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11

and survival. In this sense, land was the
only real wealth (real estate). Choosing a farmstead
was a major decision in the life of a farmer and his
family because the wrong decision could mean ruin.
Selecting a farmstead went beyond Mary Read's observation
when she said in her dissertation that the head
of the family went ahead into the wilderness and picked
out a homesite that "suited his fancy" 19 Suiting
one's fancy may summarize the decision making process,
but the factors considered in arriving at the decision
are necessary in the explanation of settlement patterns.

When listing factors involved in choosing a
farmstead, they can be divided into two categories,
physical and cultural. The physical factors include:
(1) climate, (2) vegetation, (3) topography, (4) soil
type and fertility, and (5) water supply. The cultural
factors are: (1) availability of land at time of set-
tlement, (2) cost of land and taxes, (3) availability
of homestead lands, (4) landuse and type of farming,
(5) location relative to market, (6) local infra-
structure, and (7) ethnicity of settlers already in the
vicinity of the homestead site.

In order to better understand the characteris-
tics of farmsteads immigrants and settlers were seeking,


19 Mary J. Read, "A Population Study of the
Driftless Hill Land During the Pioneer Period, 1832-1860",
(Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Wisconsin,
1941), p. 160.


12

a list of questions frequently asked by prospective
immigrants follows:

1. Are there homsteads available?

2. Is there timber on the land?

3. What is the climate like? Snowy,
foggy, wet or dry?

4. What is the terrain like? Mountain
or valley, prairie or river
bottom?

5. What is the character of the soil?
Loamy, sandy, clay?

6. What grains, grasses or fruits are
raised and in what quantity?

7. What are the prices per acre?

8. How accessible are the markets? 20

The above list of questions gives an indication of the
type of land sought by settlers and does not intend to
cover all questions raised by prospective settlers. A
major question, however, had to do with soils in the
prospective areas of settlement.

Summary

The purpose of the study is to examine the
German-limestone relationship in La Crosse County to
determine if limestone is a real or spurious factor in
explanation of German settlement patterns. The literature
was reviewed to cite examples of historians and



20 List of questions compiled from Hulbert, op.
cit., pp. 206-207; and Kate A. Everest, "How Wisconsin
Came by Its Large German Element", Wisconsin Historical
Collections, Vol. XII, Madison: 1892, p. 332.


13

geographers who recognized or refuted the relationship
in settling the American frontier by Germans. In investigating
the problem, the physical setting of La
Crosse County will be discussed and the cultural milieu
will be examined. The sequence of settlement for the
major ethnic groups who inhabited the county will be
mapped and ethnic settlement will be correlated to soil
type. Finally, the German-limestone factor will be
examined for its significance in explanation of German
settlement patterns in La Crosse County.


CHAPTER II

LA CROSSE COUNTY PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The following quotation is taken from the
preface of Ralph Brown's, historical Geography of the
United States: "The past geography of a region is only
partly told when account has been taken of the cultural
landscape. The picture must be extended to include
the natural setting-land surface, vegetation, soils,
climate-not as we know it today but as it was known
or understood during the period under consideration. 481
With the opening quotation to serve as a guide, the
task of investigating La Crosse County's physical
environment will be undertaken.

Location

La Crosse County is situated in Southwestern
Wisconsin. It covers an area of approximately 481
square miles, consisting of 307,840 acres. The shape
of the county is somewhat irregular due to the fact
that two rivers form parts of its political boundary.
The Black River forms part of the county's northern

21 Ralph H. Brown, Historical Geography of the
United State3 {New York: Harcourt, Brace and World),
1948, p. iii.


15

border, and the more important Mississippi River forms
the western boundary. The counties that border La
Crosse County are Trempealeau and Jackson on the north,
Monroe on the east, and Vernon on the south; Houston
County, Minnesota, is contiguous on the west, but is
separated from La Crosse County by the Mississippi
River (see Map 1).

Topography

The area in which La Crosse County is located
is known by three names: (1) the Western Uplands,
(2) the Driftless Area, and (3) the Coulee Region.
Each term is explained to show it3 role in the physical
makeup of the county.

Western Uplands. The region of the Western
Uplands occupies the region of the western and southwestern part of
Wisconsin. It is a highland region which has been
thoroughly dissected by streams, and somewhat resembles
the plateau region of West Virginia and Kentucky.2 The
average elevation in the uplands is 1300 feet above the
sea level, and maximum local relief for the area is
approximately 700 feet. The greatest single factor of
the topography aside from the upland itself, is the
valley of the Mississippi River which is incised into
the plateau approximately 500 feet below the upland


2 Lawrence Martin, Physical Geography of
Wisconsin (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press), 1965,
pp. 42-43.


16

Map 1


17

ridges (see Plate 1).

Driftless Area. According to Martin, a large
area surrounding and including La Crosse County, extending
into parts of Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa,
was never covered by continental glaciation. The region
which was spared by the ice is known as the Driftless
Area. Because the ice sheet did not override the area,
the landforms are much more angular and are usually
bedrock controlled. The Driftless Area came about
because of three factors: (1) the highland to the north
temporarily protected the area from ice invasion,
(2) the ice lobes to the west and east moved more
rapidly and joined to the south of the area, and
(3) before the northern, eastern, and western lobes
could gain momentum to cover the area, the lobes began
to retreat.3

Coulee Region. The characteristic landform of
La Crosse County is the coulee. It is a deep ravine or
steep--walled valley, carved out by glacial melt waters.4
The early French fur traders first called the valleys
coulees. When topographic maps were drawn for the La
Crosse area, the French term was recorded on the maps
and has remained in use by the present-day inhabitants.


Ibid , p. 86.

4 Dudley Stamp, A Glossary of Geographical Terms
(New York; John Wiley and Sons, Inc.), 1966, p. 134.


18

Plate 1. Aerial view of City of La Crosse and La Crosse County.


19

Bedrock

According to early writers on La Crosse County,
there were two major bedrock formations. The upper
bedrock was known as Lower Magnesian limestone. Underlying
the limestone was a formation known as Potsdam
sandstone (see Plate 2). These two formations were
deposited in horizontal layers when Wisconsin was
covered by an interior sea.6 The bedrock formations
have since been reclassified:

TABLE 1

Bedrock of La Crosse Count7
(Type) (Mean Thickness)
1. Prairie du Chien Dolomite 175 feet
2. Trempealeau Sandstone 120 feet
3. Franconia Sandstone 190 feet
4. Dresbach Sandstone 575 feet
5. Crystalline Basment Complex

A simplified drawing of the disposition of the bedrock
types can be seen in Diagram 1, The various sandstone
deposits are represented by the category entitled Upper
Cambrian sandstone.


5 Benjamin Bryant, Memoirs of La Crosse County
(Madison: Western Historical Association) , 1907, p. 212,
and p. 221.

6 Geology of Wisconsin Survey of 1873-1879,
Vol. I. (Madison: David Atwood), 1882, p. 119.

7 E. J. Weinzierl, Geomorphology of the Mississippi
River Bluffs in the La Cross6 Area (Unpublished
Paper) 1972, p. 1.


20

Plate 2. Outcropping of Potsdam sandstone in northern part of county.


21

Relief

Erosion on the higher elevations and deposition
in the valleys has taken place through long periods of
geologic time. Erosion has cut many deep valleys into
what was once a fairly level plateau and has formed a
dissected upland in the southern part of the county.
This upland is known as St. Joseph's Ridge. Much of
the cutting force was supplied by the glacial melt
water which flowed through the county during the Pleistocene
period 8. It was during this period that the
glacial river Mississippi carved out a gorge nearly
900 feet into the horizontal sedimentary bedrock. The
gorge measures from three to six miles wide at La
Crosse. During the late period of the Pleistocene,
material carried by the Mississippi known as valley
train filled in the gorge to a depth of 400 feet.
During periods of increased water flowage, the Mississippi
carved out terraces that are found on the valley
floor (Plate 3). The characteristic bluffs along the
river were formed during this period. They are a striking
feature of the physical landscape because of their
ability to stand in vertical cuts (Plate 4). In the
northern part of the county, the Black and La Crosse
rivers were able to cut through and remove most of the
more resistant limestone caprock to form an undulating


8 Irene Schmidt, "Unique Geology Was the Shaper
of Area Beauty," La Crosse Tribune, April 15, 1973,
p. 8.


22

Plate 3. Mississippi River Terrace along County Truck XY.


23

Plate 4. Limestone bluff over looking Mississippi River Valley.


24

landscape in the underlying sandstone layers. 9

The relief of the county can be divided into
three categories of slopes. The first category is the
flat initial surface on the limestone uplands in the
southern part of the county. Incised into the upland
plateau are steep-sided valleys or coulees (see Diagram
1). The second slope category consists of the
northern section of the county. The third category
contains the broad relatively flat valley of the La
Crosse River, separating the two areas, running through
the middle of the county. 10 The terraces and floodplain
bounding the county on the west and paralleling
the Mississippi are included in the last category.

Vegetation

Reconstructing the original vegetation of a
region can be a difficult task. A major problem is
that man has made such an impact on the native vegetation
of an area that it no longer resembles the pattern
that existed before man's arrival. This was the case
in La Crosse County. Presently the vegetation is a
mixture of agricultural land on the flat surfaces and
gentle slopes, and dense forest on the steeper slopes


9 Soil Survey of La Crosse County, Wisconsin
(Madison: Wisconsin Geological and Natural History
Survey), 1960, p. 47.

10 Soil Survey of La Crosse County, Wisconsin
(Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture), 1913,
p. 6.


25

Diagram 1
TYPES OF BEDROCK IN LA CROSSE COUNTY


26
and hilltops. It has only been within the last one
hundred years that the hardwood forests of the county
have matured to supply lumber for local logging and
woodworking industries. 11

The first name of La Crosse gives a hint to
what the original vegetation might have been like.
It was first called Prairie La Crosse and was shortened
to La Crosse for postal expediency. 12 The land beneath
the bluffs along the Mississippi River was prairie land.
The sides of the bluffs were also covered by grass in
many cases. Only a sparse forest cover consisting of
oak and red cedar was growing on the steep bluff sides.
This type of vegetation was called "goat prairie" and
can be seen today on some of the south and west-facing
bluffs. 13

Reconstruction of the original vegetation on the
ridges and in the valleys leading away from the Mississippi
is a more difficult problem. Two sources of information
are available: original records kept by surveyors,
and personal accounts of original settlers. As
surveyors plotted and mapped La Crosse and other counties,
they blazed or marked certain trees nearest to the


11 Interview with Dennis Wood, President, Coulee
Region Enterprises, Inc., Bangor, Wis., July 7, 1973.

12 John Gregory, "The City of La Crosse", West
Central Wisconsin: A History, Vol. II (Indianapolis:
S. J. Clark Pub. Co.), 1933, p. 581.

13 John T. Curtis, Vegetation of Wisconsin
(Madison: University of Wisconsin Press), 1959, pp. 63-64.


27

quarter-section coordinates and noted tree species.
When a settler wished to record his land with the
county abstract office, he would use these markers. An
account of vegetation determined by this method is
given in, Geoloqy of Wisconsin, Volume IV. Each township
within the county is discussed including the major
tree species, soil type, and topography. According to
these township descriptions, the most ubiquitous tree
genus was oak, with scrub, burr, black, and white oak
being the major species of oak. 14

There seems to be some disagreement about density
of the oak trees. Finley states that there were
many prairie openings within the oak forest. 15 A popular
term used to describe this type of vegetation was
"oak openings". 16 The term described widely spaced
groves interspersed on grasslands. The trees were
widely enough spaced to make the task of clearing farmland
easier. Curtis categorized this type of vegetation
as "oak savanna" and showed that it covered most
of La Crosse County except for the prairie regions
along the Mississippi River. He also showed the northern
third of the county as having a denser cover of


14 Geology of Wisconsin, Vol. VI (Madison: David
Atwood), 1882, pp. 22-29.

15 Robert W. Finley, Geography of Wisconsin, A
Content Outline (Madison: College Printing and Typing
Co.), 1965, Appendix C, p. 1.

16 H. Russel Austin, The Wisconsin Story (Milwaukee:
Milwaukee Journal Press), 1948, p. 212.


28

hardwood trees. 17 Martin offered several explanations
for the prairie and savanna-type vegetation. Among
them were peculiarities of soil, moisture variation,
variation in local topography, and fire. 8 The steep
slopes and hilltops were forested only after the settlers
put the land to the plow and controlled the
fires. 19

Perhaps the best description of the natural
vegetation was written by the most well-known German
immigrant in America, Carl Schurz. Although Schurz's
letter to his wife in 1855 did not specifically describe
La Crosse County, it is in the same vegetation region
that he was describing. 20

I was astonished at the extent to
which this region is cultivated and with
what energy people have developed the
advantages which the soil offers. Several
miles west of Watertown the woods
cease to be dense and the openings take
the place of the forest. These latter
are great open spaces set with trees,
orchard-like, the soil of which is
mostly without any brush but covered
with lovely turf. The openings of
Wisconsin can best be likened to the
open planted sections which one sees
in the parks of London. Between the
openings, which are crowned by hills,
spread out the succulent meadow lands
often enlivened by island-like patches


17 Curtis, op. cit., map on inside of jacket
cover.

18 Martin, op. cit., p. 139.

19 Wood, loc. cit.

20 Joseph Schafer, Intimate Letters of Carl
Schurz, 1841-1869 (Madison); 1928, pp. 149-150.


29

of woods, but often also like valleys
of small streams extending; for miles
between the highlands. There is here
nothing of the ruggedness which attaches
to almost every American beauty
spot. This type of region repeats
itself in the friendliest variation,
except that the openings become lighter
and the meadow lands more extensive the
father west one goes; until finally at
Columbus the tar-spread prairie land
lies before you. It is astonishing how
very rapidly the building up of the
country proceeds here; indeed, how
rapidly in some neighborhoods even the
log house disappears and the pleasanter
frame house or a pretty stone building
takes its place.

Weather and Climate

According to Keoppen's climate classification
modified by Trewartha, La Crosse County is in the humid
continental climatic zone of the Midwest. The climate
is characterized by warm summers, cold winters, and
moisture throughout the year. 21 In order to better
understand the climate experienced by the settlers, a
discussion of local weather conditions is presented here.

According to the 1911 summary of climatic data
compiled over a thirty-seven year period by the Weather
Bureau at La Crosse, the county showed a mean annual
temperature of 46 degrees (all temperatures in Fahrenheit)
with a maximum of 104 degrees and a minimum of -43
degrees. Although the temperature extremes were seldom


21 Good's World Atlas 13th Ed. (Chicago: Rand
McNally and Co.), 1970, pp. 12-13.


30

reached, winter often brought temperatures below zero,
and hot summer days registered 95 degrees. Winters
were considered severe, and snowfall averaged 40 inches.
22 Annual precipitation averaged 31 inches, and
more than three inches of rain fell during each month
of the growing season. The growing season had a duration
of approximately 140 days, from May 1st to October
1st. Table 2 summarizes the pertinent weather information
for La Crosse County. 23 Martin stated that
summer temperatures were similar to those found in
Germany.24

Soils

As previously mentioned, La Crosse County is
part of the Driftless Area. Because of this, the major
soils are residual except for the alluvial soils recently
deposited in the river valleys leading to the
Mississippi River and the soils in the valley of the
Mississippi.

The development of soils is a complex phenomenon
involving interaction of physical, chemical, and
biological processes. 25 The time required to form soils


22 Soil Survey of La Crosse Wisconsin, 1913, op.
cit., p. 8.

23 Ibid., p. 9

24 Martin, op. cit., pp. 14-15.

25 Oliver S. Owen, Natural Resource Conservation
(New York: Macmillan Co.), 1971, p. 45.


31

TABLE 2

TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION DATA FOR LA CROSSE COUNTY

TEMPERATURE INCHES PRECIPITATION

Mean Max. Min. Mean Min. Max. Snow Depth

JAN 16 57 -43 1.1 .2 1.5 9.6

FEB 19 65 -34 1.1 .4 1.3 8.9

MAR 31 78 -23 1.6 .3 2.0 7.5

APR 48 87 10 2.4 1.9 3.4 1.6

MAY 60 96 29 3.5 .5 5.1 T.

JUN 69 98 33 4.4 1.0 5.8 0

JUL 73 104 46 4.1 1.8 8.9 0

AUG 71 101 39 3.3 2.2 5.0 0

SEP 62 97 24 4.0 4.4 10.9 0

OCT 50 88 6 2.5 1.6 7.6 .2

NOV 34 72 -21 1.2 .8 2.7 4.4

DEC 23 61 -26 1.4 1.3 2.3 7.7


YEAR 46 104 -43 30.9 17.4 45.0 39.9

Source: Soil Survey of La Crosse, Wisconsin, p. 9.


32

depends not only on the intensity of these processes,
but also on the nature of the bedrock. The character
of any soil is determined by vegetative cover, type of
climate, degree of slope, length of period of development,
and the parent material from which the soil is
derived. 26

The relation of a residual soil to its parent
material is very close. Parent material is defined as
decomposed bedrock. As in life, immature soils may be
more closely related to the parent material than a
mature soil, because the mature soil is more greatly
affected by other soil forming factors such as climate,
slope, vegetation, and time. However, most residual
soils are usually immature to the degree that some of
the characteristics of the parent material are still
evident. 27

General Soil Areas in La Crosse Count

For the sake of this study the county has been
divided into five soil areas. These are outlined on
the General Soil Map (see Map 2).28 General soil types
were used in this study because at the time of settlement
soil series did not exist. The procedure for


26 Robert W. Finley, op. cit., p. 74.

27 Ibid.

28 Soil Survey La Crosse County Wisconsin
(Madison: College of Agriculture), Series 1956, No. 7,
p. 49.


33

General Soil Map: La Crosse County
Map 2


34

lumping the related soil series into a general area
was similar to the procedure used by the United States
Department of Agriculture in its most recent soil
survey of La Crosse County. Each area consisted of
related soils that shared similar characteristics. In
most places the soild were related to the bedrock,
that is to say the parent material, and to the nature
of the alluvial material transported and deposited by
running water or wind. 29

Loess. One material added to the soils in certain
areas during the post-glacial period was loess, an
aeolian deposit, usually calcarious and loamy in texture.
30 Loess was deposited as a thin veneer on the
upland and stacked at greater depths against the bluffsides.
Most of the loess has been removed from the
ridgetcps and washed into the valley bottoms to form
part of the alluvial soils. Loess, however, has had
only a minor influence on the soil and is mentioned as
only one soil ingredient. The major influence still
remains bedrock.

Limestone soils. The area of limestone soils
lies south of the La Crosse River on the deeply dissected
uplands made up of ridge and valley type landscape. 31


29 Ibid., pp. 49-51.

30 Sir Dudley Stamp, A Glossary of Geographical
Terms (New York: Wiley and Sons), 1966, p. 299.

31 The discussion of the general soil areas in
La Crosse County is taken from, Soil Survey La Crosse


35

The major upland is known as St. Joseph's Ridge. The
soil is characteristically silty arid ranges in depth
between ten and forty-two inches. The soils in the
narrow valleys are also limestone silts with a sandy
subsoil formed from the underlying sandstone. The
steep-sided escarpments have a thin veneer of lime
soil and are presently covered by forest vegetation.
The general limestone soil area is highly productive,
but erosion deterrents must be used especially on the
steeper slopes. According to the Seventh Approximation
the soil type is classified as Mollisol. 32 Mollisol is
defined as a grassland or brown forest soil developed
on lime-rich parent materials.

Sandstone soils. The sandstone soils are located
in the northern part of the county and have a sandy
texture resulting from development on sandstone formations.
Another characteristic common to the soil in
this area is the low water storing capacity. The topography
varies greatly from steep-sided hills to a
gently rolling landscape. Soil fertility also varies
within the area, and the whole area is generally more
infertile than the limestone area. Because of the
sandy texture of the sub-soil, there is a serious
hazard of water erosion, and gullying is difficult to


County Wisconsin (Madison: College of Agriculture),
Series 1956, No. 7, pp. 49-51.

32 Charles B. Hunt, Geology of Soils (San Francisco:
W. H. Freeman and Company), 1972, p. 181.


36

control. Presently the hilltops and steeper slopes are
in forest vegetation, while the gentle valley slopes
are cultivated (see Plato 5). A large portion of the
sandy soils adjacent to the Black River which forms the
county's northern border are presently planted in forests.
In comparing the sandstone soils area to the
limestone soils area, the sandstone area is lower in
fertility, more drought-prone, and is more easily eroded
than the limestone area. Both areas comprise approximately
one third each of the total county area.

Silt soils of valleys and benches. The third
general area consists of silty soils that are on level
to gently sloping benches in the creek and river valleys
leading to the Mississippi River. The soils are located
in the valleys of Fleming and Mormon creeks and in the
La Crosse River basin. The soil group is characterized
by deep level layers of dark, silty soil. Some of the
soils closest to the creeks and rivers are marshy and
subject to flooding, but, overall, the area is suitable
for agricultural use because of the flatter topography
and less likelihood of erosion.

Sandy soils of the Mississippi River Valle
This general soil area consists of sandy soils on the
level or hummocky sand plain that lies between the wet
river bottoms and the bluffs along the edge of the Mississippi
River Valley. The soils are characteristically
light in color, deep, and sandy. Because soils in


37

Plate 5. View of La Crosse River valley showing cultivated areas and hilltops in forest cover.


38

this area are prone to drought and deflation, and because
of their low fertility, they are severely limited
for agriculture purpose. However, crops can have adequate
yields in years of average rainfall if it is well
distributed throughout the growing season.

Wet bottom lands. This area consists of poorly
drained soils on the bottom lands of the Mississippi
River (see Plate 6). They are usually considered marsh
soils although certain areas have been cropped. The
alluvium has a high water table and is subject to
seasonal flooding. For this reason, the area has little
value for agriculture. In summary, the best soil
area is the limestone. The main drawbacks in this area
are steep slopes and distance from market. The best
locations are on the ridge tops which are comparatively
flat. The second best soils are located in the valleys
of the La Crosse River and Fleming and Mormon creeks.
The soils are relatively fertile, and farmers have easy
access to market. In third place are the sandstone
soils. Because the soil area is in the northern part
of the county, it is farthest from the major market, the
city of La Crosse. In fourth place are the sand terraces
along the Mississippi River. Although there are
certain hazards to farming, such as drought, the distance
to market is the shortest. The poorest soil is
found in the bottom lands adjacent to the Mississippi
River. With proper application of drainage techniques,


39

Plate 6. View of marshes along Mississippi River with farms on terraces in background.


40

some farm sites could be utilized.

Lawrence Martin has made a comparison of the
relative value of limestone and sandstone soils in
glaciated areas and the Driftless Area. 33 The comparison
was made by using crop values per square miles and
the productivity of the soil was expressed in bushels
per acre. The limestone soils out-produced the sandstone
soils in every case both in the glaciated areas
of Wisconsin and in the Driftless Area. Certainly,
soil productivity is a prime factor in selection of a
farmstead. If a settlement group had prior knowledge
or prior experience with limestone soils, they would
have an advantage of selecting lands containing limestone
soils in an area which offered both limestone and
sandstone soils.

Farmer's View of Soil in 1800s

Ralph H. Brown emphasized that the picture of
the environment should be reconstructed to reflect the
knowledge of the time. 34 In order to understand the
farmer's view of soils in the mid-nineteenth century,
an outline of the state of knowledge about soils at the
time of settlement is given here. Knowledge of soils
can be divided into two schools, the European school and


33 Lawrence Martin, op. cit., pp. 139-140.

34 Ralph H. Brown, Historical Geography of the
United States (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World,
Inc.) 1948, p. iii.


41

the American school,

The science of soils has been developed in the
twentieth century. Although research had been done on
the nature of soils before the Civil War, a breakthrough
in understanding soils came in the 1870s in Russia.
The Russian school of soil scientists was developed
under leadership of V. V. Dokuchaev. 35 The Russian
school introduced the theory that different kinds of
soils developed different layers, or horizons, which
resulted from soil-building forces acting on the geologic
materials beneath. Because of the language barrier
and events in Russia, this new knowledge didn't
reach Western Europe and America until 1914, when a
textbook on the subject was published in German by
K. D. Glinka.36

Studies about the nature of soil and how it
operated in supporting plant growth had been carried
out in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
In England, "Turnip" Townsend advocated planting
root crops which aided in the replenishment of soil
fertility. Arthur Young, an English agriculturalist,
devised the following crop rotation in 1792: 37

1. Roots, cabbage, or pulse (peas, beans,
legumes)


35Charles E. Kellogg, "We Seek; We Learn",
Agricultural Yearbook: Soils (1957, U.S.D.A.), p. 7.

36 Ibid., p. 8.

37 Ibide., p. 8.


42

2. Corn (grain)
3. Grasses
4. Corn (grain)

Another Englishman, Jethro Tull, believed that crop
cultivation was the secret to soil fertility. 3

As early as 1635, the Flemish chemist, J. B.
van Helmont thought that water was the principal food
for plants. 39 The French scientist, Antoine Lavoisier,
finally showed that plants used oxygen and that water
only carried minerals from the soil to the plant. Although
incomplete, Lavoisier developed a table of chemical
elements. These were considered nutrients for
plant growth. 40

Lavoisier's work was carried on by another
Frenchman, J. B. Boussingault, an agriculturalist who
conducted field experiments. He attempted to account
for the constituents of plants by analyzing elements in
the plants and in the soil. 41

All this research led to the development of a
theory about soils by Justus von Leibig in 1834. Leibig
theorized that crops diminished or increased in
exact proportion to the loss or increase of the mineral


38Angus McDonald, Early American Soil Conversationalists
(U.S.D.A.: Miscellaneous Publication No.
449), p. 3.

39 Charles E. Kellogg, o. cit., p. 3.
40 Ibid., p. 3.
41 Ibid.


43

substances in the soil. 42 That is, soil was viewed as
a static lifeless storage bin of pulverized rocks which
held water and minerals.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
several Americans were also active in soil investigations.
Since the major problems in American agriculture
were soil exhaustion and erosion, most of the
research was done in these areas. Leading Americans in
soil conservation research were Jared Eliot, Samuel
Dane, John Taylor, Isaac Hill, and Edmond Ruffin 43
These men were proponents of wind and water erosion
control, gully presentation, contour plowing, crop rotation,
and other conservation practices.

Edmond Ruffin was perhaps the most well known
and most widely read of the early soil researchers.
After attending William and Mary College, he began
farming in Virginia in 1813. His main contribution to
soil science was experimentation with mineral fertilizers.
He believed that only a calcareous soil could
effectively resist erosion. Ruffin did not believe
that vegetation necessarily made rich soil, but that
soil infertility was a result of lack of lime in the
soil. Lime not only "cemented" the soil in place, but


42 Ibid.

43 The pamphlet by Angus McDonald, entitled,
Early American Soil Conversationalists, U.S.D.A., Misc.
Publication N. 449, is an excellent summary of the
development of soil conservation in the early history
of America.


44

also made grasses grow more copiously and rapidly, and
liming controlled acidity. 44 Marling was practiced in
Europe at this time but was not widely practiced in
America until after Ruffin's insistence. Although
Ruffin was not as widely read as he hoped he would be,
he reached many farmers through his publication, An
Essay On Calcareous Manures, written in 1852. His book
was probably read by more farmers than any other agricultural
book in the nineteenth century.45

Finally, a scientist contemporary at the time
of settlement of La Crosse County was E. W. Hilgard.
He became well known at the turn of the twentieth century,
but his first major work appeared in 1860. Hilgard's
conclusions paralleled the Russian school of
soils. He believed that soils were not simply storehouses
of minerals, but that they were dynamic. Soils
were formed under unique combinations of climate and
vegetation acting on rock materials produced by weathering. 46
This was the view of soil at the time of set-
tlement in La Crosse County.

Summary

Because the county is part of the Driftless
Area, the landforms are dissimilar from those found in


44 Ibid., pp. 47-48.
45 Ibid.
46 Charles E. Kellogg, op. cit., p. 5.


45

the glaciated eastern portion of Wisconsin. Rather than
a rolling morainic topography characteristic of Eastern
Wisconsin, La Crosse County is much sharper in local
relief which averages six hundred feet from the Mississippi
valley floor to the uplands. The four major elements
of the topography are the flat limestone uplands
in the southern part of the county, the steep-sided
coulees incised into the uplands with bluffs facing the
Mississippi River valley, the rolling hills on sandstone
bedrock in the northern portion of the county, and
the leveler valleys adjacent to the creeks and rivers
which drain the county.

The original vegetation cover was a hardwood
forest together with oak openings and areas of prairie
adjacent to the Mississippi and on the uplands. The
county has a thicker forest cover presently than at the
time of settlement.

The climate is warm to hot in the summers, and
usually adequate precipitation falls throughout the
growing season which is approximately 140 days. The
winter is cold and severe, and usually there is a snow
cover which persists for four months. The summer climate
has been compared to that of Germany.

Because La Crosse County was never covered by
the Wisconsin stage of glaciation, the soils are mainly
residual. The parent material consists of limestone in
the northern part. The river and creek valleys contain


46

alluvial materials and vary in fertility ,depending on
the type of deposits. There are also marshes adjacent
to the Mississippi River and Black River which border
the county on the west and north respectively. The
limestone soils are considered the most fertile and
productive in the county, followed by the alluvial
soils in the La Crosse river valley separating the area
of limestone and sandstone soils.

Extensive work was made in soil conservation in
the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.
It was only in the beginning of the twentieth century
that an understanding of what soils were and how they
operated in plant growth were fully realized; however,
soils at the time of settlement of La Crosse County
were viewed as storage bins of minerals. The minerals
contained in the soils were considered to be dependent
on the type of bedrock underlying them. Because of
Ruffin's work, the role of lime in controlling acidity,
in cementing the soil to reduce soil erosion, and maintaining
fertility was known by farmers.


CHAPTER III

CULTURAL MILIEU

The year 1973 marked the tercentennial of white
man's first exploration of Southwestern Wisconsin when
Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet sighted the Mississippi
River at Prairie du Chien in June 1673. Father
Hennepin and two surveyors from an expedition headed by
La Salle first visited the La Crosse County area. They
recorded the site where the Black and La Crosse rivers
join the Mississippi in 1680. 1 Although there was no
permanent village founded on the site of La Crosse
until a trading post was erected, the Indians used the
area for play and trading with the French. As stated
previously, the area became known by its French name,
Prairie La Crosse. Indians used the stretch of prairie
between the river and the bluffs as a playing field for
a fiercely competitive game that resembled the present
game of La Crosse.

The La Crosse area was made safe for settlement
in 1832 with the successful completion of the Black
Hawk War. An infamous event in American history took


1 County Government - La Crosse (La Crosse:
La Crosse County League of Women Voters, 1965), p. 3.


48

place during the war fifteen miles south of La Crosse
where the Bad Axe River joins the Mississippi. This
was known as the Battle of the Bad Axe. On August 3,
1832, American soldiers on board a gunboat massacred
the Indians as they tried to escape into Iowa while
crossing the Mississippi. 2 After this battle, there
were no more Indian "problems" in La Crosse County.
The government gained title to the lands through dubious
treaties, and the hostile Indians were removed to
other locations.

Founding of the Town of La Crosse

In many cases the development of a town's hinterland
depends on the growth of the town itself. In
order for a city to exist, there must be a surplus of
food to supply the city and a means of transporting the
food to the city.

It was not by accident that Nathan Myrick built
a cabin on Barron's Island in 1841, to carry on trade
with the Winnebago Indians. Myrick was only an eighteen
year old adolescent at the time. 3 As a boy, Myrick had
experience in working in a tannery and a store. He also
had learned something about boats and lumber mills,


2 American Heritage Pictorial Atlas of United
States History (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), pp.
146-147.

3 The early history of La Crosse was taken
mainly from the excellent account found in Albert H.
Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A History of La Crosse,
Wisconsin, 1841-1900, pp. 11-30, and 42-55.


49

because his father was engaged in these enterprises in
New York. The site Myrick chose not only served as a
trading post, but also as a fueling station for steamboats
on the Mississippi. Myrick cut cordwood found on
the islands and sold it to the steamboat captains. In
the following year, Myrick moved his trading operation
to the mainland at the present location of State and
Front streets. The new site was safer from flooding.

An early chapter of La Crosse history was added
by the Mormons. In October of 1844, approximately
twenty Mormon families from Nauvoo, Illinois landed at
La Crosse. They built several cabins in what is now
known as Mormon Coulee, five miles south of Myrick's
trading post. The colony engaged in cutting cordwood
through the winter. When the Mississippi melted in the
spring, the colony mysteriously left the coulee after
setting fire to its log cabins. 4 According to an
account of Lyman Wight who led the group to Mormon
Coulee, the colony became destitute during the winter of
1844-45. Wight decided to relocate the colony in Texas
and abandoned the La Crosse area the evening of March
27, 1845.5

In 1845, the permanent white population of La
Crosse totaled twelve persons. According to the first


4 Albert H. Sanford, "The Mormons of Mormon
Coulee", La Crosse County Historical Sketches No. 6,
pp. 87-88.

5 Ibid., p. 92,


50

census taken in the town of La Crosse in 1353, the population
had risen to 548. The town would continue to
grow in population to become the second largest in Wisconsin.
In 1847, La Crosse County was surveyed and
plotted by Henry Bliss. 6 Wisconsin gained statehood in
1848, and La Crosse was recognized as the official
county seat in 1855. In 1857, the county boundaries
were fixed at their present limits, and included the
townships of Bangor, Barre, Burns, Campbell, Farmington,
Greenfield, Hamilton, Holland, Onalaska, Shelby, Washington,
and the town of La Crosse.

Geographic Factors and the
Development of La Crosse

The first impetus to the growth of La Crosse
was the fur trade. La Crosse might have died as a trading
post, because the fur trade moved west with the
Indians. However, Myrick recognized the site of La
Crosse as having other possibilities. The Black River
pineries provided the second impetus to town and county
growth. Myrick had chosen the confluence of the Mississippi
and La Crosse rivers as the site of La Crosse.
The town not only became an important sawmill center for
the Black River pineries, but also served as a supply
center for the pineries. Equipment and goods were
shipped to La Crosse via river. Here they were


6 Bliss's original surveying records and plat
book are located in the Wisconsin State Historical
Library in Madison, Call No. WHS-GZ902-L14-B.


51

unloaded and transported by land to the Black River
area, a distance of sixty miles. This was the beginning
of La Crosse's role as a major service center for
the surrounding area.

Nathan Myrick was credited with establishing
the first sawmill in the vicinity of La Crosse on the
Black River. 7 The first sawmill was built in La Crosse
in 1852. By the end of the decade, several sawmills
occupied the banks of the Black and Mississippi rivers
from Onalaska to La Crosse. The lumber industry was an
important factor in La Crosse's growth until the early
1900s. It created several jobs, and the capital accumulated
through the sale of lumber supported continued
growth.

The site and situation of La Crosse played an
important role in the growth of the city and county.
The town site was a broad, treeless, sand terrace next
to the Mississippi free from the frequent flooding
which plagued towns along the river. Because the site
was dry, it was comparatively free of malaria. 8 Wells
were easily dug in the sand, and a source of pure drinking
water was found at a depth of fifteen to twenty feet.
Today La Crosse's water supply comes from deep wells


7 John Goadby Gregory, West Central Wisconsin:
A History vol. II (Indianapolis: S. J. Clark Pub., Inc.,
1933), p. 596.

8 The La Crosse Coulee area, however, suffers
from the La Crosse strain of encephalitis which is carried
by the tree mosquito.


52

sunk into the river gravels.

Before the advent of railroads, La Crosse was
dependent on river transportation. The first roads in
the area followed Indian trails and were unimproved.
Overland transportation was arduous but not impossible.
La Crosse was fortunate to have a deep harbor which was
essential for water borne commerce. Because the Mississippi
approached the city from the northwest and turned
south as it passed La Crosse, the harbor was continuously
scoured by the river. 9 This kept the harbor
deep and prevented sandbars from forming (see Plate 1,
Ch. II). The Black River entered the Mississippi as it
turned to the south to flow past La Crosse. Because of
the excellent port facility, availability of factory
sites, and lumber resources, La Crosse became an important
center for the construction of side-wheel
packet ships. As an indication of how busy La Crosse
was as a port, during the first eighteen days of June,
1856, there were 180 arrivals. 10 The packets carried
both freight and prospective settlers to the La Crosse
area.

Another geographic factor that gave impetus to
La Crosse's growth was the rugged landscape of the
Driftless Area. There were only a few places where
rail lines could be extended from Eastern Wisconsin

9 Sanford and Hirshheimer, op. cit., p. 53.

10 Ibid., pp. 129-133.


53

through the driftless area. One of the few access
points to the Mississippi was through the La Crosse
River valley. This was the only point of access between
the Wisconsin River and the St. Croix River.
The access not only enabled settlers to travel with
comparative ease to the La Crosse area, but it also
opened up settlement to Southern Minnesota. La Crosse
became known as the "Gateway City". 1l The first railroad,
the La Crosse and Milwaukee, reached La Crosse on
August 23, 1858, using the La Crosse valley access
route. 12 Now La Crosse was connected by river and rail
to Chicago and Eastern Wisconsin and served as an important
node for Southwest Wisconsin and Southern Minnesota.

Mark Twain made a stop at La Crosse when he was
a pilot on the Mississippi. He recorded his impressions
of the city in his novel entitled Life on the
Mississippi. 13

We passed Prairie du Chien, another
of the Father Marquette's camping-places;
and after some hours of progress through
varied beautiful scenery, reached La
Crosse. Here population, with electriclighted
streets, and also architecturally
fine enough to command respect in
any city. It is a choice town, and we
made satisfactory use of the hour
allowed us, in roaming it over, though


11 Ibid., pp. 53-54.

12 Gregory, op. cit., p. 606.

13 Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi (New York:
Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1874), close of
Chapter LVIII.


54

the weather was rainier than necessary.

In summary, because of La Crosse's site and
situation, the city grew rapidly in its formative
years. The city was a nodal point, and, because it was
a major transportation center with a growing population,
it could support a large population in its hinterland.

Reasons Why Settlers Chose to Locate in
Wisconsin and La Crosse County

To understand the ethnic settlement patterns of
any region in the Midwest, two factors must be considered;
first, the time the territory was opened for
settlement, and secondly, which groups were emigrating
from Europe at that time. By 1840, the frontier had
moved to the eastern part of Wisconsin, and by 1850, it
reached the Mississippi River and La Crosse County.
During this period the Germans were the most active
emigrants from Europe, followed by the Norwegians.
Guy-Harold Smith has suggested that the reason why so
many Germans and Scandinavians settled in Wisconsin and
Minnesota was more historical than geographic. 14 After
1850, other emigrants from Western Europe joined the
migration to America. The Dutch, Bohemians, and French
via Canada joined the British-Irish, Norwegians, and
Germans in Wisconsin and La Crosse County. Also,
throughout the settlement period large numbers of


14 Guy-Harold Smith, "Notes on the Distribution
of the Foreign-Born Scandinavian in Wisconsin in 1905",
Wisconsin Magazine of History, Vol. XIV, p. 422.


55

settlers from New England, New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and Indiana chose Wisconsin as their new home.

Another factor was the location of Wisconsin.
Kate Everest pointed out that of all the northwestern
states, Wisconsin had the advantage of being bounded
on the east and north by the Great Lakes and on the
west by the Mississippi River. 15 During the early
period of settlement water was the major means of
transportation. Wisconsin and La Crosse County were
easily accessible by water. These same water routes
served as lines of communications and transportation of
goods to Eastern markets. Milwaukee developed into a
major port during this period. The completion of the
railroad to Chicago and Milwaukee in the 1850s and to
La Crosse in 1858 further eased the long trek to Wisconsin,
making the state more accessible and desirable.

At the time of the settlement of Wisconsin,
there was political and social unrest in Europe. Wisconsin
was attractive to prospective immigrants because
of its liberal policies toward foreigners. Only one
year of residence was required for voting rights in
Wisconsin. 16 Other states were not as liberal in this
matter. Furthermore Stephenson has pointed out that
Wisconsin was virtually debt free when it joined the


15 Kate Everest, "How Wisconsin Came by its
Large German Element," Wisconsin Historical Collection,
Madison, 1892, pp. 312-313.

16 Ibid., p. 314.

56

union in 1848. Surrounding states had accumulated
heavy debts. Because Wisconsin had no debt, the taxes
were lower than in other states, making the state more
attractive to settlement.17

The price of land was also attractive. Although
government land was sold for $1.25 per acre in other
states as well, the price was attractive. A settler
could purchase eighty acres of land for $100. The
Homestead Act of 1862 made the new territories even
more attractive because the government lands became
free. In June 1853, the United States Land Office was
opened in La Crosse. It was interesting to note that a
German, Theodore Rudolf, was registrar. 18 He also
founded the German newspaper, Der Nordstern in 1856. 19
The land office became so busy that it employed fifteen
clerks to keep up with the recording of new land purchases.

Wisconsin was an early state to establish a
Bureau of Immigration. Active recruitment was important
in directing new settlers to a region. A law
passed in 1852 provided for a commissioner of immigration
to reside in New York City to provide immigrants
with information concerning Wisconsin. Gysbert Van


17 George M. Stephenson, A History of American
Immigration (Boston: Ginn & Co., 1926), p. 49.

18 John Goadby Gregory, loc. cit.

19J. H. A. Lacher, "The German Element in Wisconsin,"
Wisconsin: Its History and Its People, p. 153.


57

Steenwyk of La Crosse was appointed the first Commissioner
of Immigration. He appointed a German assistant,
since the largest ethnic group at the time was
German. The fact that the first commissioner was from
La Crosse must have influenced immigrants to settle in
Wisconsin and especially in the La Crosse area. The
Office of Immigration was abolished in 1875. 21 By this
date, La Crosse County was almost completely settled.

The role of the church, whether Catholic or
Protestant, was important to many of the immigrant
groups.22 Wisconsin was especially appealing to prospective
German Catholic immigrants. 23 In 1844 Milwaukee
became the first archdiocese to have a German archbishop,
Rev. John M. Henni. 24 This was widely publicized
in the Catholic regions of Austria, Bavaria,
Switzerland, and the Rhenish states. La Crosse was
appointed a diocese of Milwaukee in 1868, and a German,
Rev. Michael Heiss, became the first bishop.25 The


20 Kate Everest, op. cit., p. 319.

21 Ibid., p. 328.

22 John Rice, Patterns of Ethnicity in a Minnesota
County 1880-1905, Geographical Reports, 4,
University of Umea, 1973, p. 37.

23 For an excellent discussion of the problems of
ethnicity within the Catholic Church in America in the
nineteenth century, see Colman Barry, The Catholic
Church and German Americans (Milwaukee: Brace Publishing
Company, 1953).

24 J.H.A. Lacher, op. cit., p. 161.

25 The Catholic History of La Crosse, (n. p.,
n.d.), pp. 1-9.


58

order of Franciscan Sisters from Germany founded St.
Rose Convent in La Crosse and taught in the Catholic
parochial schools in the town. The Lutherans also had
their churches and schools. Luther College of Decorah,
Iowa was founded at Halfway Lutheran Church near La
Crosse in 1861, before it moved to its present location.

A person's field of information was a very
important factor not only in helping him decide where
to settle but also in persuading him to emigrate.
Theodore Blegen discussed the importance of "America
Letters" as a major part of the Norwegian information
field.26 These were letters written by the new immigrant
settlers to their relatives, friends, and neighbors
in the various places in Europe. The letters were
a source of first-hand information and set up personal
contacts between the new immigrants and the people left
behind. The letters were often passed from person to
person, copied and recopied to gain a wider circulation.
27 They carried the commoner's report of personal
impressions of the new life. Many times these personal
accounts were more meaningful to the prospective immigrant
than the many books and pamphlets that were circulated
in Europe. The letters contained accounts of


26Theodore Blegen, "America Letters", Paper
read at Sixth International Congress of Historical
Society, Oslo, 16 August 1928, pp. 3-4.

27 Ibid., p. 5


59

the trek, settlement possibilities, life in the new
land including religious, political, and social aspects.
In many cases the "America letters" were the
overriding factor in a prospective immigrant's decision
to emigrate.

Included in the prospective immigrant's information
field were the many books, pocket-maps, pamphlets,
and newspaper advertisements made available to
him in Europe. The publications by Wisconsin and other
states lauded the particular amenities of each state
and supplied valuable information concerning conditions
and opportunities in the state, travel aides, routes,
and where to seek further information.28

Finally, La Crosse offered a variety of job
opportunities. La Crosse was a lumber center and was
becoming a varied manufacturing center. It was also a
major retail, administrative, and transportation center.
Many jobs were available in the construction trades as
the town grew.

Transportation Routes

During the pre-railroad era the major routes to
La Crosse County followed the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers and the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes route increased
in importance with the opening of the Welland


28 Kate Everest, op. cit, p. 329


60

Canal in 1847. 29 Milwaukee was the major city of disembarkation.
From Milwaukee the route to La Crosse was
either overland or by river. Although the river route
via the Rock and Mississippi rivers was longer, it was
less arduous. A compromise route was overland to Sauk
City and from there by boat via the Wisconsin and Mississippi
rivers to La Crosse. The overland route from
Chicago or Milwaukee led through Watertown, Portage,
Mauston, and Sparta. 30 The first route followed an
Indian trail from Mauston to La Crosse. The mode of
transportation was by foot, ox cart, or stagecoach.

The transportation pattern changed with the
arrival of the railroad in La Crosse on August 23,
1858. 31 Now La Crosse was connected directly to New
York by rail. New York became increasingly important
as an immigration port with its new rail link to the
interior. Before this New Orleans rivaled New York as a
major immigrant port because of its advantageous location
on the Mississippi. The opening of the railroad
era led to New Orleans' demise as an immigrant port. 32


29 Mary Read, "A Population Study of the Drift-less
Hill Land During the Pioneer Period 1832-1860",
Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Madison, Wisconsin,
1941, p. 147.

30John Goadby Gregory, op. cit., pp. 594-595.

31 Ibid., p. 604.

32 John Fredrick Nau, German People of New
Orleans 1850-1890, (Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill,
1958), pp. 7-9.


61

The railroads profoundly affected not only transportation
but also settlement patterns as they pushed westward. 33

Upon arrival at La Crosse, immigrants could
take advantage of a camp known as "Castle Garden" if no

one was there to meet them. 34 Castle Garden was an
immigrant camp founded by Charles Solberg and Frederick
Fleisher. It was approximately a block square located
next to the river, and adjoining the Milwaukee Railroad.
This was a convenient location for the new arrivals.
The camp was surrounded by a high board fence and consisted
of a large shed divided into stalls where immigrant
families could reside until they could make more
permanent arrangements. Someone would meet the trains
daily and provide food and medical care for the sick.
Immigrants were also assisted in finding relatives and
work. It is interesting to note that a Norwegian and
German founded the refuge, because the majority of
immigrants arriving in La Crosse consisted of these
ethnic groups.


33 Hildegard Binder Johnson, "The Location of
German Immigrants in the Middle West", Annals of the
AAG, Vol. XLI, March, 195., p. 41.

34 T. S. Wroolie, "An Immigrant's Memories",
La Crosse County Historical Sketches, #6, La Crosse,
Wis., p. 79.


62

Ethnicity

Several nationalities were represented in the
county population. 35 For the purpose of the study,
the nationalities were grouped by ethnicity. According
to Milton Gordon, an ethnic group referred to a
group who shared a feeling of peoplehood (from the
Greek word ethnos, meaning "people"). 36 Fredrick
Barth defined an ethnic group as a population which is
biologically self-perpetuating, shared fundamental
cultural values, made up a field of communication and
interaction, and had a membership which identified
itself, and could be identified by others as consisting
of a category distinguishable from other categories. 37
An ethnic group, as used in this paper, refers to a
group which shares a common language. The major
ethnic groups recognized in La Crosse County were the
British-Irish, Norwegians, Germans, Bohemians, French,
and Dutch. The various nationalities that compose each
ethnic group will be discussed later in the chapter.


35 Wisconsin Summary Census 1905, Population,
pp. 148-151.

36 Milton Gordon, Assimilation in American Life
(New York: Oxford University Press, 964), pp 23-25

37 Fredrick Barth, Ethnic Groups and Boundaries
(Boston: Little, Brown & Co.),1969, pp. 10-11; see
also Jessie Bernard, The Sociology of Community (Glenview,
Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1973), pp.
55-58.


63

Ethnic Settlement Patterns in 1905

In order to get an idea of ethnic patterns of
La Crosse County, a map was constructed using the Standard
Atlas of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, published in
1906. 38 The atlas is a plat book which shows the names
of the farm owners on township plat maps. A list of
surnames was compiled from the census data for La
Crosse County contained in the Wisconsin State Census
for the years 1855, 1865, and 1875, and the ethnic
origin of each was determined. The state of Wisconsin
took its own census on a ten year interval between
1855 and 1905. The census was taken by township and
recorded each member of the household and origin of
birth. Using this information, a map showing the
ethnic settlement patterns in 1905 was constructed
(see Map 3).

The year 1905 was chosen for the compilation of
a pilot ethnic map for the following reasons: (1) 1905
was the earliest date that a complete plat book was
published for the county, (2) 1905 was the last year
that Wisconsin conducted a state census and enumerated
county population by national origin, and (3) by 1905
La Crosse County was almost completely settled. Only
about 760 acres in the sandstone soil area were still
owned by railroads.


38 Standard Atlas of La Crosse County. Wisconsin
1906 (Chicago: George A. Ogle & Co., 1906).


64

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1905
Map 3


65

1905 Summary Census

The Bureau of Census listed twenty-one separate
nationalities residing in La Crosse County in 1905
(see Table 3). Rather than dealing with the cumbersome
groups, only the major nationalities in La Crosse
County were considered here. A most difficult question
was the problem of dealing with the settlers who
had common origins in the British Isles. John Rice
labeled them British-Irish. 3 The group included not
only first generation immigrants from the British
Isles, but also settlers whose families had resided in
the United States for several generations. In La
Crosse County, the British-Irish included Yankees from
New England and the Eastern United States, the Welsh,
and the Irish.

Origins of Yankees have been well-documented by
La Crosse County historians. The author Hamlin
Garland portrayed the plight of the Yankee farmer in
his novels. Garland's own life served as an example
of the Yankees' tribulations as they followed the frontier.
The novel, A Son of the Middle Border, is the
story of Garland's life as a boy in La Crosse County


39 John G. Rice, op. cit., p. 22.

40Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer,
op. cit., pp. 42-50, and Benjamin F. Bryant, Memoirs
of La Crosse County (Madison: Western Historical Assn.,
1907), pp. 237-428 (Biographical).


66

TABLE 3
SUMMARY CENSUS FOR LA CROSSE COUNTY 1905

Total population 42,850
Total native born 33,334
Total foreign born 9,516
Born in Wisconsin 27,056
Born in other states 6,278

Foreign born by country

Austria 197
Belgium 3
Bohemia 457
Canada 384
Denmark 80
England 204
Finland 2
France 26
Germany 3,977
Greece 6
Holland 147
Hungary 23
Ireland 211
Italy 14
Norway 2,908
Poland 185
Russia 69
Scotland 69
Sweden 189
Switzerland 175
Wales 84
Others 106

Source: Wisconsin Summary Census Report,
1905, Madison, Wisconsin,
pp. 148-151.


67

and Iowa. Garland's parents moved from Vermont to La
Crosse County where he was born in 1860. Garland moved
to Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, back to La
Crosse County, and finally to California where he died
in 1940. 41 Main-Traveled Roads is a collection of
Garland's short stories based on his observations and
experiences in the Midwest. Not all Yankee pioneers
were as transient as Garland's family; many established
permanent roots in "God's Country" 42 and became businessmen
in La Crosse.

Two sub-groups of the British-Irish in La
Crosse County were the Welsh and Irish. The village of
Bangor was laid out on land owned by John Wheldon in
1854. Bangor was named for Bangor, Wales, where many
of the Welsh originated. The new village served as the
nucleus for Welsh settlement in the county. Surnames of
the original Welsh settlers were Evans, Jones, Johns,
Jenkins, Williams, and Wheldon.3 Arrival of the railroad
era in La Crosse in the 1860s brought the Irish
with it. Many of the Irish helped construct railroads


41 A ten day series on the life of Hamlin Garland
entitled, "The Hamlin Garland Story", by Richard
Boudreau was printed in The La Crosse Tribune, beginning
November 21, 1971.

42 Advertising slogan of G. Heilemann Brewing Co.,
La Crosse, Wisconsin.

43 Anna M. Jenkins, "The Beginnings of Bangor",
La Crosse Sketches #1 (La Crosse: La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1931), p. 14.


68


in Wisconsin.44

The most difficult ethnic group to define is
the German. The problem is not new to this study.
Kate Everest, J. H. A. Lacher, Hildegard Binder Johnson,
and Joseph Schafer all dealt with it. 45 Part of the
problem is that Germany did not become a nation-state
until 1870 under Otto von Bismarck. Before this date
Germany existed as several independent states. The
Wisconsin State Census and Federal Census before 1875
listed immigrants by their place of origin within the
many states of Germany. The reports show that Germans
came from many parts of the culture area including
Bavaria, Wuerttemberg, Baden, Darmstadt, Hesse, Rhenish
Prussia, Hanover, Brandenburgh, Saxony, Westphalia,
Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

In this study the Swiss and Austrians have been
included in the German ethnic group because of their
common linguistic ties. Carl Wittke argues that they
represented an essentially Germanic culture. They intermingled
with larger German communities to the extent that
their identity was difficult to separate from the


44 Justille McDonald, History of the Irish in
Wisconsin in the Nineteenth Century (Washington, D.C.:
Catholic University of America Press, 1954), pp. 101-103.

45 Kate Everest, op. cit., p. 299; J. H. A. Lacher,
op. cit., p. 154; Hildegard Binder Johnson, E_. cit., p.
1; and Joseph Schafer, Wisconsin Domesday Book Vol. II
(Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1927),
p. 53.


69

German. 49 However, in certain cases in La Crosse
County many settlers from the same community in Europe
settled together in the county. The majority of the
Swiss who settled in Mormon Coulee emigrated from Brinz,
Canton Bern. 47

Even though there was a mixture of Germans in
the county from all areas of what was to become Germany,
a large portion were from the southern regions. This
was due mainly to the influence of the Catholic Church
in La Crosse. The first and second bishops of the diocese,
Bishops Heiss and Flasch, were originally from
Bavaria. Bishop Flasch was born in Retzstadt,

Bavaria. 48 Lacher pointed out that not only Catholic
laymen immigrated to Wisconsin but also their clergymen.
Many Catholic churches were constructed in the county.
Parochial schools, convents, a hospital, and an orphan
asylum were established to administer to the needs of
the church members. 49 Some clustering by religion did
occur within the German settlement areas of the county.

Of the major ethnic groups residing in the county,


46 Carl Wittke, We Who Built America (New York:
Prentice-Hall, 1939), p. 300. Also see John Rice, op.
cit., p. 21.

47 George Zielke, "The Swiss Settlers in Mormon
Coulee", La Crosse County Historical Sketches Vol. 1,
p. 1.

48 The Catholic History of La Crosse (N.A., N.D.
St. Rose Convent Library), p. 8.

49 Ibid., pp. 8-32.


70

the Norwegians seemed to be the most homogeneous in
terms of language and religion (see Plate 7). A few
Danes and Swedes settled in the Norwegian areas but
their numbers were not significant. The majority of
the Norwegians came from the district known at the
time as Christiana. 50 The district has since become
the "fylker" or counties of Hedmark and Oppland. 51
One of the most prominent Norwegian families from
Hedmark to settle in La Crosse County was the Dr.
Gunnar Gundersen family. 52 Dr. Gundersen founded
Gundersen Clinic which has grown into a major medical
center for the La Crosse area.

One of the few place names in the county that
took the name of the original settlers was Holland
township. The township was originally settled by a
group of Dutch who arrived in 1853. On route they were
shipwrecked in the West Indies, but survived the
tragedy to arrive in La Crosse via New Orleans. They
selected a level area of bottom land where the Black


50 Interviews with Mrs. Borghild Olson, La
Crosse, Wisconsin, October 15, 1973; and Mrs. Erling
Casberg, Holmen, Wisconsin, November 27, 1973. Both
women are members of the La Crosse Area Genealogical
Society and have done extensive genealogical studies on
Norwegian families in La Crosse, Trempealeau, and Vernon
counties.

51 Oxford Regional Economic Atlas of Western
Europe (London: Oxford University Press, 1971), p. xxi.

52 Howard Fredricks, "Out of Our Past", Encounters
(La Crosse: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse,
June 1972), p. 3.


71

Plate 7. Lewis Valley Norwegian Lutheran Church in wooden gothic style.


72

River joined the Mississippi. 53 The village of New
Amsterdam was founded by the Dutch settlers. There are
still descendants of the original settlers in the village
(see Plate 8).

The French who settled in La Crosse County
originated in French Canada around Montreal. 54 They
settled an area north of La Crosse which was called
French Island. The island was known for its truck
gardening. The descendants of the French-Canadians
still supply vegetables to the local La Crosse market.55

The Bohemians were one of the later groups to
arrive in the county. Even though Bohemia was part of
Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 1860s when the Bohemians
emigrated, they have been considered as a separate ethnic
group. They spoke their own language and published
their own newspaper in La Crosse. Many of the families
originated from the vicinity of Plzen. 56 They established
their own neighborhood in the town of La Crosse
and took up farming in an area known as Bohemian Ridge
and Bohemian Valley in the southeast corner of the
county.


53 Fred L. Holmes, Old World Wisconsin (Eau
Claire: E. M. Hale and Co., 1944), pp. 113-114.

54 Interview with Mrs. Cornelius Jolivette, La
Crosse, Wisconsin, April 12, 1974.

55 Howard Fredricks, "Out of Our Past", Encounters,
Winter 1974 (La Crosse: U.W.-La Crosse), p. 25.

56 Interview with Mrs. Ray Cepek, La Crosse,
Wisconsin, Dec. 9, 1973.


73

Plate 8. The Vander Veldes in front of home in New Amsterdam, Holland Township.


74

Some observations about the La Crosse County
population can be drawn from the 1905 Wisconsin census.
By the year 1905, only 22 percent of the total population
had resided in the county for a long period of
time and was no longer young. Secondly, 63 percent of
the total county population was born in Wisconsin. This
showed a relatively stable county population. Finally,
the foreign born population residing in the county in
1905 reflected the major ethnic groups that had settled
in the county. 57

Some generalizations can be made about settlement
patterns in La Crosse County in 1905 (see Map 3).
Firstly, the British-Irish occupied the land along the
Mississippi known as Brice Prairie and in the La Crosse
River valley. They also had settled along Fleming
Creek in the northern part of the county (helpful in
this discussion is Diagram 1, Types of Bedrock in La
Crosse County, in Chapter II). The second largest ethnic
group, the Germans, inhabited the southern portions
of the county plus an area in the northeast. The third
largest group, the Norwegians, occupied a large area in
the northern and northwestern part of the county and a
small area in the southeast portion. The fourth major
group consisting of Bohemians settled in the southeast
corner of the county in Bohemian Valley. The French
gathered in an area along the Mississippi which has


57 Wisconsin Summary Census, loc. cit.


75

become known as French Island. Finally, the Dutch
settled the bottom lands along the Black River.

Place Names in La Crosse County

Examining the place name cover of an area can
be very helpful in establishing basic settlement patterns.
There are short-comings to this method, however.
Guy-Harold Smith pointed out that various ethnic
groups arrived too late to stop the repetition of
American place names on political subdivisions. La
Crosse County was no exception. The township names
were either taken from townships in other counties,
such as Washington, Hamilton, and Greenfield, or bore
the names of early settlers, such as Shelby, Barre, and
Burns. John Kirtland Wright has said that once place
names were established, they endured through time
relatively unchanged. 59 Two exceptions to "American"
township names were Holland and Bangor.

Karl Raitz pointed out the value of large scale
topographic maps as an aid in establishing the identification
and location of ethnic groups in a region. 60


58 Guy-Harold Smith, "Notes on the Distribution
of the German-Born in Wisconsin in 1905", Wisconsin
Magazine of History Vol. XIII, pp. 118-119.

59 John Kirtland Wright, "The Study of Place
Names Recent Work and Some Possibilities", Geographical
Review XIX, 1929, p. 141.

60 Karl B. Raitz, "Ethnic Settlements on Topographic
Maps", Journal of Geography , November, 1973,
p. 29.


76

Also helpful are county highway maps which show the
location of all roads existing in a county. County
highway maps are less cluttered than topographic maps.
Township roads are especially helpful in establishing
areal ethnicity. In La Crosse County, even though many
of the township names were American, the minor town
roads were usually named for the settler who first
lived on the road. In examining the La Crosse County
Highway Map,6 it was found that a general ethnic distribution
map could be compiled. Roads in the Norwegian
area had family names such as Anderson, Casberg,
Hanson, Johnson, Jostad, Larson, Nelson, Olson, Overson,
Peterson, and Jorgenson. Town roads in the German
areas had names such as Breidel, Gerber, Heller, Herman,
Jundt, Kneifel, Koenen, Korn, Muenzenberger, Pfaff,
Roesler, Schwarz, Stetzer, Vogel, and Wuensch. Van
Loon Road was in the Dutch settlement area, and Bushek,
Kotek, and Novak roads were found in the area known as
Bohemian Coulee. Roads are constructed by man and man's
vanity is sometimes reflected in their names.62


61 Highway Map of La Crosse County (La Crosse:
County Highway Department Office Bldg., drawn 1938,
revised 1968).

62 A valuable aid in determining nationality of
surnames is Elsdon C. Smith, New Dictionary of American
Family Names (New York: Harper and Row, 1973).


CHAPTER IV

SETTLEMENT PATTERNS

Now that the stage has been set with the description
of the physical environment and a discussion
of the cultural milieu, the actual succession of settlement
patterns can be investigated. The research
procedure followed was to establish property ownership,
ethnicity of the owner, purchase date, and soil type.
When this information had been collected, the correlation
between ethnicity and soil type was computed. The
results were checked against the hypothesis that German
settlers preferred limestone soils.

Property Ownership in La Crosse County

In order to establish property ownership the
Abstract of United States Lands in La Crosse County was
used. 1 The second section of the abstract lists sales
of state owned lands in the county. The abstract was
ideal for this study, because it listed the original
alienation entries. Each piece of property was listed
as a forty acre parcel within the United States


1 Abstract of United States Lands in La Crosse
County, in the possession of William Holstein, La
Crosse County Title Company, La Crosse, Wisconsin.


78
Rectangular Survey System. The date of alienation was
given, and whether the property was purchased or homesteaded
was recorded. The Rectangular Survey coordinate
system was later used to display the information
in map form with the aid of an IBM 1130 computer and a
Calcomp Plotter.

The abstract of deeds could be used for La
Crosse County because the majority of forty acre parcels
were sold directly to settlers rather than to railroads
or land speculators. The Western Wisconsin Railroad
was the only one in the county recorded in the
abstract which purchased land directly from the government.
This amounted to 3800 acres or 1.2 percent of
the land in the county, mainly in the sandstone region.

U.S. and State Manuscript Censuses

The state and federal manuscript censuses were
obtained on microfilm for the years 1855, 1860, 1865,
1870, and 1875 for La Crosse County. The censuses
listed the population by township and by wards in the
city of La Crosse plus the birthplace of each resident. 2
A list of surnames was compiled for the major ethnic
groups residing in La Crosse County using the census


2 For a method of reconstruction of the routes
taken by rural census takers within a township, see
Michael P. Conzen, "Spatial Data from Nineteenth Century
Manuscript Censuses: A Technique for Rural Settlement
and Land Use Analysis", Professional Geographer,
Vol. XXI, September 1969, pp. 337-343.


79

data 3 (see Appendix A).

Soil Survey

A copy of the Soil Survey La Crosse County
Wisconsin was obtained from the Soil Conservation
Service, La Crosse County Courthouse. 4 The General
Soil Map was used to determine the soil type for each
forty acre parcel. Since the General Soil Map showed
section lines, a grid was placed over each section to
divide it into 16 forty acre parcels. The soil type
contained in the forty acre parcel was recorded on the
Abstract copy using the following notation: 1) limestone;
2) sandstone; 3) alluvium; 4) sand terrace; and
5) marsh. When more than one soil appeared in a forty
acre parcel, the soil type composing the largest part
of the parcel was assigned to the parcel.

The above five soil classifications were revised
to reflect the understanding of soils in the mid-1800s
(see Soils in Chapter II). Soil scientists at the time
classified soils on the basis of geologic structure as


According to Elsdon C. Smith, New Dictionary of
American Family Names (New York: Harper & Row, 1973),
pp. XII--XIV, the need for surnames did not arise until
after the Crusades. Surnames in Europe were derived in
the following four ways: 1) from a man's place of residence,
2) from a man's occupation, 3) from the father's
name, and 4) from a descriptive nickname.

4 Soil Survey La Crosse County Wisconsin
(Washington, D.C.: Soil Conservation Service, United
States Department of Agriculture, 1960).


80
the prime pedogenetic factor. 5 The silty soils on
dolomite (lime rock) uplands classification was shortened
to limestone soils. Silty and sandy soils on
sandstone upland classification were included as sand-
stone soils. Sandy soils of the Mississippi River
Valley were shortened to sand terraces. Silty soils of
valleys and benches were classified as alluvium, and
wet bottom land was shortened to marsh. The more concise
classifications were also easier to display on
computer printouts, either in legend form, as tables,
or maps.

The final notation made on the Abstract copy
was to label each forty acre parcel according to the
following classification: 1) purchased land; 2) homesteaded
land; 3) land still vacant; 4) land designated
as unpurchased swamp; and 5) railroad land.

Punch Card Layout

Upon completion of the notation on the Abstract
copy, a punch card layout form was constructed (see
Appendix B for display of card layout). The information
notated on the Abstract copy was transferred to
computer data cards. An individual data card was
punched for each forty acre parcel for a total of 7,656
cards. Certain quarter, quarter sections bordering the


5 Donald Steila, "The Comprehensive Soil Classification:
Its Evolution, Structure, and Role in Physical
Geography", Professional Geographer, Vol. XXVI, May,
1974, pp. 195-196.


81

Black and Mississippi rivers which comprised part of
the northern and western county boundaries respectively
contained more or less than forty acres; these were
listed as forty acre quarter, quarter sections so that
all parcels would be uniform size.

The total area represented by the data was
checked against the present area of the county. La
Crosse County presently has an area of approximately
481 square miles. When multiplying 7,656 times forty
acres, the result is 306,240 acres or 478 square miles.
This was only a three square mile difference, or 0.6
percent. The present additional three square mile
difference was thought to be caused by the increased
marsh areas along the two boundary rivers that comprise
the political boundaries of the county.

Computer Program Design

The data were processed by an IBM 1130 computer.
Eight programs were designed to organize, tabulate, display,
and perform simple Pearsonian correlation of the
data (see Appendix C for the complete computer program
listings).

Because of the limitations of the IBM 1130
computer (8000 K), the first three programs modified
the data to make them compatible with the computer.
Program 1 was used to store the data cards on a memory


6 Dennis Robison, Computer Center, University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse, designed the programs.


82

disk. Program 2 converted the data to a workable form
within the limits of the computer. It was also used to
order the information from the new file. Program 3 dictated
how the data would be displayed. Two display
methods were utilized. The first method of display was
in table form. The second method was in map form representing
La Crosse County. The quarter, quarter
parcels (i.e., forty acre parcels) were converted into
points along an X-Y grid. La Crosse County has a somewhat
irregular shape along its north and west borders.
The south and west county borders are straight line
boundaries. At its widest and longest distance, the
county contains 104 quarter, quarter sections representing
a linear distance twenty-six miles. Each
quarter, quarter section was assigned an X and Y
coordinate. Using this system of coordinates, the information
was suitable for mapping.

Program 4, CDMAP (choropleth display map), was
designed to generate a soils map or any one of several
ethnic settlement maps for any or all ethnic groups in
the county. The latter could be generated by day,
month, or year since the information was stored on the
memory disk. By using different numbers to represent
soil types, a map could be generated to show what soil
type each ethnic group settled on by year. Computer
maps were generated for the years 1848 through 1875, the
time-span of the study. A Calcomp Plotter was engaged


83

with the computer to draw the maps. Zipitone was used
to pattern the maps constructed by the plotter.

Program 5, COMTB (compile table), generated a
series of tables showing the number of forty acre parcels
of each soil type settled by the various ethnic
groups. These tables were generated for each year and
showed cumulative settlement on soil types for the individual
groups for each year. Program 6 converted the
tabulations of Program 5 into percentages.

The results of Programs 5 and 6 are included on
the following tables. Table 5 shows the number of forty
acre parcels settled by Germans on limestone and sandstone
soils and the percentage of these soil types that
were settled by all ethnic groups for the respective
year. Table 6 shows the same information for Norwegians
in the county. Tables 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 show the
percentages of the soil classification settled by the
British-Irish, German, Norwegian, Bohemian, and Dutch
ethnic groups respectively by year during the study
period. Table 12 shows the number of acres and percentage
of the county settled by year and the cumulative
totals for each year. Finally, Tables 13 and 14 show
the acreage and percentages of the county settled by the
major ethnic groups.

Program 7 was designed to deal with the problem
of homesteading versus purchase. Tables were generated
to show the number and percentage of forty acre parcels


84

TABLE 4

GERMANS ON LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE BY YEAR

Limestone % Limestone Sandstone % Sandstone.
Year 40 Acre Parcels Accumulative Settled 40 Acre Parcels Accumulative Settled

1850 0 0 2.0 0 0 8.0
1851 21 21 8.9 11 11 20.3
1852 3 24 16.5 27 39 25.7
1853 9 33 16.5 27 39 33.5
1854 46 79 27.0 35 74 45.0
1855 233312 45.5 17 91 56.6
1856 106 418 56.3 16 107 62.1
1857 58 476 60.1 4 111 63.1
1858 82 558 67.9 8 119 67.3
1859 54 612 73.0 1 120 69.9
1860 48 660 76.3 3 123 72.5
1861 29 689 79.8 7 130 74.6
1862 15 704 81.1 6 136 76.1
1863 58 762 87.3 22 158 81.0
1864 23 785 88.7 4 162 83.0
1865 8 793 89.7 22 184 86.0
1866 17 810 90.9 17 201 87.7
1867 15 825 93.1 0 201 88.4
1868 32 857 95.7 11 212 90.3
1869 10 867 96.9 3 215 92.1
1870 5 872 98.1 13 228 94.2
1871 3 875 98.4 5 233 96.9
1872 10 885 99.7 3 236 99.0
1873 2 887 99.9 3 239 99.5
1874 1 888 100.0 0 239 99.5
1875 0 888 100.0 4 243 99.8


85

TABLE 5

NORWEGIANS ON LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE BY YEAR

Limestone % Limestone Sandstone % Sandstone
Year 40 Acre Parcels Accumulative Settled 40 Acre Parcels Accumulative Settled

1850 3 3 2.0 0 0 8.0
1851 6 9 8.9 19 19 20.3
1852 9 18 13.2 7 26 25.7
1853 2 20 16.5 20 46 33.5
1854 17 37 27.0 18 64 45.0
1855 54 91 45.5 55 119 56.6
1856 35 126 56.3 21 140 62.1
1857 12 138 60.1 11 151 63.1
1858 6 144 67.9 18 169 67.3
1859 27 171 73.0 35 204 69.9
1860 14 185 76.3 26 230 72.5
1861 18 203 79.8 18 248 74.6
1862 7 210 81.1 21 269 76.1
1863 39 249 87.3 57 326 81.0
1863 3 252 88.7 21 347 83.0
1865 8 260 89.7 8 355 86.0
1866 6 266 90.9 7 362 87.7
1867 25 291 93.1 12 374 88.4
1868 12 303 95.1 29 403 90.3
1869 10 313 95.7 48 451 92.1
1870 15 328 96.9 32 483 94.2
1871 1 329 98.1 53 535 96.9
1872 17 345 98.4 55 590 99.0
1873 1 346 99.7 11 601 99.5
1874 0 346 99.9 0 601 99.5
1875 0 346 100.0 0 601 99.8


TABLE 6 86

PERCENTAGE OF BRITISH-IRISH ON SOIL TYPES BY YEAR

Year Limestone Sandstone Alluvium Sand Terrace Marsh

1848 5.3 0 52.6 0 42.1
1849 21.4 0 42.9 0 35.7
1850 11.5 9.4 68.8 0 10.4
1851 12.1 29.9 42.1 13.3 2.6
1852 14.2 31.5 38.0 12.6 3.7
1853 14.1 33.4 33.1 14.8 4.6
1854 17.1 35.5 27.7 14.1 5.6
1855 18.3 38.0 23.7 14.1 5.9
1856 19.3 37.6 21.5 13.5 8.1
1857 18.8 36.1 20.5 13.4 11.1
1858 19.8 36.7 19.6 12.8 11.1
1859 20.2 36.8 19.4 12.6 10.9
1860 20.3 37.2 19.2 12.5 10.8
1861 20.5 37.6 19.0 12.3 10.6
1862 20.6 37.6 18.9 12.3 10.6
1863 20.8 38.1 18.4 12.0 10.6
1864 20.5 38.3 18.3 12.0 10.9
1865 20.3 39.0 18.0 11.7 10.9
1866 20.3 39.3 17.9 11.7 10.9
1867 20.3 39.2 17.7 11.6 11.2
1868 20.3 39.3 17.7 11.5 11.2
1869 20.4 39.2 17.6 11.5 11.3
1870 20.4 39.3 17.5 11.4 11.5
1871 20.3 39.5 17.4 11.3 11.5
1872 20.2 39.5 17.3 11.3 11.6
1873 20.2 39.5 17.3 11.3 11.7
1874 20.2 39.4 17.3 11.3 11.9
1875 20.1 39.4 17.2 11.3 12.0


TABLE 7 87

PERCENTAGE OF GERMANS ON SOIL TYPES BY YEAR

Year Limestone Sandstone Alluvium Sand Terrace Marsh

1848 0 0 0 0 0
1849 0 0 0 0 0
1850 0 0 0 0 0
1851 44.7 23.4 29.8 2.1 0
1852 40.7 20.3 37.3 1.7 0
1853 33.0 39.0 26.0 1.0 1.0
1854 42.9 40.2 14.7 .5 1.6
1855 71.1 20.7 6.6 .5 1.1
1856 74.4 19.0 5.3 0.4 0.9
1857 76.3 17.8 4.8 0.3 0.8
1858 78.0 16.6 4.2 0.4 0.7
1859 78.8 15.4 4.1 .6 1.0
1860 79.6 14.8 3.9 .6 1.1
1861 79.7 15.0 3.7 .6 1.0
1862 79.3 15.3 3.6 .6 1.2
1863 78.6 16.3 3.3 .5 1.2
1864 78.7 16.2 3.3 .5 1.3
1865 77.1 17.9 3.2 .5 1.4
1866 76.1 18.9 3.2 .5 1.3
1867 76.4 18.6 3.1 .5 1.4
1868 76.2 18.9 3.1 .4 1.3
1869 76.1 18.9 3.1 .6 1.3
1870 75.4 19.7 3.0 .6 1.3
1871 75.0 20.0 3.0 .6 1.4
1872 75.1 20.0 3.0 .6 1.4
1873 74.8 20.2 3.0 .6 1.5
1874 74.8 20.1 2.9 .6 1.5
1875 74.6 20.4 2.9 .6 1.5


TABLE 8 88

PERCENTAGE OF NORWEIGIANS ON SOIL TYPES BY YEAR
Year Limestone Sandstone Alluvium Sand Terrace Marsh

1848 0 0 0 0 0
1849 0 0 0 0 0
1850 37.5 0 62.5 0 0
1851 16.7 35.2 46.3 1.9 0
1852 24.7 35.6 38.4 1.4 0
1853 20.4 46.9 29.6 3.1 0
1854 26.6 46.0 21.6 3.6 2.2
1855 35.5 46.5 13.7 2.7 1.6
1856 38.9 43.2 11.7 2.2 4.0
1857 37.0 40.5 10.2 3.5 8.8
1858 36.2 42.5 9.5 3.5 8.3
1859 37.2 44.3 8.3 3.0 7.2
1860 36.9 45.8 7.8 2.8 6.8
1861 37.7 46.1 7.2 2.6 6.3
1862 37.0 47.4 6.9 2.5 6.2
1863 37.3 48.9 5.8 2.1 5.8
1864 36.2 49.9 5.9 2.0 6.0
1865 36.3 49.6 5.9 2.1 6.1
1866 36.4 49.5 5.9 2.2 6.0
1867 37.6 48.4 6.0 2.1 6.0
1868 37.2 49.4 5.6 2.0 6.0
1869 35.6 51.4 5.4 2.3 5.8
1870 35.4 52.2 5.1 2.2 5.4
1871 33.4 54.5 4.8 2.1 5.2
1872 32.7 55.9 4.4 2.0 4.9
1873 32.3 56.1 4.4 2.2 5.3
1874 32.2 55.9 4.5 2.0 5.4
1875 32.2 56.0 4.5 1.9 5.4


TABLE 9 89

PERCENTAGE OF BOIIEIANS ON SOIL TYPES BY YEAR

Year Limestone Sandstone Alluvium Sand Terrace Mar

1848 0 0 0 0 0
1849 0 0 0 0 0
1850 0 0 0 0 0
1851 0 0 0 0 0
1852 0 0 0 0 0
1853 0 0 0 0 0
1854 0 100 0 0 0
1855 50 50 0 0 0
1856 54.5 45.5 0 0 0
1857 54.5 45.5 0 0 0
1858 75.0 25.0 0 0 0
1859 75.0 25.0 0 0 0
1860 75.0 25.0 0 0 0
1861 83.9 16.1 0 0 0
1862 84.8 15.2 0 0 0
1863 87.2 12.8 0 0 0
1864 88.6 11.4 0 0 0
1865 88.6 11.4 0 0 0
1866 88.6 11.4 0 0 0
1867 89.1 10.9 0 0 0
1868 88.9 11.1 0 0 0
1869 88.9 11.1 0 0 0
1870 89.3 10.7 0 0 0
1871 89.7 10.3 0 0 0
1872 90.0 10.0 0 0 0
1873 90.0 10.0 0 0 0
1974 90.0 10.0 0 0 0
1975 90.0 10.0 0 0 0


TABLE 10 90

PERCENTAGE OF DUTCH ON SOIL TYPES BY YEAR

Year

1848 0 0 0 0 0
1849 0 0 0 0 0
1850 0 0 0 0 0
1851 0 33.3 66.7 0 0
1852 12.5 25.0 50.0 12.5 0
1853 7.1 57.1 28.6 7.1 0
1854 3.3 33.3 20.0 10.0 3.3
1855 2.5 37.5 15.0 32.5 12.5
1856 2.2 32.6 13.0 28.3 23.9
1857 2.1 31.9 12.8 27.7 25.5
1858 1.9 28.8 11.5 25.0 32.7
1859 1.9 28.3 11.3 24.5 34.0
1860 1.9 28.3 11.3 24.5 34.0
1861 1.9 28.3 11.3 24.5 34.0
1862 1.9 28.3 11.3 24.5 34.0
1863 1.9 28.3 11.3 24.5 34.0
1864 1.8 27.3 10.9 23.6 36.4
1865 1.8 27.3 10.9 23.6 36.4
1866 1.8 26.8 10.7 23.2 37.5
1867 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1868 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1869 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1870 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1871 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1872 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1873 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1874 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5
1875 1.6 24.2 9.7 21.0 43.5


TABLE 11 91

ACREAGE AND PERCENTAGE OF LAND ALIENATED
BY YEAR IN LA CROSSE COUNTY

Year Total Percent Settled Acres/Year Accumulative
Percentage By Year Acres
Settled Settled

1848 5.4 16,400
1849 5.5 .1 360 16,760
1850 6.6 1.1 3,800 20,200
1851 21.8 15.2 46,480 66,680
1852 27.9 6.1 18,640 85,320
1853 34.9 7.0 21,520 106,840
1854 45.8 10.9 33,480 140,320
1855 58.0 12.2 37,320 177,640
1856 65.4 7.4 22,760 200,400
1857 69.5 4.1 12,360 212,760
1858 74.0 4.5 13,880 226,640
1859 76.9 2.9 8,760 235,400
1860 78.9 2.0 6,320 241,720
1861 80.9 2.0 5,880 247,600
1862 81.9 1.0 3,200 250,800
1863 87.7 4.2 12,760 263,560
1864 89.4 1.6 5,080 268,640
1865 90.6 1.7 5,240 273,880
1866 92.2 1.2 3,680 277,560
1867 92.0 1.4 4,280 281,840
1868 93.6 1.6 4,800 286,720
1869 95.0 1.4 4,080 290,800
1870 96.3 1.3 4,000 294,800
1871 97.6 1.3 4,080 298,880
1872 98.9 1.3 4,120 303,000
1873 99.3 .4 5,320 304,200


92

TABLE 11-Continued

Year Total Percent Settled Acres/Year Accumulative
Percentage By Year Acres
Settled Settled

1874 99.6 .3 760 304,968
1875 99.8 .2 600 305,560



TABLE 12 93
ACRES AND PERCENTAGE OF EACH SOIL TYPE IN LA CROSSE COUNTY

Acres Percentage

Limestone 91,520 29.9
Sandstone 121,120 39.2
Alluvial 36,840 12.4
Sand Terrace 24,000 7.9
Marsh 32,760 10.6
Total 306,240 100.0

TABLE 13

ACRES AND PERCENTAGE SETTLED BY EACH ETHNIC
GROUP IN LA CROSSE COUNTY

Acres Settled Percentage of County

British-Irish 191,680 62.7
German 47,720 15.7
Norwegian 43,440 14.3
Bohemian 2,400 .7
Dutch 2,480 .7
French 2,600 .8
Vacant 12,120 3.9
R.R. 3,800 1.2
Total 306,240 100.0


TABLE 14 94

ACCUMULATIVE PERCENTAGE OF SOIL TYPES SETTLED FOR EACH YEAR

Year Limestone Sandstone Alluvium Sand Terrace Marsh

1848 1.4 7.7 1.8 1.3 14.4
1849 1.7 7.7 2.1 1.3 14.7
1850 2.0 8.0 9.6 1.3 14.7
1851 8.9 20.3 58.6 28.2 17.1
1852 13.2 25.7 72.3 36.3 20.9
1853 16.5 33.5 81.2 54.0 25.3
1854 27.0 45.0 90.2 70.2 33.6
1855 45.5 56.6 93.2 83.5 39.7
1856 56.3 62.1 94.2 88.7 53.8
1857 60.1 63.0 94.6 93.7 73.6
1858 67.9 67.3 95.2 94.2 77.2
1859 73.0 69.9 96.595.3 77.8
1860 76.3 72.5 96.7 95.5 78.0
1861 79.8 74.6 97.0 95.5 78.0
1862 81.1 76.1 97.0 95.7 78.6
1863 87.3 81.0 97.4 96.5 81.0
1864 88.7 83.0 98.2 97.3 83.9
1865 88.9 86.0 98.6 97.5 85.3
1866 90.0 87.7 98.9 97.8 86.1
1867 93.9 88.4 99.2 98.2 89.7
1868 95.7 90.3 99.5 98.2 90.4
1869 96.9 92.1 99.6 99.2 91.8
1870 98.1 94.2 99.6 99.2 93.0
1871 98.4 96.9 99.7 99.3 94.4
1872 99.7 99.0 99.7 99.5 95.2
1873 99.9 99.5 99.8 99.5 96.5
1874 100.0 99.5 99.9 100.0 98.0
1875 100.0 99.8 99.9 100.0 99.0


95

purchased or homesteaded for each year and on an accumulative
basis. The program could also generate a table
showing the months the aggregate ethnic groups purchased
or homesteaded. The results of Program 7 were presented
in Tables 17 and 18.

The final program, Program 8, fulfilled a twofold
function. First, it tabulated the total parcels
settled by year on each soil type and converted the
results into percentages. The second function tabulated
the forty acre parcels of each soil type by year
that was still unsettled and converted the results into
percentages (Tables 15 and 16 presented the results of
Program 8).

In summary, the computer programs tabulated and
correlated the data on a forty acre parcel basis according
to alienation by the major ethnic groups in the
county. It must be kept in mind that this study deals
with original land alienation from the government. Although
a forty acre parcel may have been subsequently
sold, this information was not available in the original
abstract and was not of concern in this study. However,
when Map 12 (Settlement Patterns in 1875) is compared
with Map 3 (Settlement Patterns in 1905) the similarity
of the pattern is apparent.

Land Registration

One of the first tasks of the pioneer farmer
was to secure a farmstead and to register it. Registration


TABLE 15 96

PERCENTAGE OF SOIL TYPE STILL VACANT FOR EACHI YEAR


Year Limestone Sandstone Alluvium Sand Terrace Marsh

1848 98.6 92.3 98.2 98.7 85.6
1849 98.3 92.3 97.9 98.7 85.3
1850 98.0 92.0 90.4 98.7 85.3
1851 91.1 79.7 41.4 71.8 82.9
1852 86.8 74.3 27.7 63.7 79.1
1853 83.5 66.5 18.8 46.0 74.7
1854 73.0 55.0 9.8 29.8 66.4
1855 54.5 43.4 6.8 16.5 60.3
1856 43.7 37.9 5.8 11.3 46.2
1857 39.9 37.0 5.4 6.3 26.4
1858 32.1 32.7 4.8 5.8 22.8
1859 27.0 30.1 3.5 4.7 22.2
1860 23.7 27.5 3.3 4.5 22.0
1861 20.2 25.4 3.0 4.5 22.0
1862 18.9 23.9 3.0 4.3 21.4
1863 12.7 19.0 2.6 3.5 19.0
1864 11.3 17.0 1.8 2.7 16.1
1865 10.3 14.0 1.4 2.5 14.7
1866 9.1 12.3 1.1 2.2 13.9
1867 6.9 11.6 0.8 1.8 10.3
1868 4.3 9.7 0.5 1.8 9.6
1869 3.1 7.9 0.4 0.8 8.2
1870 1.9 5.8 0.4 0.8 7.0
1871 1.6 3.1 0.3 0.7 5.6
1872 0.3 1.0 0.3 0.5 4.8
1873 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.5 3.5
1874 0.0 0.5 0.1 0.0 2.0
1875 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 1.0


TABLE 16 97

NUMBER OF 40ACRE PARCELS SETTLED BY ETHNIC GROUPS BY YEAR

Year German Norwegian Br.-Ir. Bohemian Dutch

1848 0 0 19 0 0
1849 0 0 9 0 0
1850 10 8 68 0 0
1851 37 46 1068 0 6
1852 12 19 429 0 2
1853 41 25 465 0 6
1854 84 41 691 3 16
1855 255 117 542 5 10
1856 123 68 367 3 6
1857 62 49 188 0 1
1858 91 25 207 9 5
1859 62 62 91 0 1
1860 52 42 51 0 0
1861 36 36 60 11 0
1862 23 29 20 2 0
1863 81 100 132 6 0
1864 29 29 71 5 2
1865 31 20 80 0 0
1866 35 15 41 0 1
1867 16 42 39 2 6
1868 44 42 26 8 0
1869 15 63 21 0 0
1870 18 48 32 2 0
1871 9 58 33 2 0
1872 13 73 15 2 0
1873 7 17 6 0 0
1874 1 2 15 0 0
1875 4 2 9 0 0

98

in the county was simplified when the United
States Land Office was removed from Mineral Point to La
Crosse in 1853. It was noted that several of the registrars
were of German descent. As previously mentioned,
Theodore Rudolf was appointed first Registrar. He was
succeeded by George Metzger in 1861, John Ulrick in
1866, and George Fleischer in 1875. 7

The month of the year that land was deeded by
the Land Office revealed some noteworthy information
(see Table 17). The three month period having the most
registrations was the spring period (April, May and
June) in which 28.4 percent of the land transactions
were made. This could be expected since the farmer
could plant a crop for harvest during the first growing
season of ownership. The second largest period for
deeding land was the autumn period (October, November,
and December) which accounted for 28.3 percent of the
land recorded. During this period the new owner could
construct his dwelling and prepare for the following
year. November was the largest single month of land
registration (11.8 percent). June was the second
largest month (11.4 percent). As would be expected, the
winter period was the period in which the fewest recordings
were made, and February was the month in which the
fewest transactions were recorded (4.4 percent).


7 History of La Crosse County Wisconsin (Chicago:
Western Historical Company, 1881), p. 670.


99

TABLE 17

NUMBER OF LAND PARCELS AND PERCENTAGE
DEEDED BY MONTH

Parcels Registered Percentage

January 573 7.5
February 339 4.4
March 390 5.1
April 657 8.6
May 641 8.4
June 870 11.4
July 683 8.9
August 436 5.7
September 504 6.6
October 654 8.5
November 906 11.8
December 612 8.0

Vacant Land or
Owned by Railroad 391 5.1
100.0


100

The preemption law, approved in 1841, made
government lands available at $1.25 an acre and had a
profound effect on settlement of the Midwest and La
Crosse County. 8 When land was preempted by an individual,
he had five years to pay for it. During this
period no other person could lay claim to the preempted
property. If the land was not free and clear by the
fifth year, it was open to purchase by another party,
Settlement in La Crosse County was also affected by the
Homestead Act of 1862, but not to the extent of the
preemption law. By 1862, approximately 85 percent of
the county had already been preempted. Both acts made
land available to the prospective settler at a reasonable
cost. A settler could purchase forty acres of
land for $50.00.

Upon investigation of the ethnic groups that
homesteaded in La Crosse County, it was found that the
Norwegians were the major homesteaders (see Tables 18
and 19). Almost one quarter of the land settled by
Norwegians was homesteaded. They homesteaded 62 percent
of all homesteaded land in the county. The Germans were
the second most numerous ethnic group to homestead. However,
only 6.9 percent of German settled land was homesteaded;
93.1 percent was purchased. The Bohemians were
in third place. Only 10 percent of the land settled by


8 John A. Hawgood, America's Western Frontiers
(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1967), p. 341.


101

TABLE 18

PERCENTAGE OF LAND PURCHASED OR HOI4ESTEADED
BY EACH ETHNIC GROUP

Purchased Homesteaded

British-Irish 98.6 1.4
German 93.1 6.9
Norwegian 76.7 23.3
Bohemian 90.0 10.0
Dutch 100.0 0.0
French 100.0 0.0

Total percentage of land in county purchased: 94.4%
Total percentage of land in county homesteaded: 5.6%

TABLE 19
PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL LAND IN LA CROSSE COUNTY
PURCHASED OR HOMESTEADED BY EACH ETHNIC GROUP

Purchased Homesteaded

British-Irish 68.9 16.1
German 16.2 20.3
Norwegian 12.2 62.1
Bohemian 0.8 1.5
Dutch 0.9 0.0
French 1.0 0.0


102

Bohemians was homesteaded. The investigation showed
that the British-Irish did not homestead to a great
extent in La Crosse County; only 1.4 percent of the
land settled by the British-Irish was by homesteading.
Finally, because of the arrival of the Dutch and French
before the Homestead Act of 1862, all the land settled
by these two groups was purchased.

The mean farm size preempted between 1850 and
1860 was 112 acres. 9 There was some land speculation
by the British-Irish in the La Crosse River Valley when
the land was first opened to settlement. Speculation
by individuals occurred mainly in Hamilton Township.
Ellis designated speculation as any land purchase by an
individual exceeding 160 acres. The largest speculator
was Ebenezer Buckingham who claimed five sections. The
next largest speculator purchased one section. Fifteen
other speculators purchased a combined total of 140
forty acre parcels or approximately 8 forty acre
parcels each. 10 After the initial speculation in the
years 1850-1851, settlers seemed to be bona fide, because
they purchased farmsteads of 160 acres or less. 11


9 G. C. Ellis, "Settlement of the Town of Hamilton",
La Crosse County Historical Sketches No. 5 (La
Crosse: La Crosse County Historical Society, 1940), p.
72.

10 Ibid.

11 Benjamin F. Bryant, Memoirs of La Crosse
County (Madison: Western Historical Association, 1907),
p. 50.


103

Unlike the British-Irish, the Norwegians and Germans
purchased smaller parcels of land. Only three Norwegians
purchased 160 acres; four preempted, 120 acres,
six took up 80 acres, and twenty-four filed for 40 acres
in Hamilton Township.

Settlement Progression

Settlement did not progress very rapidly for
the first few years following Nathan Myrick's founding
of the city of La Crosse in 1841. By the year 1850,
only 6.6 percent of the county was settled. The earliest
settlers were British-Irish who settled near the
fledgling town on the sand terraces, alluvium and bottom
lands along the Mississippi (see Map 4).

The year 1850 marked the first year that Germans
and Norwegians purchased land in the county. The first
Germans to settle in the county purchased property in
Mormon Coulee which had by then been abandoned by the
Mormons. The first Norwegian purchases were in the
La Crosse River Valley (see Map 5, and Plates 9 and 10).
The British-Irish also began to settle in the La Crosse
River valley. They started a pattern that continued in
subsequent years until the valley was predominantly
settled by British-Irish. Besides the good alluvial
soil, the major reason for settlement seemed to be that
the La Crosse River valley was the major east-west
transportation axis in the county. Both Mormon Coulee
and the La Crosse River valley had early road connections


ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERN 1848

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER

Map 4


105

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1850

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER

Map 5


106
Plate 9. Pioneer log cabin in La Crosse area.


107

Plate 10. Original log cabin with additions in southeast corner of county.


108

to La Crosse.

The year 1851 witnessed a large influx of
British-Irish into the county. In that year, 1068
forty acre parcels were purchased by the British-Irish.
The land purchased marked the greatest amount of land
alienated from the federal government during the
settlement period (see Table 16). Two areas that the
British-Irish settled stand out on the Ethnic Settlement
Patterns map of 1851 (see Map 6). Both areas contained
alluvial soil. They are Lewis Valley in the
Northern part of the county first settled by the Lewis
family,12 and the La Crosse River valley. Both sites
are well-watered, the former by Fleming Creek and the
latter by the La Crosse River and its tributaries. Two
towns were founded as service centers in Lewis Valley,
Stevenstown, and Mindoro. A mill was erected on Fleming
Creek which was the first mill in the county. Fleming
Creek later powered three mills. A blacksmith also took
up residence in Stevenstown.

In the La Crosse River valley, a major Welsh
settlement was established in an area that was to become
Bangor township. When a village was established in 1854
as the Welsh service center, it was named Bangor after


120. S. Sisson, "Lewis Valley", La Crosse
County Historical Sketches, No. 2 (La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1935), pp. 9-14.


109

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1851

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER

Map 6


110

the town the settlers left in Wales. 13 Between Bangor
and La Crosse city another service center was established
near a mill site on the La Crosse River. Many
of the early settlers were from New England and the
village was named West Salem.4

It was noted that the British-Irish ethnic
group settled 90 percent of the alluvial soils in the
county (see Graph 3). It was only after the alluvial
soils were settled that the British-Irish settled on
other soil types.

By the year 1853 the Norwegians and the Germans
were really beginning to make their presence felt in
the county (see Map 7). The Norwegians began to settle
on the sandstone soils in the northern part of the county.
The topography consisted of valleys or coulees
incised in the sandstone bedrock (see Plate 11). The
village of Holmen was founded as their service center. 15
Germans were settling on limestone at this time.

An example of Germans who did not select lime-
stone soil is a group who settled on the sandstone of


13 Anna M. Jenkins, "The Beginnings of Bangor",
La Crosse County Historical Sketches, No. 1 (La Crosse
County Historical Society, 1931), p. 14.

14 Guy C. Ellis, "Settlement of the Town of
Hamilton", La Crosse County Historical Sketches, No. 5
(La Crosse County Historical Society, 1940), pp. 67-73.

15 Arthur George Tillman, "The Mississippi Gorge:
Successive Adjustments to the Environment -- La Crosse,
Wisconsin to Winona, Minnesota", Ph.D. Dissertation
(Madison, 1928), p. 22.
 

111

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1853

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER

Map 7


112

Plate 11. Norwegian farmstead in northern part of country. Note wooden silo incorporated
In barn structure.


113

northeastern La Crosse County in an area called "Sand
Vista". 16 These settlers were originally from the
village of Wehrshausen, Sachsen, on the Werra River.
In 1855, the settlement was large enough to found its
own church, Burr Oak Lutheran Church (see Plates 12 and
13). The new site was a relatively isolated part of the
county at the time of settlement, and Mindoro was used
as the service center. The settlement constituted the
majority of the 25 percent of the Germans who did not
settle on the limestone soils. Interestingly, the soils
of the district in Germany from which these people came
are classified as sandy loams. 17

A small Dutch settlement was founded in La
Crosse County in 1853. The Dutch traveled to La
Crosse via the port of New Orleans and the Mississippi
River. 18 They purchased property approximately ten
miles north of the city of La Crosse on the sand terrace
and bottom lands next to the river. The village
of New Amsterdam was founded as their service center. 19
The township was named Holland Township and was the only
township in the county that did not bear an English or


16 Interview with Donald Stetzer, Geography
Department, UW-Stevens Point, 27 April 1974.

17 Dr. P. Krische, "Bodenkarte Des Deutschen
Reiches", Beilage der Zeitschrift Die Ernahrung der
Pflanze (Berlin, 1.10.1930).

18 Fred L. Holmes, Old World Wisconsin (Eau
Claire: E. M. Hale and Co., 1944), pp. 113-114.

19 Tillman, loc. cit.


114

Plate 12. Burr Oak German Lutheran Church at "Sand Vista".


115

Plate 13. Burr Oak Lutheran Church cemetery. Note arrangement of grave markers.


116

Welsh name. In 1854 and 1855, more land was purchased
by the Dutch in Holland Township.

Table 17 shows that 1855 was the year that the
Germans and Norwegians made their largest land purchases
(also see Map 8). The Germans bought 255 forty
acre parcels and the Norwegians acquired 117 forty acre
parcels. The Norwegians increased their holdings on
sandstone soil in the northern part of the county. By
1856, the Norwegians had settled in sufficient numbers
for Paster H. A. Stub to organize four Norwegian
Lutheran churches in the county. They were at Lewis
Valley, Halfway Creek near Holmen, Bostwick Valley, and
La Crosse Valley at West Salem. 20 Reverend Stub had a
church in Coon Prairie in neighboring Vernon County,
a county heavily settled by Norwegians. Many of the La
Crosse County Norwegians were related to Norwegians in
Vernon County and originated from the same areas in
Southeastern Norway.21

The majority of the land preempted by the Germans
was on the limestone ridge in the southern portion
of the county. This was the first major settlement on
the limestone ridge by any ethnic group. The settlers
were mainly Catholic Germans from Southern Germany.


20 Estella Bryhn, Around the Coulees (West
Salem: La Crosse County Countryman, 1973), p. 83.

21 Interview with Mrs. Borghild Olson, member,
La Crosse Area Genealogical Society, October 17, 1973.
Mrs. Olson has done extensive genealogies on the Norwegians
in La Crosse and Vernon counties.


117

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1855

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER


118

The ridge was divided into three parts, and parishes
were later organized on each part of the ridge. The
ridge nearest La Crosse City was called St. Joseph's
Ridge; the ridge furthest from La Crosse City became
known as St. Mary's Ridge and was actually in Vernon
County; the ridge connecting St. Joseph's and St.
Mary's Ridge was called St. Peter's Ridge, presently
known as Middle Ridge (see Plate 14). 22 By the year
1900, St. Joseph's Parish and St. Peter's Parish contained
120 and 90 families respectively. The first
Catholic services held outside La Crosse City were on
St. Joseph's Ridge in 1855. Father William Trappert
who arrived in the county that same year officiated.23
Services were held in parishioners' homes until St.
Joseph's Parish on St. Joseph's Ridge and St. Peter's
Parish at Middle Ridge were officially recognized as
parishes in 1866 and 1869 respectively. 24

Early German Catholic history played an important
role in the settlement patterns of La Crosse
County. The German settlers who made up the congregations
of the ridge parishes came from many parts of the


22 Harvey H. Heming, The Catholic Church in
Wisconsin (Milwaukee: Catholic Historical Publishing
Company, 1896) pp. 862-864. Because of the large German
Catholic population in Wisconsin the history was
also published in the German language.

23 Gerald Edward Fisher, Dusk Is My Dawn (La
Crosse: Allied Printing, 1969), pp. 28-29.

24 Ibid., p. 210.


119

Plate 14. St. Peter's Catholic Church at Middle Ridge.


120

German-speaking lands of Europe. This was in contrast
to the German Lutherans who often originated from the
same community in Europe. 25 St. Joseph's Parish consisted
of settlers from Luxemburg, Rhenish-Prussia,
Boden, Bavaria, Bohemia, and Wuerttemberg.26 St.
Peter's Parish also contained families from various
parts of Germany. The German Catholics emigrating to
La Crosse County were familiar with limestone soils
from their home districts in Southern Germany, Austro-Hungary,
and Switzerland.

The year 1856 saw the second largest land purchases
by the Germans. They increased their spatial
concentration on the limestone ridges and in the adjoining
valleys (see Plates 15 and 16). The majority
of Swiss-Germans who settled in Mormon Coulee came in
that year.27 They were from Brienz, Canton Bern,


25 Bryhn, op. cit., p. 85. The Burr Oak Lutherans
from Saxony have already been mentioned. Another
example is the German community which formed in Bostwick
Valley and established St. John's Lutheran Church in
1870. They originated in Hanover, Germany.

26 "This Is Your Parish, St. Joseph's Ridge: St.
Joseph's Parish", La Crosse Register, 12-10-54. This
article listed the names of many of the original settlers
in the parish and mentioned that many of the settlers
were from Luxemburg and German Bohemia. By
checking the 1870 federal census for Greenfield Township,
it was established that the German surnames listed
in the article were from Baden, Bavaria, Luxemburg,
Rhenish-Prussia, and Bohemia.

27 George Zielke, "The Swiss Settlers of Mormon
Coulee", La Crosse County Historical Sketches, No. 1,
(La Crosse: La Crosse County Historical Society, 1931),
pp. 21-22.


121

Plate 15. German limestone farmhouse in Mormon
Coulee.
 

122

Plate 16.  German barn type with limestone foundation and a Swiss overhang in Mormon
Coulee.

123

Switzerland.

Another group of significance to settle in the
rural areas of La Crosse County were the French. The
French arrived in La Crosse County via French-Canada. 28
Many settled on the sand terraces and bottom lands
north of the city. The area became known as French
Island. The sandy soils and bottom lands close to a
water supply were excellent for vegetable market gardening
that the French engaged in. French Island remained
an important market gardening area for La Crosse. There
was a great demand for market garden vegetables, not
only by the city of La Crosse, but also by the lumber
camps in the Black River pineries. 29

A final group of importance in the county rural
settlement patterns are the Bohemians. The Bohemians
published their own language newspaper in La Crosse and
settled in La Crosse City around St. Wenceslaus Catholic
Church, founded in 1873. 30 The Bohemians who took up
farming settled on the limestone soils in the south-
eastern corner of the county. The area became known as
Bohemian Ridge and Bohemian Valley. The first settlers


28 Interview with Mrs. Cornelius Jolivette, La
Crosse, Wisconsin, April 12, 1974.

29 Doris H. Platt, Wisconsin A Student's Guide to
Localized History (New York: Teachers College, Columbia
University, 1965), p. 20.

30 Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A
History of La Crosse Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse:
La Crosse County Historical Society, 1951), p. 208


124

preempted land in 1854 and 1855. A number of factors
were operative in their selection of lands. The Bohemians
were Catholics and attended St. Peter's Church
at Middle Ridge. Bohemia was part of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, and the Bohemians were accustomed to
living among the Germans. Finally, the limestone soils
were familiar to them from their past knowledge of the
limestone soils of Bohemia. Other Bohemians purchased
government lands in Bohemian Valley and on Bohemian
Ridge in the late 1850s and early 1860s to solidify
the holding in the area.

The settlement patterns of the various ethnic
groups in La Crosse County were well established by
1860. The maps of 1860, 1865, 1870, and 1875 showed a
strengthening of the ethnic patterns (see Maps 9, 10,
11, and 12).

Soil as a Factor in Site Selection

Several authors have stressed the role of soils
in geographic explanation and interpretation. Arthur
Hulbert repeatedly stressed the importance of soils in
interpreting settlement patterns in the history of the
United States. In his study in Grapevine, Texas, Edwin
Foscue concluded that the marked cultural contrasts between
the two parts of his study area were due to the
difference in the agricultural values of the two soil


125

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER


126

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1865

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER


127

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1870

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER


128

ETHNIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 1875

LEGEND
BRITISH-IRISH
GERMAN
NORWEGIAN
BOHEMIAN
DUTCH
FRENCH
OTHER


129

types. 31 Charles Kellogg pointed out when a people
migrate to a new area, serious conflicts develop socially
and within individuals. The conflict is between
the cultural heritage carried from the previous area to
the new landscape with its different possibilities and
requirements. Unless adjustments are made individuals
within the group may find themselves helpless to adjust
in their new environment. If the group were familiar
to the soil type in the new area, they would adapt more
readily to their new milieu. 32

W. Elmer Ekblaw stressed the two important roles
of soil in geographic interpretation. The first is
their direct role as a factor in a region, and the
second is the indirect role of soil as a result of
other geographic factors which affect the pattern of
human occupancy and character of land use. He further
stated that man had the power of volition and was able
to choose and change a new landscape. 33 O. E. Baker
also stressed the importance of soils as a major


31 Edwin J. Foscue, "Influences of Contrasted
Soil Types Upon Changing Land Values Near Grapevine,
Texas", Annals, Association of American Geographers,
Vol. 28, June 1938, p. 139.

32 Charles E. Kellogg, "Soil and Society", Soils
and Man, 1938 Agricultural Yearbook, Washington, U.S.D.A.,
pp. 868-870.

33 Elmer W. Ekblaw, "The Role of Soils in Geographic
Interpretation", Annals, Association of American
Geographers, Vol. 27, Sept. 1937, pp. 149-150.


130

physical condition in determining land utilization. 34
He stressed that soil type and fertility were factors
in land utilization,

Finally, Carl Sauer is again cited. In his
article entitled, "Notes on the Geographic Significance
of Soils", he stated that, in an investigation of a
smaller region, the understanding of soils becomes more
significant. Soils cannot be dismissed as being fertile
or infertile, but must be understood in the role
they play in a region. 35

Local References to Limestone Soils

There is little reference to limestone soils in
documents written by early settlers. In searching the
local literature, only a few could be found, but these
were important because they reached large audiences.
One document was a book written by Sterling Wilson
Brown entitled, Limestone Valley. 36 Brown's father
purchased a farm in La Crosse County in 1856.37 The


34 O. E. Baker, "The Increasing Importance of the
Physical Conditions in Determining the Utilization of
Land for Agricultural and Forest Production in the
United States", Annals, Association of American Geographers,
Vol. II, 1921, p. 17.

35 Carl O. Sauer, "Notes on the Geographic Significance
of Soils", Journal of Geography, Vol. 21,
no. 5, May 1922, p. 188.

36 Sterling Wilson Brown, Limestone Valley
(Boston: N. P. 1905).

37 "Early La Crosse Authors", La Crosse County
Historical Sketches, No. 6 (La Crosse: La Crosse
County Historical Society, 1942), pp. 56-57.


131

subtitle of the book was, A Pen Picture of the Early
Days in Wisconsin and summarized the contents of the
book. Even though the work did not specifically mention
limestone soils as a factor in settlement of the
area, the title shows clearly that the author thought
that limestone was abundant enough in the area that he
entitled his book thusly.

The second local reference to limestone soils
was more significant. It was written by Henry Bosshard
who was a school teacher in Switzerland. He was commissioned
to travel through the sections of the United
States that were settled by Germans and Swiss and to
search out potential areas of settlement. He arrived
in 1852 and remained for three years. During this time
Bosshard sent his reports back to Switzerland where
they were published as a series of pamphlets entitled,
"Views and Experiences in America". He noted that La
Crosse County contained areas of fertile limestone
soils, although this made the water "hard" because of
the excess lime content in the ground water. 38 Other
factors which Bosshard suggested would be attractive
to prospective settlers in the La Crosse area were
cheap land prices, an excellent water supply, and ease
of transportation to the area. This account indicated
that Bosshard was aware of limestone soils and that the
information was available to prospective settlers.


38 George Zielke, op. cit., p. 21.


132

Today the name Bosshard is common in the limestone area
of the county.

Another account mentioning limestone areas in
the county was a book written by Benjamin F. Bryant
entitled, Memoirs of La Crosse County. In his physical
description of each township, Bryant discussed its
geology. The townships in the southern half of the
county, Bangor, Berne, Greenfield, Shelby, and Washington,
were listed as being in the lower magnesian limestone
area. 39 Because there was not classification of
soils at that time, the soils in the above mentioned
townships were only listed as fertile. The first complete
soil survey in the county was published in 1913.40

Another source of information to prospective
immigrants and settlers was a small, inexpensive book
published by Silas Chapman entitled, Handbook of Wisconsin.
In his short summary of La Crosse County,
Chapman stated that the soil was fertile and that the
county had an excellent situation because of the Mississippi
River and the advent of the La Crosse Railroad. 41
Chapman also mentioned Lapham's Geological Map of Wisconsin
as a further source of information for immigrants. 42


39 Benjamin F. Bryant, Memoirs of La Crosse
County (Madison: Western Historical Assn., 1907),
pp. 206-234.

40 Soil Survey of La Crosse County, Wisconsin
(Washington: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1913).

41 Silas Chapman, Handbook of Wisconsin (Milwaukee:
S. Chapman Publisher, 1855), p. 79.


133

He felt that the map was quite accurate in
its display of the bedrock of the region. Since the
second edition of Chapman's handbook was published in
1855, this meant that a geological map of Wisconsin was
available at the time of settlement of La Crosse County.
Residual limestone soils formed on the limestone bedrock.

A final reference supporting German knowledge
of limestone in the region was found in the History of
Sauk County, Wisconsin. The western part of Sauk
County was on the eastern fringe of the Driftless Area
in the Western Uplands geological area and was heavily
settled by Germans. A local service center in the
German community was named Limeridge.43

Ethnicity and Soil Type

By the year 1856, the German preference for
limestone soils was well established; 75 percent of the
Germans had settled on limestone soils and 19 percent
were on sandstone soils. Five percent chose alluvial
soils. The percentage of Germans on limestone increased
to 80 percent by 1860, when 78 percent of the county was
settled. By 1875, when 99 percent of the county was
settled, the portion of the German population on limestone
had decreased very slightly to 75 percent. At


42 Ibid., p. 119.

43 History of Sauk Count, Wisconsin (Chicago:
Western Historical Company, i880), pp. 614-618.


134

that time the distribution of Germans among the various
soil types was as follows: limestone, 75.6 percent;
sandstone, 20.4 percent; alluvium, 2.9 percent; sand
terrace, .6 percent; and marsh, 1.5 percent (see Map
13 and Tables 20 and 21).

The Norwegians in La Crosse County showed a distinct
preference for sandstone soils, though it was not
as pronounced as the German preference for limestone
soils (see Map 14). Although the Norwegians concentrated
in the sandstone valleys in the northern part of
the county, two areas of Norwegian settlement on lime-
stone are evident. The area in the southeastern corner
of the county was an extension of Norwegian settlement
from Coon Valley, located approximately seven miles to
the east in Vernon County. The other area of limestone
settled by Norwegians was in Bostwick Valley centered
around the Bostwick Valley Norwegian Lutheran Church
founded by Reverend Stub in 1856.

The British-Irish were more evenly spread across
the county (see Map 15). However, their first land purchases
were on the alluvial soils of which 90 percent
were settled by them. Their second preference was for
sandstone, followed by limestone, marsh, and sand
terrace.

The Dutch, with few exceptions, settled on the
sand terraces and bottom lands adjoining the Black and
Mississippi rivers (see Map 16). The French also chose


135

TABLE 20

NUMBER OF 40 ACRE PARCELS SETTLED BY ETHNIC GROUPS
FOR EACH SOIL TYPE

German Norwegian British-Irish Bohemian Dutch French

Limestone 888 348 963 54 1 0
Sandstone 244 608 1885 6 15 36
Alluvium 35 49 824 0 6 0
Sand Terrace 7 21 541 0 13 8
Marsh 19 19 60 579 0 27 21
Total 1193 1086 4792 60 62 65


136

TABLE 21

PERCENTAGE OF ETHNIC GROUPS ON SOIL TYPE
IN LA CROSSE

German Norwegian British-Irish Bohemian Dutch French

Limestone 74.4 32.0 20.1 90.0 1.6 0.0
Sandstone 20.5 56.0 39.4 10.0 24.2 55.4
Alluvium 2.9 4.5 17.2 0.0 9.7 0.0
Sand Terrace 0.6 1.9 11.3 0.0 21.0 12.3
Marsh 1.6 5.5 12.1 0.0 43.5 32.3


137

GERMAN SETTLEMENT ON SOIL TYPES

SOIL TYPES
LIMESTONE
ALLUVIUM
SAND TERRACES
MARSH

Map 13


138

NORW. SETTLEMENT ON SOIL TYPES

SOIL TYPES
LIMESTONE
SANDSTONE
ALLUVIUM
SAND TERRACES
MARSH

139

BRIT-IR SETTLEMENT ON SOIL TYPES

SOIL TYPES
LIMESTONE
SANDSTONE
ALLUVIUM
SAND TERRACES
MARSH

Map 15


140

DUTCH SETTLEMENT ON SOIL TYPES

SOIL TYPES
LIMESTONE
SANDSTONE
ALLUVIUM
SAND TERRACES
MARSH

Map 16


141

the bottom lands and sand terrace soils (see Map 17).
Finally, the Bohemians showed preference for limestone
soils (see Map 18).

Graphs 1, 2, and 3 summarize the major ethnic
groups preference for the three soil types in the
county during the settlement period. It can be seen
that the alluvial soils were settled first and mainly
by the British-Irish. After the alluvial soils were
settled, the British-Irish took up land on the limestone
and sandstone. The limestone area was the second
most rapidly settled soil type. The German preference
for limestone can be seen throughout the settlement
period by comparing the limestone graph to the sandstone
graph. Finally, the sandstone soils were last to
be settled of the three major soil types. The Norwegian
preference for sandstone over limestone can be
seen although the Norwegian-sandstone preference was
not as strong as the German-limestone preference.


142

FRENCH SETTLEMENT ON SOIL TYPES

LIMESTONE
SANDSTONE
ALLUVIUM
SAND TERRACES
MARSH

Map 17


143

BOHEM SETTLEMENT ON SOIL TYPES

LIMESTONE
SANDSTONE
ALLUVIUM
SAND TERRACES
MARSH

Map 18


144

GRAPH 1
SETTLEMENT ON LIMESTONE BY ETHNIC GROUP


145

GRAPH 2
SETTLEMENT ON SANDSTONE BY ETHNIC GROUP


146

GRAPH 3
SETTLEMENT ON ALLUVIUM BY ETHNIC GROUP


CHAPTER V

SUMMARY

This study has investigated the role soil has
played in influencing settlement patterns in La Crosse
County. Many scholars have recognized the importance
of soil as a settlement factor. Some have further
supported the hypothesis that Germans preferred to
settle on limestone soils.

The physical environment of La Crosse County is
ideal for the study because it is part of the Western
Uplands known as the unglaciated or "driftless area."
The bedrock consists of lower magnesian limestone underlaid
with Potsdam sandstone disposed in horizontal
layers. The bedrock was deeply incised by glacial melt
water channels during the recent Wisconsin stage of
glaciation. This resulted in a landscape of marsh and
terrace along the Mississippi and Black rivers, alluvial
plains along the many streams and valleys, coulees or
steep valleys cut into the ridges, and areas of flat
land on the limestone ridge tops.

The initial settlement took place in La Crosse
County between 1850 and 1875. Soil science was not very
advanced during the settlement period. Soil was viewed


148

as an unchanging product of bedrock, a storehouse of
minerals.

The major ethnic groups which settled La Crosse
County were the British-Irish, Germans, Norwegians,
Dutch, Bohemians, and French. To test the hypothesis
that Germans preferred limestone soils for farmsteads,
the following procedure was used. An abstract containing
the registration of all property alienated by
federal and state governments was used to determine
which ethnic group first settled the lands. The federal
and state manuscript censuses between 1855 and 1875
were used to substantiate ethnicity of ownership, and
a La Crosse County Soils Survey map was used to classify
soil type. Since the abstract showed property
ownership by quarter, quarter sections, i.e. forty acre
parcels, a computer was used to sort, tabulate, correlate,
and map the data.

The results of the study concerning soil preference
by ethnic group are as follows. The largest
portion of the Germans (75 percent) settled on limestone
soils in the county. The majority of the 25 percent of
Germans who did not settle on limestone came from an
area of sandstone soils in Germany and settled on
sandstone in La Crosse County. The British-Irish
settled on the alluvial soils until they had been completely
taken. After no more alluvial soils were available,
the British-Irish group's second choice was


149

sandstone soils and third choice was limestone soils.
The majority of Norwegians (56 percent) settled on
sandstone soils. The Bohemians behaved much like the
Germans and even showed a higher preference for lime-
stone (90 percent). The Dutch and French preferred
river bottoms and sand terraces contiguous to the
Mississippi and Black rivers.

Knowledge of limestone soil in the county was
available to prospective settlers before their arrival.
Surveys of the area were taken before settlement began.
Books and pamphlets were circulated in Europe, and information
was available in letters written by the first
settlers. Upon arrival in La Crosse County, the prospective
settler could easily see the limestone outcropping
along the bluffs facing the Mississippi River.

This study has provided support for the hypothesis
that soil is an important factor in explaining
settlement patterns. The smaller the area of the study,
the clearer the significance soil is. Soil is not the
only factor influencing settlement, but it is frequently
an important one. During early periods of
settlement, i.e., pioneer times, soil was the substance
that satisfied the requirements of life, and was the
settlers main security. If the settler made a poor
choice of location in regards to soil, all other
advantages would be meaningless.

The German ethnic group in La Crosse County


150

clearly perceived the limestone area as the most desirable
one in the county for farming. Their preference
for limestone soils was based in part on the general
scientific views about soils which held at the time,
and on the information available to them about the area
in which they were settling, including their own
observations. It was also a result of their own prior
experience and education, and of their culture which
incorporated a long tradition of farming in limestone
regions.


151

APPENDIX A

ETHNIC SURNAMES IN LA CROSSE COUNTY

British-Irish Surnames

Aaron
Abbott
Adams
Alderman
Alexander
Allen
Allyn
Andrews
Anfen
Angel
Anyon
Arnold
Atkinson
Atwater
Atwood
Audhead
Austin
Avery

Babcock
Bacon
Bachelor
Bagley
Bailey
Baker
Barber
Barclay
Bard
Barlow
Barron
Barton
Bassett
Baxter
Beille
Belling
Best
Bickford
Bie
Bierce
Bingham
Blanchard
Blanvelt
Bliss
Bloom
Boardman
Bodine
Booles
Borrman
Bostwick
Boudler
Boyhart
Boyle
Bradbury
Bradley
Brandon
Brice
Briggs
Britton
Broadbent
Brooks
Brown
Bryan
Buckingham
Bulling
Burlingame
Burnham
Burr
Burtis
Burton
Bush
Butterfield
Buzzell

Calahan
Careron
Camp
Campbell
Carey
Carpenter
Carrington
Carter
Case
Caswell
Chaffy
Chambers
Chandler
Chapin
Chapy
Chase
Chittenden
Church
Clapp
Clapperton
Clark
Clifford
Clough
Cobb
Coburn
Coddington
Coe
Colburn
Cole
Coman
Conan
Congdon
Connors
Cock
Cooper
Cord
Covy
Cowell
Cox
Craig
Crogon
Crom
Crone
Cronk
Cummings
Cune
Curl
Curtis
Cyrus

Dainninger
Dake
Dalton
Darins
Darley
Darling
Davis
Dayton
Dean


152

Debner
Delahurst
Delano
Denison
Dervant
Dewel
Dewey
Dewitt
Devenport
Deyen
Dickinson
Dinger
Doewin
Dolphin
Donahoe
Doolittle
Dorflinger
Dorwin
Doty
Douglas
Downer
Draper
Dresbach
Duel
Dulton
Dunham
Dustin
Dutcher

Eaton
Eddie
Edgecomb
Edwards
Elliott
Ellis
Elsen
Elwell
Emerson
Ennis
Esser
Evans
Evensen
Everts
Ewert
Eynon

Fales
Falkner
Farnam
Farnham
Farr
Feak
Filkins
Finlay
Fletcher
Flint
Flynn
Fobes
Forrest
Fox
Fowler
Frank
French
Frost
Fry
Fuller

Gage
Gale
Gann
Garrison
Gaven
Gay
Geer
George
Gers
Germain
Giddings
Gilbert
Gile
Gillett
Gillispie
Gilfillan
Gleason
Gokey
Goldsberry
Goldthwaite
Goodrich
Gorder
Gordon
Grorton
Green
Greene
Gregory
Griggs
Gross
Grover

Hagg
Halderson
Hall
Hanscome
Harmon
Harper
Harrington
Harris
Harrison
Hartindale
Hartley
Harvey
Hathaway
Haven
Hawkins
Healy
Heath
Hemker
Hempstock
Hermon
Herrick
Herrmansk
Hesler
Hibbard
Hickel
Hickey
Higginson
Hildreth
Hill
Hilyan
Hintgen
Hiscox
Hobbs
Hodge
Hogan
Holland
Holmes
Hood
Hopkins
Hopping
Horner
Horton
Hotz
Houch
Houghtolin
How
Howard
Howe


153

Howell
Hoxsey
Hughes
Hulbert
Hull
Hultan
Humphrey
Hunt
Hunter
Huntley
Hutchison
Hutson
Hyde

Ilett
Irwin
Isabel

Jackson
Jacobs
James
Janson
Jay
Jenkins
Jennings
Jeroine
Jewett
Johns
Johnson
Jones
Jonis
Jung

Keen
Keller
Kellogg
Kelso
Kennedy
Kentner
Kilde
Killin
Killmer
Kimball
Kingston
Kinney
Kirvan
Konne
Kox
Kueng

Ladd
LaFleur
Leonard
Lewis
Lord
Lubbs
Luce
Ludinton
Lytle

McAilister
McAnally
McArthur
McAvoy
McClintock
McCormick
McCoy
McCreary
McEldowney
McGiven
McGuggin
McIntosh
McKenzie
McKinley
McDinnon
McKown
McMillan
McNeill
McPherson

Mack
Malone]
Manville
Marble
Marco
Markley
Marshall
Martin
Matthison
Medbery
Merrifield
Mesch
Mickle
Miles
Minon
Millan
Millard
Miller
Mills
Moe
Montaque
Montgomery
Moody
Moon
Moore
Moran
Morgan
Morgandent
Morley
Morris
Morrison
Morse
Mosher
Moss Mulligan
Munsen
Myrick

Nagle
Naulass
Nelson
Nephew
Newland
Nichalls
Nixon
Noble
Northrup

Oeshger
Ogden
Olds
Olsen
Osborn
Owns

Paddock
Page
Paine
Paisley
Palmer
Parke
Parker
Parks
Parmenter
Parsons
Patrick


154

Patterson
Payne
Pelsne
Pennington
Perry
Persons
Pettingill
Petty
Pfaff
Phelps
Philips
Pick
Pierce
Pinkham
Piper
Poidevin
Pollup
Pool
Post
Potter
Potts
Powers
Powell
Pratt
Prentice
Price
Prier
Pritchard
Prvit
Pugh
Purniton
Purvis
Putnam

Quiggle

Radcliff
Rand
Raymond
Read
Readding
Reddish
Reynolds
Rhodes
Richards
Richardson
Rider
Ridgley
Riley
Ringel
Roach
Roberson
Roberts
Robinson
Robinson
Rochester
Rodcliff
Rodolf
Rogers
Rone
Rose
Ross
Rowe
Rublee
Ruedy
Ruland

Sadd
Sage
Samuals
Sande fur
Senders
Sandmann
Santoun
Sauterbach
Sawyer
Scafe
Schaly
Sclihmally
Schonton
Schuyler
Scope
Scruby
Scully
Sears
Seavitt
See
Seeley
Segar
Segate
Senard
Servis
Steamber
Severing
Sevy
Seymour
Shanklen
Sharpless
Sherburn
Sherridan
Sherland
Sherrman
Sigar
Silliman
Silverburg
Simonton
Simphnis
Simpson
Sinclair

Sindsey
Sinse
Sisson
Sitton
Sivers

Sly
Slye
Smith
Sockwood
Sorrain
Sottridge
Soules
Southwrorth
Smith
Spence
Spencer
Sporling
Square
Staley
Starbird
Standish
Sanford
Steinwender
Stevens
Stoddard
Stone
Storch
Stoven
Strangemen
Suce
Sudington
Suttle
Sutton
Swarthout
Sweet
Sykey


155

Taft
Talmage
Thomas
Thompkins
Thompson
Thorp
Thrasher
Tinkham
Tourtelotte
Trafs
Trashs
Travis
Tripp
Trott
Tucker
Tuchalke
Turkington
Tuttle

Ustick
Utter

Vance
Vanwrifer

Abbott
Abrahamn
Aettuss
Amboine
Ambron
Andrigg
Autour
Arentz
Bahr
Baler
Ballmann
Batz
Beck
Becker
Bedessem
Bedessene
Beh
Belling
Bendle
Berg
Bergmann
Berring
Betz
Beyer

Vasey
Vaughan
Veltz
Vermillyea
Viets
Vitz
Vought

Wagner
Wakefield
Walker
Wall
Washburn
Watson
Weber
Webster
Wedgewood
Welch
Wells
West
Westerhouse
Westfall
Weston
Wheller

German Surnames

Blinder
Blumer
Boddle
Boehm
Boma
Bonsack
Brand
Braun
Bridle
Brithin
Brockman
Brokate
Bronasen
Brown
Buchs
Budnick
Buekle
Bundeu
Burbach
Busharn
Bushel
Byerkimre

Casper
Cassel

Wheldon
White
Whitman
Whittlessey
Wicker
Wilbur
Willett
Willey
Williams
Wilson
Winnant
Winston
Wintermute
Wolf
Wood
Woodbridge
Woodman
Woodworth
Wright

Yateman
Young

Clements
Cook
Craig

Delphine
Denner
Dentshberg
Dickweyer
Diderich
Diefenthaler
Dobratz
Dorm
Dorn
Dowe

Eberhart
Ebner
Ecker
Eckhoff
Eickhoff
Elsen
Elzen
Endress
Erlenivein
Ervert

156

Eshart
Essmuller
Euler

Fabian
Falk
Fasslor
Ferrhoff
Filler
Fisbaehe
Fischer
Fisher
Fleise
Flum
Flury
Follmi
Foundress
Fremark
Fritz
Fuchs
Funk

Gabel
Gable
Gagermeirer
Gaunter
Garbus
Gastensmith
Genske
Giller
Gimmer
Gondolph
Gotter
Graff
Gram
Grams
Grassbach
Gronemus

Hagen
Hagenbarth
Halseth
Halter
Halverson
Hammes
Hang
Hanson
Hanuptle
Hass
Heisse
Helgerson
Helker
Heller
Hemburger
Hendrickson
Honer
Herkstatt
Herman
Hermann
Herold
Herrman
Herter
Hess
Heth
Hicke
Hildbrand
Hilke
Hineck
Hoekue
Hoffman
Hois
Holberg
Hole
Holm
Horth
Hougaus
Houser
Howgie
Hulberg
Hun
Hussa
Huxsahl
Hyhus
Hyail

Jacobs
Jandt
Jarris
Jostin
Jox
Jung
Jungen
Jager

Kaizer
Kassner
Kastensmith
Keizer
Kenthammer
Kernholz
Kessler
Kiel
Kirchen
Kirchnes
Kirl
Kleinsmith
Krletcher
Kneifer
Knoblach
Knommell
Knuert
Knuerth
Koblitz
Koenin
Kopple
Kraemer
Krause
Kreibick
Kremmer
Krueger
Kueh
Kuikew
Kunno
Kunrutz

Lammess
Lampkey
Lander
Lang
Lange
Lanterbach
Lariz
Larker
Lash
Lederfur
Leuthe
Linse
Long
Lounsbrough
Lushing

Mader
Mahn
Mangelt
Marker
Marquitt
Marschit
Martin
Mehus
Meier
Meiers
Meinarz
Menelin
Metzler
Meyers
Mick
Micksehl
Meiking
Milbright
Miller
Mix
Moeler
Mohuring

Mueller


157

Muenzenberger
Muhren
Munking

Naegle
Nau
Neagler
Neatfelt
Needel
Newberg
Nievlai
Nordick
Nettlemann

Oehler
Oertel
Orhler
Osweilen
Ott

Palgin
Pammel
Pfaff
Pfafflin
Phodes
Piske
Plinge
Protnasky

Ranney
Ratke
Reichart
Reise
Reisinger
Reiter
Repfuss
Reulo
Rhime
Rhyme
Richter
Rickman
Rickmann
Rimmert
Rindlebaeker
Ringel
Risehr
Ritter
Rodenburg
Rohan
Rommel
Rothbahr
Raum
Rudolph
Runge
Rupp
Ruster
Rutz

Sander
Sandman
Sasch
Schaefer
Schafermeyer
Schaller
Schiwear
Schlifer
Schliger
Schmaltz
Schmeckpfeffer
Schnmidt
Schmittgrand
Schneider
Schnell
Schnier
Schonlfeld
Schorgue
Schrader
Schultz
Schumacker
Schumberg
Schwartz
Schweder
Schweir
Schweirman
Sehl
Sehlbrede
Seinseh
Servias
Seuke
Schafer
Shaller
Shames
Shaper
Shild
Shilling
Shirher
Siederberg
Sliver
Smith
Smitz
Spanling
Spinrler
Sprain
Stach
Stahle
Stall
Stank
Starkmann
Stegeman
Steiger
Stellah
Stein
Stephan
Sternberger
Stetzen
Stinzi
Stitzer
Stovando
Strass
Streek
Strick
Strittmatter
Strobach
Stroh
Strongman
Stuckenschmidt

Tabbot
Tasto
Taubmann
Telle
Tenigo
Tenner
Tiedeman
Tijan
Tippach
Train
Trinkes
Trinn
Tucheck
Tuphorn

Udenburg
Uhbrick
Ulbrecht
Ulrick
Undort
Uriker

Vander
Vanderploeg
Vanderweer
Vattier
Vehser
Vengel
Venniger
Vietze
Vogel


158

Waack
Wager
Walahauer
Walter
Wangune
Ward
Wasmeirer
Weber
Wedeking
Wegw
Wehernkamp
Wehns
Wehrenberg

Arbroson
Aminson
Ammondson
Amonson
Amundson
Anderson
Arneson
Asfelet
Asla
Aspeslet

Baito
Bale
Barrson
Benson
Berg
Bergan
Berger
Berntson
Bison
Bjerke
Bjorge
Black
Bosshard
Bowl
Brathburg
Brown
Burgost

Casberg
Christionson
Cristoferson

Weishaupt
Welda
Wencel
Wenzel
Werner
Wetertine
Wettstein
White
Wichert
Wichlker
Wiles
Wilhelm
Wilkie

Norwegian Surnames

Daffinson
Dahl
Danielson
Davidson
Doll
Drogseth

Eastenson
Eliason
Elsen
Engebretsan
Enrleson
Englestad
Erickson
Erlandson
Evansen
Evanson

Farr
Filler
Findahl
Forgenson
Fossum
Fredrickson
Frene

Getsen
Gilbertson
Goader
Goodmanson
Grasby
Gregonson
Guggerson

Williams
Wolter
Wosler
Young

Zanter
Zapfi
Zaschke
Zeiu
Zimmerman

Gullickson
Gunderson
Gungell

Haag
Halderson
Halter
Halverson
Hamnsen
Hanson
Hauton
Helgerson
Hendrickson
Henickson
Hennrickson
Hetland
Hilbrind
Hofbeck
Hoff
Hoggenson
Hole
Holm
Hougaus
Hovey
Howgee
Hulberg
Hyhus
Hyoit

Indoll
Iverson


159

Jacobson
Jastad
Jels
Jenson
Johnson

Kalm
Kalstrud
Kammerstad
Karsrud
Kasberg
Kittelson
Kittleson
Klas
Koogstad
Krebs
Krooble
Kroogstad
Knudson
Knutson

Larson
Linberg
Loe
Lorhangen
Lunn
Lybert

Mahlum
Mailin
Markvad
Martinson
Matheson
Matson
Mera
Mickaelson
Mickelson
Mikeson
Miller
Moe
Molstad
Monson
Munson

Nelson
Newberg
Nickols
Nielson
Nigard
Norman
North

Odell
Oleson
Olson
Olstad
Ophus
Oscar
Osgard
Otterson
Overby

Palson
Paulson
Peruse
Peterson

Quall

Raffelson
Rasmussen
Richardson
Rieton
Roli
Roll
Roune
Runinger
Ruug

Sacia
Sang
Sangstad
Sather
Saul
Sedevia
Sehlersson
Sestak
Setter
Shipha
Silha
Simmerson
Simonson
Sivennes
Siverson
Skog
Skowg
Smola
Solberg
Solie
Sousek
Stackset
Staff
Stanson
Steinberg
Stephanson
Stephenson
Stoen
Stuf
Stumlini
Stunson
Syverson

Thomsson
Thorbeson
Thorson
Thollefson
Tolvstad
Torgerson
Torgeson
Torreson
Turo

Vaastad

Wallu
Wallum
Warrolson
Weaverstad
Wiengel
Winger
Wolf
Wollam


160

Bohemian Surnames

Badsch
Banske
Brasda
Bruha
Bushart
Bushek

Dawiasch
Diash
Dreckdrah

Frasdo

Hafler
Hanra
Herlitzka

Jahnel

Kaula
Kersha

Betz
Bonnena

Chelsma

Defrang

Kircluner
Kluigel
Koblitz
Kouka
Koukla
Kral
Kreibieh

Lusk

Mashek
Matach
Meimon
Menzl
Mischoske
Mkousky

Niarlinsky
Nedivestek
Neduedek
Niesen
Novak

Dutch Surnames

Gronemus

Heikel

Kaizer

Parske
Probuislo
Pruha
Pubusky

Ratasha

Sedevia
Sestak
Shipha
Silha
Smola
Sousek
Strupp
Stuff

Ulnick
Urbanel
Urensch

Ulnick
Urbanel
Urensch

Wolenc
Wopart

Zenlieka

Teenstra

Vander Velde
Van Loon
Van Zandt


161

French Surnames

Asselin

Baudette
Bodette
Boucher

Berger

Cantrovitz

Epstein

Gelatt
Goldish
Gutman

Hart

Brassard

Goyotte

Jolivette

Jewish Surnames (City of La Crosse)

Hindle
Hirshheimer

Jacobs

Katz

Langstadt
Levy

Natenshon

La-Fluer
Loane

Martell

Neuman

Omrrberg

Patz

Steinman
Strouse

Tuteur

Wachenheimer
Wein


162

APPENDIX B

Punch Card Layout Form
Column Identify
1 Quarter, quarter section
2 Quarter, quarter section
3 Blank
4 Blank
5 Section number
6 Section number
7 Blank
8 Blank
9 Township number
10 Township number
11 Blank
12 Blank
13 Range number
14 Range number
15 Blank
16 Blank
17 Ethnic group
18 Blank
19 Blank
20 Month of purchase
21 Month of purchase
22 Blank
23 Day of purchase
24 Day of purchase
25 Blank
26 Year of purchase
27 Year of purchase
28 Blank
29 Blank
30 Soil classification
31 Blank
32 Blank
33 Ownership

Note: If there is only one digit entry in a two digit
column, it must be right-justified in its
respective field.


163

APPENDIX C

COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGS


SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

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Barry, Coleman J. The Catholic Church and German
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Bergmann, Leola Nelsen. Americans From Norway.
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Biographical History of a Crosse, Monroe, and Juneau
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1892.

Blegen, Theodore C. Land of Their Choice. Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press, 1955.

Brown, Ralph H. Historical Geography of the United
States. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1948.

Brown, Sterling Wilson. In the Limestone Valley.
Boston: N.P,, 1905.

Bryant, Benjamin F. Memoirs of La Crosse County.
Madison: Western Historical Association, 1907.

Bryhn, Estella. Around The Coulees. West Salem:
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Catholic History of La Crosse. (n.p., n.d.), Viterbo
College Library.

Chapman, Silas. Handbook of Wisconsin. Milwaukee:
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Chisholm, Michael. Rural Settlement and Land Use.
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Clark, James I. Wisconsin Agriculture. Madison:
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200

Conzen, Michael P. Frontier Farming in an Urban Shadow.
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Curtis, John T. Vegetation of Wisconsin. Madison:
University of Wisconsin Press, 1959.

Faust, Albert B. German Element in the United States.
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Finley, Robert W. Geography of Wisconsin. Madison:
College Printing and Typing Co., 1965.

Fisher, Gerald Edward. Dusk Is My Dawn: First Hundred
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N.P., 1969.

Frank, Louis M. German-American Pioneers in Wisconsin
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Gara, Larry. A Short History of Wisconsin. Madison:
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____. Main-Traveled Roads. New York: Harper, 1899.
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Gordon, Milton M. Assimilation in American Life.
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Greenburg, David B. Land That Our Fathers Plowed.
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Gregory, John G. West Central Wisconsin: A History,
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Hanlin, Oscar. The Uprooted. New York: Gossett &
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Hansen, Marcus Lee. The Atlantic Migration 1607-1860.
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201

____. Tragedy of German-Americans. New York:
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Heming, Harry H. The Catholic Church in Wisconsin.
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Holmes, Fred L. Old World Wisconsin. Eau Claire:
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_____. Side Roads-Excursions into Wisconsin's
Past. Madison: State Historical Society of
iscconsin, 1949.

Hulbert, Archer Butler. The Paths of Inland Commerce.
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____ Soil. New Haven: Yale University Press,
1930.

Hunt, Charles Butter. Geology of Soils: Their
Evolution, Classification and Use. San
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Jordan, Terry G. European Culture Area. New York:
Harper and Row, 1973.

____. German Seed in Texas Soil. Austin:
University of Texas Press, 1966.

La Crosse County Chamber of Commerce. Green Bay:
Fayrand Publishing Co., 1955.

Lemon, James D. The Best Poor Man's Country: A
Geographical Study of Early Southeastern
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1972.

Martin, Lawrence. The Physical Geography of Wisconsin.
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McDonald, Justille. History of the Irish in Wisconsin
in the Nineteenth Century. Washington, D.C.:
Catholic University of America Press, 1954.

McManis, Douglas R. The Initial Evaluation and Utilization
of the Illinois Prairies, 1815-1840.
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202

Merk, Frederick. Economic History of Wisconsin Durin
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Nau, John Gregrick. German People of New Orleans
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Pammel, Louis H. Reminiscences in Early La Crosse,
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Platt, Doris H. Wisconsin: A Student's Guide to
Localized History. New York: Teachers College,
1965.

Quaiffe, Milo Milton. Wisconsin: Its History and Its
People, Vol. II. Chicago: S. J. Clark Pub. Co.,
1924.

Rice, John G. Patterns of Ethnicity in a Minnesota
County, 1880-1905. Sweden: University of Urmea,
1973.

Richter, Joyce Ann. An Annotated Bibliography of
La Crosse, Wisconsin. La Crosse: Wisconsin State
University, 1968.

Sanford, Albert H., and Hirshheimer, J. J. History of
La Crosse, Wisconsin 1341-1900. La Crosse:
La Crosse County Historical Society, 1951.

Schafer, Joseph. A History of Agriculture in Wisconsin.
Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin,
1922.


____ Wisconsin Domesday Book. Madison: State
Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1927.

Schereck, William J. Peoples of Wisconsin. Madison:
State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1956.

Shannon, James P. Catholic Colonization on the Western
Frontier. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957.

Smith, Elsdon C. New Dictionary of American Family
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Stephenson, George M. History of American Immigration.
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Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. New York: Harper
and Row, 1873.

Turner, Frederick Jackson. The Frontier in American
History. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1921.


203

Whyte, Bertha Mitchell. Wisconsin Heritage. Newton:
C. T. Brandford Co., 1954.

Wittke, Carl. Germans in America. New York: Teachers
College Press, 1967.

____. Refugees in Revolution. Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press, 1952.

____. We Who Built America. New York: Prentice-
Hall, 1939.

Articles

Baker, 0. E. "The Increasing Importance of the Physical
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Black, Arnold. "Pioneer Days in Holland Township."
La Crosse County Historical Sketches, No. 8,
1955, pp. 114-119.

Blegen, Theodore. "The Composition of Northwestern
States for Immnigration." Wisconsin Magazine of
History, 1919, pp. 3-39.

Brush, John E., and Bracey, Howard E. "Rural Service
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October 1965, pp. 559-569.

Clements, Frances. "A Bohemian Family on St. Joseph's
Ridge." La Crosse County Historical Sketches,
No. 8, 1955, pp. 120-121.

Conzen, Michael P. "Spatial Data from Nineteenth
Century Manuscript Censuses: A Technique for
Rural Settlement and Land Use Analysis."
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Cozzens, Arthur B. "Conservation in German Settlements
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Dickinson, Robert E. "Rural Settlements in the German
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Dobbert, G. A. "German-Americans between New and Old
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204

Durand, Loyal, Jr. "The Cheese Region of Southeastern
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___. "Dairy Barns of Southeastern Wisconsin:
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Ekblaw, W. Elmer. "The Role of Soils in Geographic
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Ellis, G. C. "Settlement of the Town of Hamilton."
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1940, pp. 67-73.

Everest, Kate A. "How Wisconsin Came By Its Large
German Element." Wisconsin Historical
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Gehrke, William H. "The Ante-Bellum Agriculture of the
Germans in North Carolina." Agricultural History,
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Gibson, Lyle E. "Characteristics of a Regional Margin
of the Corn and Dairy Belts." Annals,
Association of American Geographers, Vol. 38,
1948, pp. 244-270.

Hartman, Frank. "Life In a Lumber Camp." La Crosse
County Historical Sketches, No. 3, 1939,
pp. 18-24.

Hill, George W. "The Use of the Cultural Area Concept
in Social Research." American Journal of
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Horst, Oscar H. "A Preliminary Report on the Utility of
Surnames as an Investigative Aid in Field
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Jenkins, Anna M. "The Beginnings of Bangor."
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Johnson, Hildegard Binder. "Factors Influencing the
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Jones, Wellington D. "Produces in Investigating Human
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Kellogg, Charles E. "Soils and the People." Annals,
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1937, pp. 142-148.

___. "Soils and Society." Soils and Man, USDA,
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Kollmorgen, Walter M. "Immigrant Settlements in
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Kostanick, L., and Prunty, M., Jr. "Soils and Farm
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La Crosse County Historical Sketches, No. 6,
1942, pp. 18-24.

Lemaine, Mille E. "History of the Natural Setting of
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Sanford, Albert H. "The Mormons of Mormon Coulee."
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____. "The Green County, Wisconsin, Foreign Cheese
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____. "Some Regional Characteristics of American
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_____. "Surface Configuration of the Driftless
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Personal Interviews

Casberg, Mrs. Erling. Holmen, Wisconsin. November 27,
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209

Jolivette, Mrs. Cornelius. La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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Klink, Rev. Eugene. 4238 Mormon Coulee Road, La Crosse,
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Malik, Rev. John E. St. Joseph's Ridge, Wisconsin.
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Olson, Mrs. Borghild Lindevig. Member, La Crosse Area
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State and Federal Government Publications

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Hill, George W. Wisconsin's Changing Population.
Madison: University of Wisconsin, Bulletin 2642,
1942.

McDonald, Angus. Early American Soil Conservationists.
Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Miscellaneous Publications No. 449, 1941.

Soil Survey of La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Washington:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1973.

Soil Survey of La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Washington:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation
Service, 1960.

Soil: Yearbook of Agriculture. Washington: U.S. Department
of Agriculture, 1957.


210

Soils and Man: Yearbook of Agriculture. Washington:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1938.

United States Bureau of Census. Tenth Census of the
United States: 1880, Vol. 3, Report on
Production of Agriculture.

Wisconsin Rural Resources La Crosse County. Madison:
Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, 1957.

Wisconsin Summary Census Report 1905. Madison:
Department of Commerce, pp. 148-151.

Unpublished Source Materials

Abstract of U.S. Lands in La Crosse County. La Crosse
County Title Company, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Abstract of State Lands in La Crosse County. La Crosse
County Title Company, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

U.S. Census Office. Federal Manuscript Census Schedules,
La Crosse County, 1860. (on microfilm).

_____. Federal Manuscript Census Schedules, La
Crosse County, 1870. (on microfilm).

____. Federal Manuscript Census Schedules, La
Crosse County, 1880. (on microfilm).

Wisconsin State Historical Society. Wisconsin State
Manuscript Census Schedules, La Crosse County,
1855.

____. Wisconsin State Manuscript Census Schedules
La Crosse County, 1865.

____. Wisconsin State Manuscript Census Schedules
La Crosse County, 1875.

Theses and Dissertations

Berthrong, Donald J. "La Crosse: A Case Study in
Social History 1900-1910," Master's Thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1948.

Casberg, Selma S. "Lumbering Industry of La Crosse,
Wisconsin, 1841-1905," Master's Thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1953.

Hayes, Agens M. "History of Transportation of La
Crosse," Bachelor's Thesis, University of Wisconsin,
1916.


211

Keeler, Ray Monroe. "History of the City of La Crosse
1841-1871," Bachelor of Arts Thesis, University
of Wisconsin, 1915.

Knight, Minnie Agnes. "Industrial Growth of La Crosse
1841-1870," Bachelor's Thesis, University of
Wisconsin, 1915.

Lemon, James Thomas. "A Rural Geography of Southeastern
Pennsylvania in the Eighteenth Century: The
Contributions of Cultural Inheritance, Social
Structure, Economic Conditions, and Physical
Resources," Ph.D. Dissertation, University of
Wisconsin, 1964.

Metler, Stanley N. "History of La Crosse," Master's
Thesis, University of Wisconsin, 1959.

Mitchell, Robert Davis. "The Upper Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia During the Eighteenth Century: A
Study in Historical Geography," Ph.D. Dissertation,
University of Wisconsin, 1969.

Raitz, Karl B. "The Location of Tobacco Production in
Wisconsin," Ph.D. Dissertation, University of
Minnesota, 1970.

Read, Mary J. "A Population Study of the Driftless Hill
Land during the Pioneer Period, 1832-1860," Ph.D.
Dissertation, University of Wisconsin, 1941.

Sanding, Ruth G. "The Norwegian Element in the Early
History of Wisconsin," Master's Thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1936.

Slocum, Walter L. "Ethnic Stocks as Culture Types in
Rural Wisconsin: A Study of Differential Native
American, German, and Norwegian Influence on
Certain Aspects of Man-Land Adjustment in Rural
Localities," Ph.D. Dissertation, University of
Wisconsin, 1940.

Tillman, Arthur George. "The Mississippi Gorge:
Successive Adjustments to the Environment --
La Crosse, Wisconsin to Winona, Minnesota," Ph.D.
Dissertation, University of Wisconsin, 1928.

Maps, Atlases, and Plat Books

Atlas of La Crosse County. Rockford, Illinois: W. W.
Hixson and Company, 1930.

Bliss, Marvey I. La Crosse County Map. 1874.


212

____. Plat Book of La Crosse County. N.P.,
1870-1871.

____. Surveys in La Crosse and Adjoining Counties,
Wisconsin Historical Society, 1847.

Highway Map of La Crosse County. La Crosse County
Highway Department, Revised. 1968.

Krische, P. "Bodenkarte Des Deutschen Reich,"
Beilage der Zeitschrift Die Erahrunq der Pflanze.
No. 19, Vom 1.10.1930.

La Crosse County Maps. Bruce and Smith Pub., 1890.

La Crosse Topographic Map. Wisconsin Geological and
Natural History Survey, 1:62,500, 1931.

Oxford Economic Atlas of Western Europe. London:
Oxford University Press, 1972.

Standard Atlas of La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Chicago:
Geo. A. Ogle and Company, 1906.

Westermanns Atlas zur Weltgeschichte. Braunschweig:
George Westermann Verlag, 1968.