Fred. Tillman, treasurer; Geo. F. Gund, W. W. Cargill, B. E. Edwards, directors.

M. E. TUTEUR, Wholesale Cigars, 328 Main street, began business in 1886,
and in the short space of two years has secured a foremost position among the
jobbing houses in this city and throughout the west. The firm is ably represented
on the road, having two live and popular salesmen traveling constantly
through Iowa, Minnesota, Dakota and Wisconsin. The popularity of his brands
of cigars are warranting mail orders from Colorado and Nebraska. Mr. Tuteur
handles the largest and best assorted stock of imported and domestic cigars in this
city, having close communication and the best of facilities with the largest cigar
houses and factories of the world. Mr. Tuteur has gained his honorable position
in commercial circles by his close and strict attention to the wants of his
customers. The large and increasing trade is but a just reward for diligence and
enterprise.

THE ISLAND MILL LUMBER COMPANY has its Mills at Onalaska but it is still
a La Crosse enterprise, being controlled by La Crosse business men and having
an office at No. 116 North Third street, in the Gile building. This company
was established in 1882 and has prospered marvelously from that time until the
present. Its capital stock is $300,000. It employs from 150 to 225 men the
number being greater in winter on account of the logging on Black River, where
the company controls some of the finest timber lands in the state. The saw mill
at Onalaska cuts 17,000,000 feet of lumber annually, most of which is rafted to
points down the Mississippi. The president of the company is Mr. Abner Gile,
an old resident of La Crosse and one of her most public spirited citizens. He is
a member of the firm of Gile & Goodland, pork packers, and prominent in a
number of other enterprises of the city. The secretary is F. G. Tiffany, who is a
clever and competent official. Mr. L. Withee is the superintendent. Sagacious
and prudent management has secured for this company the high position it holds
among the lumber firms of La Crosse.

TRIBUTARY TERRIRIORY.

IN THE FOREGOING Chapters the characteristics of the country in the
vicinity of La Crosse have been mentioned in a general way. In these
concluding pages greater attention will be paid to the details concerning
the region in which the merchants and manufacturers of the city mainly
dispose of their wares. Let us first look at the county of La Crosse. It
is not so large as many others in Wisconsin, there being but eleven towns,
yet the following statistics taken from the assessors' rolls make a very
creditable showing: The county has no less than 6,353 horses, i6,504
cattle, of which 7,536 are milch cows. There are 4,208 sheep and 7,872 hogs.
Wheat occupies 10,020 acres; corn, 15,324; oats, 23,475; barley, 1,620; rye,
5,256; potatoes, 1,702; apples, 229; and hay, 30,054 acres. To the east in
Wisconsin for a considerable distance there is the same rich farming district,
which, as a matter of course, looks to La Crosse as a market and which each
year, owing to the growth of scientific farming, increases its products and will
continue to do so for many years to come. It is essentially a dairy and stock
farming district. Land owners have given up growing grain year after year until
the soil is worn out and now alternate their crops in regular order. This fertile
stretch of country will always insure to La Crosse a bountiful supply of produce
at a reasonable cost, and, at the same time, be a splendid field for the retail trade.

WISCONSIN is 300 miles long and 260 miles wide, and has an area of
56,040 square miles; but it is better comprehended by comparison. It is
larger than New York, or larger than the combined areas of New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware
Maryland and the District of Columbia-eight states and one territory It was
admitted to the Union in I848.

"Forty years after the landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock," says a
recent writer," and ninety-five years after the Spanish had founded St. Agustine,

82 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

the French, pushing from the region of the St. Lawrence valley, along the shores
of the great lakes, had entered Green Bay, a branch of Lake Michigan, where
they found a landlocked harbor a hundred miles long, surpassed in security,
extent and convenience by none in the world. New Jersey was to see her first
settlement four years later; Pennsylvania and Illinois each twenty-two years after.
South Carolina, ten years; Georgia, seventy-three; Ohio, one hundred and
twenty-eight years, and Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Dakota, a
century and a half to two centuries more."

These first inhabitants, and those who came after them to the beginning of
this century, found here a land where "the great forests sheltered innumerable
deer, elk, bear, beaver, fox and other fur bearing animals, where the silver
streams and glistening lakes-mirroring the tall trees, or hiding in their shadows
-were the habitat of incalculable trout, and pike, and pickerel, and other denizens
of the waters, and the abiding place of myriads of wild fowl, and where the prairies
provided sustenance for millions of rabbits, squirrel and game birds." And
although portions of the state are densely populated, large parts of it present
to-day substantially the same conditions, making it a rare field for the sportsman,
and a most delightlul place for those who seek a summer's rest. "The wild and
unconditioned aspect still prevails; the swamp moss holds fresh prints, made by
moccasined feet; wild, curious eyes beneath great antlered heads, peer curiously
from out the stately columned aisles of pine, until, startled by the rush and
screech of steam-for there are railroads here-their owner wheels about, and
with the speed of fright, vanishes, a shadow in the distant shade, seeming to
scarcely touch the earth. Just so the lumbering cub, tumbles from off his perch,
and swiftly disappears in the depths of the primeval forest. Now and then the
hollow rumble of trestle work beneath presages a wide vista on either side of forest
green, lining the sides of a sloping valley or a precipitous ravine, through which
purls and sparkles a stream of amber, alive with the 'speckled beauties' of the
sportsman's heaven. In the secret depth of these ravines are cedar swamps, which
are the winter homes of the timid deer. Congregated in numbers, and kept from
roaming because their sharp hoofs puncture the crust of snow and retard their
progress, they choose some spot whose floor of frozen moss gives sustenance,
while the interlocked evergreen overhead serves as a roof, and as a larder, too,
when in long, stormy, winter days the scanty supply of moss becomes exhausted."

The railroads already described incidentally with the business interests of La
Crosse, penetrate and pass through these Arcadian sections, and among the
illustrations of this work are many depicting the scenery along their lines.
Besides the resident population of the state, "there has come every summer, of
late years, a crowd in quest of pleasure, rest, health or sport, which by its numbers
is fast becomiug a feature of the life of the state." Wisconsin has a reputation as
a summer resort, juat as Florida has for a winter sojourn.

A SOUTHERN CORNER of the state was more rapidly populated than other
portions on account of the lead mines opened there. Though lead still remains
a most important mineral product of the state, many others make a good showing.
Within the last year or two iron has taken the lead. Iron ores are found in large

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 83

quantities and magnetic ores in the Northwest. In the Southwest, Galena limestone
prevails; in the North are handsome Laurentian limestone, or marble, blue,
red, dove-colored, variegated. All these rocks are older than the coal formation,
consequently no coal is found, although petroleum, bitumen, and peat exist.

THE TRADE IN LUMBER had its inception, about the year 1834, in a cargo
that was shipped via the lake from Green Bay to Chicago. It was loaded,
singularly enough, on Devil River and at the mouth of Hell Creek, but this
ominously suggestive nomenclature seems to have been without significance. The
shipment, at all events, was the initiatory step of a business whose rapid strides
have given Wisconsin third rank among the lumber-producing states of the
Union, with a cutting in 1880 of over one billion logs. The product in 1883 was
2,300,000,000 feet and over, representing with lath, shingles, etc. more than
$70,000,000 of market values. About 30,000 men are employed in this business.

"If we turn these facts over in our minds," says the account from which
they are extracted, "what a picture is presented, or, like a kaleidoscope, what a
varied series of pictures. Think of the millions of habitations reared of it; of the
happy homes it shelters; of the vast manufacturing interests housed by it, whereby
the needs of advancing civilization are supplied; of the smiling farms and green
pastures enclosed, of the level highways with upraised ribs of steel and mighty
spans across the chasms of nature, which have lengthened life by shortening
time, until the great world, which spins forever, spins down smoother grooves of
change. Think of the countless blessings and unlimited benefit wrought by the
hand of civilization from this one product. To this we must add the many
others that this young state has produced, to see how soon she has blessed
humanity by her existence, and how erroneously perverted were the first reports
of this region."

FARM PRODUCTS.-The enterprise of her citizens is shown again in the
number of farms. In 1880 there were 15,353,118 acres in farms, of which
9,162,528 acres were improved. The cash value of the land was estimated to be
$367,709,507 and of farming implements and machinery $15,647,196. The total
value of farm productions, including improvements and additions to stock was
$72,779,496; value of orchard products, $3,826,376; the produce of market
gardens, $206,691 ; of forest products, $3,826,376; of all live stock, $46,508,643;
of dairy products, milk, butter and cheese, $60,791,433. In 1885 there were
6,307,836 acres in crops valued at $66,349,399. In I885 the then great crops
were Indian corn, oats and wheat. Of corn there was raised 37,718,394 bushels;
of oats, 43,047,410 bushels; of wheat, 21,033,008 bushels; of barley, 11,505,290
bushels; of rye. 2,075,537 bushels; of buckwheat, 465,443 bushels; of sorghum,
599,032 gallons; of tobacco, 29,594,625 pounds; the wool clip yielded 6,174,527
pounds; 398,132 horses and mules belonged in the state, as well as 1,543,899
cattle, 1,429,I37 sheep, I,I96,200 swine; the latest report of hay is 2,354,835
tons.

DAIRYING is, in Wisconsin, an industry of the first importance. When the
state was first settled, and for many years thereafter, the wheat growing interest

84 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

overshadowed all others in the agriculture of the state, and diversification was
discouraged by an impression that the soil was not adapted to the growing of
timothy and clover, and that Wisconsin would never be much as a dairying
state. But many of the old pioneers have now lived long enough to see the
fallacy of those early opinions, for Wisconsin has already become famous all over
the world for its excellent butter and cheese, and for the immense annual value of
these necessary and wholesome products. A few statistics on this subject will
enlighten people at a distance who know but little of what is transpising in the
Badger State:

The annual product of butter and cheese, as estimated for I887 by W. D.
Hoard, of the Dairyman, a good authority on the subject, is as follows: Butter,
40,000,000 pounds; cheese, 36,000,000 pounds. Total value of the milk products
of the state, $20,000,000. Total capital employed in this production,
$100,000,000, Total number of cows, 650,000, worth $19,500,000, These
estimates are largely based upon the ratio of increase in the two decades, 1860
to 1870 and 1870 to 1880.

Further idea of the magnitude of this business may be obtained by a comparison
with other values. Thus in the year 1887, the United States exported
wheat to the value of $90,700,000. The milk product of Wisconsin alone was
$20,000,000. We imported wool that year to the amount of $16,000,000; of
woolen goods, $45,000,000; cotton goods, $29,000,000. Or, we may compare
the value of the cows in Wisconsin ($19,500,000) with the value of sheep in the
United States, which was in 1885, only $119,900,000. The total value of the output
of coal for that year was $144,000,000; gold, $31,800,000; silver, $51,600,000;
pig iron. $64,700,000; tobacco, $43,00o,ooo. In 1880 the total value of woolen
manufacturing establishments in this country was only $159,000,000, while the
capital invested in the state of Wisconsin alone in the dairying business now
amounts to $100,000,000.

"It would be interesting if we could supplement the above statement of the
value of the dairying business in the state," says the journal which is authority
for these figures, "with some reliable data of the amount of capital invested by
Wisconsin farmers in breeding fine sheep, beef cattle and horses; but those figures
are not now within reach. It is perfectly safe to say, however, that there is
much more money invested in these other branches of industry than there is in
the production of butter, cheese and milk, excluding the worth of the cows; and
that the value of the horses in the state exceeds the value of the cows by many
millions of dollars. At all of the farmers' institutes held in Wisconsin this
winter there was a general complaint that there was little profit in beef-making at
the present prices, except under the most favorable circumstances. The experts
in the live-stock industry in Wisconsin are now generally agreed, that there is
the most profit in raising good horses of the best breeds; that dairying is better
than beef-making, and that either horse-breeding or dairying pays better than
grain-growing."

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 85

IN MANUFACTURES, Wisconsin, considering her age and opportunities, does not
lag behind her sister states. It is estimated, taking the Federal census figures as
a basis, that there are more than 10,000 industrial establishments in Wisconsin
having $100,000,000 capital, employing 80,000 persons, and turning out finished
products worth $200,000,000. The State Gazetteer, issued by the Wisconsin
Central road, thus sums up some further advantages of the Badger State:

"Except as to coal, no state in the Union is better provided with the materials
for an enormous manufacturing business than Wisconsin. Nature gave her in its
stead an abundance of peat and hard wood for fuel; pine, oak, maple, hickory,
cherry, birch, ash and butternut timber for every branch of lumbering, shipbuilding
and woodworking; copper, iron and lead for the furnaces and machine
shops; granite, limestones and sandstones for building and ornamental purposes;
broad prairies for wheat and corn; hills and valleys for sheep and cattle; fine
grazing lands for dairying; white and red clays for brick; pure sand for glassmaking;
an abundance of unsurpassed lime; mines of natural cement; barks
for tanning; three hundred splendid water-powers for driving machinery; Lake
Michigan on the east, Lake Superior on the north, the Mississippi River on the
west, and inland lakes and rivers for transporting products to the markets of
the world. Transportation is provided, besides these natural waterways of the
state, to the extent of over 4,200 miles of railway.

"Some of the water-powers of Wisconsin are prodigious. Those at the outlet
of Lake Winnebago, at Neenah and Menasha, on the Fox River at Appleton,
Kaukauna and Little Chute, and those of the Chippewa River at Eau Claire and
Chippewa Falls, are noted for their immensity. The Fox, in its short course from
Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, falls 170 feet and may be utilized for manufacturing
purposes at no less than a dozen points. Many other places have
improved water-powers, like Janesville, Wausau, Beaver Dam, Watertown, Beloit,
Grand Rapids, Kilbourn City, Jefferson, Waterford, Burlington, Stoughton,
Whitewater, Sheboygan Falls, Big Bull Falls, Little Bull Falls, and so on almost
indefinitely. It is not probable that one hundredth part of the available waterpower
of Wisconsin is utilized, or even improved. Manufacturing in the state is,
therefore, although she has made wonderful strides within the past ten years,
only in its infancy."

OUT OF 1,563,423 people in the state, it is said that 69 per cent are of foreign
birth or parentage, and 49 per cent of German birth or parentage. In 1880 more
than 600,000 of the people of the state were recorded of German extraction,
130,009 Scandinavian, 150,000 of British birth or parentage. This analysis,
however, does not signify any fact prejudicial to the state. To the contrary, the aliens
that have favored the state by settling here, have adapted themselves rapidly and
thoroughly to the institutions which they found here, and have been a vast service
in that very march of improvement which makes the topic for these paragraphs
and for this work. Nearly all of the principal cities of the state were places of
importance before the state was admitted to the Union. Milwaukee was founded
by Solomon Juneau, Byron Kilbourn and George H. Walker, who bought

86 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

the lands upon which that city is now situated, while the place was still
a trading post for the Indians; the village was incorporated in 1836, the
first German colony arriving two years later. Madison began to be considered a
valuable site in 1837. Racine, now a likely manufacturing city, thirty miles south
from Milwaukee and but fifty from Chicago, was first visited by Captain Knapp in
1834, and the village plat was laid out in 1836. The settlement of Kenosha dates
from 1835. Janesville, as its name implies, was first settled in 1836 by Henry
Janes. It has grown rapidly, being now the site of a prosperous cotton mill and
many factories that give excellent returns. In the same year one Thomas Johnson
began a settlement at Watertown, pre-empting two thousand acres of land, onehalf
at each side of the river.

About this same time Sheboygan began its existence. It is to-day a place
of great prosperity. Whitewater, settled in 1839, ranks next in order of time.
It is now a thriving town, chiefly known as the site of State Normal Schools, of
very superior merit. Appleton was founded in 1848. Mr. Amos Lawrence, of
Boston, donated $10,000 toward the establishment of a Methodist University on
the Fox river between Green Bay and Lake Winnebago, and its erection drew
many settlers to the place. Its population consists of a thrifty, energetic people,
and its manufacturing concerns are many and various.

TO THE WEST, across the river, extending back from the high bluffs on the
Minnesota shore, is a farming country vast in its area and magnificent in its
resources. Southern Minnesota is one of the finest farming districts in the world.
Watered by hundreds of brooks, the surface gently undulating so that the drainage
is well nigh perfect, the soil deep and seemingly of inexhaustible richness, some
of it yet being virgin prairie, truly this can be called the farmer's paradise. True
the winters are severe, but the climate is healthy and there is ample time in the
summer to do all necessary farmwork. The snowfall in the winter is heavy, but
this prevents the ground from freezing hard. In the spring the melting snow
and ice quickly sinks into the soil instead of running off on the surface and
making disastrous freshets. The grass springs up quickly and soon fields green
with verdure take the place of the vast expanses of snow and ice which had
accumulated during the winter. Grazing over them are sleek herds of cattle
fattening on the tender grasses. Gentle summer showers and the warm rays of
the sun cause the sown crops to put forth their blades and in the late summer and
autumn the fields as far as the eye can reach are yellowed by the rich hues of the
ripening grain ready to be gathered and garnered. Later still the hum of the
thresher tells that the earth's increase is being made ready to be carried to the
mills, there to be transformed into flour, whence it will be sent thousands of
miles by land and sea to feed the hungry millions of the earth

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 87

OF THE STATES adjoining Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa sustain by far
the most important relations to her commercial interests. The former was
admitted as a state in 1858. The population is largely made up of foreigners,
principally Swedes and Norwegians, who, on the whole, have made excellent
citizens. The population of the state was in 1880, 700,000, It is now considerably
over a million. It is as an agricultural state that Minnesota has gained
prominence, holding a foremost position among the wheat producing states.
There are also lumber tracts, considerable in extent, which are the basis of a
prosperous industry. There are very valuable deposits of iron in the Northeastern
part of the state and granite and other excellent building stones are widely
distributed. Immense tracts of arable land are yet unoccupied, which are an
inviting field for energy and capital. Distributed over the entire state are some
seven thousand small lakes. These, and the streams flowing into them, make it
one of the best watered sections of the country. At Minneapolis the are largest
flouring mills in the world, the Mississippi furnishing a water power of immense
capacity. The climate of the state, like that of other parts of the Northwest, is
cold in winter, but dry and healthy. The summers and autumns are delightful
seasons to spend in the state, especially among the lakes. The people are intelligent
and cultured, supporting splendid public schools and a number of institutions
for the higher education of both sexes. Minnesota is one of the largest states,
having an area of 79,000 square miles. A deep, rich soil, easily broken up and
cultivated, and the convenience of the markets makes it one of the most desirable
portions of the Northwest for a farmer to settle in if he has not the inclination
to venture further west, where the settlements are yet sparse and the comforts of
life few.

IOWA, the northern part of which is very closely connected to La Crosse in its
trade relations, was settled at Dubuque in 1788. The area is 55,000 square
miles. Nearly the whole of the state is prairie and consequently the greater
part of the land is well fitted for agricultural purposes. It is one of the western
states which looks to others, in a great degree, for a supply of timber and a large
part of the cut of the La Crosse mills goes to this section. The northern part has
numerous small lakes, but throughout the state is well watered. Fruits of the
temperate regions flourish here in a degree unsurpassed in any other state. In
stock raising Iowa farmers excel. The population is almost entirely American,
few foreigners having settled within the borders. Emigrants from the older
states and their descendants make up nearly the whole of it. The northern part
of Iowa is easily and conveniently reached from La Crosse by means of a branch
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway, striking west from McGregor and

88 THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS.

reaching the Missouri river at Chamberlain, Dakota. La Crosse merchants and
manufacturers are pushing their interests in this rich section with their usual
enterprise and energy, and are sure to reap a rich harvest from the increased sale
which will follow their efforts, The completion of the projected Canada, La
Crosse & Western Railway will still more closely bind this region to La Grosse
and furnish still greater opportunities for her merchants, lumbermen and
manufacturers.

THESE GREAT wheat fields of the Northwest are one of the wonders
of the country. It is but few years since people left off speaking of Dakota
as a very dreary sort of a country, which would never be of much use for
any purpose whatever. That she would now have a population sufficient to admit
her as two states was scarcely dreamed of. That she should produce more wheat
than any state in the Union was not conceived of even as a remote possibility.
The discovery of the rich mineral deposits in the Black Hills was looked upon as
something which perhaps would make the territory worth owning. This was the
way the country at large thought about Dakota. Now for her is assured a future
greatness second to that of no state. Besides the precious metals the Black Hills
are found to contain the useful metals, and when once the coal there is mined
the price of fuel in the treeless sections of the Northwest must be greatly reduced.
The deposits of tin recently found are rich enough to supply the markets of the
world and make certain that one industry, at least, will be established in
the Northwest which will be second to none in the country in importance. With
plenty of fuel and raw material manufacturing of all kinds must be carried on in
this section so rich and varied in its natural resources, and an empire of unrivaled
richness and magnitude be the glory of the Northwest in the future. Of course
much of this must be dependent on the opening of the several Indian reservations
contiguous to the Black Hills, but though congress after congress has left this
undone there is every prospect of it soon being accomplished in spite of the
senseless dallying of the kid-gloved statesmen whose sickly sentimentality will not
allow them to deal honestly with the white settlers for fear of injuring the poor
Indian.

The relations which La Crosse sustains to Southern Dakota must of necessity
be very close. As mentioned before, two railway systems reach Southern Dakota
by way of La Crosse, making this the nearest point to that district on the Mississippi.
Already the trade of this section with La Crosse is large. Several
lumbermen have branch yards located there and as the railroads extend westward
they, too, will extend their trade. The wholesale houses of La Crosse are each
year selling more and more goods to the merchants of this region, who find that

THE INDUSTRIES OF LA CROSSE, WIS. 89

they can buy just as cheaply here as they can in cities nearer the seaboard.
There is no house of any importance here which does not have its agents visit
Dakota dealers. From this great granary La Crosse millers get their supply of
hard wheat.

ONE OF THE LATEST projects for increasing the importance of La
Crosse as a trade center is the building of a bridge to the Minnesota side
of the Mississippi. The enterprising business men are desirous of further promoting
the ready intercourse between the city and Southern Minnesota and
opening up a new field for the retail trade. The undertaking has received a great
deal of attention from the press and has been discussed fully for some time by
business men. There have been many reasons, pro and con, advanced by the
friends and enemies of the project and there is still likely to be some lively
opposition when the matter comes up before the people for a vote. The president's
approval of the bill permitting the bridge to be built still further simplifies
matters, so now no interference need be expected from the government. Recently
an ordinance was passed by the common council ordering a special election at
which it is to be determined whether the city shall issue bonds to the amount of
$73,000 to aid the building of the bridge. There is every prospect of the city
doing whatever is just and proper to help along a project so intimately connected
with her commercial welfare.

The incorporators are residents of La Crosse and Dubuque, all men of
influence and wealth, who if they are permitted, will push the enterprise to an
early completion. They are the following: La Crosse: Adolf Candrian, Jos.
Tuteur, C. F. Scharpf, Wm. Doerflinger, John C. Smith, John Pamperin, Alex.
McMillan, Geo. F. Gund, John J. Bergoust, Abner Gile, John M. Levy, John
Ulrich. Dubuque: B. J. O'Neill, T. W. Ruete, D. D. Myer, J. McDonald, B. E.
Linehan, F. T. Walker, James Levy, J. B. Glover, J. K. Farley, L. A. Rhomberg.

GENERAL INDEX.

PAGE.
Anderson, Mons, & Sons 50

Banks, The 21
Batavian Bank 21
Black River Improvement Co., The 27
Blanchard, D. R. 67
Brush Electric Light Co. 64
Burns, J. C. 55

Cameron House 59
Canada, La Crosse & Western R. R. 20
Canterbury, J. B. 38
Carl, Gustav 65
Chicago, Burlington & Northern R. R. 19
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway 17
Chicago & Northwestern R. R. 18
City Brewery 46
City Granite & Marble Works 54
City of To-day, The 5
Colman, C. L. 59
Conant, Marshall 35

Dailey, E. C. 54
Davidson Lumber Co. 58
Diamond Jo Line 20
Drummond, D. 58

Edison Light & Power Co. 65
Edwards, B.E. 36
Exchange Bank 25

Funk Steam Boiler & Iron Works 56

Gantert, S. 68
Gile & Goodland 77
Goddard, H. 72
Goddard, H 72
Green Bay, Winona & St. Paul R. R. 19
Gund Brewing Co., John 48

92 GENERAL INDEX.

Haerter, N. 74
Hansen & Seielstad 70
Hickisch, W. J. 76
Hodges & Hyde 67
Hogan, J. J. 41
Holway, N. B. 74

Insurance. 35
International Hotel 55
Introductory 3
Island Mill Lumber Co. 80

James & Co., John 45

Kratchwil, M. 73

L
La Crosse Business College 9
" " City Railway Co 78
" " Cracker Co. 68
" " Fuel Co 76
" " Gas Light Co. 63
" " Linseed Oil Co. 49
" " Lumber Co. 63
" " National Bank 22
" " Plow Works 44
" " Steam Laundry 50
" " Theatre Co. 77
Langdon & Boyd 44
Lienlokken, John 25
Logs and Lumber 27
Loomis, I. G. 62
Lumbermen 41

M
McClelland, Geo. B 68
McDonald Bros.
McMillan, Alex. 26
McMillan & Son 62
Magill Bros. 38
Magill, E. B. 40
Manufactures 29
Manufacturers 41
Manville, M. M 50
Mariner, Geo. E. 58
Marston & Co. 78
Martindale, S. 76
Medary, J. S. 53
Merchants 41
Michel, C. and J. 78
Moulton, I.H 77
Mueller, C.L. 74

GENERAL INDEX. 93

National Elevator Co 66
Nelson & Oyen 60

Paul, John 42
Paul, John 42
Pamperin & Wiggenhorn Cigar Co., The 52
Powell, Dr. D. Frank 71
Powers, W. P. 66
Press, The 15
Public Library, The 12

Real Estate and Insurance 35
Remick, F. A. 36
Richardson & Renggly 65
Richardson & Renggly 65
Rodman, C. W. 62
Roosevelt, W. A. Co., The 69

Salzer, John A. Seed Co. 59
Sawyer & Austin Lumber Co., The 42
Smith, H. B. 39
Smith's Sons, S. T. 36
Spence, T. H. 41
State Bank of La Crosse 24
Stenz, W m. 73
St. Louis and St. Paul Packet Line 20

Techmer, H. C. 47
Three Star Ice & Fuel Co. 47
Tillman Bros. 64
Toms China Co., J. W., 69
Trade Palace 60
Trane, Jas. A, 73
Transportation Facilities 17
Tributary Territory 81
Trow & Co., A. S. 72
Tuteur, M. E. 80

Union National Bank 25
Usher's Addition 76

Velveteen Soap Works 73

Weix, Matt. 48
Wholesale Trade, The 32

Zeisler, Geo 67