A HISTORY OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN
1900-1950
by
Stanley N. Miller
Master of Arts
George Peabody College for Teachers
A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education
in nhe
Division of Social Science
of the
Graduate School
George Peabody College for Teachers
Augus t 1959
Approved:
Major Professor:
Second Faculty Reader:
Dean of Instruction: C t 6j . 6e/
(Vy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION . ...........
II. ECONOMIC TRANSITION, 1900-1920 ......
The Demise of the Lumber Industry . .
Manufacturing Before 1900 .......
Manufacturing After 1900 ......
Wholesale Trade .............
Labor and Cost of Living .........
III. INCREASED CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY, 1900-1920.
City Transportation . .
Matters of Government. .
Poli-ce and Fire Protecti-n
Public Utilities ..
A Park System. ...
Public Health. ...
Public Schools ......
1 Ly Pr"lLi iL al . .....
IV. THE PEOPLE AND THE CITY, 1900-1920
Sports .......
The Public Library .
La Crosse's College.
Newspapers . . . . .
The City' Hmositals
The Great War. . .
V. THE DECADE OF PROSPERITY, 1920-1930 . . . .
Building and Industrial Expansion . .....
Beginning of the Growth of Large Factories . .
VI. CIVIC ACTIVITY DURING PROSPERITY, 1920-1930..
. .108
. 11i0
. A112
. . 117
· . 120
.. 123
134
135
150
163
ii
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7
15
22
34
35
39
39
47
51
58
66
73
82
96
100
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Chapr Le Page
Street Improvement .........168
Traffic and Police Problems ...... 174
Utilities . .......... .. ...... 17
Schools .................. 180
Public Health ......... 103
City Planning . . . . . ... . .. .. . . . . 1
VII. DEPRESSION YEARS, 1930-1940 ......... 193
Effects and Problems of the Depression . ... 196
Transportation . ............... 217
VIII. CIVIC ACTIVITIES DURING THE DEPRESSION,
1930-1940 ....... .......... .227
Protection ................... 231
Mississippi River Bridge Collapse .. .240
City Parks. Recreation, and Library ..245
Schools ................... 247
City Planning .................250
TY TE PEOPTE OF THE CITTY 1920-1950 . ...... 25
Social Events ................. 2256
Sports .. ............ 59
Culture . .. ................. 263
College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
X. ECONOMIC LIFE AT MID-CENTURY, 1940-1950 .... 269
War Years ...................270
Post-War Economy ............... 278
Trade Area ..................292
Summary . ................. . 296
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Chapter Page
XI. THE CITY IN WAR AND PEACE, 1940-1950. ..297
The War.................. 297
Civic Activity . ............... 301
Summary . .. . ........ ........ 335
APPENDIX ....................... 338
BIBLIOGRAPHY . ..............345
iv
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
La Crosse is a Midwestern city located on the left
bank
of the Mississippi River at the confluence of the
Mississippi,
Black, and La Crosse rivers in southwestern
Wisconsin. The
site of the city is a sandy prairie that extends for
several
miles from the Mississippi River to the bluffs that
parallel
the river. The La Crosse River with its marshy bottom
land
separates the city into two sections. The part lying
north
of the La Crosse River is called the North Side,
while the
larger part lying south of the river is called the
South Side.
In 1900, there was one connecting link across the
river and
marsh. This was known as the Causeway or Plank Road.
This
physical separation of the city into two sections has
been
the cause for much dissension within the city.
The topography of the area around TL Crosse iS rhar-
acterized by alternating ridges and valleys that are
a result
1. Northern States Power Company, Industrial
Development
Department, "Community Fact Survey La Crosse, Wisconsin"
(Minneapolis, MinnesouLt; . l)uu tLi L DVe-veuIpmeCLtL
puJL tuenL,
[n. d.1), p. 3. (Mimeographed.)
1
2
of stream erosion. This area that contains some of
the
roughest and most dissected land in Wisconsin is in
the un-
&laciated or driftless region of southwestern
Wisconsin. The
driftless region is unlike the land around it because
it was
untouched by ice during the Pleistocene Period or the
Great
Ice Age, Vihile the region is one of picturesque
beauty, the
land is only moderately fertile.2
The first peruan'ent settlment v began in 1841 wlhen
Nathan
Myrick, an Indian trader, came up the Mississippi
River by
raft from Prairie du Chien to build a cabin on
Barren's
Island and carry on trade with the Winnebago Indians.
In
1842, Nathan Myrick moved to the ma iland at the
present site
of La Crosse. For the next decade, the Village of La
Crosse
was principally a trading post. The beginning of the
lumber
industry and an influx of settlers occurred during
the fifties.
The lumber industry began before there was even an
attempt to
develop the area agriculturally. As early as 1852,
there were
two sawmills in operation with several more reported
in
2. Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, County
Agriculture Statistics Series, "La Crosse County
Agriculture"
(iiaison, Wisconsin: The Department, [n. d. ), p. 6.
(Mimeographed.)
3
operation the following year. The sawmills were
supplied by
the pineries of the Black River. The village of La
Crosse
was incorporated as a city with a council-mayor form
of
government in 1856.3
For the next fifty years, La Crosse was a lumber
town,
home of numerous mills, and headquarters for the
largest fleet
of raft towboats on the upper Mississippi River. The
lumber
industry became the largest single industry of the
city.4
For many years, La Crosse depended upon river
transporta-
tion to bring in freight and new settlers. In 1844,
three
small steamers ran from Galena to Fort Snelling; and
by 1856,
the steamboat traffic averaged over two hundred boats
a month
landing at La Crosse. Road building commenced in
1845, when
a wagon and ox trail was hewn from Prairie du Chien
to La
Crosse. During the fifties, La Crosse became a
"Gateway"
city, a focal point, for stage routes and wagon
roads. These
roads followed the coulees to the Black River Valley,
the
3. Northern States Power Company, Industrial
Development
Department, "Community Fact Survey La Crosse, Wisconsin"
(Minneapolis, Minnesota: Industrial Development
Department,
[_. d. I, p. 3. iie . .graph U)
4. Ibid., p. 3.
4
Fox-Wisconsin portage, Baraboo, and the Root River
Valley,
T i _ ier s in rMinnesota.
In October 1958, the La Crosse and Milwaukee
Railroad,
now the Chicago, Milwaukee, -nd St. Paul Railroad,
entered
the city, and in 1872; the Milwaukee Road's tracks to
St.
Paul were completed. Four years later the Chicago and
Northwestern sent its first train into the city.
Earlier,
in 1866, the Chicago, Burlington, and quincy tracks
reached
Prescott, Minnesota, through La Crosse. The Green Bay
and
Western also entered the city in this period so that
by
1900, four railroads served the city making it the
largest
railroad center between Chicago and the Twin Cities
of
Minnesota .
To the growing city, immigrants added their numbers.
Many Germans and Scandinavians settled in La Crosse
with
smaller groups of Bohemians and Poles arriving later
in the
century. The census of 1910 recorded the largest
three
foreign-born nationalities in La Crosse as numbering
2,723
5. Ibid.; Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture,
CoAty iAriculture Statistics Series. "La Crosse County
Agriculture" (Madison, Wisconsin: The Department, [no.
a.l),
p. 3. (Mimeographed.)
5
Germans, 1,428 Norwegians, and 564 Austrians.6 In
1900, the
percentage of foreign-born white was 25 per cent of a
total
population of 28,895. 7
The principal crops grown in the county by 1880 were
wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, root crops,
and
tobacco. Until 1890, wheat was the leading crop.
Depletion
of soil fertility due to constant cropping brought
changes
in the crops. To meet the local demand, flour mills
were
erected early with several owned by city businessmen.
The
decline of wheat production in the eighties and
nineties,
led to diversification of farming and to dairying. As
a
result, creameries were established in the county and
the
city.8
Manufacturing connected with farm products were among
the diversified manufacturing that began to develop
in
6. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of
the United States:- 1910, Population, Vol. IIi, Reports
by
States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1912),
p. 1096.
7. Ibid.; Donald Berthrong, "La Crosse a Case Study in
Social History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1948)°, pp. 14-15.
8. Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, County
Agriculture Statistics Series, "La Crosse County
Agriculture"
(aiudison, Wisconsin: The Departnt, [n. d. ), pp. 3-4.
(Mimeographed.)
6
La Crosse in the last two decades of the nineteenth
century.
The principal concerns were the La Crosse Plow Works,
the
John Gund Brewery, the G. Heileman Brewery, and the
C. and
J. Michel's Brewery.9 Other types of manufacturing
such as
rubber products, clothing, candy, and crackers were a
result
of the transportation advantage and local demand of
the city.
By 1900, the city directory was able to state that La
Crosse
was a center of jobbing for southwestern Wisconsin,
south-
eastern Minnesota, and northern Iowa.
Late in the 1890's, the lumber industry began to
decline due to the exhaustion of the pineries. In
1900, the
decline was almost complete with the final demise of
the
lumbermills coming in 1906. At the turn of the
century, the
thriving city faced the problem of its single largest
industry completely disappearing.
9. Ibid., p, 3.
10. Nineteen Hundred Philippi's Souvenir Directr of
the City of La Crosse (La Crosse: L. P. Philippi
Company,
1900), p. 39.
11. Northern States Power Company, Industrial Develop-
ment Department, "Coninunity Fact Survey La Crosse,
:Wisconsin"
(Minneapolis, 1 M innesota T Indstr-ial Developmennt
Departmn nt,
n. d. ), p. 2. (Mimeographed.)
CHAPTER II
ECONOMIC TRANSITION, 1900-1920
The Demise of the Lumber Industry
The Alumbe idustiLy uf La- CL-Ue between o188 and
1906
rose to its peak and declined to nonexistence. The
decline
was rapid, and the new century brought with it not
optimism
"but te i; a."int death of the iy- s single large s
industry
The effect of this decline upon the future growth of
the
city had tragic possibilities.
lTere a-re severai means of measuring the importance
or
the lumber industry to the economy of the city. In
1880,
the payroll of lumbering--sawmills, logging, rafting,
and
towing--amounted to 60 per cent of the total
industrial
payroll of La Crosse. The progressive decline of the
industry is illustrated by the constant decrease of
the
industry's percentage of the total industrial payroll
of
La Crosse. In 1885, the lumber industry paid 47 per
cent of
the total; in 1895,- 39 per cent of the total; in
1900, 16
per cent of the total; and in 1905, one-half of 1 per
cent
of thetotal industrial payroll. From 1880 through
1890.
the industry as a whole--sawmills, logging, rafting,
towing--
7
8
averaged a payroll of $948,765 annually. By 1899, the
sawmill's payroll was only $431,000. It declined to
$178,855 in 1900, and continued at about this figure
until
1904, when it dropped to $16,150.1 By 1906, the
process was
complete when the last sawmill closed.2 The closing
of the
lumber industry deprived the city of almost a
million-dollar
payroll.
The number of men employed in the lumber industry is
difficult to determine, for many men who worked in
the mills,
or rafting, or towing in winter, logged in the
summer. It
has been estimated that 50 per cent of.the men who
logged in
summer, worked in the sawmills, or rafted, or towed
in the
winter. Therefore, employment figures must be
adjusted to
this situation TIn 1890, 2,500 men were employe in
the
sawmills, rafting, and towing while 2,000 men logged
during
the same year. Deducting 50 per cent from the 2,500
men for
1. H. J. Hirshheimer, "The Passing of the Sawmills
and
the Growth of Manufactures in La Crosse, 1880-1905," The
Lumber Industry (2nd ed.; La Crosse: La Crosse County
Historical Society, 1937), ppo 70-71.
2. Donald Berthrong, "La Crosse a Case Study in Social
-History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. Lhesis.
LUniversity of
Wisconsin, 1948), p. 70.
9
the men who worked at one job in the summer and
another in
winter, the estimated total number of men employed in
the
lumber industry for that year was 3,250. Using the
same
mthd f deducA ltion, 4A '1 were mpl yed in 1 892 3
283 in
1896, 3,006 in 1899, and 1,833 in 1900. From 1880 to
1890,
the average number of men employed in the lumber
industry
was 3,612. With the closing of the mills, not only
did
La Crosse lose a tremendous payroll, but over three
thousand
men lost their jobs in a six-year period.3
Another loss to the city was the physical loss of the
plants. The average investment was about $800,000 in
buildings arnd machinery from 1882 to 1899. It
dwindled to
$15,000 in 1904, which indicates a substantial
shrinking in
assessed valuations, irrespective of the ratio
between
owner's v.al e and valuie or tax n -rpoes.
For the period 1890 to 1899, the average year's cut
at
La Crosse was o177.7 million feet. From 1900 to 1903
inclusive, the annual cut was about 40 million feet.
The
3. Hirshheimer, op. cit., p. 71.
4 Z Thb
5. Ibid., p. 70.
10
decline can be expressed in the amount of lumber
shipped
from the city. In 1898, 120 million feet of lumber
was
shipped by rail from La Crosse. This figure dwindled
to
less than 50 million feet by 1900 6
The by-products of the mills, i.e., slats, edgings,
trimmings, shingle blocks, and sawdust were the main
sources
of fuel in La Crosse for a long period of time. Many
of the
local industries used these by-products for fuel.
Even the
residences used the split shingle blocks for the
kitchen
stove and the slats for the furnace. The demand for
the by-
products employed about 150 teams engaged in haling
and
delivering the fuel to factories and houses during
the sawing-
season. The teamsters too were thus affected by the
closing
of the sawmills.
Coal brought into La Crosse before 1895 was
practically
all anthracite coal for domestic use and coal used in
the
manufacturing of illuminating gas. Cheap fuel for La
Crosse
industry ceased with the end of the lumber industry.
The
necessary shift to coal by La Crosse manufacturers
more than
6. Ibid., p. 76.
'I _, _ -
11
doubled their fuel costs. Two cords of edgings, which
was
more than equal to a ton of coal, cost about $1.80
after
1895. Coal shipped in from northern Illinois cost
from
$3.35 to $3.60 per ton.7
Other industries that depended upon the lumber
industry
for a portion of their business were seriously
affected
Blacksmith shops; which derived much of their
business from
teamsters engaged in the lumber industry, employed
nearly
three hundred persons in 1899. By 1905, their
employment
dropped to one hundred. Harness shops, in the same
situa-
tion, declined from eight in 1885 to three shops in
1905.
The manufacture of carriages and wagons had a peak of
one
hundred employed in 1895, only to drop to sixty-five
in
1900. The Freeman Mill, a cooperage firm, employed
one
hundred persons during the 1890's, but dropped its
employment
to sixty-eight in 1905 due to the decrease in slack
barrel
8
manufacture.
What happened to the workers who depended upon the
lumber industry for their livelihood? A partial
answer is
7. Ibid., pp. 76-77.
8. Ibid., p. 83.
12
supplied by the following notice that appeared in the
La Crosse Morning Chronicle:
The removal of so many of our large milling
interests from the city has left us a large force
of experienced lumbermen who cannot obtain work
in their old lines here. Rather than learn a new
business, many of th.m are aLL6g advantae LL.
offers made by lumber companies of other cities
and as a result is a heavy drain on our working
population. The Aspin Lumber company of Grand
Rapids has placed orders here for the entire
number of men and teams available. They pay
transportation for the men and their families
and horses and have already secured a large
number.
Fifty men, a large portion taking their
i f i A C· 4 ~Al A_ _ - -I. _ _ - 1 _ _ _ _ A 1 J _ - A.
_ - * . ____
falies went Cub W= last Wee ude r te&=L die c-t-iL o L
oLL OL
the La Crosse Intelligence office and 15 go this
morning. The company is building new mills at
Bruce, Aspin, and Catwaba and in Manitoba.>
The owners of the lumbermills also did not remain in
La Crosse. They moved to the west coast and to
Arkansas
in search of new fields of operation. There has been
criticism of the lumbermen for moving away from the
city,
taking with them their millions of dollars
accumulated
while in La Crosse. One writer explains the reason
for the
lumbermen's moving away in the following manner:. The
9. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, January 26, 1900.
10. Berthrong, o. cit., p. 16.
_ _
13
business organizations existing in the city were
already
solidified organizations in which family profits were
plowed
back into the business. The outside capital was
unwelcome.
Thus the lumbermen with their accumulated capital
could find
no place in La Crosse to invest their money. For this
reason, then, they moved west and south.ll
There is no evidence to credit or discredit the
theory,
but there would be no reason to prevent the lumbermen
from
bringing into the city new enterprises and utilizing
the
labor supply of the defunct lumber industry. Rather,
it
would be logical to assume that the mill owners
preferred
to remain in a business that they knew, and this
could be
done by moving west and south.
That the demise of the lumber industry halted the
growth of La Crosse can be easily seen from a quick
examina-
tion of the city's population figures.. Between 1880
and
1890, the city' npopulation increased from 14,505 to
25,090,
an increase of 73 per cent. From 1890 to 1900, the
popula-
tion increased fro-m 25, 90 to 28,890, an increase of
15.2
11. Ibid., pp. 71-72.
_ _ __ _ ___ _ _
14
per cent. The dramatic decline of the lumber industry
is
demonstrated in that by 1910, the city's population
in-
creased to only 30,416, an increase of 5.2 per cent.
The
effect of this closing of the mills was carried to
1920,
when the census reported that the population was
30,421, a
standstill for ten years.12
For a twenty-year period, the population of the city
remained about the same. Between the years 1900 and
1910,
other Wisconsin cities of comparable size showed a
steady
gain in population. It can be illustrated that by
1900,
La Crosse ranked third in size among the state's
cities. .
By 1910, La Crosse dropped to the rank of fifth. Of
the
state's eight largest cities, Green Bay, La Crosse,
Madison,
Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Racine, Sheboygan, and Superior,
the
city of La Crosse had the lowest rate of increase
between
1900 and 1910.13
12. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of
the United States: 1940, Population, Vol. I, Number of
In-
habitants (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1942),
P. '1162.
'13. U. S. Bureau of the Census, ThirteenthCensus o
the United States: 1910, Population, Vol. III. Reports
by
-States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1912),
pp. 1048-1049.
15
A short summary reveals that the closing of the
lumbermills resulted in the loss of a large payroll,
in
several thousand men losing their jobs, a loss in the
physical valuation of the former lumber property, the
loss
of freight receipts, hardship on teamsters, a doubled
fuel
bill for La Crosse Manufacturers, hardship on allied
industries, the loss of the accumulated capital of
thpe
owners, and the halting of the city's population
growth for
twenty years.
Manufacturing Before 1900
The years between 1880 and 1905 include the peak and
decline of the lumber industry in La Crosse, but
during the
same nerind there was a steadv growth of diversified
manufacturing that enabled the city to survive the
closing
of the sawmills without a serious loss of population
or an
irreparaDly crippied economy.
At the beginning of this period in 1880, flour was
second to lumber in value of output. Breweries ranked
third
in output, with agricultural implements, including
foundries
and~ machine s hops, ra nkin fourth. On the ban S of
payroll,
agriculture implements, foundries, and machine shops
were.
16
second, breweries third, and flour mills fourth. In
the
decade of the eighties, a total of twenty-four new
factories
of medium size began operation in La Crosse.l4 Among
the
products of the new factories were clothing, church
interiors,
knitted goods, brooms, beer, and sash and doors.
Dluring the
next decade, more new factories added their products
of candy,
crackers, agricultural implements, shoes, paper
boxes, cigars,
rubber goods, and steel roofing to the city's
products.15
For two decades before 1900, La Crosse was acquiring
new
diversified manufacturing, for about forty new
factories were
added to the city's economy during the two decades.16
It is
true that most of these concerns later went out of
business
due to thee usual causes of change in market demands,
local
raw products, and ir some cases, poor management.
LThe
important fact is that the new factories were
established
concerns that helped carry the load of employment
past the
i i _ i
C14. H. J. Hirshheimer, "The Passing of the Sawmills
and
the Growth of Manufactures in La Crosse, 1880-1905," The
Lumber Industry (2nd ed.; La Croasse: The La Crosse
County
Historical Society, 1937), p. 79.
15: Ibid., p. 82.
16.C TLa Crose Tr an Leaer Pre Jul 2 1938.
-- E.'--LU- ML i 02.
16. La Cro__ -_ .d _ _ Leader Press, July 21- 1938.
17
shock upon the city's economy of the closing of the
mills.17
A brief survey of a few of the firms that were
typical
of the industries that were established in the
nineteenth
century and survived well into the twentieth century
will
present a clearer picture of the varied types of
enterprises
that aided the economy of the city during its
transition
period from lumber to diversified manufacturing. The
locating
factor for most of the concerns was either local
demand or
local raw materials.
The Segelke-Kohlaus Company was founded in 1867 with
the
purpose of making sash and doors. Based upon local
products,
the company prospered acquiring new buildings for
expansion.
In 1892, the company was incorporated and managed to
with-
stand a devasting fire in 897, It absorbed the R. C.
Kuhn
Sash and Door Company in 1900. The trade area of the
company
expanded with the improved transportation facilities
of La
Crosse so that by the end of the first decade of tfhe
twentet
century its trade area included Wisconsin, northern
Iowa,
Minnesota, and the Dakotas.18
17. Hirshheimer, o. cit., p. 80.
18. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 27, 1927.
i a _ i
18
Among the twelve clothing manufacturers existing in
1900, the Mons Anderson Store was the oldest. It
rapidly
expanded to wholesaling, and a few years later began
to
manufacture men's garments. To meet the area demand,
their
specialty was mackinaw coats designed for
lumberjacks. In
1902, Mons Anderson retired, and the business was
taken over
by L. H. Martin. Under the new management, new
machines were
installed to meet increased demand, and the company
expanded
to the manufacture of all types of men's wear. The
distribu-
tion area of the company ranged widely in the
northern states
and followed the lumber industry to the northwest.
The
states Ou Lhib area were Wisconsin, Michigan,
iiinois,
Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Montana,
Wyoming,
Colorado; Utah, Washington, and Oregon.
The eight foundries and machine shops established in
the city by 1900 emplpyed 108 persons, an average of
about
thirteen employees per firm.20 Although none of the
foundries of La Crosse have been large, they have
offered a
constant source of employment for the last seventy
years of
19. Ibid., July 31, 1927.
20. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the
United States:> 1900, Manufactures, Vol. VIII, Parzt 2,
States
and -Territories (Washington:' Government Printing
Office,
1902), p. 964.
19
the city's history. Representative of the foundries
at this
time was the Torrance and Sons Foundry and Stove
Manufactory.
Established in 1R87 the firm manufactured stoves,
iron work
for bridges, and furnished the steel work for many
dwellings.
Its trade area has been about one hundred miles
around La
Crosse.21
One of the most successful industries of La Crosse
during the first decades of the twentieth century was
the
John A. Salzer Seed Company that originated in 1868.
From a
very modest beginning, the company expanded into one
of the
largest producing and distributing firms of plants
and seeds
ir anIT T"tziAQ T-'s _ ol w I.LLS
in the nied States. Is catalog wa not only widely dis-
tributed in the United States, but it was also used
in many
foreign countries .
A unique factory in La Crosse was established in 1881
for the making of church interiors such as altars and
pews.
The E. Hackner Company, utilizing many local
products, was
the contribution of an immigrant who continued his
craft in
the New World. Pride in their work and the uniqueness
of
21. La Crosse Tribune°ana Leader rress, November 13,
1927.
22. Ibid., May 7, 1927.
20
each interior was characteristic of the master
carvers who
were employed to design and produce the interiors.
The
distribution area of the company was very wide in the
Middle
23
West.
An example of a small industry originally based upon
local products was the Miller Broom Company. The
founder,
August Miller, raised broomcorn. When the factory
that
bought his product closed in 1889, he established his
own
factory. The distribution area of the Miller brooms
in-
cluded all of the surrounding states with 50 per cent
of the
brooms going to the west coast states. The hard maple
handles were obtained from Michigan while the
broomcorn was
later received from southern Kansas, Oklahoma, and
parts of
Texas.
The Yeo and Clark Company erected its mill in 1880
while wheat was still the number-one crop in the
county.
The mill, curing its operation, had a capacity of
seventy-
five barrels of wheat, flour at day. Expansion in
1888 allowed
23. Ibid., OCtober 9, 1928.
24. Ibid., June 12. 1927.
, · i
21
a ton per day capacity producing feed and graham
flour. The
flour mills of La Crosse by 1900, numbered four with
the
average employment about forty-eight. The value of
the
products exceeded $1,200,000. 5 The employment of the
mills
by the year 1905, increased to seventy-four with the
value
of products amounting to over $2160, 00026
The North Side Bttlirg. W.or"k, a 1smal concern,
estab-
lished in the 189.0's, was the first carbonated
beverage
business of La Crosse. The new concern was
established to
take advantage of the new demand by the public. The
company
made practically all of the known carbonated
beverages of
cne time--lemon soda, strawberry, ginger ale, and
root beer.
The trade of---this concern was restricted to the
area surround-
ing La Crosse including parts of Minnesota and
Iowa.27
25. U. S. Bureau of Lthe ensus, wellfth Census of the
United States: 1900, Manufactures, Vol'. VIII, Part 2,
States
and Territories (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1902), p. 9 4.
26. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Special Report on
Manufactures: 1905, Part 2, States and Territories
(Washitg-
ton: Government Printing Office, 1907), p. 1206.
27. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, November 6,
1927.
2 2)
Manufacturing After 1900
By 1900, the old and new industry other than lumber
had
a payroll about equal to that of the lumber industry
during
its height. This is an indication of the diversified
in-
dustries' importance although total employment in the
city
declined after the close of the lumber industry.
During the
years before World War I, more industry entered the
city.
Although these years were not ones of spectacular
industrial
growth, the city industry managed to hold its own
with
respect to employment and the value of products28
The U. S. Census reported an increase from 131 to 151
in the number of manufacturing establishments in the
ten-
year period from 1899 to 1909, and by 1914, a total
of 167
were reported." From 1899 to 1904, nineteen new
industries
began operation in the city. Even with the new
industries
combined with the old established ones, employment
dropped.
28. Ibid., July 21, 1928; U. S. Bureau of the Census,
Twelfth Census of the United States: 1900, Manufactures,
Vol. VIII, Part 2, States and Territories (Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1902), p. 962.
29. U. S. Bureau of thee Census, Census of Manufactures:
1914,- Vol. I, Reports by States (Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1918), p. 1655.
23
Although there was an increase in the number of
establishments,
employment dropped from 2,763 to 2,644, btt wages,
instead of
dropping with employment, increased from $1,001,000
in 1899 to
$1,065,000 in 1904. The value of products increased
from
$7,677,000 to $8,139,000. Generally employment
dropped while
wages and the value of manufactured products
increased. From
the above figures, it is seen that the transition
from a
lumber economy to a diversified economy was
accomplished with-
out a serious setback to the city.
For the next five years until 1909, only one new
manu-
facturing establishment was added to the city's
economy, but
1904 to 3,329 in 1909. With the rise inJ4U te LUnmber
of w
1904 to 3,329 in 1909. With the rise in the number of
wage
earners came another rise in the total wages paid to
the
workers that in 1909 amounted to $1,539,000. The
greatest
increase was in the value pf products which increased
to
$14,103,000, almost double the value of products of
five
years before.30
30. U. S. Bureau of the Census,- Thirteenth Census of
the United States: 1909, Manufactures, Vol. IX, Reports
by
States (WasLin ion. o.uvt:rnmUnL Printi ng Office, o
192),
p. 1360.
24
The first five years after the end of the lumber
industry were hard ones for labor. The nineteen new
firms
did prevent the situation from hernming worte. Even
though
employment was down for this five-year period, the
total wages
paid to employees in manufacturing increased slightly
which
was due to an increase in the individual's wage.
Value of
the products manufactured also increased. The next
five-year
period from 1904 to 1909 had only one new
establishment, but
employment increased substantially as did wages and
value of
the products. During this later period, industries
caught
up with the effects of the closing of the lumber
mills. The
census o -194 z.or -.mnuacturing in La C osse is.
similar to
the 1909 report. The average number of wage earners
was
3,340. Wages totaled $1, 97 7000, and the value of
products
was $14,739,000, only a slight gain in each case.31
The La Crosse Board of Trade takes much of the credit
for attracting new industries into La Crosse during
this era
of transition. It was organized in 1860 by leading
31. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of
Manufactures:
·914°, Vol. I. Reports by States (Washington: Government
Printing Office, 1918), p. 1655.
25
businessmen with the avowed objectives of developing
the
business of the city, opening up direct and cheap
transporta-
tion with the surrounding country, inculcating just
and
equitable principles of trade, disseminating valuable
business information, and encouraging the
establishment of
manufactures. The organization went defunct in 1864
and
reorganized in 1868. Its activities included the
aiding of
the building of wagon roads, railroad projects, and
relief
32
f or th or3 RBetween the years 1880 and 190i5 the
organization did attract small industries to La
Crosse.33
After the demise of the lumber industry, the
breweries,
a-" i plemen.t L Qmanu.LLacturers, th. . e rubber
mills,
flour mills, foundries, and machine shops
substantially
aided the economic situation and became leading
industries.
Aft;. the t. . of the century, there were p five
companies
engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements
, _ i. - r. I ,, E, _ ,d
32. E. S. Hebberd, "La Crosse Boards of Trade and
Chamber of Commerce," La Crosse County Historical
Sketches;
Series Six (La Crosse: La Crosse County Historical
Society,
1942), p. 6.
33. Donald Berthrong, "La Crosse a Case Study in
Social History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. thesis,
University of Wisconsin, 1948), p. 18.
29
employing 148 persons. The La Crosse Plow Company, a
leading
manufacturer, was by 1910 employing about two hundred
men.
The four flour mills, in 1900, employed an average of
forty-
eight men, and the Listman Mills, by 1910, employed
about
two hundred men.34 The La Crosse Rubber Mills was a
new
industry struggling in the field of rubber goods. In
1912,
when the controlling interests changed hands, the
mill was
producing 1,200 pairs of shoes a day and employed
about two
hundred persons.3 The five breweries, at the
beginning of
the decade, employed about two hundred men directly,
and
about 650 more men indirectly owed their jobs to the
breweries
in allied trades and saloos ovf te city. ine coubined
wages
of all men involved in the making and dispensing of
beer was
$i,Z45,000 which provided a livelihood for 8,000 of
the
28,895 citizens of La Corsse. The foudries., at the
beginning
of the century, employed 108 men, the companies
producing
lumber products including sash-and doors employed 232
persons,
the cigar makers numbered 133, and finally persons
manufactur-
ing confectionery totaled 147.36
34. Ibid., p. 20.
-J. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 10, 1921.
36. Berthrong, op. cit., p. 18.
27
The advancements in science made possible the great
increase of the output of the breweries. One was
Prasteur '
discoveries in fermentation and yeast, while the
other was
the introduction of artificial rfrigeratioL earl y
u-i the
1890's. Before the introduction of artificial
refrigera-
tion, beer could be made only in the winter. Now it
was
possible to make beer all year around.37 The new
machinery
was installed in Wisconsin's breweries, and in 1900,
the
state ranked fourth in the outpuit of beer rwith a
producing
capacity of 4,000,000 barrels a year, and by 1910,
was
producing 5,000,000 barrels. The growth f. the
id-s.-y was
just as rapid in La Crosse as in other sections of
the
state 38
To raise their capacities, the La Crosse breweries
started to install refrigerating equipment as early
as 1891.
The five La Crosse breweries; the John Gund Brewing
Company,
the G. Heileman Brewing Company, the C. and J. Michel
Brewing Company, the Monitor Brewing Company, and the
Bartl
Brewing Company were in operation during the first
decade of
-g1 * WV A4t LAJ6 JoA G us a & ALU, s -& `;&4 9X be
6go
1932.
-38. Ibid., February 28, 1932.
28
the twentieth century. It was partly upon these
breweries
that La Crosse relied to fill the vacuum left by the
closing
of the lumber industry. Their total investment was
$5,000, n0. The importance of the breweries to the
city's
economy becomes clear by an examination of their
investment,
payroll, and the number of employees. Although the
breweries
reached their peak in 1914, by 1910, there were 1,640
men
employed directly or indirectly by the five
breweries. Local
plants employed 990 men, directly. The payroll of
these men
amounted to $900,000 a year, almost the same amount
of the
lumber payroll at its peak. In addition, the
breweries paid
more than $600,000 yel farml t ers from the
surrounding
area for cereals. Allied trades employed 150 men in
the
city, and they were paid about $45,000 a year. Five
hundred
men were employed in the city's saloons and received
about
$300,000 a year in salaries. The total amount paid
out in
salaries and wages to men employed directly by the
breweries,
men employed in saloons, and men who worked in allied
trades
was $1,245,000. Another $2,000,000 was paid annually
by the
breweries for taxes, rent, repairs, advertising, and
freight.
The combined breweries of the city paid out a total
of
29
$3,875,000 a year in salaries, rent, taxes, repairs,
advertising, freight, and cereals.
The largest city brewery was the John Gund Brewery.
By
1910, it had 450 employees with a payroll of about
$500,000
annually. Rent, taxes, freight, repairs, advertising,
and
cereals totaled $1,000,000 a year for the brewery.
Gund's
owned saloon equipment valued at $50,000. In this
period it
was legal for breweries to set up saloon keepers with
equip-
ment to sell their beer. Peerless Beer was made by
the Gund
Brewery, and it was considered one of the best known
beers in
the country.
The G. Heileman Brewing Compnanv had an irnvestment
of
$1,250,000 and employed over 285 men at the end of
the: decade
T.i7r rin M e. .". -. A_ T !0 XtDa o n *-i^u_ a__f
*J-e f i- .- . .4, , A; y.-vvO &vv v I 0.Ij.mA. Lo.I, .~
o JL JL ~ L.AC ULCWJL^
was shipping over 1,409 carloads of beer a year. The
company
at this time was brewing 100,365 barrels of beer a
year with
sales of $1,136,586. Old style Lager Beer was. its
most
famous product.
The Michel Rrewery which completed a new plant in
1907
represented an investment of more than a million
dollars.
Thi brevery alone paid out over $75 nn000 a yar for
lari s
%0 J ·I%.- ).9 u V$75%
plus over $600,000 a year for bottles, kegs, and
cases.
Eifenbrau Beer, its product, was well known through
the
country.
The other two breweries were smaller than the big
three.
The Monitor Brewery's output and overhead were small
compared
to the others, but its beer, the Monitor Lager, was
well
K.luwL in the Middle West. Bartl's Brewery's output,
too, was
small, but its product, Bartl's Matchless and Bartl's
Premium
were well known in the area.
One other brewery was located in La Crosse. Of this
brewery little is known. Its name was the Kohn
Brewery.
Oniv two hatr hes of heer were brewed. The first
batch was a
tremendous success, but someone put bread crumbs in
the
second b .tc. La sOiled itXL. U mU .e beer was made
by tne
brewery 39
The La Crosse Rubber Mills, a manufacturing concern
that
was oudesLined to become La Crosse's largest at a
later date,
was organized in 1879. The original purpose was to
make
rubber clothing. Them business developed
satisfactorily for
Q39. Ibi,4.
RqiT· U
y~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1
31
a time, but in 1906, because of market conditions,
the
company left the crowded field and began making
rubber foot-
wear. The next six years were critical ones due to
the many
techi, a puroblems of rmanufacture and the
inexperience of
those in charge. In 1912, A. Funk and A. Hrshheimer
bought
the controlling interest of the company. At this time
the
company consisted of an old wooden building and 160
employees
producing 1,200 pairs of shoes a day. The product was
not
well known or of a high quality. Under the new
management,
the company began to grow. The following year, a new
concrete
building was erected and production was raised to
6,000 pairs
of shoes daily of improved quality.40
The variety of industrial firms that entered the city
b.,tween 1900 aund 1914 continued the strengthening
and the
diversification of the city's economy. A partial list
of the
new firms that entered the city between 1900 and 1905
illustrates their diversification:. Machine
Manufacturing
Company (agricultural implements), Western Banana
Crate
Manufacturing Company, Wisconsin Pearl Button
Company, La
40. The Manufacture of Rubber FootWear fLa Crosse:
La Crosse Rubber Mills Company, 1934), p. 27.
In.. J '~[I-mI][ 'IIm ]
32
Crosse Rug Company, Vaught Berger Company
(telephones), and
the La Crosse Garment Company. In the following years
the
North Side Yarn Company, the Bump Paper Fastner
Company, the
G. J. Lunde Foundry, the McKenzie Company
(agricultural
implements), and the Nustad Coffee Company were a few
of the
manufacturing concerns that began operation in the
city.4
The automobile industry, during these early years,
was
just beginning in a small way. The city directory of
1905
lists one automobile dealer and two automobile
repairers.42
There were no filling stations in La Crosse until
1910, when
the first station was built on the Causeway. It was
located-
behind a picket fence o the west of the ta .ndard Oil
property
with a small metal building erected to house a crude
gasoline
pump from the elements. A driveway led up to the
tence.
Several pickets of the fence were removed to allow
the
attendant to step through to serve the customers.
There was
no gate,, and the attendant had to step over uprights
...L Crosse. Triu a ar 7 1917;
Ibid,, June 5, 1927; Ibid., June 19, 1927; Ibid., June
26,
1927; Ibid., September 18, 1927..
42. Nineteen Hundred and Five Philippi ts Sotuvenir
Directorv of th riAt- oAf TLa o'rO-n (T.a C^rnoa* T. -P
Philippi Company, 1905), p. 469.
33
supporting the fence in order to slip through the
hole with
the hose. Although business was good with cars lined
up at
times, the business did not warrant a full-time
attendant.
A warehouseman who worked from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
also
43
attended the station.
Indlstry in La Crose dring the f"irst two deadesA a
fter
the turn of the century faced one great problem, that
of
replacing the old lumber industry. For the first five
years,
the established and new industries aintined the level
o
total wages and the value of the products although
employment
slumped. The following five years all three made
slight gains
with the value of products showing the greatest
increase. The
next five years were maintained on the previous level
without
any significant gains. The transition period fromman
economy
based on lumber to one based on diversified industry
was
critical. The city was able to maintain old levels
without a
disastrous collapse, as was the case with other
cities in
the same situation.
43. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, May 1, 1927.
L
34
Wh^.1oOenle Trade
The advantageous location of La Crosse on three
rivers,
good rail service, and the fact that the city was the
only
one of its size in the area, secured its position as
a trade
center. During the entire period that includes the
rise and
decl-ineC of the 1.mbr industry CL.nd the a.L.sition
to many
small diversified industries, the retail trade, as a
whole,
showed a steady gain.'
The city directory of 1900 stated, regardi'g jobbing
and
retailing, that there were several jobbing
institutions that
handled certain lines of goods of their own
manufacture; but
athe r tailr ws now dis inct from the jobber aid mouf
f turer.
It was one of the distinguishing characteristics of
the city.
k oL-UbUi wabs da iuvjLi;A ,ay j Ai. i. i-.i ty m
uvuk Aiei
northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, and western
Wisconsin.
The importance of jobbing to the city is indicated by
the
amount and the progressive rise in value of the goods
sold
at wholesale. For 1881, it totaled $2,578,000. By
1890, the
44. H. J. Hirshheimer, "The Passing of the Sawmills
and
the Growth of Manufactures in La Crosse, 1880-1905," The
Lumber Industry (2nd ed.; La Crosse: The La Crosse
County
Historical Society, 1937), p. 85.
35
value of wholesale goods rose tG $5,341,000. It
increased
to $9,080,000 in 1900. In 1905, the time of the
demise of
the sawmills, the value of the wholesale goods rose
to
;. z
$14,616,800.5 A partial list of the products of the
city's
jobbers reveals that only two of the commodities
could be
classed as: perishable, confectionery, and groceries.
The
perishables did, of course, have a limited area of
distribu-
tion. Other goods distributed by jobbers of the city
were:
cigars, furniture, hardware, harnesses, liquor, oil,
and
46
windmills.
Labor and Cost of Living
Labor in La Crosse in 1900 was not a homogeneous
group.
It Can be dviLded into LtLr.e large A.asses or
types--
unskilled, craft, and salaried workers. The only type
of
labor organized by that time was the craftman. They
were
.ntensively organized by such unions as the Railroad
Brother-
hoods, Typographers' Union, Cigar Makers' Union,
Bricklayers'
45. Ibid., p. 89,
46. Nineteen Hundred Philippi s Souvenir Directory of
the City of LaT Crosse (La Crosse: L. P. Philippi
Company,
1900) , pp. 53o-5oo .
36
Union, and Plumber s U nions.47
The salaried worker was unorganized, and by the
nature
of his work, he was and considered himself separate
from
the rest. The unskilled or daily worker between 1900
and
1910 had difficult times. After the lumber industry
rapidly
began to close, employment sagged, and it was not
until the
latter part of the decade that employment rose above
the old
level. Generally wages were not cut although a few of
the
employers took advantage o siuailon by reduring
wages.
The average annual earnings of the unskilled
individual
worker was about $360.00 a year. His earning
increased to
eIAnn (n 42, iQ(n 48
$4J0 .00 in , and to $460.00 hy 1909. The skilled
craftsman earned about $1,100.00 a year, and salaried
workers earned about $ 1,0.00 a year at the begnning
o f
the century. Although the number of salaried workers
doubled from 299 to 737 during the decade, their
salaries
49
remained about the same.
a Crrnsse did not have a great deal of labor
difficulty,
47. Ibid., p. 149.
48. Berthrong, o. cit., p. 150.
49. .Iid.., p. ,
37
and strikes were rare. In the few strikes that
occurred
involving union men, the employers followed the
practice
of the day by hiring nonunion men as strike breakers.
In-
most instances, the men who returned to work were
hired at a
&ighL r wage although er ome instances of men being
wb
rehired at a lower rate.
For the most part, labor and management were not
antagonistic. The skilled and organized labor group
was
predom inarnty GIerman. The I olwder uLions, such a4-
thLe Lypo-
graphers, brewers, cigarmakers, wood workers, and
building
trades were led by the Germans. The Germans retained
many
of their old d ideas concerning the place of labor
and
respect for the owners. As an example, w hen, one of
the
proinnt brwery wnrs died i n 15 thA c Brewers1
Union Number 81 published a memorial eulogizing him.
The cost of living was low or in line with the
prevail-
ing wages which enabled a worker to support a family
on
$400.00 a year. The practice of keeping cows and
chickens
in the city and maintaining a garden, in a large
marmer,
50. Ibid.
c1 ".- it. _ 1 I. '7
Jr. LU L,.„ rp,,I
'~' ~ jLu » ^ f
38
contributed to the family's food supply so that less
cash
was needed to support a family. Prices, as listed in
the
newspapers, were low by today's standards. A dozen
eggs
cost 13 cents in 1900 and 20 cents in 1915. A pound
of bacon
cost the homemaker between 8-1/4 cents and 8-1/2
cents in
1900 and 12-1 cents in 1915. in 191,. food prices
were
listed in the newspapers as: potatoes 35 cents a
bushel, sugar
at 10 pounds for 50 cents, and coffee 20 cents a
pound.
Clothes, too, were cheap. Workshirts were priced at
29
cents, while a top quality man's suit cost $16.00,
and a
person could obtain a cheap suit for $7.00. A woman's
tailor-made suit was listed as $10.00. Although both
food
and clothes prices show a slight increase from 1900
to 1915,
the worker's average earning increased during the
same
period.52
52. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, February 8, 1900;
Ibid., February 20, 1900; La Crosse Tribune,January 3,
1910;
Ibid., February 2, 1915.
CHAPTER III
INCREASED CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY, 1900-1920
Ubanr people were becoming increasingly aware thaL
such
problems as water supply, street improvements, and
public
health were the responsibility of the city as a whole
rather
than of each ..iividual. It was slowly becoming
evident that
their problems could be solved most efficiently by
the co-
operative effort of the citizens working Lhrough
their civic
government. Before entering the new century? La
Crosse had
already taken its first steps forward in this
direction, as
had most cities, by establishing paid fire and police
depart-
ments. The old system depended upon the individual
citizens
volunteering their time for fire and police
protection of
the city. By 1900, the city government had begun to
accept
the responsibility of providing the equipment and
paid profes-
sional persons for the protection of the city. The
acceptance by the city of the responsibility to
provide
protection and civic improvements developed
gradually.
City Transportation
ri,_- ..-___ -.eC .. ,O.n-. , otl t -
J.sLz C1:dL J-, yCLLa -_ , ~.o ,.U O.,,- q .. r,..-. -
-, . --C ....
I- i
transportation in the city were marked by several
outstanding
events. In each case, a controversy involved the
question of
who was responsible for the improvement or change.
In the history of La Crosse Dr. Wendell A. Anderson
was
one of the few outstanding leaders. The day he took
office
as maynr in 1899, there was a marked change in the
atmosphere
in the city hall. He was a "doer" with foresight, and
his
administrations were landmarks of civic improvements.
The;
outstanding achievement of his first administration
was the
brick paving undertaken by the city. Previously,
there had
beeu some macadam laid in the downtown section
composed of lime-
stone rocks, but the sharp horses' shoes and narrow
wheels of
vehicles ground it into dust so that in a short time
there
wcirw due p u.Lsb 4LlU LlS L 1 a-u_ w pi_ SV=cXMCU
irct C L.L1SV -UCc
tried.1
Before the city could begin the paving project, the
council had to adopt certain sections of the
Wisconsin
statutes by which the city would be permitted to make
street
1. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Cr-osse: La Orosse
_.i.i. Ay , .i . _ s _ - _I a 951 ), pr\ C 19 0 .1 97
Qv - alsoy nJ.lbU~l.J.fpl 5JSLCL.J s X7^^A. s or- re A^w
@^
I1
'+1.
improvements to be paid in whole or in part by the
city or
by the property owners to be benefited thereby as the
council
directed. In no case could the amount assessed to any
parcel
of real estate exceed the benefit accruing to such
real
estate by the improvement. It also provided that the
board
of public works view the premise to determine the
benefits
and damages, then advertise that a report was open
for rPviPru,
after which objections could be filed. If any
property owner
considered himself aggrieved by the determinations of
the
council, he could appeal to the circuit court within
twenty
days. The adoption of the state statute was necessary
because
the city charter. did not permit charging for
improvements
where streets were already paved.
Tha ronrin1 iftir miruh dcphnat-p dont_?td the'
nrrdinanrp
and approved a plan which included the issuance of
$102,000
of bonds for laying forty blocks of brick pavement
from Front
Street to Fifth Street and intersecting streets from
Mt.
Vernon Street to Pine Street. Despite a vigorous
protest
from property owners which ended in a court case, the
city
proceeded with the brick paving which was completed
during
the following vear. The otooertv owners finally
volunteered
42
to pay the assessments.2
After the initial large paving project under the
leader-
ship of Mayor Anderson, paving of the streets
continued to
b.e. _L.-£ _ _ a-j-. I ,I fI _! ,i..e u.-Ic f' I I 1
I
years. The people of the city took great pride in
what they
U Lidered he Li f* L LiV str et._
An incident occurred in the summer of 1919 that re-
mindedu the citizens of the early efforLs of paving.
Heavy
rains in the sumer proved to be disastrous to the few
streets that had beep paved with wood blocks covered
by a
_,__ -L _. _s.- L..JsT_ A A. UI CLA . - CL -
headlined, "Block Paving on Cass Street Floats in
Flood."4
The story went on to state that due to the teriffic
rain, the
long-neglected creosote block pavement swelled and
distorted
into all sorts of grotesque shapes, burst into
pieces, and
floated away. Periodically, the street had been
afflicted
2. Ibid., p. 197; Special Charter. and Ordinances of
the
City of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1911. Ordinance No. 335;
a Crosse Morning Chronicle, November 24, 1901.
3. La Crosse Mning Chro le, Nvember 2, 1 01 . ; Ibd.
July 17, 1901; Ibid., July 25, 1901; Ibid., January 30,
1902.
4. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 20, 1919.
43
with bubbles so that the motorist got the sensation
of
driving over the deep blue sea.
ill a opeed, fr =-i- 1911, <L e wa.asse.d_
~ -s'
which limited automobiles to the sane speed of six
miles an
hour in the business district, but it allowed them to
"speed"
up to fifteen miles an hour in ther sectio:s of the
city.
A controversy between the city and the Milwaukee
Raii-
road involving the responsibility of maintaining a
viaduct
began in 1902 and was to last more than ten years.
The
1t7i cAI t1 e , t -eh Mi l wttIesL t-raeks non RoeAa
Strcat wnc i n nnnor
condition. Parts of the structure were crumbling
which made
it particularly dangerous to cross while trains were
passing
below. The railroad officials maintained that the
city must
share the expense of replacement. Even after the
Wisconsin
Railroad Commission had condemned the structure
ordering the
railroad and city to build a new e, othing was .dne.
The controversy was brought to a climax one Sunday
5. Special Charter and Ordinances of the City of La
Crosse, Wisconsin, 1911. Ordinance No. 518.
6. La Crosse Tribune, March 14, 1913; Ibid., April 30,
1A,1 - -- .
4 /J -.
44
morning in July, 1913. While the city slept, the
Milwaukee
Road officials took matters into their own hands.
With a
wrecking crew of -forty the va ,lnt - wa torn down Rv
the
time that the exiedu ciLy uoficials reached the scene
in
the morning, the bridge was gone for it took less
than one-
half hour to demolish it. The railroad officials
pointed
out that their action was taken for the safety of
their
trains and patrons.
The Wisconsin Railroad Commission roened the case and
made an investigation to determine a fair adjustment.
The
street railwaL y coumlpy was asoV concerned, for it
was to use
the viaduct to eliminate the dangerous crossing of
the
Milwaukee tracks on Mill Street. Following the
hearing, the
commission ordered the construction of a viaduct with
the
cost apportioned between the city, the railroad, and
the
8
streetcar company.
Yet another controversy involving transportation
facili-
ties stirred the city during the early years of the
twentieth
7. Ibid., July 21, 1913.
8. Ibid., November 20, 1913.
45
century. The Mississippi River wagon bridge was
maintained
by the city as a toll bridge. The only way of
reaching
Barron's Island, now called Pettibone Park, was Uy
crossing
th wagon bridge. The effort to make the wagon bridge
Lree
to citizens of La Crosse on Sundays and holidays so
that they
could utilize the new park acquired by the city was
the first
step toward abolishing tolls. Early in Mayor
Boschert's
administration, Alderman Spence introduced an
ordinance to
allow citizens to coss the bridge free betw-en the
hours of
8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p m. on Sundays and holidays
between
T.. C 1 ,_ 1-- _ _'I
JunLe aL cU Uc Lur i. Lne oruinance passed without
opposi-
tion .
The businessmen of uhle city periodically tried to
have
the tolls abolished. They claimed that the tolls.were
keep-
ing people of Minnesota from trading in the city. The
issue
came to a climax in 1910 when, after considerable
debate,:
.the aldermen iiL ally decided to submit the question
Fo the
people in a referendum election in April, 1911: A
heated
campaign followed. The businessmen of La. Crosse
offered. to
9. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, July 4, 1901;.;Ibid.
SentembhrT 1& 10QCl
_ __
46
raise $10,000 to pave the causeway to La Crescent,
Minnesota,
if the tolls were abolished and the farmers of La
Crescent
rounty and Winona County agreed to raise $iU,u0u0 o
improve-
rte highways leading to tlhe La Crescent end of the
causeways
The msU w paed by a sbsat j or tI it y. I n tne
ILM UL=C1 .LLL= W1Z F IZOO=%A y a ~Lu L4Li LJiAL UIJ
UL.L LY n Lnl
following month the council passed an ordinance which
abolished the tolls to become effective September 1,
1911.
The ordinance also stipulated that before the first
day of
September the citizens should subscribe the $0, 000.
The
following tolls were charged at the time that they
were
abolished: For single or double teams, with driver
and lady
25 cents for each round trip, each passenger in
excess of
driver and lady the same as foot passengers; for
horse and
rider 15 cents for single or round trip; for sheep
and hogs
on foot 5 cents each for single trip; for cattle or
horses
each 10 cents for single trip; for foot adult
passengers 10
cents, and children uver twelve accompanied uy aduuts
Lree.
All tolls were placed in the bridge fund of the city
of
La Crosse.10
10. La'Cr6sse Tribune and .Leader Press, De.cemnei.
7,
1930.
47
Matters of Government
Party politics were rife in La Crosse as in most
other
cities. It was Republican versus Democrat for mayor
and
alderman. Party politics meant the caucus and
convention
which, at the end of the nineteenth century, had come
under
increased criticism and attack for heing boss
controlled-
Although the direct primary had supplanted the
nominating
convention in many counties of western states and in
the
.South, it was not until 1904 that the first
comprehensive
state-wide mandatory primary legislation was adopted
in
Oregon and Wisconsin. Robert La Follette, as
governor, led
t-h figh t fnor the nri mnary. He pnreva ld inn the
state
legislature to enact the kind of direct primary law
that he
r- o A 1 +- U >».,r e%w-:1-->*%< A/^.F\ % A·r~·C - ^.
»-» ' ml
.* L &k A V A.LA % L" %.& % . . ; _-LLI*. _. ILL
direct primary law adopted by the people swept away
all nom-
in.ating conventions. It provided that every
candidate should
be chosen by the party voters at the primary. Names
could be
placed on the primary by petition; it required 3 par
cento-i
the case of muoicipal U6oiciais.-s
11. HowardR;. Penniman, Sait's American Parties and
Eleccions, (4th ed.; New- Yok:;, App'JLuL-CunLuL-y-
rorfts
Incorporated,° 1936), pp. 30i-302.
48
The municipal election of 1905 in La Crosse was con-
ducted for the first time under the new primary law
Candidates filed petitions to be placed on the
primary ballot
*.LStCo L oC£SU U kA.' 0;-Ir. LJLinAtiw t ugh cLcLL
aJb .d v iI-- L..niLLo .
Mayor Torrance filed for re-election on the
Democratic ticket,
while George Bungte filed fr eiecLio on iiLthe
Repulican
ticket. Torrance received the Democratic nomination
with
1,306 votes and Bunge received the Republican
nminatin with
1,205 votes. The party platforms were then adopted.
The
Democrats were pledged to build a high school. find a
means
of purifying the water supply, and not to raise
taxes. The
Republicans, as is often the case with the outs,
denounced
alleged graft and gambling. They also 'promised to
support a
rrew high school and find a means of purifying the.
water
supply.2
A week of hot campaignngn lulo~wed with speeches made
in halls all over the city. Mayor Torrance was
re-elected
with the entire Democratic ticket, and the Democrats
won
12. La Crosse Morning. Chronicle, March 30, 19.0Q5;
Ibid.
April 4, 1905. "
zJ
tq. - -
49
eleven of the twenty-one council seats.l3
For a time the people of La Crosse flirted with the
idea
of a commission form of government advocated by the
La Crosse
Board of Trade to put the city overn--ent on a
business basis.
The agitation for a commission form of government
reached -ts
peak in 1915. This was thirteen years after the
Galveston
experiment of 1901 in which the mayor-council
government in
Galveston was unequal to the .task of restoring order
and
meeting the chaos created by the-tidal wave-and flood
of 1900.
During the early decades of this century, especially
between
1901 and 1917, there was great enthusiasm for the
commission
form of government. Thereafter its popularity
declined from
the 500 American cities employing the commission form
to 383-
cities in I953.4
The board of trade led the agitation for a commission
form of government for La Crosse during the year
1914. The
primary reasons expresse by the advocates for the
commission
form of government were economy and efficiency. It
was cited
13. Ibid., April 5, 1905.
14. 4 Jewell CasS Phillips, State and Local .Cvernment
in
Akmerral (New Yor-k: r Ampriren Rook Company; 1954); pn
4l12-.1t
50
that eleven Wisconsin cities already had adopted the
commis-
sion form of government with successful results.
However,
popular onininn could not be swung favr ably in the
city, and
15
tLLs; L UiLe:r was U r- pp D
During this era of progressive state government in
Wisconsin under the leadership of Robert La Follette.
there
was a continuous struggle for more democracy or more
popular
control of government. One direction of this fight
was the
control of bossism in political parties. Part of this
effort
was the elimination of the nominating convention. A
more
radical step was taken when in 1913 the state
legislature
enacted a new nonpartisan electiop and regaistration
la for
the local level designed to eliminate politics from
municipal
elections. All candidates for city offices. as well
as ward
offices, were to make their campaigns as
nonpartisans. All
old registration and poll lists were destroyed, and
three
registration days were held at which new lists were
prepared.
Voters went to the voting booths of their wards to
register
15. La Crosse Tribune, October 5, 1914; Ibid.,
October
7,. ;. cber 9, ; id .October 14, 1-914.
- 11 "- * v%IsIr -t- d r ; - ** l ~*w-%.- I
/, .fi "v*; LD3o. . VctoDer to, lilq; ildu , Ouctober
14, L-i14.
-O
51
16
on the day designated for that purpose.
Party politics and party loyalty could not be
legislated
out of existence so easily and quicky. Party
identification
and voting continued into the administration of Mayor
Sorensen, the first nonpartisan mayor, but an
indication of
the future was brought to light when party lines were
broken
for the election of the city attorney. Although the
Demo-
crats had a majority in.the council, J. E. Higbee, a
Republi-
can, defeated the Democrat for that office. Politics
wete
eliminated on several other matters that had been
decided
17
before on strictly party lines. Thirty years later,
local
party politics had been .aLuLos. C.ulletLely
-e.iminated.
Police and Fire Protection
The control and appointment of the police department
had
caused many bitter fights between the mayor and
council, as
well as between Democrats and Republicans. In 1896,
although
La Crosse had a special charter, the city came under
a
general charter law which was enacted in that year.
in each
16. Ibid., March 10, 1913-; Ibid.. March 18, 1913.
17. Ibid.* March 19, 19133.
- - - --- - L-- - --CC- '- --
52
city of second or third class, an office for police
and fire
commission was created to consist of four citizens.
Not
more than two of these were to belong to the same
political
party. They were to be appointed by the mayor to
serve a
four-year term without compensation. The power to
appoint
all officers was granted to the commission.
Appointments
were to be made on the basis of educational and
physical
qualifiLcations, L=rpu LUtati, LAd the experience of
the appli-
cants. These officers were to retain their positions
on good
behavior. This section of the general charter law was
designed to eliminate the "spoils system." This
section
reflected the general feeling of the country and
state that
politics should be withdrawn from positions which
were
administrative, rather than policy making, and that
the evils
1.8
of the spoils system should be curbed,
By 1904, the police department consisted of
twenty-six
officers. New additions were constantly made until
1920.
when the force totaled forty men. Chief John B.
Webber was
18.. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A
History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse: La Crosse
County
Historical Society, 1951), p. Ul.
53
appointed to his position in 1906, a job he held for
thirty-
three years. During the first two decades of the
twentieth
century, one policeman was killed in the line of
duty. On
nte ninht or September , iq( (Off .r rrt rG-tos W,.S6
patrolling the city streets looking for three men who
had com-
mitted a robery in TL Crescent and were rpnprt-dh
heading- for
La Crosse. -He spotted three m.en nd ordered them to
halt.
Shots rang out, and lfficer Gates fell fatally
wounded. Im-
mediately armed posses gathered and made a search,
but the
19
three men made good their escape.
Because the city was a railroad center. the area had
more than its share of pickpockets and confidence
men. Chief
Webber's mos cfec iv . tod of dealing .wth pLcpucke
ts
was to escort them out of the city as soon as they
were
spotted by an officer. Most of these characters were
known
to the chief and the force.
As has been noted, in 1912 cars became so numerous in
the city that a speed ordinance was enacted. Until
this time,
the department used horses. The council took action
to deal
19. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 10,
1934.
e - p 91934_
__ __
54
with traffic law violators by furnishing the police
with a
motorcycle to patrol the streets. It was also in this
year
that the force nhtained it-s fist automobile, a
touring car.20
L. L a r.l ,, Y arym b . . u , ss L L.L t, L I6ieSg
UepelUdeU
upon volunteer fire companies. The companies were
popular
for the social fuLc tiLon. in which they engageu.
Alltough tne
fire companies were on a volunteer basis, they were
subject
to municipal regulations and inspection. The
companies owned
some of their equipment, and the city furnished the
rest of
it for them. The city officials in control were a
chief
engineer, three. assistants, and a fire marshall, all
selected
by the council. Finally, a regular paid fire depart
^ment was
establishted in 1896 which came under the control of
the La
Crosse Fire and Police Commission established in
1897."'
When the paid fire department was started) it
consisted
of forty-five men situated in five fire stations. The
equip-
ment, of course, was drawn by horsepower at this
time. The°
first printed rules and regulations which appeared
July 1,
1899, cantioned the drivers '"They must slacken sneed
in
20. Ibid., July 21, 1938.
IX1 C,.^% _-»-FAUTN U_ ^4okm<n- ; I _ 1 1 n AI1 al
-~ I~^ -=K~.-. - O r*> -& Ar*AAe *
55
coming to and turning corners and crossing principal
streets;
if necessary to avoid accidents come to a full stop.
Keep on
the right side of the street and in single file; do
not drive
.,.U- ., ,_-- _1- _,_22
abLrast of eL acIL U LLother.
By the 1900's the city's fire department was
operating
efficiently with a resulting drop in the frequency of
major
fires. It is true that in the early years of 1900
there were
A.A.. C- 0s L. L.lL...
several umajor lazes, but thelr occurrence was greatly
diminished.-
Radical changes began to occur in 1912, w en the
first
step toward mechanization was taken. This transition
from
horse to motorized equ ipment began when L. C. Colman
pre-
sented the city with a. Knox Runabout for use as a
fire chiefis
car. Three years later, in 915u, the first motorized
equip-
ment was purchased by the council, a combination
chemical and
hose machine. The motorization of the department was
completed in 1926, when a chemical and hose machine
replaced
a horse-drawn wagon at station number five.
22. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 3,
1938.
23. Ibid. Februry 15, 1948.
am) I & q u%,C6 i A.J- M J- A. -
--- L __
56
At the same time, the department added new men so
that
the number of firemen was fifty-four in 1919. A major
change
was brought about to i mprove th worki ng ..-dit ions
and
f-fici, f te me .. -The t wo-platoon system was
confirmed
by the citizens at a referendum election in April,
1919. The
old method was one day off duty for every four days
oln duty.
The change to twelve hours on duty and twelve hours
off duty
required an addition of nineteen new men, or a total
of
seventy-thre-e. Snce ths first change, the hours have
been
changed to twenty-four hours on duty and twenty-four
hours
24
off dutyA4
The major fires from 1900 to. 192C0 were the Tausche
idi arLe Stoe LVL ti 1 0iVL L , Lt. LVa Ll L
LlteVaLoULS Ln iU9i, thne
Spence McCord Company and the Cameron House in 1916,
and the
Hoean School in 1920. It can readily be. seen that
the number
of major fires was declining.25
The most dramatic fire of 1
destroyed the combination Miiwaukee Depot and
Cameron- House
in 1916. The Monday edition of December 25, 1916, of
the
24. Ibid., January. 1, 1946.
25. Ibid.. February 15, 1948.
57
La Crosse Tribune printed the following account of
the fire:
Fire which routed out 40 guests and a
donzn employees, most of the m In Lthir night
shirts, early on S.day morning destroyed the
Mi lwnlukee railroad station at Second and Vine
streets and the Cameron House, which occupied
part of the depot building, at noon the fire
was still blazing fiercely, but was under
control. .
rFe. toork tim to dress carrying a few
hastily gathered belongings, they flocked down
th stairs which were by that time filled with
smoke, and fled into the snowstorm which was
blowing outside. Railroad men and traveling
men in paams and underwear, with trousers and
overcoats flung over their arms, dashed through
the six-inch snow for nearby hotels, restaurants
and other warm spots. Chambermaids and waitresses
in kimonas and with hair streaming down their backs
took refuge in neighboring saloons and other
establishments. Most of e save their crloheP.
Few saved anything else.
The old buiiding burned rapidly although the
fire department was on hand in a few mi3nutes after
the alarm was given. Central Station was first on
the scene, and at 8 O'clock the f ir had gaid
such headway that McGlachlan rang in a 'four eleven,
th generl al whh ruh out the fire
companies of the city to the spot. Five streams
were played on the blaze, but despite all efforts
the fire rapidly gained headway . ..
26. La Crosse Tr ibune, December 25, 1916.
r
58
Public Utilities
The problem of acquiring an adequate water supply L-f
uuh fLL L i san -Litary purposes was a long and
controversial
one. It was one of trial and error, elections,
private and
public ownership, and name calling. It is not
complete
roiayv Tn many wTaJysr the stoy U % A. wtrr cpp %l i
Li tp.ca,.l -f
the problem of urban government illuminating some of
the
strong and weak points of the mayor-council form of
govern-
ment and the democratic process.
The first expressed need for a ready water supply in
the early part of the city s history was for fire
protect on.
A series of cisterns, each with a capacity of from
eight
hundred to one thousand gallons, were established at
inter-
vals. This system, as the city grew, became expensive
and
unsatisfactory. Several alternate proposals were made
and
rejected.. One involved piping water in from a nearby
creek,
but the supply was inadequate. Artesian wells were
tried by
the city, bu thne wells failed to produce flowing
water. in
Decmber , lo75, the citizens turned down, in a
referendumt
the floating of a $60,000 bond issue to build a city
water-
works-using the river or creek water.
59
January, 1876, a private waterworks, pump, hydrants,
and
fire department were established by the Ta Crosse
L-umbe
Company for its mill. Goaded by agitation. the
council made
an agreement with the Colman and Paul mills for them
to pump
river water into city furnished mains and hydrants
for a fee
of $600.00 a year. Finally in 1880, the city erected
its
own pump house using river water. A second pump was
added
in 1884. By 1900, the system had thirty-nine miles of
pipe.
This system was designed for fire protection, and
residents secured drinking water from their backyard
wells.
The water system was gradually atteched to many homes
as
sanitary plumbing was installed. As more and more
home wells
became contaminated, due tc the icLrease in popul
tion,
people reluctantiy began to drink the city water.
This
situation caused increased demands for something to
be done
27
to improve the water.
By 1904, there were two alternate plans to improve
the
water supply. One involved filtering tlhe water in
the city
27. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A
History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse: La"Crosse
County Historical Society, 1951), pp. 185-187.
60
mains and the other of digging deep wells. The
agitation for
a pure water system continued into 1911. At this time
the
council voted a $250,000 bond issue for a new system,
but the
conflict still continued over the type of
plant--filtration
of river water or wells. By this time experts had
recommended,
after taking samples of each, the well type of water
innply.
Finally, upon request, the Wisconsin Railroad
Commission made
an investigation of the water situation and advised
the city
to wait until a report was submitted before starting
a project.
The report of the ColOss ion recommended that a well
system
was the only ogical - plan for restort.on of te La
Crosse
water plant. The report suggested that the city build
a
reservoir on Grandad Bluff east of the city and buy
about
eighty acres of land north of the. city for well
sites. Follow-
ing this report, the commisi.on issued an order
requiring the
city to meet the demands of its customers. The city
was given
eighteen monthos to comply with this order. With. no
choice,
an expert engineer was hired to make further
investigations.
His findings confirmed the report of the conmission.
28. La Crosse Tribune, June 14, 1911; Ibid., June 21,
1 11.
4 I .
_ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ ah- - -
61
Late in October, bonds were voted for installation of
a
well system. Land north of Myrick Park ad east of the
Green
Bay tracks in the marsh was bought for well sites,
and con-
struction of a pumping station in iMyrick Park began
Af ter
a series of delays, the pumping station was completed
in
1913.29
A problem contemporary with the pure water
controversy
was the ownership or control of light and power.
Prior to
1900, there had been three competing light and power
com-
panies. By 19D2, the confusion.and waste resulting
from
three competing companies was evident to George
MacMillian
who brought about their combination in a single
company, the
La Crosse Gas and Electric -Company. Rates. jumped
from 10
cents per kilowatt to 22 cents per kilowatt in the
higher
brackets. There was no way to-regulate
power-companies under
existing state laws. The Wisconsin Securities C
iomuiLion,
later the Wisconsin iRailroad Com ission, lacked the
power
to regulate rates, id competi tion seemed to be
the-answer
_oegua e a ..,,...
29. Ibid., May 10, 1913; Ibid. . July. 24, 1914.
- ·· Y Y
62
to increased rates.30
The Wisconsin Light and Power Company was formed as
the
compet ng company. It maintained alternating current,
and
people with direct current facilities could not use
the new
company's power. After the new company lost the fight
with
the old company for the ncontract to f--.rnih e city
wi
light and power, it announced that it did not intend
to enter
into competition with the old company but proposed to
furnish
light for the outlying districts--the North Side and
Onalaska--
where lighting systems had not been established. The
.new.
company did not intend to cut prices or to eater into
an
31
electricity war.3
Within two years the inevitable occurred; the Wicon-
sin Light and Power Company was purchased-by the La
Cron.Qc
Gas and Electric Company. In the meantime, the city
tact
considered building-a municipal lighting- plantI but.
the
project was voted down by the people. The -situation
now was
30. La crosse. Tribune. and Leader Press, July 21,
1938;
The Lee aprs: A Saga o Midwestern Journalism (Kewanee,
Illinois: Star-Courier Press,' 1947), p. 239.
31. La Crosse Tribune and Leader lress, July 21, 1938.
'--"-*sJuly 21, i1938.
63
that there was only one company with a monopoly on
light and
power, and no demand for another power company. The
people
finally understood that a city the size of La Crosse
could
support only one power company. Protection against
unreason-
able rates could now be provided by regulation. The
Wiscon-
sin oRalroad CovSmiS$ion with power co regulate rates
and
service had been formed. The controversy was over
with the
state having power over rates and service.
The demand for cheap, city transportation in the
1870's
resulted in the formation of a company that provided
horse-
drawn cars. In 1885, the City Street Railway Company
absorbed the La Crosse Street Railway. Company and
organized
the La Crosse City Railway Company. The company began
installing electric cars in 1893,32
The company maintained good and uninterrupted service
until one of the most serious strikes in the history
of La
Crosse broke out on June 22, 1909, when. the
employees of the
La Crosse City Railway Company were locked out after
several
days of negotiations with the company had failed. The
32. Sanford and Hirshheimer. op.. cit.. p. 190.
64
company demanded that the men either withdraw from
the union
or lose their 3obs. Fifteen men remained on the job,
and
the street car company brought in twenty-five
additional men
from Milwaukee to main Lain the operation of the nine
cars on
their schedules. Union men of the city refused to
patronize
thp Ctreet carst, and the strik .;r- --a,-r .e lo
dgC1 a, tie
puwer-L house £or safety.--
Violence broke out the second night of the strike
when
a crowd of five hundred sympathizers gathered in
front of
the powerhouse. The company called in the cars before
dark
to avoid trouble. As the strike breakers brought the
cars
in=, they were hissed and a few rocks were thrown.
The only
damage was broken windows of the powerhouse, Regular
and
special police and sheriff's deputees were on dutv to
main-
tain the peace; but as the situation became more
serious,
Mayor Sorensen issued a proclamation to the effect
that the
police should arrest anyone for any unlawful act and
prohibit
iLL
the assembling of crowds on the streets."
33. La Crosse Tribune, June 21, 1909; Ibid., June 23,
1909.
34. Ibid., June 24, 1909.
65
Conferences of the mayor, sheriff, company officials,
and the union committee were held in the city hall.
AlthouOgh
the street cars were maintained on their schedules,
few
people risked traveling in them.
Six days after the strike began, an agreement was
reached. It provided that all discharged men would be
re-
hired. It also determined a fair manner of
appointment and
of having a committee. represent the employees during
the life
of the wage scale agreed upon. Thus ended one of the
most
serious strikes of the city up to that time."3
The problem of establishing efficient telephone
service
in the city was similar to the difficulties involving
the
power companies. With the advent of the new century
TLa
Crosse had two telephone systems. Local cApital had
been
used to form the La Crosse Telephone Company to
compete. with
the Wisconsin Telephone Company (Bell System). The La
Crosse
company was known as the 'new phone," and many
businessmen
had to maintain the service of both, for. the "old
phone"
alone sadq 'th1e u V.i a. lo di i.stanc le. uLoa.
p-ri and
cilunt: LIEM-3 US. %A-LO I-CLEr " -liZU;; dCIII
35. Ibid., June°26. 1909; Ibid., June 28. 1909.
r _ I I
66
loyalty enabled the "new phone" to compete with the
outside
concern. A suit carried to the Wisconsin Supreme
Court
forced the Wisconsin Telephone Company to make
physical con-
nection with the local company, thus losing its hold
on
36
local business. With government approval, the La Crosse
Telephone Company bought the property of the
Wisconsin
37
Telephone Company.37 This was a rare instance of a local
independent company absorbing the Bell System. It was
also
one more step ay from the cnfusio r--s ul &g f.oU two
utility companies competing for the same service with
each
A Park System
La Crosse started developing a park system and
recrea-
tion areas late in its history. On November 13, 1903,
the
council passed a resolution renaming the parks which
existed in the city. A small area (1.03 acres)
located on
Eighth and Main streets, known as the public square,
was
36. Albert H. Sanford and H. J. Hirshheimer, A
History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse: La Crosse
County Historical Society, 1951); p. 189.
37. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 15,
1919X
67
named Burns Park in honor of the donors, Timothy
Burns, B.
dFarnaX, an:d ieter Burns.outh Sree ar s rea
located in the commercial section, was renamed
Cameron Park
after its donors Senator Angus Cameron and Peter
Cameron.
An undeveloped site along the Mississippi water front
was
named Spence kark. An area which formerly had been a
part
of the fair grounds, kpown as Lake Park, was then
named
Myrick Park. The cit ow-e one other park, Pettibone
Park--
formerly Barron's Island. Up to this time ths city
had made
no special effort to acquire land for parks except
through
court litigation to acqnire clear title nd pay off.
other
claims to Cameron Park. Most of the land used for
park
purposes had been donated by individuals to the
city.3
Barron's Island, a waste land for years, had been a
harbor for brothels and tough lumbermen, La Crosse
had no
jurisdiction over the island, for it belonged to
Minnesota.
In the 1890's, A. W. Pettibone purchased the island
and
turned it over to the city with.a trust deed -and
$50,Q00 for
maintenance of the island for park purposes It was
also
38. Ibid., July 21, 1928.
_i ·
68
stipulated that a commission be established to
administer
the park. The grateful city named the island
Pettibone Park
and, as nearly as possible, left the island in its
natural
tate. The nqu isition of Pettibone Island not only
started
the movement to abolish tol lsq er the M- missippi b
ride
but also began the agitation at the turn of the
century for
Minnesota to cede the island to Wisconsin so that La
Crosse
could estabiish jurisdiction .over it. It was
proposed that
in exchange fot the island that Wisconsin cede an
isla nd
opposite Red Wing to Minnesota. Bills were presented
to both
stt t fIi l tr Cor t t r ctiwon. p ps i L tion fI
iAo. tle
Vllage of La Crescent , IanesoLa, caused the defeat
of the
bill in that state.
In 1903, the council authorized the mayor. to appoint
a
committee of five to appear before the Minnesota
legislature
in behalf of a bill asking for the cession of the
island.
Again bitter opposition developed from Houstor
County,
Minnesota, with stories circulated that La CrosSe
intended
to sell liquor on the island to entice Minnesotans
into the
Badger State. Another rumono was spread that^ La
Crosse would
build a toll gate on the westv side oftthe island.
The.city
o0
% ,
officials guaranteed the Minnesotans that no such
action
would be taken. The matter was dropped only to he
revived
again in 1913. Again the cession bills were defeated
over a
controversy involving the island opposite Red Wing.
The
bills were reintroduced 1915 ad 191. The i sland
opposite
R'2ed 9Wing was dropd, WLa, d it was pLroposd LLiaL
Wisconsin cede
the Latsch Island opposite Winona, Minnesota. in this
form
the bill finally passed both legislatures. It took
almost
twenty years of debate for La Crosse to acquire legal
jurisdiction over the island.39
TiLL Leve. was oLJ ..y a a.rLLJOW 0 ..ip J.L J.Jd *J
L.L WLLI, L A .
'Wendell Anudrson made xrequeni visits to the °site
and
visualized a beautiful park. It was his dream to have
a
park here, and when he became mayor for the second
time,
$75,00.Q was raised by a bond issue in 1909 to
acquire land
for parks. Some of the land was bouI-rt, some
donated, and a
land exchange was made with the Milwaukee Railroad
for a
park along the river. In 1911, a sand bar was used to
fill
39. Editorial in the La Cro0se Tribune anda Leaer
Press,, March 30, 1917.
,~~~
70
in and extend the shore outward. The original narrow
strip
of land was added to by this I"man-made" land so that
the
area was large enough to be converted into a park. In
1911,
see dig and planting began which was the first step
toward
4O
making i t the most be - autil . park in the city 4
M 1 ri Pr- Was bs LWL for UL LS ULLl mounds. in
1903 four specimens of the works of the ancient mound
builders were still in good condition. The "turtle
mound"'
was nearly 40 feet in length, exclusive of the tall,
and 35
feet wide. Originally there were extending in an
east-west
direction, three tumuli, or. conical. burial grounds.
Each.
was 12 or 5 feet in diameter at the base.-and about 3
feet
high. Already two of these mounds, as was the tail of
the
turtle, was completely obliterated by roads and the
planting
of trees.
Professor Frederick W. Putnan, Curator, of the
Peabody
lMuseum of Archeology and Ethnology of Harvard
University,had
visited the mounds -in 1883. His report stated that
the
effigy in the. particular group is known as the
"turtle," but
40. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, July .21.
1938.
71
that it could represent the outstretched skin of a
deer or
buffalo. A skeleton was found near the surfacE of Lhe
eLfigy
but probably was of intrusive burial 41
Until 1908, the city had wade uu attempt to set land
aside for parkss and rra tionaI purposes, nor did the
city
have any over-all plan for parks or the
administration of
thLem. nder Mayor wendell Anderson, during his second
term,
the council passed an ordinance creating two park
districts
and established a nonpolitical unpaid La Crosse Board
of Park
Commissioners of four members. The next step was the
selec-
ti nn of , l.d. ap-1 arh itect as .ts exer a O.vi
and. t L.te
arrangemeint for a pbli. ciass ng meet ing hte Opera
.House
Mayor Aeue.n pres ied.i l At tne mass meeting. four
conclu-
-sions were reached:
1. That park lands for the city of La Crosse -would
e=over. agai -e so cheap;
2. That the experience of every city that has
Judiciously uridertakeh park improvements had
demons..trad .-hat they pay for themselves;
41. Ibid., June 5, 193.8:
o J,
72
3. That once acquired, they would steadily
increase in value;
4. That the adoption of a permanent park policy
is more likely to bring rich gifts of land
and mon^-y for- pa rpo- s.-- 42
Resoiutions then were adopted favoring a plan tor
park
improvements, endorsing the step of the appoinrtmept
of a
park comissio, and approved the proposed acio o:f the
%JAL W LI 6A 46j ~,.L & "' V &W % L.L, L ,& %.-,6&J W,
A. ..LL 6
council in levying a one-mill tax to be set apart and
ex-
pended under the direction of the park commission for
park
purposes. A few days after the mass meeting, the
council
followed the resolutions of the meetLg by levying a
one-
mill tax an d 1ater isC VIcng bhy d s i. te % -t aA $
A 5,0 0
...... · . o '" . ~L - i -; L%;AVVV
for the purchase of land and for necessary
construction.
. . .
John * i n o£-i cJ Cambrid e, iassachusetts, was called
to make a
survey and report his recommendations.43
The money raised by the council was added to by a
private subscription guaranteed by wealthy citizens.
Land
42. John Nolen, The Making of a Park System in La
Crosse (La Crosse: in. n-. , 1911), p. 13.
43. Ibid., p. 21.
73
for the Levee Park was acquired and drives through
Myrick
Park were laid out. In the following year land was
acquired
along the Black River on the North Side as a gift
from F. A.
Conp l ann anr wa c n.A d t -n hy, I nd p1h ed i A
Albt,
Hirshheimer Land was also ac..uird. -on Telfh ad J
cson
streets and. Fifth and Hood streets. isle .la Plume
was
obtained at this time as a gift from the John Paui
Lumber
"HC·~ii" i, L "Ai II IL AU4*..LVL~j -C-L -1]% ",L. V
L
o.r;pany -id .the. L.. oLu LumberCo.mpany. A ;. A. L
was received in 1912 from Joseph N. Hixon, the Hixon
Forest
which included land on Grandad kliff and. the land of
the 'L
Crosse County Club iust east nf thp rcit-y44 Ry the
end nf
the first two decades of the twentieth century, La
Crosse
had acquired lYard bt..k b ; . o nd- p -r.ae, . and a
separate body to administer them as well as a plan.
Public Health
Early in the history of the city, the La Crosse Board
of Health was established consisting of a committee
of alder-
men d a cty physician to act as an inspector of
nuisaces.
44. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, J.uly 21,
1938.
___ __ _ __
74
The inspector had the authority to enter all
buildings and
places where there may be danger to the public. By
the
1890's, the ordinances concerning public health were
very
45
detailed covering about six pages of the city code
The health and sanitary. conditions of the city were
not
good despite the six pages of public health
ordinances. A
report of the La Crosse Medical Association in. 1907
described
some of the more objectionUable conditiuos thaL
exiseud in the
city. It reported that due to the general practice of
keeping
cows ana horses in the city, large piles of manure
were all
too evident. It further charged that the milk-supply
of the
city was unsanitary and urged the licensing of milk
dealers.
The report concluded Ltut ithe city eeed . au
isolatio.L
hospital and a method of garbage disposal."
During the following year, the council responded by
passing the ordinances regulating the sale of milk
and cream
in the city. The ordinances provided that all cattle
furnishing milk for use in the city must be kept in
sanitary
45. Albert H. Sanford.and H. J. Hirshheimer, A
History
of La Crosse. Wisconsin 1841-1Q 0 (oL Crosse.: L Crosse
County Historical Society, 1951), pp. 111-112.
46. Ibid., pp. 112. 197.
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
75
stables and be submitted to tuberculin tests before
the milk
from the animals could be sold. It was found that
some of
the herds were so infected that large numbers of them
had to
be sent to Milwaukee to be slaughtered. Many
complaints
followed this action stating that the owners of the
cows
were hbeing dea-rived of theoir. liv li C.Ad, -'
In 1910, the board of health was changed to consist
of
three citizens instead of the committee of aldermen,
and the
office of commissioner of public health was created.
The
comissioner, the ordiiance s tated, should be a
physician
especially trained in the field of public.health. A
small
meeting room on the second floor of the city hall was
re-
modlelId to prrovide spacerfor the department
laboratory.
The early years of public health work in the city
were
hectic, thankless, and sometimes dangerous. Mdny
enemies
were made in the process of enforcing the health
ordances.
47. Health-Department of the City of La Crosse,
Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1946
(La Crosse: The Department,[n. d.l), p. 7.
76
There was an attempt in the council to have the first
health
officer dismissed and to abolish the department if
necessary,
but fortunately the attempt failed.
Contagious diseases were rampant in all seasons of
the
year in the city. Sanitation was completely ignored
with
cow d r.W s pS aVtrd to V A% thtop w-it an , an d the
ows whc LAh
were giving milk had thick coats of manure on their
flanks,
uduuers, ad undersides. No cooling of the milk was.
attempted.
The health department workers ordered cement floors
to be
installed in the barns, and the barns cleaned. Irrate
owners
dashed milk and milk pails .at the- workers. Where
alleys were
reeking from the waste of barns, the owners of the
barns were
ordered tn onnnet with the -sewrs or a cesp
The dairies were also. dirty. More than three hundred
farms and places sent in their filthy milk, .much of
which
was sour one arrival. Some cans of milk were found
standing
on depot platfor-ms in the sun. TheSe milk cans were
tagged,
.rig added, %A e-ia-l cds WELe atached, and t ..he
milk was returned:
The sanitation of barns and milk was only a patt of
the
work. Over four thousand open vaults were in the
city. The
77
work of inspection was hampered by the fact that only
one man
was available to make a survey of sewer connections.
Because
of all of the necessary field work and the limited
staff in
the department, the health officer often had to work
in the
laboratory in the evenings.48
An understanding of the problems encountered and the
development of public health in the city can be
obtained from
tLLhe anCuLJLJ rLporL of. LJ-- LLL health olffe rt:-.
At teLL en of
iL3J, tLe Leaith ofre : - ade _ plea tor an
isolation.
hospital where people who had contagious diseases
could be
taken before others-were exposed. The difficulty was
that
th poorU . coceS-led ases au long as possible to avo
d
quS i L -Li C L Ve I Lc s VLLf 1 epLs iV J LVesd
whe&LI tL veLd o
the household was forced to remain at home from his
job.49
The collection of rubbish was haphazard- and hampered
iy Lfie lack of funds. The collection was under- the
direction
of the health department, but the health officer
asked that
48. Ibid:, p. 9.
49. Health D epartment f the City of La-Crosse, Third
Annual Report of the Health Department of the City of
La-
Crosse Lor the Year 1913 (La Crosse: The Department,
1ln. d.l)
p. I.
78
it be transferred to the public works department
where it
properly belonged. He further recommended that all
rubbish
and ashes should be collected as a municipal duty. In
particular he felt that there must be frequent
removal of
manure from the- premises where owners had cow barns.
BeLLer
stilt, the city should not allow cows in the city.."
It was
not until 1918 that the collection of r.ubbish and
ashes was
placed under tLe di recton of the board of public
works .
The drive against open vaults was one of the
continuing
problems of the health department. Although the city
had
built sewers,, many residences did not connect with
this
system. In his report of 1916, the health officer
stated
that wheare aOMT-- M-a- vr vaults wti -ould be
forbidden. .Whiere open vaults remained where sewer
connec-
tions had been made, the health department would have
the
50. Health Department of the City of La- Crosse,
Sixth
Annual Report of the Health De6artment nf the ait of LT
Cr~oss fo- Lhe Year 1916 (La Crosse: The Department,
[n. d.l), p..li.
51. Health Department of the City of La' Crosse, Eightoh
Annual Report 'of the Health Department of the City'of
La
Crosse for the' Year 1918 (La Crosse: The Department,
[n. d.l), p. 1.
79
J
vl fi_.52
vaults illed.S TTwo years later, the reported that of
the
forty-four m ls of s=eers laid in La Crosse, only 5
per cent
of the homes on streets with sewers were not
connected, or
only a total of four miles of the forty-four remained
un-
o,.. d --53
The understaffed health department, since its
beginning
in 1911, inspected barns° and dairies and enforced
the milk
ordinances to the best of its ability. As an
illustration,
in 19L5, 123 dairies were inspected and 264 cow barns
in the
city were inspected. For the most part, the farmers
were
willing to cooperate, bu. the few who were obstinate
were
deal t with in the c urts. A ltho ugh the re-sults
'of the
__ _ P ~ LLL L.LLL U L A.
deprn,_---c-'s .-- -'. ' o' " L.--i " LeC healh fficer
asked
for a dairy inspector' to do the -Work more
adequately and a
'54
revision of the milk ordinances for more effective
results.54
52. Health Depazrtment of the City of La Crosse,
Sixth
Annual Report ^o the Health Department of the City of
Crosse. far the Year 1916 (La Crosse: The DepartMenti,
Ln.d. ),.pi 4..
53. "HealLth Departmer.t of the City of La Crosse,
Eighth
Annual- Report of the Health Department of the Cityof La
Crosse for the Year.1918 (La Crosse: .The Department,
[n.' d.D), p. 4.
54. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Fifth
Annual ReDort nft t-hn Halth nDertrmont of h i Jit t'7
^f Iot
_. I - - . -- '1 ~ . -' - ,
80
The health department could show figures to verify
the
need for the department and the effectiveness of its
work.
In 1911, the year of its reorganization, the death
rate per
one thousand living infant bir ths as 70.7. Each year
the
death rate was reduced until the infant death rate
was down
to 30.43 in 1915. By 1921, the. infant death rate was
1&.3.
The health department claimed to be partly
responsible for
the improvement by its work and enforcement of the
milk
ordinanceqs which preveted- the delivery of filthy
and con-
Laminated milk to the homes of infants. J
The progress of thie control of diseases seemed to be
well established by 1915. Scarlet fever ir .that year
had
been r.edu.cdu = LU vy ien cases trom twenty-three
cases n
1913. Diptheria dropped from eighty-two cases in 1913
to
nineteen in 1915. Smallpox also. declined from
forty-nine to
six cases in the same period. The health
department.was
Cross ftor the Year 1915. (La Crosse: The Department,
[n dr 1N -- 1
L-' ' * AL/ p * " S
55. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Fifth
Annual Report of the Health Department of the City of La
Crosse for the Year 1915 (La Crosse: The Departmert,
In. . d.),.- p. 3.
81
elated .ovr ths good showing.56 In Ih lloVwing yars,.
instances of diptheria jumped to 126 cases with two
spi-
demics during the year. Smallpox also was on the
increase
in the years 1917 to 1920 wihth th ppek nourrtingr in
1918
with 173 cases. Again, the health officer pointed out
another
oroblem of his department, the problem of public
education.
That there was one death frpm diptheria was a
disgrace upon
the community. it was also pointed out that the
public and
some of the medical profession needed education on
the use of
diptheria anitoxin. The neglect of the peopie to.
avail
tLhemselves of the smaR llpox vaccintion could be
dangerpLi
he warned. The rise in the number of cases of
smallpox bore
& -7
i. Wv^ar LInlg.."'
The first ten years ot the health departmen.t were
pro-
ductive in that sanitary ordinances were enforced,
open
vaults closed, r.-ub.bsh. co llt .n b ecame
efficient, and the
56. AIealth Department of th Ciy of. a Gvroe, Fifth
Annual Report of the Health Department of the'City of La
Crosse tor the -Year 1915 (La Crosse:- The Department,
I[n d.]), p. 3
57. Health Department of the City of La Ctosse, SixtU
Annual Report of the Health.Department of the City of La
Crosse for the Year 1916 (La Crosse: The Department--
n. d. 1) n
82
delivery of unclean milk was stopped. Still people
asked
why a health department? The department was
understaffed.
Some of the citizens were ulcoopera-ive, and Lhe
public
needed a great amount of education about antitoxins
and
sanitation. Perhaps the greatest problem of
the.health
e pr- - t-mw the- rpth of tee cii-scn ° rin
the neglect to have their children vaccinated.
Pruuli c ScLhooLs
The public schools of La Crosse upon the entrance of
the .new century were teaching a majority .of the
children of
school age for at least six.months of the year. This
was a
good record when the fact that there were no officers
to
compel school attendance is considered. There were
10,042
children between the ages of 5 and 20 ir 1900 in La
Crosse
58)
of which 5,910 att..ded school, or 57.8.per cent. The
1910 cepsus reported that 65.3 per cent of school age
(6-20)
children attended school in that year, or a total of
5,927
58. U. S. Bureau of the' Census, Twelfth Census of
the
United States: 9Q0, Population, Vol. -II, Part 2
(Washington:
Government Pinting Office, 902), pp. 40i36; 90, 392°,
888,. 164, 162, and 166.
83
children.59 By 1920, according to the census, 95.1
per cent
of the children between the ages of 7 and 13, and
91.4 per
cent of the children 14 and 15 years of age attended
school.
The percentage for children 16 and 17 years
olddropped to
60.4 per cent, and only 24 per cent between the ages
of 18-20
a L Oeup 0 .LL.L. 'l. Th: luw peLUcenLaLe or Le iast
Lwo &;o Uup
reflected the state. laws which required school
attendance.
only through sixteen years of age
La Crosse,. at the beginningC U.L thi centLy,
maintained
nine elementary public schools and one small high
school.
TIn'A diti LU LtoLt pub'lic schools, therwe e-- -een
eie-
meintary parochial schools supported. by the Roman
Catholic
Church and two elementary schools maintained Dy the
Lutheran
'hurch. 61 .e bggCst probleU conLernll g public
education4
59. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of
the United' States: 1910, Population, Vol. I, General
Report
and Analysis (Washington: Covernment Ptintithg Office,
1913),
p. 48.
60. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fourteenth Census of
the United States: 1920, Population, Vol. II,.General
Report
and Analyticail Tables (Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1922), p. 1130.
61., Nineteen Hundred and One-Nineteen Hundred and Two
PhilipPi- s Directory of the ityof La Cros&e -(La
Crosse:
·. P. Phi'ippi Company, 1902), pp.. 43-45:
Q8A
4-r-
was the need for a larger high school, for the
facilities
could no longer accommodate the incoming freshmen
classes.
I.. _;--VCW1 1Li.yers, -tft were.l criu- cangs
which broadened the academic subject field as well as
added
industrial and commercial courses.
,"L.A._ *-.IC ' '- 4- L *.LA.1. . . * * , , -F 1A46'
_ L 4-
*'j.I LC _. - .. C J- JCtIL J 3k.-.C, -, * -~..&L».*SJ
^J. OIiC .J O. .* .&&"
years of the twentieth century, went through a marked
change.
,This change was an increased concern for the
physical well
beLJi oJ theL ild a.s well as for ciadi. aciev....
Medical examinations; milk, kindergart ens, and i
ndus t l
an1d domstic,|L =ts ubjct Ls wer a> pa of the c ¢hag
.
The first compulsory school law came out of. the
state.
legisat-ure in 1903, which required L're attendane
uof 4l
.li i 'ran n nri iLz. _, nv _q en .rfen. s.-_L -ur
children betwee/n 7 in. 4 .ye. s nr nage to .ren d
Schoo.l .-L
thirty-two weeks. a year. Two part-time truant
officers were
employed to enforce the law. Due to their work,. the
number
af truancies showed a marked decrease.6 In the winter
at
62. Donald Berthro.ng, "La Crosse a Case Study in
,Social
History n1900 110" (Tpunl;ihshe-d M. S thesis,
University of
Wisconsin, o1948)°, pp. 140-141.
63. Willard William Hanson, ."Historical Developmento
ofL
Public Education in La Crosse, Wisconsin Up to ard
Inicluding
the Year 1925" (Unpublidhed M.A. thesis, State
University of*
.UWi:t_ 1951) 1 p T N .
·-uwab~~ 'rL:p -- o1
85
the same year, medical examinations were given at the
begin-
ning of the year and at least once during the
following
months. This wu.Lk was dune by Lhe doctors of the
city wiLii-
OUL cLarge.
In the school year 1907-1908,. some general
curriculum
L.AU,,,,_, %AA b ^%U k A. JL J ^J6 C&1S; OCAc : C LJ
^A L , LUCLLrU l CL. L. b
was. introduced for the boys and cooking for the
girls. Since
the facilities of the- elementary schools were
inadequate for
th-n er s. hjts, te w rk sed ,on i ....c.. , _ -- '
the. South Side, the boys went to the old high school
and- tha
girst.t e ,,ig schopl. On; _1C1 f8 Fha Meh Ct ;eho
ortSecors
L a5 -LL1J J * Q LI.W L& bl.-L- e 'I. LL- L% I - V a e
were carried on in two wooden buildings iocated at
Logan and
64
Avon streets.
I C{ontn rl11i ruir to pr-Vd1 mre serice rOI1T co r t
e- , I 1- t
the .city, the first public kindergartens were opened
in
February of :1910 at Franklin, Washington, Lincoln,
and
Webser shools. They were an immediate success with ,a
total .of 181 for the first yeay, aq avqrage of 45 to
t
school. 'Two years later'the first public sunner
school was
64. Ibid., pp. 89-90.
86
instituted for those students who failed, and for the
student
who wished to advance one-half year. A tuition of
$5.00 was
cla d f£0e tihe fi L-LiL Lnrpe years, but it was
dropped after
65
tLiat Ltme.
io improve the teaching in the lower six grades a
super-
visor w.asO hire i the LbegliLg vo cLhi s..Juu&l y L
arM o -190U.
The pOsition was a new one, and it became apparent
that the
amount of work was too large for one person. t was
thkht
to be adv-isauie for Lie superviur to concentrate her
work to
the element-ary reading.program with..the result that
the
methods of the teachers improved.6
In the year 1922, the first attempt was made .to
select
and aid the. 'exceptionai child" or those students
who needed
supec-1 arenin. -J. El^izaet-; WuoodS, tiLaCL
psychLiUisLt,
made .survey in that year. As a result special
-courses were
organized in Washburn .School for children under
fourteen who
needed special attention in. the. "Development Room,
"while the
children over founrteen were gr ouper in' an
"Opporhtiin i Jun'or
65: Ibid. - pp. 82-84.
66. Ibid., p, 89.
87
Hicrh School;67
Fu Lther attention was given to the physical
condition of
the studencs by a weighing program started in 1921.
All
.-...il . . .. s wi... i -i, c ated th t they wer
undernourished
........ L. At ,i, un..
were served milk free of charge if it was not
convenient for
their parents to pdy £U icL. rnysicai euucation was
provided
in the e lem t ary scho with the co oprati o n of
tLLe 'o irma i
&Lo.ol huL .L adets.I In L.LLh s yCar., upoUn
recomenLUUlLdatLiUn
of the health department, an UOpen Air School- was
established
at Washburn with special apparatus for anemic
children.6
2. 1.annr , A ,. idA _..#
to the a Crnqoss Morning Chroni.cl between fifty a se
veniy-
five npupil. i were- to ne. promoted to the high
chool b t ,, Iy
tLL..Ly-.jF e coVUulUd b acu..niJu(lIaLeu. inTe
numDer or pupils
who went to high school was only a small percentage
of the
numier jof ' g scho=l n -- c..ldrn. = Tne ones who
did graduate
from high school were largely the children of
professional
._. ~._A_ - 70
aid bsLne- , ss people,
67. Ibid. . 90.
68. Ibid,, pp. 90-91.
69. La Crosse Moning Chronic, J ry 1900.
70. Berthrone. ot. cit.. n. 140.
88
Bonds were issued to start a fund for a new high
school;
and by 1902, a sufficient amount was ready with which
to
71
purchase a site.' Two locations were proposed, one known
as
the .'c Don.ad siten included the block bounded by
State, Vine,
West Avenue, and Thirteenth streets. The other site
was
Known as Lne utci sii- e jCL -d-e - y Vass, a@
Adison, . CieLt =tlAi,
Slx ~. Ient_..= -
nSi.xteenh streets.- Th -..cDonaU s4i cuud be purchased
for $25, 000, while the Oatman site was priced .t
$23, 000 At
a joinL UMe Lil1 uoL LL1h scnuui buard and council,
the aa-
tva ntage and disadvantages of each 'ie W.O diS
scu'e, but
no decision could be reached.
At the regular meeting of the council, a message from
rne nnet r me Wssoevi r.s-n vn el_^-_ V4 -
sLating the reasons for the decision. A resoluLionl
was .then
proposed that would authorize the mayor and clerk to
draw an
order on the. city treasury for $22,800 for the
purchase of
the site. Immediately protests were made by. the
aldermen
from the North Side. They stated that the high school
was
too far south and that all North Side pupils . old
have to
71. La. .Crosse Morning Chronicle, September 3,
19.01.
89
trave1 tnn far to attend As the controversy hecame-
fight
between the two sections of the city, it became more
bitter.72
Finally, the members of the board of education
threatened to
resign if their recommendation was disaopproved, for
they re-
garded such an action as an unjust disregard for
their judg-
menc. :AJL L t1 c J.A.=UL .L.y VA LJ i-...L L. i .-.
J-i.LJ - .L. VUA -LW- A LLC:
Oatman site was favored by a yuLe of . ii-9 The six
North
SAide aIdermeI v-.ted aga nst, the site ar d were
aided by three
south Side aldermen wilo .wer-e agai-Abt a nLew high
school any-
where. The decision was considered by the North Side
citizens
as an indication that ultimately another high school
would be
built in their section. With this in mind, no further
objec-
-i^A. to.. a b ilding of aa n- high sco .Lol ca.-I
from thatL
17L
section.'
Early in 1904, the first steps toward the
construction
of a new high school were taken. when a special
committee
headed by the mayor was appointed to. inspect a
number of new
high schools in the northwest for the purpose of
obtaining
72, Ibid., March 16, 1902; Ibid., March 19, 1902.
73. Ibid., March 25,. 1902.
74. Ibid., March 26, 1902; Ibid., March 27, 1902.
* %
'V
id-as for the new city school. TThe committee, after
its
return, recommended the construction of a high sc.hol
that
could be erected at a cost of $100,000, which was
more than
had been contemplated. Early in i905, the $100,000
bond
issue was voted upon favorably despite bitter
opposition.
The selection of an architect was next. Under the
code system
the selection had to be made from five or six
architects. The
lowest bid was $125,000. Despite the fact that his
figure was
$25,000 more than had been planned, the board of
education
recommended that the plans of J. C. Llewellyn of
Chicago be
adopted by the council. The recommendation was
adopted with-
out oppositin The honstrction of the high school
began
_,~.~ J~ jL.,~ q,~ ~k,~ dl., b,,d.. ,, , &J A W." .- 3&
1« - ohrr; (ry ^A I-..-, ^ w r-i -^ r i ^ *T ,-',Q 7
6
- v 0- .» . & * C&LAt^ J, i I7 i *
The new high school lacked facilities for manual
train-
ing and a gymnasium. Manual training facilities were
felt
to be ne^dpndi CRnr-in 1 1 \. fhr- rir rranrtlv added
courses in
-- J. - ----- -
that field demonstrnted the inadequallt- facilities.
The
75.. Ibid'., January 1, 1907.
76. Ibid., January'3, iu07; Donald Berthrong, "La
Crosse a Case Study in Social History 1900 1910"
(Unpublished
M.S., thesis', University of .Wisconsin, 1948), p. 141.
91
council was aware of the problem but could not erect
a
building and provide the necessary equipment because
of the
heavy expenses incurred by the erection of LLL new
water
plant. In June, 1912, Frank Hixon, of the city,
informed.
the superintendent that he would provide $50,000 for
a manual
tr i;.n school and gtmna s ium if hoe ere aTo sssured
that ie
would be properly maintained. After several
conferences,
Llewellyn, the architect of the main school building,
pre-
pared plans for the annex to cost about $90,000,
including
uipmtnent. The plans were approved by Hixon, and the
gift
was accepted by the board of education. Ground was
broken
in the: fall of 1912, and the building was finished
and
dedicated on May 16, 1913. The manual training
eqipment,
gymnasium; and swimming pool were considered to be
among the
best in the country.7/
During the first decade of the twentieth century, the
course of study in the high school was strictly
academic
It was only after four years of constant urging that
77. Willard WilLiam Hanson, "Historical Development
of-
Public Education in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Up to and
Including
the Year 1925" (Unpublished M.A. thesis, Statfe
University of
Iowa, 1951), pp. 114, 142,
92
.. _* _ ....1.......A..: 1 aInt T I O 1 A. _ - _ _ _
C
COUULt;cial work wcas added in 11 V. i1 17V908, the
curebe Uf
study in the high school was algebra, English,
physiology,
drawing, botony, geometry, and history. hilectives
were
Latin, German, commercial subjects, Greek, physics,
French
and chemistry. The latter two courses were added- in
that
year--French upon the recommendation of the
University of
Wisconsin. The addition of manual training in 1912
was the
78
last major change until the 1920s.8
The course of study was daesigned for college
prepara-
.. 0cha4L. LLe-L P 4.V$ .
tion and for the first twenty years of this century,
les
than one-half of the high school age children
attended
school. However, an increasing number of students
from all
classes were beginning to attend. Of the nineteen who
.Ladua L tU L hL11 sclil l i l Z_ 1 9ii L7v0i , usti
v ,L t: we-e from-
the area of professional and business people. By
1910, it
was estimated that only one-sixth of those who
graduated
were from the well-to-do class of people. By 1920,
the
representation of this 'class had decreased far below
that
79
figure.7
78. Hanson, o. cit., p. 118; Berth-ong, op. t.,
PP. 114, 142.
979. nanson; o2f. cit., p. 144,.
93
The panple of TL Cros.se havu hneen ijlstly proud of
their
Vocational and Adult School which provides not only
educational
opportunities for the school age youth but also for
adults who
wish to obtain additional training or to broaden
-their back-
grounds. The beginning of the school was
inauspicious. The
state iegislature .of i£i1 established a Wisconsin
Board of
Industrial Education and required that all cities
with a
population o5,000 o r more establish a cont iuation
school.
VJFA.LCLtA_% LJ %JA.- J %.IW VV WV L O'4%'7- 1~0 LQ CL
L. 2. LL CL C:VLI L. ,L, JAL J t .LC 0J q . .rL u
In compliance with the law, in February, 1912, La
.Crosse
opned its first c ontinuation school in the
Longfellow School
building located on Sixth and Vine streets. It was
alloted
one kitchen and one shop room when the rooms were not
in use
80
by regular pupils.
By the latter pa-rt f te d- de, t.e enrollm-ent -f t
he
school had increased to 228. The state legislature
passed a
law requiring attendance at the continuation school
of all
persons between the ages of sixteen and seventeen who
were
not attending .regular school. This law was to take
effect
for the. 1915-1916 school year. A survey showed that
the
80. Ibid.
Lti
- 1 __ __ _-s I ILL_ -- -PAI·P--
94
attendance should be around five hundred.
Consequently, a
campaign was conducted which increased the enrollment
to
81
536.81 The state industrial commission appointed the
-diector
of the continuation school in La Crosse as permit
issuing
officer for work permits for persons under the age of
,,·, ^ «» . CI^ c L*-^1^.- t11 ' 1- ---. ..- -3---'
IL. J -.
& L6-ll LtC . J.LL h , LLLLiL.J. U.L L L LUJ. - LA 3LU A
L . ^ LU W- LL LLiIU L .
The students of the school were in three classes. The
first class was composed of boys and grirls from
fourteen to
sixteen years of age who had quit regular school
either
..because .o. l of Interest or of comprehension. in
order
for these persons to work, a permit had to be secured
which
allowed them to work forty-eight hours a week, or
eight
hours a dav. Five of the forty-eight hours had to be
in
attendance at the continuation school. Two of the
five hours
were for instruction in English, citizenship,
hygiene, and-
the use of safety devices. The remaining three hours
were
given to vocational work--woodworking. and
mec-hanical drawing
tor the boys, and dressmaking, cooking, and sewing
for the
girls. Business and shop -arithmetic were taken by
all.
il. Ibid., pp. 147-149.
o i .~~~~~
95
The second class was the all-day students. They were
divided into two divisions. The first division was
composed
uf permit students of from fourteen to sixteen years
of age
who were temporarily unemployed. The other division
was
composAed of students w-ho were industrially inclined
and were
reommended for artted by reuar Shol c' -- i teS.
-,%.- %O · b6.JA- L% A.L %'AJ L LLLA.-L A. C
They attended five days a week six hours each day.
Their
course of study was similar to that of the permit
class
The third class was composed of apprentice workers
between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one who had a
contract
between the employer, the apprentice, and the state
industrial
commission. They attended five hours a week which was
allowed
from their regular emolovment82
During the school year 1916-1917, a survey was taken
of
the student's interests. As a result of the survey,
machine
shop courses were added for thp hnvs and ronmmnerrial
orTr-
millinery, and homemaking for the girls.83 The school
con-
rinued at the Longfellow School with no change,
except that
82. Ibid., pp. 144-146.
83. Ibid. p . 147.
96
in 1918, the name was changed to the Vocational
School.84
City Planning
La tCrosse grew without a plan. There were no
building
codes, zo- r.g system, street planning, or a plan for
the
location of public bildngs. It was not until the
later
years of LLte seUond decuU= oL t- century LL a't a
need c or a
city plan was expressed. An examination of the La
Crosse
Tribune and Leader Press reveals several editorials
explain-
ing the need for a ci.ty plan, but it was only after.
World War
I that any groups .or persons began to be active in
obtaining
a plan.
The January 24, 1919,edition of the TLa Crosse
Tribune
and Leader Press healind, Cty Plan At Last Assured La
C ross. I The story under ctMe headline etplaed ta
th4 o
soldiers! and sailors' memorial commission adopted a
resoiu-
tion to invite John Nolen, th= noted city planner of
Cm.bridge , Massachuoetts, to La Crosse to prepare a
city plan.
The commission wanted to make no mistake in. locating
a
memorial and desired a plan before taking action.85
84. ibid., p. 152.
,; ,T , .. %. r1-4... .. A T, , D^-, T" _ Dtotr9 L1 Qi Q
__ - __j _ -&. , L i i 4i %,_ q_ _ -_ _ _ % _-- _ u _
R _
97
An editorial in the La Crosse Tribune and Leader
Press
two weeks later expressed the opinion that the
essentials of
a city plan should be beauty, convenience, health,
and profit.
The editorial further stated that the need for a plan
is to
anticipate the flow of traffic and to group classes
of build-
ings. The editorial concluded with an appeal to civic
pride
by stating that twenty years ago La Crosse was a
deserted
86
,' 1 t.owr, today a prospero1s industrial. it y.86
John Nolen was employed by Frank P. Hixon at an
expense
of $10,000 to conduct a thorough survey of the city.
A few
dvys after Nolen'o arrival, he spoke at a gathering
to urge
a zoning system and building codes for the city. The
COtmpleted Nolcn City Plan included forty lrge aps,
cha rts,
diagrams, and recommendations that were presented to
Frank
Hixon. They, in turn, were presented to many of the
local
civic organizations for inspection, study, and
approval.
After enough time and opportunity had been given for
the
86. Editorial in the La Crosse Tribune and Leader
Press,
February 12, 191 9
87. "Town Planning and Zoning," Better Cities Survey,
Publication- No, 5 (La Crosse: n. d. , 1927), p. 498.
(Typewritten.); La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press,
FebrTuary
15, 1919.
98
citizens to see the plan, it was submitted to various
aldermen
and the mayor. Soon it was discovered that the
opposition was
so great in the council that the plan would be
defeated if
ufficially presented to them.
an incident occurred in the council which, people who
audvocaLcU U LiIC pla, puluLtLd uuL as conclusively
demonstrating
that the council would never approve it. In the Nolen
Plan
there was a conprehensive co-snunily center for the
North Side
..... .... . . ....... qb,.%.-A .L JL . L&- I;-; LLI . L
AW
which provided for a junior high school to- face a
street which
would run diagon lly from the corner of Caledonia and
Logan
.treets to the corner of Sill and Liberty strts. A
resolu-
tion was proposed and adopted in the council
directing- the
b oard of dc t ace a LLr d j hig school on
IIt_ -- ca ~' I -- = ' -- -. L'C
AvonUL anu ail s tr-eei._ ThLni was done beir er r any
appnepria-
tion had been made for the building. No similar
action-had.
ever been taken by the council.
According to- the advocates of the plan, the
opposition
had two reasons for their stand. As the plan was
comprehen-
sive, it would require huge sums of money which many
people
felt -should .be spent in other ways instead of
spending money
Correcting the errors made by early residents. Many
were
99
overwhelmed by the size of the project and the huge
sums of
money to put it into effect. Second, the advocates of
the
plan charged the opposition with playing politics.
They
charged that a number of aldermen had maintained
themselves
in office by setting class against class. The
wealthier
peuprle - p r",iseu Lile oule-n Plan ostensibly on
the grounds tnat
it would work a hardship upon the laboring people.
The end
result ens that the iNlan Pln rTas dropped, ad with i
any
-comrehensive city plan for more than twenty-five
years.88
88. "'Town Planning and- Zoning,' Better Cities
Survey,
Publication No. 5 <La Crosse: o[n. d.l 1927). pp.
44a-450.
(Typewritten )
CHAPTER IV
THE PEOPLE AND THE CITY, 1900-1920
The population of La Crosse did not greatly increase
during the years from 1900 to 1920. The city entered
the new
cen tury with a puoulaiun uof 28,895, and it
increased only to
30,421 by 1920. The reason for this small gain was
the
closing of the sawmills, but the replacement of the
lumber
industry by small diversified industry prevented an
actual
loss of population. The small gain in population was
re-
flected by the small increase in the number of
dwellings
during the same period, 5,715 to 6,866. At the same
time, the
size of the city's families decreased from 4.7 in
1900 to 4.0
in. 1 920- Thi latter decrease inw in okeeping tiath
the-
ntio na l tred of¢ s-aller fa iies .
The populace of the city were a literate people. The
ilit. r rat i ar.ia l o sA a-1, C '-a-ol y £1A._ r-
cent of -the population was- olassified by the census
as
illiterate. This figure decreased to 1.7 by 1920. The
illiteracy rate would have been lower, but the
foreign-born
group; a large percentage of the city's population,
had a
100
101
higher iiiiLeracy raLe than the native white.-
Very early in the city's history, many imigrants
choose
it as their new home in the United States.
Foreign-born
whites composed 25 per cent of the city's population
by 1900.
Their percentage shrank to 15 per cent by 1920.
Numerically,
the foreign-born white decreased from 7,219 in 1900
to 4,499
in 1920. This decrease in the number of foreign-born
white
after 1900 in the city reflects their national
composition,
for they were primarily of the "old immigBration from
northern Europe. In 1920, the Germans were still .the
most
numerous foreign group with I. 79 The Trwegians
reai.aned
close second numbering 1,055. Other leading foreign
grouns
were the Czechs. Austrians. Poles. Canadians.
English. and
Swedes. 2
1. U. S. Bureau of th Census, n T- welh Ce.nsus of
t-he
Lnited States: 1900, Population, Vol. II, Part 2
(Washington:
Government Printig -ffc, 1902), p. 606; U. S. Bureau of
the Census, Fourteenth Census of the United States:
1920,
ropuiation, Vol. II, General Reprt nd Annalytircl
Tables-
(Washington: Government Printing Orfice, 1922), pp. 316,
1270, 1230.
2, U. S. Bueau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of the
Kiited States: i910 Poplation, . II, reports by ,States
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913), p. 1906;
U. S.Bqreauoof the Census, Fourteenth Census of the
United
tC_ 1920, ropuiilun, Vol. II, General Repo;t and
-Anat y al aables (Washington: Government rrinting
Office,
1922). p. 767.
102
bouth Europeans were unwelcome in the city. The
attitude
that the north Europeans were superior prevailed.
This
attitude is illustrated in two instances. BefQre
1900, a
group of Sian i, iigrants setLLed in the city. The
news-
papers continually played up the fights within the
Syrian 'com-
munity as an example of their shiftlessness.and
quarrelsome-
ness. The stories implied that the Syrians were unfit
for
social responsibilities. The other example involves
Italians.
The North Side Progressive League took the lead .in
excluding
italian railroad worKers from settling in the city.
It was
ZtiL."ted t,- ha sixte.en Italians resided in La
Crosse in 1900.
By 1910; there were still only twenty Italian-born
residents.
Thl iLuciease of only four Italians demonstrates the
effective-
ness of the program, for there were hundreds who
worked out of
La Crosse on the railroad gangs.-
Soci.dl sraxification in the city was and is baaed
upon
wealth. This- is illustrated by the La Crosse Club.
Restric-
tive in its membership,. it was represeutative.of tne
'upper"
3, Donald BerLthrong, t Cose a Case Study in. Social
History 1900 1910" (Unpublished M.S. thesis, University
of
Wisconsin, 1.948), pp. 130-131.
103
society of the city. The club was organized in i900
with a
membership of 177. The fees were not large, $10.00
for
initiation and $20.00 annual dues. However, the only
thing
that the members had in coLmmon was wealth, for
within the
group were Gerr-ans, Yankees, and ScandiL=navians.
BoLh
Catholics and Protestants were members. Doctors,
lawyers,
bankers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers
belonged
to the club.. Political affiliation made no
difference, for
both- Republicans and Democrats were members. The
club was
founded as a meeting place for the wealthy.4
Much of the social activity and organization of the
people was grouped arun-d Lte various nationalities
of the
ci tys people. The Germans had their rohsinn S ingn
Society, the singing section of the Liederkranz, the
Fedelia
Singing .Society, the rpheus Singing Society, the
Deutcher
"Vere-, ndi th Thrnr Te Norhga nrniZed the
Norder Society, Det Norske Saalag, and the Normnna
Sangerkor.
The irish organization was the Ancient Order of the
Hiberians.
Of the other nationalities that arrived later than
these
4. Ibid.. pp. 127-128.
_ __ __ __
104
Wroups, the Poles and Bohemians were the most
numerous.
Because of their late arrival, the latter two groups
were
generally in the lower socio-_conomic class; hence
their
activities centered in their churches.5
Almost all of the nationalities centered in their own
churches. The Yankee group, from Vermont and New
York, was
d vided ebetween the ucongregational, unitarian,
EpiscopaL,
and the Methodist. Furthermore, the more prominent of
the
Yankee group .either belonged to the Congregational
or
EPiscoPaL tc.hurhe=. The or.eias hbelonged almost
entirely
;c{ the Lutheran churches, while the Germans were
divided
between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches. The
laget si-gle sec as t e Roon Catholic with Germans,
Irish; Poles, and Bohemians contributing to its
membership.
Each f£ these na ionaliLies centered in a separate
congrega-
tion. Similarly, the Germans and Norwegians
concentrated in
separate Lutheran congregato ns.0
For their hours outside working time, the people were
not only organized but. also had many events to
occupy their
5. Dbid., pp. 129-130.
6 TI . 1 l-1
'-- -- -r r '..
105
time. Their activities ranged from the Annual
Masquerade
Ball to singing festivals and bowling The Annuasl
Masquerade
RBal of th Go(vernor's Guards Association held during
a
winter month, was one of the most gala social events
of the
year. Always crowded, dancing would commence after
the masks
were removed. Invariably, the hall would be so
crowded that
dancing would be almost impossible.7
A popular place for recreation was the Trivoli Summer
Garden and Entertainment Hall. During its life, it
was one
of the most popular summer gardens in the city. When
it was
torn down in 1924 to be replaced by a nurses' home,
the city
lOSt one of its most glamorous and romantic spots.
A few prominent men of the vcitCy torgani-- the La -
ose
Golf Cluib i 1900. The course was laid out at the
bottom of
the blu[£. The club s first name was Schaghticoke,
the name
of a county on the HudsQn River, and the rigin of
some of
the settlers of Ta Crosse. The name was later dropped
chiefly
because nobody could pronounce it. It then became the
La
Crosse. Country Club.9
7. La Crosse Morning Chronicle, January 28, 1900.
8. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 17,
1932Z.
. ubid., July 21, 1938.
106
A cursory examination of the city's newspapers
reveals
the other organized activities of the people. The
Married
Folk's Club held periodic dancing parties. The
Woman's
Suffrage Club was active in the city, as was the
Loyal
Temperance Legion.10 Local talent held benefits for
the La
Crosse Orphanage. Concerts at the Germania Hall were
popular
with the people. Another favorite was the dce h ed
eveL
Saturday eveningD act the Bohenian Iaull. Oi-lre c
lubs and lodges
that were active were the Yeoman of .America, the
Young Woman's
Christian Association,. the Daughters of Norway, the
Social
Workers' Club, the Pioneer Bridge Club, the Silver
Star
Legion, Knights of Pythias, and the Fidelity Lodge
independent
uredr or ood Tpars
a%- % uA. L HaveJ;L a .
The Maennerchor Frohsinn singing society of La Crosse
had
beer- frunued as a literary society in 1885; but in
1886, it
became a choral and literary society. The German
Frohainn
and the Norwegian Noarmnna Sae.gerkor shared many
events. The
Sangerfest of 1908, held. in La Cposse and.attended
by 1,800
10. La Crosse Reputblican and Leader, February 9,
1908.
11. 'Ibid., 1908 and 1909; La Crosse Tribune, 1905,
1910,
and 1915.
107
singers of German singing societies, was an
organization of
singing societies in the area, entitled the Northwest
Singing
Society. Since La Crosse did not have a hall large
enough to
acciumf-udate Lhese stinvers iw rg ternt- hd to be
Arctr
__V * ~~ - I~ ~L· C~u~1 Ibe
the Market Square. A false front for the tent was
furoished
by businessmen and interested citizens who pooled
their money
to build it. One reason La Crosse had been chnosn as
the .it
.^- ._^ a, ..X* v al . ;o C..v; . v- a ~* ; .. _ _ _^
- ; ,,^ 1- A- ^ , ;3 1.i *I i _ _ a
A.JA. i/A.WI.AVCIJWCa&OLQ Iei.-gs IICI'J^i j S a L L bd
d
city where the taverns did not crse unilC m inight
and were
allowed to stay open on Sundays In addition to the
regula
performance, a children's matinee was also given.l2
Another event long remembered by the people was the
. ,.. . -1. · - ....
dedica;Lun o£ the new Y.M.;.A, building on September ib,
i9U9.
The highlight of the dedication was the arrival of
William H.
TafL who dedicated the new building. Along the route
of the
motorcade, that brought him from the depot to the new
build-
ing,, a crowd cheered the President. "Small boys
cried with
glee, young ladies waved their handk.erchiefs, young
men
whistled and shouted, and elders clapped their
approval as
12. La Crosse Tribune ard. Leader Press, June 10,
1956.
108
the big president pas.qd in h; ao.. t13
The city held its first municipal dance August 11,
1917,
at Myrick Park. According to the newspaper account it
was a
tremendous success with more than four thousand
people
attending. About five hundred cars were parked in the
area,
and the horns were blown after each number to show
the
appr.val o1f &the people. The da nAcin-g ae was
dCcoatd _with
Japan ese l anterns . 'il. th_ La ro sse -uicLipa
band
played, the couples fox trotted, waltzed, and
one-stepped.
1 L
i ve cenits a dance was charged; the men, of course;
paid.'
Spurts
ihe people also enjoyed sports during their leisure
am;:. i'eM mual popular organized sport; during rhis
period,
was baseball. Football was taken over by the high
school in
i90i, when the school j.oined the Wisconsin
Interscholastic
A4sociation although it was not until the same year
that
even a part-time instructor was provided.15
13. Crosse ptember 18, 1ptbr 1,09.
14. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, August 12, 1917.
15. Ibid., October 17, 1948.
109
Raseball, in La Crosse after 1900, took a
professional
turn when players were hired to play ball on Saturday
and
Sunday. The La Crosse team continued on this basis
until
the organization of the Wiscs TLeague in 1904. The
citis
which entered teams were Beloit, Oshkosh, Wausau,
Green Bay,
La Crosse, and Freeport, Illinois. The La Crosse team
was
v.ery .ucces .f I., winnin r chmpr hips in 1905 and
1906. In
1907, LltC La CLuSSe team finished third; and in
1908, Wausau
beat La Crosse for the championship. .The park used
by the
uLa r teiua was atU area uonaLe d by D. D. v . .c
;tiUL ,
locat east o LLLe fairgrou:-iUnU
In 1909, the city entered the Wisconsin-Minnesota
League
w, Fh~ic h w's c _ vp o e d o V Yaus au , dau C L d
iL aie W ilo U [la , S up e w io r,
and LDuutu. In 1910, Red Wing and Rochester were
added to
the l.up, and La Crosse soon dropped out because of
the
tremendous expense involved in the long, distance
jumps. After
La Crosse dropped out of the leagie, various
semiprof.ssional
teams maintained baseball in the city. The Nelson
Clothing
team from the North Side and the Montagues from the
South
d engaged in hectic bat . TLLe fact thuLL LLe am were
110
fronm the tw- sections of the city intensified the
rivalry.l6
About 1904-1905, tennis was played on courts located
at
Sixteenth and Main streets. At that time, most of the
area
on the edge nf the city was sandy prairi Tat-pr a-.It
I191C
the park at Twelfth and Jackson streets became the
scene of
play. It was in 1915 that tennis in La Crosse began
to be
dominatd by a mn consideredLA to be the best player
of -all
time in the city. Chester R. Pieper won the city's
singles
championship fourteen consecutive times from
i915-1928. ^
The Public Library
Although La t-rosse cannot be considered a .cultul
ci.ty
or a center, a fine library was established early in
the
city's istory. The library, at first,.was a venture
in-
aug rated and sustained by a private organization and
indivi-
duals. The origin, of the library goes back to 186i ,
when the
Young Men's Library Association was. founded. It was
supported
by subscriptions, dues, sale of life-memberships, and
courses
of entertainment. Governor C. 'C. Washburn, at th^t
time a
16. Ibid., July 21, 1938.
17. Ibid.
ll
resident of the city, had an intense interest in the
organiza-
tion. His interest led to a bequest of $50,000; and
at the
same time, he named six trustees and the mayor to
administer
the trust. In December, 1885, the Library Board was
organized
with the mayor as president by virtue of his office;
and its
first objective was to establish a public library.
Three
years later, in 1888, the Young Mien s Library
Association
ended its affairs leaving about 5,000 volumes and
$2,000 in
cash to the new library board to assist in its
building fund.
The terms of the Washburn bequest stipulated that
only
$253 coul be usd for a bu-ldilg~ Th-s aLou,, l nt. ve
-
aimount left by the old organization, enabled the
board to
erect a building that cost about $v2 , 000.
Un ONovember 20, 1888, the new building was
dedicated,
and the La T Purn Pblic Library opened w it 8,000 vol
es.
The income of the library was. insufficienc to meet
the costsr
and the citv cniinl a aked for assistance. Tahe rinl
.
responded with $1,500 annually. The council kept
adding to
the annuals appropriation until it amounted to about
$4,000.
In 1304, the library was reorganized with the
assistance of
the Wisconsin Library Commission. A children's
department
112
was opened, a branch was established on the North
Side, and
the circulation grew to between 35,000 to 40,000 a
year. By
1907, the new addition to the library was necessary.
aain
individuals provided the funds. A. W. Pettibone, T.
C.
Colman, J. M. Hixon, F. P. Hixon, and Mrs. C. L.
Colman,each
donated $5,000 for the addition and beautification of
the
18
grouLlnds.18
La Crosse s College
A bill to give La Crosse a normal school was
introduced
in the state legislature as early as 1893; but after
passing
in one house, it was defeated in the other. The rival
city,
Superior, got the school. Thomas Corris ran for state
5eLnator in 1904 on the platform. that he woud work
for a
Luurmal school for La Crosse. -when rne became
eiected, he
worked toward that goal. and eventually redeemed his
pledge.
Events in the state the following year proved to be
favorable for another normal school. Wiscnnsin
received
refunds from the United States Government for Civil
War
18. La Crosse Weekly Republican, July 21, 1938.
_ __ __
113
expenditures that amounted to almost $500,000 in 1905
and
$727,000 in 1907. Morris became a member of the
Committee
on Education in 1905, The next action of Mrris and
the
assemblymen from La Crosse County was to make deals
with
members from other districts to obtain support for a
bill
introduced by Senator Morris. The Eau Claire
representatives
supported the Morris bill in return for a promise
that the La
Crosse legislators would support the location of the
next
normal school at Eau Claire. The bill, which was
passed on
April 26, 1905, provided for the Board of Regents to
establish
a normal school at La Crosse. The legislature
appropriated
$1, l0O for the purchase of a site, preparatn of pl
ans and
~spcification, fa 1 % & l d C est Lates Lf LM the b u
ldinug.
The city council added $15,000 to the sum already
apprupriated, and two city blocks were purchased .for
the site-
of the school. After the Board of Regents reported to
the
legislature nf 19 7 9$210,0 for th-- -buildig wa pro-
priated. Two years later an additional $15,000 was
appropriated to provide marble for the stairways and
corridors
instead of cement. The construction of the school
began in
....*~~~~~~~ ~19
1908, and the first session began on September 8, .1909.
19. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 10,
1940.
114
The Norral School was located on the eastern edge of
the
city surrounded by rolling prairie of sand, bushes,
and grass.
The building, a red brick rectangular structure,was
located
on a site which had been used as circus grounds. From
the
front door of the school a narrow boardwalk extended
to State
Street. On the sides of the walk were the sand and
sand-
burrs of the prairie. To the south of the college on
State
Street stood only one or two houses.
The first faculty began the task of building the
grounds.
Lo the rear of the college they rolled out a tennis
court by
nId. Durig World -T ar I, Tonstruction --IAof a
physical educiNa-
L L. · A L LA(A. " /A.L ib V.J. J.%A VG-A, ) .J , .J SOL
q .
tinn buildin. b g n; but because of the scarcity of
building
matr-al, it was wihou a uoE fuor the duration of the
war. Later a heating plant was added.'
rrTh. opi vLu session eIlolled 5 me-l and 240 wo om.
-I-o.
·LLLZ* U41CLj.LJg btLbbLUn t:LK iLCu ..)J LULLJ CLiL
&k'%,V WVJLLLbL. A'A1 L.
of these students came from the surrounding area of
La Crosse.
Only eigh t students were enrolled from out of state,
and they
were from Minnesota and Iowa. The department for
training
rural and elementary teachers was organized at the
opening of
20. Ibid., June 1, 1934.
_ __ _ __
115
the school with one- and two-year courses. A training
school
opened the same year with classrooms in the main
building.
The college library, at this time, contained only one
thousand
V 'J L s oans .
In 1911, the special department was organized with
twenty
students enrolled the first year. Its purpose was to
provide
courses outside of teacher training for students who
later
wished to transfer to the university or to prepare
for a
profession other than teaching. The third president
of the
collere stated that the college had a twofold
nprponser th
training of teachers and the maintenance of junior
college
courses. He further stated that in tne beginning;
teachers
colleges in Wisconsin did not measure up to the
standards of
liberal arts colleges. The raising of standards was
due to.
two actions: the establishment of junior college
courses in
1911, and the authorization of degree courses in the
early
twenties.2
In 1913, the State Board of Regents.selected the
teachers colleges to-specialize in dertain fields of
21. Ibid.
_ _ _
116
education. It was in the following years that the
physical
education building was added to accommodate that
specializa-
tion at !a Crosse. In the. first year of the new
two-year
course, twelve studenrts enrolld.
The secondary department opened in 1914 with a three-
year course for training high school teachers and
principals.
Previously, only two-year rural and elementary
courses were
offered in teacher training. The secondary department
was
22
small, with only five students in 1917 and sixteen in
1918.2
During tihe first twenty year orf this century, the
TLa
Crosse college broadened from a two-year rural and
elementary
teacher traini no nqti tlti n to include a secondary
depart-
ment and a specialization in physical educaton A
thugh,
historically, normal schools were for teacher
training. La
Crosse added a special department for junior college
courses.
The effect of the college upon the. city was to bring
money
into the city through maintenance.of the college, the
faculty
payroll, and student's living expenses. The faculty
proved
to be a nucleus for discussion groups and speakers
before the
22. Ibid.
117
various civic organizations.
News.papers
La Crosse is now a one- new. p.pr c ty; b .. at .. ..
--rn
of the century, three English language newspapers
were
competing with each other--the La Crosse Morning
Chronicle-
the TLa Crosse Republican and Leader. and the La
Crosse Press.
The latter two merged in 1903. The La Crosse Tribune
and
Leader Press which is the only newspaper at the
present time
was organized during the power controversy in 1904.
The consolidation of the two competing light and
power
companies took place without a word of the
transaction
appearing in the city's newspapers* When the people
of La
ruosse found out about the consolidation, they became
suspi-
cious and resentful. The demand for.. another
newspaper was
answered by the formation of the La Crosse Tribune by
A. M.
Brayton and three other men who left the Chronicle to
begin
this new venture. Capital stock was $10,000, one-half
paid
in, and the newspaper began with a debt of $14,000.
The
equipment was meager, consisting of one linotype and
a few
cases of type. .The printing was done on a German
newspaper
located next door that was reached through a hole
knocked
118
out in the basement wall between them.23
The new newspaper began to crusade for a competing
light
and power company. The new company was established,
the
wisconsin Light and Power Company, but L w Lnt Lh Way
of all
competing utility companies in a small city when it
was
finally purchased by the old company. The La Crosse
Tribune
soon found that it had attempted too much in its own
field.
Competition was stiff, and the new paper was ready to
fold
24
before the power company gave up.4
The paper was saved in 1907, when the Tribune was
purchased by the Lee Syndicate for $15,000. The
transaction
brought Frank Burgess to the city where he found a
newspaper
unable to keep up the payments on its new press or to
pay
its rent. Forty thousand dollars was poured into the
paper,
and first class equipment was purchased. In addition,
the
deadwood was eliminated from the cirrculation which
reduced
it f-uL 2,5 u00 to I,5oU. Then a new subscription
campaign
_ ,, ,. , ,,_.. ,_ _ - .. ... . , . J . J
WI I iL r.eA l A" is an increaseu C.L-ciulation w.ich
23. The Lee Papers: A Saga of Midwestern Journalism
(Kewanee, Illinois: Star-Courier Press, 1947), p. 239.
24. Ibid., p. 139.
1 9 F
exceeded the Leader Press within a five-year period.
Along
che new circulation drives was a systematic campaign
for
national and local advertising.
In 1915i the Tribuhne bought the Tora Rn Builh 19 fo
$15,000. This building became the home of the
newspaper for
the next thirty-one years. The fierce competition
between
these two newspapers came to an end with a surprise
announce-
ment in January, 1917, by the La Crosse Tribune. The
La
Crosse Leader Press had been purchased by the Tribune
for
25
$100,000. This transaction formed the La Crosse Tribune
and Leader Press, and meant that La Crosse would be a
one
newspaper city.26
Politically, during it ' irst years, the Tribune wao
considered to be liberal. It supported Robert M. La
rollette
in 1907 and continued its support until 1917, when
the
Tribune disapproved of La Follette's opposition to
America's
Pnfttr '+-; . ,-i , - A T.T^.-1 T.T.... T - A,.- , *-
v -,r . . 4 ,e*--; A r.- t-i? 1" i O - i Q o.t tr-
keep this country out. of war, but once we were
involved in
the war, the paper felt that an all-out.effort should
be made
25. Ibid., p. 242.
2 u. LUIa. , pp. o246-24
120
to bring it to a successful conclusion. Thereafter,
the La
Crosse Tribune and Leader Press became more
conservative
supporting Harding, Collidge, and conservative
candidates for
27
governor
o?-
The City's Hospitals
While public health was a civic venture, private
institutions and individuals were also daily working
toward
the goal of a more healthy populace. The city was
eventually
to have five hospitals and several clinics, making La
Crosse
a dizal c .,nr fvr t.h surrounding area. The first
hospital
was a modest venture begun about thirty years before
the city
n 1 C r- cwm 4 I' a T--.1 01-1'g1 I 'I _-
had a helth con m issioner . By 1911, al but one of the
hospitas hacd been established.oi
i c _i irs i- -c iAi. - LduL_ y i s- - - __ 1 _ . I
iiu ic
4. 1 L X -j LX I o U %- j L L t W bA L tL 1 JL L U y L
Lil X I LLIU .LC
Church and operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the
St. Rose
Convent. in 184, the St. Francis Hospital was a
two-story
brick building located on Market between Tenth and
Eleventh
streets. Through the years, additions were erected,
and the
original building was replaced by the south wing in
1916.
.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
27. La Cr.osse Tribune and Leader Press, July 21,
1938.
121
The only hospital in the city which would accommodate
people
who had contagious diseases was added in 1908, the
St.
Camillas Hospital. The sisters from the very
beginning
established a school to train members of the orde s n
ses.
t was reorganized a few years later on a more
practical and
substantial basis. In 1901, the school admitted, for
the
first time, young ladies who were not members of the
sister-
hood. Since that time the school has trained both
sisters
and Catholic and non-Catholic laywomen. Aross the
street
from the St. Francis Hospital was located the St.
Ann's
Orphanage. In 1912, the orphanage became the St.
Ann's
maternity hospital. In the same year an overhead
bridge was
0
t ed a---Lp1w the ho -pitals -
The next hospital established was the La Crosse
Hospital,
aru La Crosse was on its way to becoming the medical
center
for the area. Its opening in May, 1901, the hospital
was
considered one of the most complet i nsrf titins nof
.i s kind
in the northwest. The La Crosse Republican and Leader
edition of May 13, 1901, described the operating
rooms.
28. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, December 31,
133. _
L1,3 ,,
122
"These of course are perfectly white inside with a
skylight,
giving all the light possible for the most delicate
opera-
tions." The article boasted that there was a bath on
every
29
floor.2
The new hospital had accommodations for fifty
patients,
seventeen ward beds, and the rest in private rooms.
The
hospital furniture was provided by the society ladies
of La
Crosse either singly or working in clubs.30
The third hospital was opened a year after the La
Crosse
Hospital on November 27, 1902. The Lutheran Hospital
was
incorporated in 1899 by members of both the Norwegian
and
German Lutheran Synods. Through the leadership of
several
pastors, money was raised for the building to be
controlled
by the corporation of Lutherans. The building had
five
floors with 104 rooms. Patients to the hospital were
admitted not only from La Crosse but also from the
surround-
ing area, T. .. In 1907, the - Lu.thra n--pital alone
-.d 160
" %, , I . AL. / V I , LI LA .IILi,,,LLI L-q ] L.L ,.
L'LIW LUI, C L.I
rmdical and 568 surgical cases.
29. La Crosse Republican and Leader, May 13, 1901.
30. Ibid.
31.. La Crosse Lutheran Hospital, Fifth Annual- Report
(La Crosse: [n; n,l 1907), p, 3.
123
The last hospital to be built in the city was the
Grandview which was incorporated in 1914. It had a
capacity
of 106 patients.32 The La Crosse hospitals now could
take
care oe La. 300 pi. as cuoe...d Lo 41 in iV901
With the addition of several clinics, the city, by
the 1930's,
was the medical center for the tri-state area.
The Great War
.ord .ar I caused some conflict of emotions in the
city
beusF onf the a rge German element. Although there
were no
instances of disloyalty, the people of the city were
not of
one mrind in sunnnor. of the war. The same edition of
a news-
pnre that carrid HAr clae of patrioic enthusiasm by
the4-
people miUight also contain an article describing a
mass meet-
ing protesting America's entrance into the war.
Despite the
protests, the city and county contributed, according
to its
population, a higher than average percentage of its
young
men to the arsed forces ad oersubscrbed all of she
Liberty Loan drives. The "War to End All Wars" was
32. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, July 21,
1938.
I - -
124
patriotically hailed and supported by the press,
meetings,
speeches, and parades. Yet there were accusations of
dis-
loyalty and some persecutions.
Companies B and M of La Crosse of the National Guard
of
33
Wisconsin were called for border service June 19, 1916.
The two c opanies hd no sooner rCtuned Coe i
January, 1917, when it seemed likely that they would
soon be
called again because of the tense relations
developing between
the United States and Germany.
The first call in La Crosse to prepare for an
emergency
came from the Red Cross. A telegraph message was
received by
the local chapter on February 5. 1917. asking the
chapter to
prepare for war service by making hospitaii spplies,
-The
following day an army officer inspected B Company in
one of
.h.o. ost riiU inspections in Ll the history of LIthe
copanly.
As it became clearer that war was coming nearer, a
mass
mUetiilg y rnthe ci'"''t Party of La irosse was held
in.
Yeomen Hall. The meeting, largely attended, opposed
the
United Staes' engaging in war with Germany or any
other
-- i1 1Ui I I IIIIIIIII
33. La Crosse Tribune, January 1, 1917.
34. La Crosse Tribitne antd Tat f er Prerm. I hrutry r I
11 7
- m
125
country. According to the press report, the people
attending
35
were enthusiastic and of one mind. The Socialist's
meeting
was followed about two weeks later by peace
resolutions
36
adopted by three German. Mthodist Churches.
On the other hand, many people and officials of La
Crosse
were eager to Jassist in effo rts for prnparednsr . Thre
T.nitdA
A. - r g .. a L WC&L L.=-
States authorities were concerLed about bridges and the
water
supply of cities. The local authorities were very
willing to
cooperate in establishing watches on the two bridges,
public
37
buildings, and the pumping station.37
Already the man-in-the-street was feeling the burden
of
higher food prices. The cost of food had steadily
risen
siie 1i915. A comparison of food prices of
February,1916,
with those of February, 1917, shows a 10 to 100 per
cent
..-crOase in prices. Potatoes, per peck rose from 30
cents to
60 cents, milk from 7 to 8 cents, flour from $2.25 to
$2.50,
eg s from 38 to 45 cents. La Crosse industry began
tou eel
35. Ibid., February Z1, i91/.
36. Ibid., February 28, 1917.
37. Ibid., February 19, 1917,
38. Ibid , February 21, 1917.
126
the effect of the times. The Listman Mill was forced
to close
because it was unable to obtain wheat Lrom its
warehouses in
Minneapoiis or to obtain railroad cars for its
transport.
This situation was due to the railroad's inability to
meet the
demands upon it, for there was a shortage of cars in
the
3_9
Middle WQet and a pi Le-up in the East.
Finally, on March 26, 1917, word was received from
UWahi.ngton that the Wisconsin National Guard would
be one of
twenty-eight units called into service. The La Crosse
troops,
three months back from the Mexican border, were soon
to be on
active duty again. About 150 men were needed to bring
the two
companies up to war strength. The following day, the
armory
40
was literally stormed by men and boys wno wanted to
enlist.
Following the declaration of war, the people of the
city
entered wholeheartedly in the crusade to end all
wars. The
German element of the city was suspect and in some
instances
prs. J ed.rin Ste -s ciAng ed to L rt.& y L tr et
A German worker in the city, denied citizenship and
39. Ibid., February 23, 1917.
40. Ibid., March 26, 1917.
127
frightened by friends who joked about his being a
spy,
attempted to take his life. After the attempt had
faile, he
,,41
said sadly, "I am a man without a country."4
To ^emonstrate their patriotism, a mass meeting was
held
three weeks after the declaration of war. According
to the
account of the mLeetig which appeared in the La
Crosse
Tribune and Leader Press, the people, amid
handclapping,
cheering, and waving flags, unanimously rededicated
themselves
to the utmost service of America and American ideals.
They
endorsed America's stand for freedom and humanity and
com-
mtted themslvs to acti-ve ser-vice- and fullest
sacrifice by
authorizing the organization of La Crosse County
Council of
rn Ise.TA Wisc ,ra isa_ .....t. rc. it rhe
National and Wsconsin Council of Defense. Following
the
meeting, a parade of five thousand people marched
waving
flags demonstrating their patriotism.42 Backing up
the
demonstration with action, La Crosse became the first
city
in Wisconsin to raise the full quota towards the "Y"
fund
41. Ibid., April 20, 1917.
42. Ibid., April 22, 1917.
128
for work among United States soldiers.43
The discordant note rose again in two more instances.
The hoarding of food wa. drijing frorAd prices u in
ocal
stores. Althotgh hoarding was branded as unpatriotic,
flour
and especially sugar were bought in large quantities
with
some families buying 200 and 300 pouids of sugar and
several
barrels of flour."
The other incident occurred when editorials in the
German language newspaper Nordstern, published in La
Crosse,
were quoted and branded as "Copperhead" in a
patriotic
address of Judge Kenesaw Landis before three hundred
people
of the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce. It was also
revealed
Cosse * h -j6 %ivAd tah reatniuo hisAs lif- a
Crosse threatening his life.4n
Earl y in June, the men of the city who were between
the
^sq -r- o-t..,y-oLAI CL La L ..l-UL.i L 6 LtLLtdu
L.UL L[IM UEalL
No arrests were made for failure to register, and
2,735 men
were registered.46
43. Ibid., April 30,- 1917.
44. Ibid., April 30, 1917.
45. Ibid., June 2, 1917.
46. Ibid., June 6, 1917.
129
Two hundred eighteen men from the county were called
up
for the first draft. Of this number, 109 were from
the city.
The first drafted men left the city September 6,
1917, and
from that time on the draft was a steady drain upon
the
city's manpower.47 But many of the men did not wait
to he
drafted. More than 150 men volunteered in a two-day
drive
for recruits to fill La Crosse's quota for the
regular army,
navy, and national guard.48 With a crowd of more than
10,000
people at the station to bid farewell to the two
companies,
the soldiers of Company B and M left August 3 for
Camp
49
Douglas on the first leg of their journey to France.4
All of the Liberty Loan drives in La Crosse were suc-
cessful. The first drive in June;, 917; was
overs'bscri nd
by $100,000. The same was true of the following
drives. In
the five loans, La Crosse County subscribed a total
of
$ 131 A, 5n 50 Th, . 'SRA a. c-.p -s.. .s- ,-s s.c
ess..
" O -rt L. LJ...8 ,9-Gu~M'a.*6u
.The peple gave more than $60,000 to thi ig which
47. Ibid., July 21, 1919; Ibid., September 6, 1917;
Ibid., 19, 1917; Ibid., October 3, 1917
48. Ibid., June 30, 1917.
49. Ibid., August 3, 1917.
50. Ibid., June 15, 1917; Ibid., October 25, 1917;
luid., June 1, 1917.
130
exceeded the quota of $45,000. The occasion was again
celebrated by a dinner at the Chamber of Commerce.
Accord-
ing to the newspaper account Judge Landis received a
wild
applause at the end of his speech.51
War gardens, hv 1918 r were rond i every vact t lot
It was a prt of the war effort that most people could
participate in. An effort was also made to conserve
food.
The whole county was canvassed to sign pledge cards
to observe
the wheatless and meatless days. Only forty-three
families
refused to sig.. the pledgancs ,d these refusals were
attributed to Germanism.52
Finally on November 7, 1918, the La Crosse Tribune
and
Leader Press headlined. lWar Reported Over.53 The
news was
greeted by whistles of locomotives, railroad shops,
and
factories. Nearly every bell on the North Side was
ringing,
and rhildren pa-raded ia the streetp to elebhrate the
end of
the great war. nhe people of Lhe Southn oid wr-L
excited but
kept their balance. This was the false armistice
which most
51. Ibid., November 20, 1917.
52. Ibid., March 18, 1919; Ibid., November 19, 1917.
53. Ibid., November 7, 1918,
131
people believed. The reports came in around noon;
just how
54
no one knew.
n November 1 11 an extra appeared on the steets
proclaiming the end of the war 5:00 a.m. La Crosse
time. A
proclamation was issued that the schools would remain
closed.
Whistles .ad .bells bro.ht t-ousands of citizens from
bed to
oinn a mad mob in the downtown section. There could
be heard
a solid jumble of horns, shouting, laughing, cow
bells, and
sirens. The mayor proclaimed a holiday, and the
downtown
area continued its celebration. The Eagles Drum Corp
pranced
its way down Main Street, while people grouped
together to
sing songs. The police, called out to prevent
violence.
joined the celebration by firing their guns in the
air. A
impromptu parade put the finishing touches on the
celebra-
tion .5
The influenza epidemic that raged An La Creose dunri.
the final months of the war continued after its end.
For a
twenty-day period following the reopening of the
city's
54. Ibid., November 8, 1918.
55. Ibid., November 11, 1918.
132
theaters and schools, there was an average of one
death a day.
Four days after the Armistice, the epidemic showed no
signs
of decreasing.56 After the epidemic was over early in
the
nex year, D. ursa of the public health department,
reported that ninety-three persons had died in La
Crosse of
influenza and pneumonia during the epidemic.
Sixty-two died
of influenza; twenty of these persons were from out
of the
city. Dr. Furstman reported that this was a low death
rate
compared with other cities of the size of La
Crosse.57
La Crosse industry benefited by the war in the amount
of $8,000,000 in war contracts.58 Because La Crosse
did not
possess a "large" single industrial plant, this total
re-
presented many s- all contracts. Tne breweries were
heavily
taxed; and, of course, prohibition was just around
the corner.
There now- r-a.nd the return of the et erans. a.
relief
drives. For the relief of war ravaged people, the
citizens
Of La Crosse euULributed again to exceed its quota in
the
American Campaign59
56. Ibid., November 15, 1918.
57. Ibid., January 27, 1919.
58. Ibid., January 1, 1919.
e5. lulu., January 24, 1919.
133
A series of suppers were held in honor of he returned
veterans. After the meals there was singing, and the
ex-
soldiers told stories of their experiences. When the
La
Crosse National Guard outfit returned in May. its
seventeen
men left out of 150, they were greeted at 3:30 a.m.
at the
depot by thousands of cheering people packed in all
of the
streets leading to the depot.60
Except for the drive to give the returning veterans
their old jobs, the war .as over for La Crosse. For
the
most part, the people fully supported the war effort
as was
demonstrated by the number of La Crosse men in the
armed
services, the oversubscription to the Liberty Loan
drives,
and the food pledges. The discordant notes were war
protests;
the N urustern editorials, the treat upon Judge
Landis's
life, and the persecution of some of the German
people.
60. Ibid., May 20, 1919.
Y
CHAPTER V
THE DECADE OF PROSPERITY, 1920-1930
During the first twenty years of this century, the
size
of the population of the city of La Crosse remained
rather
stable, for it was during these years that the lumber
industry ceased operating, and the transition to
small
diversified manufacturing became complete. The
prosperity
initiated during the war years continued into the
early
thirties. The decade following the war became a
period in
which industry and building in La Crosse greatly
expanded.
By the end of decde, t h pou ion of thae crty hAd an
increnase of almost 'An thous- d persos-fo30, 191 in
1 920
to 39,614 in 19301 The employed labor lfrce 'increase
from
12, 3 Lo 17,151, while the number of workers engaged
in
2
manufacturing increased from 4,503 to 5,523. This
increase
1. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixeenth Census ou the
United States: 1940, Population, Vol. I Number of
Inhabi-
tants (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1942), p.
1i62.
2. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fourteenth Census of the
,T T.--.e.- _. V I .s W. S
- a_ t d SL L l- , Population, voL. Iv, L ;VupaLU (Wash-
ington: Government Printing Office, 1923), pp. 277-281;
U S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the
United
States: 1930; Population, Vol. IV, Occupations by States
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1933), pp.
1758-
/tu0.
134
t 1
I I~
in thne .'--er of w-orXers e;naged in :anufactures
cai desprt
a decrease in te na er of ianuact ing plants--fr L51
ji
97--and thie fct tt te bewi interests were hit hard
bv
prohibition. Several industries were beginning to
grow and
develop into lar6e manufacturing plants which would
dominace
the city's econom The twenties marked a begiinnin of
the
third stage of industry in La Crosse, the develoett f
several large industries.
B'ailAng and industrial Expansion
TFolowing the conclusion of World War I. because o
the
fcsvrab uuitu U L.Zi D .he rural diuLricL L ribut.-ar
3o rhe
city and tne sustained demand fnr goods, the trnsiio
i r
war to peace was aAe eaasily.J Because uildinr halted
duing
t-ie w ua sA r ti frst vear after the
end of the conlict with a record-breaking ark of
aimost
3,uUOO,U00 . -Te amount of building that was
completed and
started is impressive. A new manufacturing center
located
at the southern end of West Avenue was developing.
Located
in the area were Sorenson and Sons. Bmp Paper Fastner
3. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 26,
1919.
136
Company, and the Badger Corrugating Company. New to
the
district was the western branch ot the Mathews
Manufacturing
Company, makers of garden and porch furniture.
The industrial building during the year 1919 was
principally that of established firms building new
factories
or additions. Several new companies also were started
during
this year of optimism. The P. Lorillard Tobacco
Company
built a plant on the North Side. The La Crosse
Clothing
Company began erecting a new factory; as did the
Tri-State
Ice Cream Company; the Gibson Ice Cream Company; and
the
Marinello Company, maker of cosmetics. Two other new
plants
were started. The Armour opary located a branch in
the
city, whil e theAutomotive Foundry, composed of
officials
and employees of the La Crosse Tractor Company, was
started
for the manufacture of automotive castings. everall
companies
enlarged by building additions. The National Gauge
and Equip-
ment Company and the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and
Power
Company were making improvements and planning
additions.
With this boom in factory building ca o an increased
demand for homes. To meet this demand, the La Crosse
Housing
Corporation was organized by thirty young businessmen
of the
137
city. In a new tract of land located on the eastern
edge of
the city, the corporation had already begun to
construct
twelve new homes. The Grandview Addition on
Twenty-Second
between Main and Cass streets was to be the location
of
Jbetween i. ,y d onu hundred new homes built the
following
year by te new housing corporation. The city was
continuing
to move toward the bluffs.
One of the most unpopular and disagreeable events of
the
year for the people of La Crosse was prohibition. The
beer
industry in La Crosse, represented by five breweries,
was
prosperous and contributed over 1,200 jobs for the
city in
i9i8, the year before prohibition. Already the
industry was
being heavily taxed by the federal government. The
tax in
19i9 was raised to $ .00 a barrel from the 1".50 es
lshed
in 11i 7.
Only two La Crosse breweries continued brewing the
2-3/4 per cent beer after prnhbhition began, and they
had to
cease when the Supreme Court, in October, 1919, ruled
that
it was illegal. lne neileman Brewery was the only
plant to
4. Ibid., January 1, 1920.
138
continue the manufacture of beer though the product
of a non-
aicoholic content. lh plant also turned to soft
drinks produ-
cing Old Style Grape, Old Style Ginger Ale, and Creme
de Luxe.
Old Style Malt Tonic, another of its products, was a
favorite
among the people of La Crosse. That prohibition hurt
the
plant is evident from the fact that barrel production
of beer
dropped from 140,000 to 20,000 by 1926.
The C. and J. Michel Brewing Company changed its name
to
the La Crosse Refining Company and manufactured malt
syrup as
did the Bartl Brewery. The other breweries ceased
operation.?
The closing of the city's saloons was unpopular, and
the
newspapers, during the following years, constantly
reported
violations by the city's citizens.
Eve thLough thie city's industry was expanuding, ad
t.heL,
was an increased demand for homes, the workers and
people
were not entirely satisfied with events. With
prosperity
came higher prices and a series of strikes. Food
prices were
especially a point of protest by the people. At a
mass
meeting, A u 19.. to potest the high st of li4ing,
'C~6 --- ~%Lm,% . ,L.7.A. 7 L&.U ~L,, UL,=,&, L.
%-a~,L&- &&.. L,., --& C.-
5. Ibid., March 6', 1933; Ibid., January 3, 1954.
139
three thousand people attended. The meat packers were
blamed Lfo LLth high price o meat, anu government
action was
demanded.6 Examples of the rise in food prices during
the
last five and ten years were the rlse of the cost of
canned
peas from 6-1/2 cents in 1915 to 13 cents in 1920,
eggs from
20 cents to 37 cents a dozen, bread from 6 cents to
10 and 15
cents a loaf, and bacon from 12-1/2 cents to 27 cents
a
pound.
Although the newspaper reported that there were no
idle
men in the city, a series of minor strikes occurred
involving
a demand for increased wages to meet the high cost of
living.
The first strike occurred early in May when, after
the
workmen of the foundry of the La Crosse Tracror
Fartory
asked for an increase in wages to 71-1/2 cents an
hour, the
foundry was closed. The workmen interpreted this
action as
a "lock-out," while the company representative stated
that
thp J~.1.
the company was temporaril.y th.Lro.uh with foundry work
because
about nine hundred tractors were stored on the North
Side.7
6. Ibid., August 1, 1919.
7. Ibid., May.2, 1919.
140
Five days later the Tractor Companyr foun--dr--y
Strikr
were joined by foundry worke:s uf three other
plants--the
Torrance Foundry, the La Crosse Plow Company, and the
atioVaal Gauge a.d quipment Company. A total of
fifty-
seven men were now on strike 4which lasted over three
months
before the men returned to work on July 8, 1919,
after an
agreement had been finally reached. The men had been
working
on a 10-hour basis for 45 cents an hour. The new
agreement
stipulated an eight-hour day at 60 cents an hour. In
addi-
tion, the companies agreed not to discriminate
against union
8
men.
A part of the general rise in wages indicating the
iLLceased cost of living was shared by streetcar
employees.
PrLVouu Lto July, 19i8, they received beween 26 and
30 cents
an hour. This last rise in wages was the fourth since
that
date for the men who had been employed for more than
a year
whn r 4eceived 45 cns -. . 9
Although the local railroad men were not affected by
le= uatLunai railroad strike of that year, many o0
thnm
8. Ibid. , May 6, 7, and 8, 1919; Ibid., July 7,
1919.
9. Ibid. Auguet 5, 1919.
141
walked off the job without the approval of the union.
The
first day over 100 machinists, boilermakers, and
blacksmiths
quit. About 150 union and nonunion men walked out two
days
later. A week later union officials called the men
back to
work which ended the strike for the city.0
By the beginning of the new year, 1920, the city was
confronted with a labor shortage. This fact was
brought out
when enough men could not be found to assist in
removing snow
from the sidewalks. With five new factories going up
and
ther fat;Lories, especially the La Crosse Rubber
Mills,
taking all of the men, there was no one available for
shoveling the snow from the sidewalks.l Prices, or
the cost
.. i.t- V ., began to eayse dn ing the y-ear but
nrosperity had
a dent in it. Building, especially residences.
slackened
and then came to a standstill by the beginning of
1921.
In an effort to stimulate home building, the master
builders of the city advocated a reduction of between
17 and
18 per cent of the building trade wages. This action
would
10. Ibid., August 6, 8, and 15, 1919.
11. Ibid., January 6, 1920.
142
be neeessary, it was stated, because material costs
of build-
ing had already declined during the past year. Paint
was
down 25 per cent, lumber between 30 and 35 per cent,
brick 20
per cent; cement 15 per cent, and hardware 15 per
cent. In
addition, the cost of living during the smie year was
materially lower. Forty-nine pounds of wheat flour
was down
from $4.00 to $2.50, 1 dozen eggs from 67 cents to 56
cents,
and 1 pound of sugar from 21 cents to 10 cents.
Although the
building trades eventually took a cut in wages, it
was not as
12
large as the builders wanted. Later the same year the La
Crosse Housing Corporation was dissolved after
building
twenty-three houses and not the fifty or one hundred
that had
i3
been proposed.
A minor and short-l-,ived strike occurred la r iLn
the
year which reflected the slump and the attitude of
management.
In June, 292 tobacco stemmers employed by P.
Lorillard
Company went on Etrike The strikers' chif complaint
was
that from 30 to 40 pounds of tobacco in every 100
pounds
was of poor quaiity. The poor quality cobacco slowed
up
12. Ibid:, Foehrtmry ' 1921.
13. Ibid., September 8, 1921.
143
the workers' output, and despite complaints to
management,
the large percentage of poor tobacco was still
produced.
One worker stated that instead of averaging 85 pounds
a day
when Lobacco was good, a worker averaged only 60 to
70
pounds. The workers averaged $16.00 a week wuorking
9-/2
hours a day. The worker's committee wanted the
tobacco
divided 90 per cent good and 10 per cent poor.
The company official stated that the trouble was
caused
by a half dozen men who were for the strike, while
the women
' --a-. '. 0efi-rrtl - ....... ·
were agaiLn. it. LThe en were given joDs, usually
women's
jobs, to keep them from starving, and if the men
could not
make a living on what they made they were advised to
go
elsewhere.
Two days later the stemeers returned to work after
two
conferences with the management. The understanding
reached
was that the tobacco given out should be 30 per cent
poor
and 70 per cent good quality, and that within the
month the
proportion of poor tobacco would be cut to 15 per
cent.4
By t L uer, the recession had deepened with employme
t
ve~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. t..~ e. ml j.L uyi]r
14. Ibid., June 16, 1921.
· ~ ~ ~ , Ju ·e I~ 6iq0 I .JL., dL Si.L
·L
144
in the city's manufacturing plants down about one
thousand
persons compared to the previous year. This reduction
in
employment amounted to about 25 per cent of the
manufacturing
labor force and a payroll decrease nf about 33 per
cent.
Total employment in manufacturing plants in October
was about
four thousand persons.-- The city rapidly pulled out
of the
slump during 1922, and about $3,000,000 was spent for
build-
ing and improvements during that year.
During 1923, the people maintained the building pace
of the previous year by spending a total of
$2,820,000.
Included in the sum were three schools built by the
city at
a cost of $455,000. The building of private homes was
the
second largest item with 175 homes constructed. The
eastward
movement of the residen tial area continued with most
of the
homes being built between Seventeenth and
Twenty-fifth
streets. The largest manufacturing building was an
addition
by the rubber mills. Other manufaeturing buildings
were:
the addition of the TL Crosse Plumbing Supply, the
Nelson
Garment Company, the Hackner Altar Factory, and a new
15. lbid., October 9, 1921.
14/.
building completed by the Art Glass Company.l
The economy of the city continued its climb toward
the
1927 peak with additions by the city's factories and
the
erection of new ones AR an illttration nf the new
factories that located in the city during this
period: a new
company began the manufacture of refrigerators in
1924. After
only a year of operation, it increased its capital
stock and
was turning out ninety-five refrigerators a day.7
The peak year during the decade was 1927. In that
year
industrial, commercial, and residential expansion
totaled
about $2,850,000. The two largest industrial
expansions were
additions by the Rubbxr M-lls and the "ational auge
and
Equipment Company. The remainder of the money
represented
the costs of St. Ann's Hospital, the Logan rhi6LL .;.
L adAL-
tiou, the Lutheran Hospital addition, Aquinas High
School,
and the remodeling of the Batavian Bank. Residences
almost
reached the foot of the bluffs, and the roe mainrirng
pra rie
had been platted into the Arlington and Edgewood
additions--
rCstric-eu residential districts. Tne predominant
type of
16. Ibid., January 1, 1924.
17. Ibid., May 20, 1925.
146
architecture was the Spanish Villa, English type
structures,
and bungalows.
In 1927, La Crosse participated in a Better Cities
Survey
in which detailed information of the city was
required for the
city to be rated. According to the survey, La Crosse
had, in
1927, 112 manufacturing concerns which employed a
total of
6,033 persons, and the value of manufactured products
was
19
$23,054,922.9 The survey listed the articles
manufactured
in the city as candy, men's and women's clothing,
rubber goods,
farm machinery, pearl buttons, soft drinks, corn
products,
steel roofing, brooms, refrigerators, furniture, mill
work,
cigars, and utno accessories.20 Per capita we- as
listed
as $1,410.70. The number of retail concerns was 464
with a
business of $6,316,008 The number of wholesale
concerns was
given as 84 with a business of $4,737,006.2
The work week of male labor in the city averaged
between
55 and 0N a vk, k ... ..u All -f 4- h- a clood at no
.
1 ! · L *_ _ _ _ _ _
-o. D1iQ. , January 1, 1928.
1. "AInustry," Better Cities Survey. Publication No.
5 (La Crosse: [n. n.l, 1927), pp. 1369, 1380.
(Typewritten.)
20. Ibid., p. 1340.
21. Ibid., p. 1369.
147
on Saturdays. The average factory worker worked 10
hours a
day and 5 hours on Saturday. The clerical work in
which
principally women were ewuployed was arranged so that
the work
22
week did not exceed tie U-hnour work week law. Pensions
for workers were still in the future, for no factory
in the
city had a pension system, and only the Wisconsin
Pearl
Button Factory, the La Crosse Tribune, the Northern
Engraving
Company, and the Trane Company had employee's benefit
associa-
23
tions.
Early in i927, an organization was formeud to
advertis
the scenic beauty of the region and to press for a
hard
surface highway from Madison, Wisconsin in the south
to
Minneapolis-St. Paul in the north. After a contest,
the name
~ -Wisippi was adoped absthe Sae, while the erritory
ALALaLi -VVA.00A.jJjJ Wab fUVj3LCU Ub LLL, 13fd1,
WLIA.LU LLM L JL LUry
bordering the Mississippi was to be known as the
Winneshiek
bottom lands and the coulee region.2'4
whil 1 v the crty joind i. te dik e as hr t
surface roads to meet the more important automobile
22. TIbid., 1332.
·-.,..~d,..~., ·~~.w·-.iJ.·6
23. Ibid., p. 1329.
24. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, May 18, 1927;
bid., July 12, 1927.
148
transportation, the city remained the largest rail
center
between Milwaukee and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Although
the
Green Bay and Western Railroad abandoned its line
into La
Crosse in i922, nhe crty, by the end of the decade,
still
25
had three lines .25 The Burlington and Milwaukee systems
operated their west coast trains through La Crosse,
from
Chicago, and the Northwestern Railroad sent its
trains from
Chicago to the Black Hills through La Crosse. In
addition,
the Milwaukee Road made up its trains in the city for
the
southern Minnesota and Dubuque divisions.
La Crosse manufacturers received relief from the
Pittsburgh-plus system by a federal ruling in 1924.
Under
the system, La Crosse customers paid 54 cents per 100
pounds
freight rate for Yteel, he rate from Pittsburgh to
the city.
Steel from Chicago, a distance of 263 miles, should
have
cost 24.5 cents; but La Croosse custome- were paying
an
..-...al 9. L..cents .whih was figrd a the rate from
27
Pittsburgh--a distance of 750 miles, or a total of 54
cents.27
25. Ibid., October 3, 1932.
26. Ibid., April 20, 1930.
27. Ibid., July 23, 1924,
149
The rate of industrial expansion and residential
build-
ing slowed in 1928, following the peak year of 1927.
The
amount expended declined to $637,000 in contrast to
more than
$2,000,000 the previous year. The businessmen of the
city
explained that a "breathing spell" was necessary in
order to
make adjustments. The La Crosse Rubber Mills led the
build-
ing,a $225,000 project, while the National Gauge
spent
$100,000 for a new addition. Other additions were
made by
the Modern Steam Laundry and the purchase of the
Nelson
Furniture building by the Northern Engraving Company.
In the
commercial section both Sears and Roebuck and
Montgomery-
Ward were erecting new buildings. Residential
buildings
A9
erected during the year tlUbe--'d 123
Despite the stock mnrk't Q-slump lat in 19 29, bu4 1
ilding in
La Crosse in that year continued with the completion
of the
La Crosse Rubber Mill's addition, two new depots by
the
-urlgI Lun Railroad, an addition by the Hirshheimer
foundry,
and the erection of two new clinic buildings. The
building
of residential homes continued to creep toward the
bluff with
28. Ibid., January 1, 1929.
150
most of the building taking place along Losey
Boulevard from
29
State to Cass streets.9 Several changes occurred
involving
ownership during the year. Montague-Fairbain
Incorporated
interests of La Crosse were merged with the Sanitary
Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, and the McKenzie
Manufacturing Company was bought by the Oliver Farm
Equipment
30
Company of Chicago.30 Not only was La Crosse benefiting
from
the growing automobile industry at this time by the
location
of the National Gauge Company and the Northern
Engraving
Company of La Crosse, but the automobile dealers of
the city
had a big year with sales of over $4,500,000.3
B A gi. iLLg f tJ- Lhe GrwL Uo-W- L of
Large Factories
The i i90 * c marked the ri e of -everal large
mnufactur -
ing concerns, and the beginning of several others
which would
join the ranks of the larger companies at a later
time. These
companies were becoming lRrge in relation to the size
of the
city and the labor force. These factories were large
enough
29. Ibid., January 1, 1930.
30. Ibid.
31. Ibid.
151
so that if one had major lay-offs, it would
materially affect
the economy of the city, but the large factories were
not of
the same industry. For that reason La Crosse did not
become
a one-industry city. The two largest plants were the
La
Crosse Rubber Mills and the National Gauge Company.
The
position of the rubber mills in the minds of the
people of
the city is reflected in a saying, "As the rubber
mills go,
so goes the city."
When M. Funk and A. Hirshheimer bought the
controlling
interest in the rubber mills in 1912, it consisted of
only a
small wooden building, employed 160 persons, and had
a daily
capacity of 1,200 pairs of shoes. In 1913, a concrete
bultd-
ing was added and production increased to 6,000 pairs
of
A nre_ 'a- 1 -s cz0c co -Ae rv ^^- r- 11, l.i 4I osa
aLd capacity was increased to 12,000 pa.is of shoes
6aily
and capacity was increased to 12,000 pairs of shoes
daily
of improved quality. After the war was over, when
building
comenced again in the city-, a large a .Arehounl a
research
laboratory, and a pressure cure plant were erected in
1921,
and capUcity increased to 15 , 00 pairs of ShC daily.
The expansion of the mills continued throughout the
decade as new additions were erected. In 1923, a
large
152
four-story plant was built, and capacity production
was
increased to 30,000 pairs of shoes daily. In 1927, a
power
plant was added; in 1928, a four-story addition was
erected,
and in 1929, another addition was made. Sales made a
tremendous leap as is illustrted by the $6,000, n0
increase
of sales in 1926 over that of 1925. Employment
increased
from the i60 in 1912 to between 1,200 and 1,500. The
product
was retailed in every state of the union with largest
sales
in LLhe Central, Middle West, and the West. By
October, 1929,
A. P. Funk, president of the company, was able to
state that
never before in the history of the company was the
future
as bright as it was at thar time. Sales were
exceeding all
former years.
R-OiLi6 wiLh Lne automobile industry of the nation,
the
National Gauge and Equipment Company became the other
large
industry of La Crosse. The company originally was
located
in Mi nneapolis under the nae of Natioal Gae ad-- Reg
Compan-y. ALer the move to La Crosse, the company's
name
32. ibid., April 10, 1927; Ibid., October 3, 1929;
The
Manufacture of Rubber Footwear (La Crosse: La Crosse
Rubber
Mills Company, 1934), p. 27.
153
became the Hans Moto Equipment Company--a
manufacturer of
gauges for automobiles. A new factory was built on
the North
Side in 1913; but the company was unable to survive a
slump
in the automobile business and reverted to trustees.
In
December, 1914, G. M. MacMillian and P. M. Gelatte
took over
until March, 1915, when, under the same name and
corporation,
they organized the National Gauge and Equipment
Company with
a capital stock of $200,000. The company was a small
concern
employing about one hundred persons with a business
of
$i00,000 yearly.
Two years later, in 1917, the La Crosse concern took
a
major step n expansion when it acquired the Detroit
Gauge
and Metal Stamping Company of Detroit. The latter
business
7o ? - -.-A. 2 - 3-A
...... . . , QLI. LJ.l .&& Iq LJLL .LI -yY . Waso iUOVE,
. , U 4 JL b .
nLULthe two-year period elapsed when the La Crosse
company
again expanded by the purchase of the Clark Electric
Meter
Ccapy of Dertrni r, and he macrinrery .was cve. - to_
oc a
plant. J
.Th sale uv the conLroiiing stock interest of the
33. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, July 17,
1927.
154
National Gauge and Equipment Company was made in
September,
1926, to the Moto Meter Company of New York City, and
a
simultaneous expansion began in the local plant to
include
34
the manufacture of heating devices. By the following
year,
the local plant was the foremost factory in the
nation
devoted to the manufacture of meter gauges of various
types
and of automobile dashboard equipment. Still
expanding, the
company began the erection of two new buildings to
increase
the production to more than 20,000 gauges per day.
The
company had a $4,000;00 annual business and employed
about
1,800 persons.35
in October, 1929, a mar change occurred through the
merger of the National Gauge and Equipment Company
with the
Boy ce Moto Meer Company of New Yvor and h i i ter
coVn-
solidation of the Nagel Electrical Company of Toledo.
The
La Crosse plant became one of the large units of the
new
cornporntin The three unit s %f thez com Wpany w. -a
re the Long
Is land' -~ A i a,4 4-. ,,, A ..-4 ~-.3-.41 . ...~ , 4
-- .,..,
Island diesion, t he Toledo di vi sioni, and the La
Crosse
division. The La Crosse plant continued to manufactre
auto
34. Ibid., September 13, 1926.
35. Ibid., July 17, 1927.
155
panels and instruments, but in place of the
industrial
pressure gauges which was moved to the Long Island
branch,
the corporation moved $2,000,000 worth of panel
instrument
business from the Toledo plant to La Crosse.36
Three other factories which would later become large
plants and join the Gauge Company and the Rubber
Mills had
their early period of expansion in the decade of the
twenties.
The Northern Engraving Company, maker of automobile
accessories,
was a small but expanding concern in the twenties
which
employed about 225 persons. Rapid expansion occurred
in 1928,
when the La Crosse Clothing building was purchased
and employ-
37 a r
ment was doubled to 450 persons. The La Crosse Plow
Company,
run down and partly closed, was purchased by
Allis-Chalmers in
Octvue-L; iQ29. The old c- pany, at the iIe o.f the
purFchase
employed about one hundred persons. The reason for
the
purch8ase, i- -addi--4 to the good plow manufactured
by the
C)omnpnu .ac th po -_14y 1-_ a -i$-f '"1 ct hae- i
ther
Mississippi River which would open navigation to
Minneapolis-
36. Ibid., October 29, 1929.
37. Ibid., January 1, 1930.
38. Ibid., October 1, 1929.
156
St. Paul. Allis-Chalmers needed a line of implements
to be
sold in conjunction with its tractor, and the
acquisition of
the La Crosse plant was a step in this direction. In
the
following years, the La Crosse plant of
Allis-Chalmers ex-
panded and became a major source of employment.
The fifth industry that began a mainr exannsi on
program
in the decade of the twenties has a dynamic history.
Its
expansion was a result of the engineering research by
the
founder and his son. Although the company was founded
in the
nineteenth century, major developments did not occur
until
the latter part of the 1920's. The Trane Company was
founded
by Jaes A. Trane as the James A. Trane Piumbins and
.ea-ing
Company for the installation of plumbing and heating
equip-
mentr As a product of the inventiveness of Trane, the
vacuum heating system was developed in 19U0, and the
company
was incorporated under the name of James A. Trane
Vacuum
HeaLing Company. in the previous year. the company
had
obtained a patent on the mercury seal system. A
branch
39
office was established in Philadelphia.-
39. Ibid., January 1, 1931.
157
In i910, TranC as j.ied L b Uy i s, euen, who
graduated from the University of Wisconsin as a
mechanical
engineer. Three years later, the Vapor Heating system
was
developed by the father-son combination, and the
present
Trane Company was incorporated with a capital of
$20,000
to manufacture the new heating system. The
development led
to several expansions during the next years. In 1916,
the
company moved to a new locatin at south Sixth Street
when
the firm discontinued plumbing manufacturing and
devoted its
entire activity to the manufacture of the heating
system.
Three years later, a part of the present Trane
building at
Second and Cameron streets was erected, and the
number of
employA s was in 'reased from eight to forty. Foir
additio ..
wCI O .I,.LI~.,. C,~,I LLU%". ·= 1 LU U' d , -
were madi dlring t rrr In ' t" doa.n 1 theirst
addsition
was made, and the working force was increased to
sixty
persons. The second addition was made two years later
with
a resultant increase of eighty employees. In 1925.
the
third addition was made.40
In 1926, another major development took place when
40. Ibid., January 25, 1926.
158
ReUDbe Trae n vented heat cabinet. The invention was
described as a new departure in heating facilities
which,
almost overnight, was given acclaim by engineers of
the
nation. The new heating cabinet solved one of the
most
perplexing problems of building. The cabinet was a
new type
of radiator with a construction of the heating
mechanism in
the cabinet which was made of light copper coils.
This
41
replaced the old cast iron radiator. Immediately, the
company's business expanded. It was unable to
manufacture
all of its products as was illustrated by the
necessity of
the company to buy over $100,000 in brass fittings
from
various factories. A plant had been started in
Tnrint-o in
1923 and enlarged in 1928 as a result of the new
invention.
bh.____ -3C s WUEL OrL OWpUI VG a v
40.0 « kA^wv.- %AW CALIUW CCiAJLA &"UfW&%-IV
42
in offices and warehouses in Philadelphia and Toronto.
Distribution of the heating equipment bccme a
problem.
Prior to this time almost all advertising wans
directed to
architects, dealers, engineers, and jobbers since
they were
a4miiiar with heating equipment; and generally, it
was not
41. Ibid,, April 24, 1927.
42. Ibid.
159S
necessary that they be able to examine the equipment.
With
the invention of the new cabinet, builders were
anxious to
view the new system. The problem was solved by the
forming
of a network of branch offics all over the nation so.
that
43
interested persons could examine the new heating system.
The business of the company becme iterntio l, ad in-
MUC Anf=curr-lly uLJLUL IL ..A..ULI'L. Ll ALI
Ctalltion v f v Tane Heating systems was done in
almost every
country where heat is required. In England the Port
of
London buildings and the Lloyds building had the
system in-
stalled as did the Maranoudii building in Tokyo. With
an
international business, it became necessary to have
foreign
represet C t i s. rI. Japa t - . ,o Cm Tpay . ,as.
.pr e ed,
,-= -~ 5 I .01jJQ'..L&V.LJ. LZA'..JJJLP jJFLLj
by the House of -Mtsubishi. -
WLit Lit CxnIfla.-u " in-- nw JddiLLLLionW M bitetam
necessary. The fourth and final addition was made in
1928.
The new building was devoted almost entirely to
testing and
exprintal labrt e. Bo ta £he er ecis o of ti ha a
oddis-
tion, experimental work was carried on in two small
laboraro-
ries in connecti-^ with YaleC and o ther ui n-site
es. 45
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid.
45+. Ibid., January 1, 1928:.
LUV
By 1930, the company had fifty branch offices in this
country. A course was conducted at the plant for
engineer
graduates in which training was given in heating, and
later
Lthe m-e w-ee transferred to take charge of the
various branch
46
offices.46 Tand had been acquired in the nsouthern
section of
the city at Sixteenth and Bennet streets for the
building of
a new factory. By 1930, the new Tranp fratory was in
full
operation on a round-the-clock schedule made
necessary by the
steady increase in business.
Research, after many months, solved an intricate
produc-
tion problem which enabled the Trane Company to offer
con-
ceal er-etien-the-waln h aea w noi the price range
Z.f tNh at o
cast iron radiation. Previously, concealed heating
had been
cLOrI=aeCU U a lJ.uuy beciause u. i.Lts l.igh csL;
but now it was
available to the five-room home as well as
skyscrapers,
47
hospitals, and apartment buildings.
The Trane Company, headed by James and ReuDen Trane,
placed emphasis upon engineering and experimenting
which
resulted in the development of a plumbing shop to a
major
46. Ibid., July 13, 1930.
47. Ibid.
161
manufacturing concern within the period of a decade.
Its
dynarJ c history and growth resulted from their
experiments.
The twenties were a period of prosperity for La
Crosse
as well as for the rest of the nation. The first
twenty
years uf tLhe century marked a chlange in the economy
of the
city, while the following decade was a period of
growth of
the new industry. In a large measure this growth
depended
upon Lth expansion of several industries--rubber
goods and
automobile accessories. The importance of
manufacturing to
the city is indicated by the fact that by the end of
the
decade 32 per cent of the employed labor force was
engaged
in anu.acturing, or, to use other measurements, the
vale
of manufacturing rose to $25,045.000. and the v.ale
added by
.. ._-..- 48
uauiLacicLuring to i4,; U41,000.U
Wholesaling of the city had a net volume of
$16,493,399,
the sum of business of sixty-two firms. Only Green
Bay had
larer siales volume or ciies of comparable size in
the
state. The number of employees engaged by these
46. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of
the
'United States: _ 929, -Manufacrtures Vo. III, Reports
by
States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1933),
p. 562.
162
establishments was 799, or 4 per cent of the labor
force.49
There were 713 retail establishments that employed
1,996
persons, or 11 per cent of the employed labor force.
Net
' n
sales totaled $24,495,000.50
The city depended upon manufacturing but not upon a
single industry. Wholesaling and retailing were both
.impuLonL to the city as sources of income and to a
lesser
extent as sources of employment.
Transportation from the city was excellent due to the
three rail lines that serviced La Crosse. Also, the
rail-
roads furnished employment for 9 per cent of the
labor force
by the end of the decade,
49. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of
the
United States: 1930, Distribution, Vol. II, Wholesale
isbtribution (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1934),
p. 1577.
50. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the
United States: 1930, Distribution, Vol. I, Part 3,
Retail
Distribution (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1934),
P. J57 .
CHAPTER VI
CIVIC ACTIVITY DURING PROSPERITY, 1920-1930
The people of La Crosse looked back in pride upon the
first twenty years of the new century, for they had
survived
the demise of the lumber industry, and new
diversified
industry was making the city its home. In fact, it
seemed
as if the city had grown more during the last ten
years than
it had at any previous time except during the 1880's.
The
La Crosse Tribune in January, 1917, announced that
the popula-
tio of th.e city had reached 36,000 acvcording to the
city
directory; and that in six more years the 50,000 mark
would
be reached.'
Just three and one-half years later the June 21,
1920,
edition of the La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press
headlined,
"La Crosse Demands Recount of Population." The
article con-
tinued that the city was up in arms over the official
census
report which listed the cy' population as 30,363, a
loss
of 54 compared to the census of 1910.2 The pride of
the city
163
1. La Crosse Tribune, January 8, 1917.
2. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 21, 1920.
L
164
had been hurt, but it was not the last time that
optimistic
estimates of the city's population overreached their
mark.
The official census return of 1920 was not the only
un-
popular verdict in the city. ProhiLbitio wa4
aLulOuuIcL to
the citizens of La Crosse by the headline of January
16,
1919, "United States Votes Itself Dry Today." The end
of
the sale of alcoholic beverages was proclaimed to La
Crosse
in June of that year by the following article which
appeared
in the city's newspaper:
Booze to Die at Day's End Hold Requiem
John Barley Corn dies tonight. His brother,
Tgrber his cousin ^.tar a 1 is it 1 4 -1
offspring who have inhabited La Crosse since the
first crude rail was slung beneath the first routh
oar on the river IFr. i ont i he days when MIr Boouze
rode to La Crosse in state under canvas of a
prairie schooner. will be laid to rest tonigLht.
Pending the decision of the Supreme Court to decide
the
alcoholic content allowed in beer, a few of the
city's
saloons opened again. There were many parties to
celebrate
the turn of events; but the celebrants were not
particularly
itos, for LChre were uunly Uwu wno spenst £ u isht ir
jai ,
3. Ibid., January 16, 1919.
4. Ibid., June 30, 1919.
165
because of overzealously celebrating. A few bars took
a
chance and began to sell the 2-3/4 per cent beer
instead of
the 1/2 of 1 per cent. It was reported that customers
were
6
in line ten deep. Tii e city officially became dry on
....A=__ on ,o al k I a A ......k r... t--o eal 1 4 - k
?- q/A per
uOctobr 2, 1 919, the day when the selling of the 2-3/4
per
cent alcoholic content was stopped. The few saloons
which
remained open sold the 1/2 of i per cent beer and
soft
drinks.
The city took official action to voice its
disapproval
of some of the provisions of the Volstead Act. The
council,
in its regular January session in 1922, passed a
resolution
favoring the return of the sale of beer and light
wines in
the United States. The resolution which passed was a
peti-
Lto U ULiro Conesss tou amend Le V'ol steau Act.
Both amateurs and professionals participated in the
making of moonshine immediately after the enactment
of the
dry law; but it was Lnt until - na the end of 1920
that
federal government agents made their first raid in
the city.
Th'n-ey surpris -d m five saO 'o. r s.. o a
confiscated large
5. Ibid., July 1, 1919.
6. Ibid., July 21, 1919.
7. Ibid., J/a^,r s;, 1 229
ibid , ..'.''._1922
166
quantities of moonshine, monkey rum, and other
beverages
containing considerably more than the 1/2 of 1 per
cent
alcoholic content permitted by the Volstead Act. It
was
only the beginning, for a cursory examination of the
news-
papers reveal arrest after arrest involving violation
of the
dry law until the end of prohibition. Regardless of
the law,
the thirsty citizens could always find a means of
quenching
their thirst.
Another new experiment was tried for the first time.
This was daylight saving time, which resulted in
confusion
and dissent. After the referendum in April, 1921, the
co1nc.il passed a davlight sasving ord.inae frc the.
city which.
was to go into effect June 1. The first day on which
the
f^~if\r''IrT.TE fA1« . 4 %Wk 'I» if 1 *"*^r-TQEi~y +f
· fS O t f+i~?t
____,w^_vw ,,_B^ «,A ,,^ __ a. .-__IY»^ UI& -»NVUL - --
o^ f r- .ff-* ° -^ - -2 aM
population went to work that morning as though
nothing had
happened. This caused confusion and complaints about
the
Over three hundred business firms signed a petition
agreing to go back to cenra standad time Gs Fn 1 1
ftollowig
Uarr~s·)6 LV wl% UOC~ L.V C1MLJ4..A CLJL O uwGL& d'-LA-
". ',
8. Ibid., September 24, 1920.
- --I --
167
Monday, June 6. Only eight or ten manufacturing
concerns,
che city f-iceS-, and schools were to continue th
-aylight
saving time.9 By the middle of the following week the
controversy and confusion were almost over. The
transition
to central standard time was accomplished with little
confu-
sion, and daylight saving time seemed to be of the
past for
10
the city of La Crosse.
The victory for central standard time was short
lived,
for a counter-insurrection against the insurrection
against
daylight saving time was launched during the week by
a group
of business concerns. The new insurrection was in the
form
o- a petition sigled by hundreds 8o bue sinessme n wo
ann, n
that they would adhere to daylight saving time. This
list
J no ! i.w;^Sd. ho Pojadtoac . S S 1 G < h-e ^. e ^ !
n ° A ___ Ay _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ y_ _o _C _ t __ __
professional men, and manufacturing concerns. In
fact, this
list contained some of the same names which had
appeared on
the first petition which stated that the signers
would adhere
to standard time.11
9. Ibid., June 5, 1921.
10. Ibid., June 6, 1921.
11. Ibid., June 9, 1921.
168
Later the same week, another attempt was made by the
advocates of standard time to preserve it by the
introduc-
tion of an ordinance to repeal the daylight saving
time
ordinance. The proposed ordinance was tabled by a
large
_ajority in.dicaiting z hat the offirial tFme of the
city woul d
continue to be daylight savig.12 By the middle of the
next
week, the controversy and confusiuu were almost over.
Nearly all of the city was operating on daylight
saving time.
Only a few plants, along with the railroads and
hotels, still
13
maintained the old time3
Q L. t p C oT L LLL&U V = ULen LL
The decade of Fh twentiesr tws a t oa many st -eet
improvements. An attempt was made to relieve the
individual
of th burden pying fr the entire mprovement when the
street abutted his property. A new system of paying
for
street improvements was approved early in 1921. The
city as
a unit was to pay for streets instead of issuing
bonds for
a particular street project. That is, street
improvement
12. Ibid., June 11, 1921.
13. Ibid., June 15, 1921.
169
bonds were issued against the entire city, and the
money went
into a general fund. A subsequent ordinance was
passed bond-
ing the city for $125,000 to be used for the
permanent street
mprovement program.14
In 1922, the mayor s committee recommended a plan for
street improvements which would be paid For by the
property
owners and by the city; instead of the property
owners paying
the entire bill. The owners would pay for the cost of
,crh
gutter, and concrete foundation which was estimated
at $2.00
a running foot.1 nTe adoption of the new plan was
proudly
announced to the people by the La Crosse Tribune and
Leder
Press, on June 3, 1922. The people of the city were
informed
thac there was official approval for paving about
eight miles
ments to property owners and authorizing payment of
the work
out of a general etah lished fund of the entire city,
"Establishing a precedent for every city in the
United
a LCLtb I 16
14. Ibid., May 21, 1921; Ibid., June 11, 1921.
15. Ibid., May 21, 1922.
16. Ibid., June 3- 1922.
170
The street improvement program continued with a
$1, 000 bond issue for street improvements in 1923
which
resulted in forty-four blocks of brick paving.i7 The
paving
of streets with brick was continued because it was
thought
18
to be cheap and the cost of maintenance was low.8 In
1925,
an att mpt was made by two asphal-t representatives,
at a
mass meeting of citizens, to get the people Lu demand
asphalt paving. As a result of the salesmen's action,
the
council refused to listen to them and continued the
old
19
brick-paving program.
Clarges of bribery rose to a crescendo and faded in
what seemed to be the biggest scandal to come from
City Haii.
After the council had adopted a $250,000
street-paving pro-
,a,.--i! rr fo 1928t-. M-V-zay- 'Lt""I'.l rtialed -to
the presL thUt Ih
wouldD veto the Causeway paving program because of
alleged
graft. He said that he had been approached by an
alderman
with the information. "That there would be money in
it for
both of us," if he supported the contracts. The mayor
had
17. Ibid., February 10, 1923; Ibid., January 1, 1924.
18. Ibid., February 17, 1925.
19. Ibid., February 18, 1925.
171
in mind the bituminous type paving for the Causeway
which was
awarded to a La Crosse contractor. The mayor claimed
that a
Minneapolis corporation was the representative of
this type
of paving and that a royalty of 25 cents a yard must
be paid
by the city.
"No paving company or any corporation has enough
money
20
to buy this office while I sit here," stateu the mayor.
Thie La CLr e c ontractor who had been awarded the
Causeway cont ract replied to the mayor by a
statement in the
next day's edition of thne La Crosse lr-ibUL and
Lea.. ss.
He stated that the mayor had made two errors in his
state-
ment of the previous day. First, that no royalty was
ch.Lr5ged-
tor the use of bituminous paving, and second, chat
the
Lina-oli cor pot Xtio was' n ow *t te representa-tive
tof tins
type of pavement.
"I bid for the job in my own name," the contractor
said,
"and T haver nroer toled tn t heI [. Minneapolis
corDoratinn
. .regarding the job, and at no time did I bid for
them or
,,21
,- - ,.- rt-, urni-e j v- A. -t, G r o . e.. "
20. Ibid., July 11, 1928.
21. Ibid., July 12, 1928.
172
At the next regular session of the council, the mayor
listed his reasons for his veto of the Causeway
paving
project. First, he desired a more permanent type of
paving.
Second, he resented the city being mulcted by an
outside
corporation. Last, he stated that he had been
approached by
the alderman of the fifth ward with the "money in it
for us"
statement, and that the so-called beer parties held
on French
Island were or the Lpu rpose of fixing the
arrangements to put
over this type of pavement.22
The accused alderman arose immediately after the
mayor's
message and positively denied any such assertion or
conversa-
tion with the mayor regarding money. He stated that
it was
slander and insisted chat the council a make anr
ivesti at c n,
and that i he were gui t. hs wouLd resign, H tRe
challenged the mayor to make the same assertion.
The mayor replied, HI shall make no such assertion
and
1_«U. ---_- _ -13I T1_ - o lI
WLA& bLIUULJU J LMcK JLL
Before the couniinl adjourned, it was decided that
the
22. La Crosse Common Council, Council Proceedings,
July 13, 1928, Record Vol. ZXXI (La Crosse; The Coucill,
1928), p. 433. (Typewritten.)
173
committee of the whole would investigate the alleged
bribery
93
charge.
According to the press account of the meeting of the
comrmittee of the whole a few days later, Mayor
Verchota de-
clared, "I have made my statement and will stand by
my con-
uIvtions until hell freezes over." The accused
alderman
repeated his denial of the bribery char ges. Both
speakers
drew applause and hurrahs after their speeches from
the crowd
of spectators. The city attorney, when asked for an
explana-
tion of the status of the issue, replied that the
council had
nothing to probe until charges were preferred either
by the
maUyr or hby menber v e hF c.cil. ich of ,the p
rincipals
r. ttd a. ,. il &_aw __. _.&,l _WJ. na .s wr*W ·
A £tw d uay5 iLteL L.iL zuytVL V V Wto waS uLJ 1d .y
council. Fourteen of the twenty-one aldermen voted to
over-
ride the veto, but sixteen votes were necessary.
Several
ys laterL e c;UV.;.L.L p ov ded f o the Ca Ve-wy tL
bWe paved
wit three- day concrete. At the meeting the accused
alderman
ed the yor i-f be ne-d rn prefere charges. The mayor
23. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, July 14,
1928.
24. Ibid., July 17, 1928.
174
replied that he would think it over.25 With this
exchange,
the scandal was over. Despite the excitment that came
out
or City nall over the street paving in 1928,
thirty-nine
26
blocks of concrete paving were completed.
During the decade of the twenties there was
considerable
agitation for the erection of street lights or a
'whiteway"
in the commercial section. Finally in 1929, two
whiteway
systems were erected in the commercial district so
that about
every ' setreet bec1ame a well -ightIed thornloghfare
in contrast
to the dark streets of a few years before.27
Traffic and Police Probuiemr
fTh increaring prla-- laritv and ,use of the
automobile was
p .fr-enting thi city w- th several nroblems which
had to be
e ~_ ^I_ _. --.......
.solvcd. A.oVng te, s were speeding, parking, and
turning
The council, in May, 1920, unanimously passed a
resolution
directing the purchase of another motorcycle and the
hiring
of another traffic officer for the police department.
The
need to control speeding and reckless driving was
urgent.28
25. Ibid., July 24, 1928..
26. Ibid., January 1, 1929.
27. Ibid., January 1, 1930.
28. Ibid., May 29, 1920.
175
Chief Webber gave his opinion of the problem about
the
enforcing of speed laws a few months later. He said
that the
law fixing the speed limit for city streets at 15
miles per
hour should be changed to permit a greater speed.
'"We find
it impossible to hold the speed limit down to 15
miles per
hor. AWe make no effort to arrest drivers unless the
speed
is over 20 miles per hour. The state law should be
amended
to conform to that practice." The latter was changed,
and
La Crosse drivers were permitted 30 miles per hour in
residential districts.
A year later, the cuncil found it necessary to pass
an
ordinance regulating parking in the commercial
section.
& nA-was now officially gi o a F a pol.uai as
CrosL. Th u-2vd[lnaie asOLip lLt4L LlhL ca-s m us Lab
jrnL c
parallel to the curb. It also provided a one-hour
parking
limit on Main Street, the most used street in the
commercial
seti ._ 30
29. Tid,., June 19, 1920.
30. Ibid., June 11, 1921; La Crosse Common Council,
Council Proceedings, June 10, 1921, Record Vol. XXVIII
(La Crosse: The Cpuncil, 1921), p. 140. (Typewritten.)
176
By the end of the year the council added more regula-
tions. U-turns were forbidden at the intersections of
Main
Street and Front, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and
Sixth
streets. Because the traffic problem was greatest at
the
intersection of Fourth and Main streets, drivers were
required
to signal the officer as to the direction of travel
intended
upon approaching the intersection.
At the end of 1929, the police department announced
that
A. &A.6.L& aJ .I% .. A.ML LJJ. J .LL- L%.LC A.L-.L
)d..L.LIM46 ULUJILLLUC: Waa
accomplished for the first time. The total number
arrested
for violations was 2,716. The most common violations
were
parking over the one-hour limit in the com-er-cia
secr tir
double parking, not parking parallel, parking on the
left-
L 2, in~ in , il3.. . .-.3... --X
itaril s ide-_ w_._T; =e L S ye rKiu> in.'z edy, the 1
c'Usamusm
The size of the police department remained the same
from 1912 to 1920, at which time four men were added
bringing
tsoL tuo L LU LU LY-une. 'he extra meI WCLee UCC
eteLd ol LWU
reasons: the police were having to spend a greater
portion
31. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, September 21,
1921.
3x2 Ibtid., January 1, L .
177
of their time on traffic problems, and the automobile
provided
criminals a faster means for a get-away. The new set
of
circumstances combined to produre the maot violent
incide.n
of the decade in La Crosse,
On September 14, 1927, the sheriff received a tip
that
friends of Robert Holt, a filling station bandit
awaiting trial
in the county jail, would attempt to rescue him.
Acting upon
the tip, the sheriff placed deputies and members of
the police
deporftet in the Jail nd the asrrounding grtlnds ir
ambhuIh.
During the afternoon, two mysterious automobiles were
seen in
the vicinity; but nothing happened. About eleven
o'clock the
same evenings two cars again anneared in front of the
Sail
The larger went up the driveway to the entrance of
the jail.
sd Ia jump o "th car anr.-d ran aup the steps into
the receiving room. When the masked man called for
the turn-
key, the deputies and policemen stepped out of the
living
qurters armed with machine guns and riot guns. The
masked
man, later identified as Lawrence Allen, opened fire
and began
to back away as the po4ie returned the fire Alien
dashed
out of the door while patrolman Rick riddled the car
in the
front with his riot gun. Allen stumbled and fell into
the
178
hands of deputies while the car roared away. Herbert
Staats,
a deputy, came running up the driveway from his
position
across the street. In the -drkness of night, he could
not be
identified and was mistaken for one of the
participants of
the rescue. He was fired upon by Rick and killed. As
a
result of all the shooting, Staats was killed, a
deputy was
wounded in the arm, and Allen's arm was shattered.43
At the inquest the next day, Rick was exonerated of
the
previous day's mishap Allen- alias Len Tenmni h
npleaded
innocent to attempted murder. A month later he was
convicted
34
and given a one- to four-year term in the penitentiary.3
Utilities
In 1900, private utility companies were unregulated
by
any governmental agency. In most instances two
companies
were competing for the city's patronage. By 1920, the
competing companies had been merged, and the
resulting
monopolies were under state regulation. During the
twenties
the surviving companies, locally owed or small area
concerns,
were bought or controlled by larger companies. Thus,
control
33. Ibid., September 14, 1927.
34. uu. , epember 26, 197; bid., OctUe 25, so.
A.UA. Sepztember 26, 1927; Ibid., LO ; 2 5, Li .
179
passed out of local hands. The Wisconsin-Minnesota
Light and
Power Company, which provided La Crosse with its
power, was
purchased by the Northern States Power Company in
1923.-
ie La Creose Telephone Company, wnich has
successfully
c.opeted with the Wisconsin Telephone Company of the
Bell
system, was incorporated i 1928 and became a part of
the
Middle Western Telephone Company.36
The La Crosse City Railway Company, at the turn of
the
century, operated the streetcars of the city. In
1913, the
Wisconsin Light and Power Company purchased the La
Crosse
system. The company, in 1926, changed its name to the
iss; _ssippL v' , y Prl aiC Ze-rvice CLm-anyV Elti
LLLC L.reet-
carns were ,op-rated b.y th- cmp- during the drca.de
for the
-.rvice of cre city. It was not until 19yZ that the
first
buses were put into service. They operated between
the com-
mercial section and the eastern residential part of
the city,
whiie the rest of the routes continued to be serviced
by
35. Ibid., January 1, 1928.
36. Albert H. Sanford, and H. J. Hirshheimer, A History
of La Crosse, Wisconsin 1841-1900 (La Crosse: La Crosse
County Historical Society, 1951), p. 89.
180
37
streetcars.
Scnoois
After twenty years of a stabilized population in the
city, the population had a substantial increase of
about ten
thousand people during the twenties. The increase in
popula-
tion necessitated a school building progr during the
decade.
In 1920, Huoga Eln .tsry S.chol was erec'te on the
South
Side. During 1921-1923, Logn High Sh was built on the
ru-I - -_ I net I I i.
32"U- .uu-An6174L174 1rul nL Was built on the
North Side. DurinL g the next two-year preriod,
Lincoln Elemen-
'- '- """ . 4io o Loga n
tary and Junior High School was built. An addiion to
Logan
was erected during i927-1928, and a second unit was
added to
Rn( A ,x.a.i . ri i , n- tr .... o th ..O. n.-n ..a'
...S " a^ t
- -----_ ---- 39
Aquinas Hiigh School in 1928, by the Catholic AChuch. La
Crosse now boasted of three high schools, one public
high
school on both the North and South sides and the new
par c hia l ;L 1 V A .
37. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 3,
1930;
lbid., January 1i, 1950.
38. Ibid., May 12, 1940.
39. Ibid., January 1, 1928.
181
he Lmajor curricullum change during the decade
occurred
in the high schoois. The change was necessitated by
the
increased student enrollment due partly to the
compulsory
schUl law which greatly increased the number of
terminal
.tudents. Conseauentlyv provision had to be made for
both
the students who intenud-d t continue their education
at
college and the student who would terminate his
formal educa-
tion upon graduation from high school. The increase
in the
number of drop-outs indicated that to keep more
students in
school, a revision of the college preparatory
curriculum was
needed.
...Two types of curriculum were est al ! 'ihed A -,
tet A
"B" courses. The :"B: courses iciu-ludd al iA L LLC
.oLl. e
requirements, while the "A" courses entiLld the'
st.-udL"nt to
a high school diploma; brut did not include college
entrance
requirements. The courses offered in the "A" groups
were:
... g ....V- t...l .or k, oraftf e-ing, hernimakingk
bookkeeping.
and stenography; while the 'B" courses consisted of
engineering, mercial arts,- doaestic arts, general
uubject,
and the classics.40
40. Willard William Hanson, "Historical Development
of
_ __ _ _ ____
182
The Continuation School that had succeeded so well
dAring its first Years in operation dropped its name
in 1918.
.and beghinning with the school term in that year
became known
,X by-~ VocaMtioonal - Schooi, e school cont~i ed tc
be noused
in the old Lonfello w Schol until early in 1922.
wthe. the
building was badly damaged by fire. Classes then were
held
in public school buildings and in Yeoman Hall for the
remainder of the school year. During the following
school
year, classes were held in barracks. In September,
1924,
classes were moved into the newly completed
Vocational School
building which was located at the site of the burned
,. 1
The city boasted that it had one of the finest
vocational
schools in the United States.42 The enrollment of the
school
continued to grow; but according to John Colean, the
director, the day classes--because they were
compulsory--
were not as .po.. i as .-eD .v.n ing= cs .ms 3m-. s
The most Dopular
t he Ya A.25 '"lo -'riru " rig
P'blic Education in L a Cros se tJWisconsin Up to and
Including
the Year 1925" (Uipublished M.A. thesis, State
University of
Iowa, 1951), p. 80.
41. Ibid., p. 151.
42. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 8, 1922.
183
classes were in the commercial department T oll, te
nnrson had to be a high school graduate. Many were
college
gradatces. The eVenin.g clae1Q nprimarily v foUr
adults were
so popular that most o. them had to be closed before
the
43
end of the enrollment per-id.
,~iiii~Ii C& oeriod4
).L,_ _1 CL
£ UL IX . &A J1 XL LLL
The advancements of the public health department con-
tinued into the decade of the twenties. While some of
the
old problems disappeared, the enforcement of sewage
connec-
tions and food and dairy inspections continued to be
a part
oi the daily work. The apathy of parents toward
vaccinations
^ ' Ad« : .. L caw _ _ ' z. ^- L.. _ « __ L_ _. a.L -
oovpvW; LIai UL. dir ym=U d a .LICL - vLUabl.= public
OL, t iL, LSL
toward public health. The public health officer noted
that
two diseases--heart disease and cancer--were
beginning to
cut a wide swath; whereas the occurrence of diptheria
and
slallpox was decreasing.
Deaths from influenza during 1920 decreased co
fourteen
43. 'Did., January 1, 1928.
I_ _
184
from the sixty-two deaths of the year before.
Thereafter
influenza no longer appeared as an epidemic. but
about nen
death a year resulted from the disease. Continuing
the
sanitation program already started, 234 plMbing
installations
were made dAring the yea, althoughn , as t a the year
n
fifty-five warrents were issued for delinnuent sewer
45
connections.
The occurrence of both diptheria and smallpox
declined
during the decade. During 1920, there were
twenty-four cases
of diptheria with two deaths, while 111 cases of
smallpox and
no deaths were reported. By 1929, no cases of either
were
?rpokrr ed~ e-- , -i CA.. 4-IS « d I .C. La.- ,-. -'
...--- - __ --. _ --
ttr W GJ. &&LL 1^^J9 l b LAL & C LCIL J L.FLq % O&AALL
ZEI& AL&J A.& %JA. ^CLSV
during the previous years.46 But the health officer
warned
that if the citizens continued to neglect
vaccinations as
the;y ad been, Lhe people of the city would have the
disease
44. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, enCth
Annual Report of the Health Department of the City or La
Crosse for the Year 1920 (La Crosse: The Department,
Ln. d.i), , 2.
45. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Annual
eport of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year EndingDecember 31,
1926
(La Crosse: The Departent n d. ), p. 13.
46. Ibid., p. 1.
185
47
to contend with again. He urged the cooperation of the
physicians of the city in the use of antitoxins for
the
children .4
Since the establishment and maintenance of the well
system of water supply by the city, the citizens had
been
receiving safe water. The state laboratory
periodcally
sampled and examined the water and issued favorable
reports.
Still typhoid continued to be a visitor among the
people,
although not as frequently as before. Many people
continued
to use their private wells in the mistaken idea that
it was
purer than t h public water. Where "inesti ations had
ben
made to determine the source of the disease, ii cuulu
usually be traced to sources other than the public
water
supply. Of the six cases which occurred in 1926, fiv
a
recently taken automobile trips during which they
drank
water other than that in La Crosse. The other person
admited d rikirg .s -m a-.,49 r-C O the.8f ucases rw
ich
47. Ibid., p. 2.
48. Health Department of the City of La Crosse,
Eleventh Annual Report of the Health Department of the
City
of La Crosse for the Year 1921 fT(a Crosse The
Department.
ILl. U.j), p. iL,
49. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Annual'
186
occurred the next year; two were infected by using
river
water, the third was infected from another person,
and the
source of the fourth infection was unknown.v
Health workers had more success controlling and
maintain-
ing a safe milk supply for the people. Instead of the
old
.i- -a -S.. ......-
antagon;ism which had Ueveloped betwee n tLe ealLh
deqGpaWrtme
and dairymen during the early years of public health,
the
dairymen were beginning to take a special interest in
the
health of the families to which they supplied milk.
As a
result of the work of the health department and the
coopera-
tion of the dairymen, the health officer could point
with
pi J L L-C JLLI.L LLZ LL. -* l a tL4x; AAi- _
death rate was 70.0 per living one thousand. while
during
te twentines it varie- from 16.3 t 4. *.
Report of the Department of Health and Vital
Statistics City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1926
Lia Crosse: The Departmnt- In. .), . .
50. Health DPnartmntr of the City of - a Crosae Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1927
(La Crosse: The Department, -T. d.l), p. 15
51. Health Departent of the City of La Crosse, Eleventh
Annual Report of the Health Department of the Ciy of La
Crosse for the Year 1921 (La Crosse: The Department,
T d-]) 1
, p*
187
Beginning with 1924, the health officer began to urge
the passage of an ordinance requiring the
pasteurization of
milk. In his official reports, he pointed out that
pasteurized -ilk is a safer A1k -Ad tiat ote L
cities,
Chi cago for example, had successfullyv required
pasteurized
milk. The people of the city had misconceptions about
the
process which seemed to be the primary reason why the
council
took no action. Although some of the dairies uffered
pasteurized milk for sale, many mothers continued to
use raw
milk despite the danger.52 During 1928, an epidemic
of
sixty-six cases of scarlet fever broke out. In the
opinion
uI the heait. fFLicer, the use of past Leu=i -lilk -
cold
nave prevented tnis.
As the occurrence a.-d fatalities of some of the con-
tagious diseases declined during the decade, the
health
529 u_,a 1t np Ars .- .. the rt-y of T Cr- -e. An- Ia
1
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1929
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d.l), p. 2.
53. Health Department of the City of La Cross, Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1928
(La Crosse: The Department , . d.), p. 8.
188
officer pointed out that two other disease heart
disease
and cancer--were becoming more frequent. Deaths from
cancer
almost doubled dring the decade, while fatalities
from
heart disease averageu more than one hundred a year.
But
t.h . hl.t.h officer .could end the r-year e_ rid J.n
brighter note. Public sentiment was changing
favorably to-
~4
ward the public health department.'
City Planning
Although Frank Hixon had paid for and John Nolen had
prepared a city plan for La Crosse, it had been
rejected by
the ci ty.V That i acd con p ;rehensive city plan.
for
La Crosse for over ternty-five yr Thereater zo..-...-
was done in a haphazard way instead of according to a
systematic plan. The first zov.i..g rdina.ne w.s p a
d
1921. The ordinance marked out a large section of the
South
Side to be exclusively residentiai and £orbade the
erection
54. Health Department of the City of La Crosse.
Annual
Report of the Departent of Health and Vital Statistics
City
nf Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1930
(LaCrosse: The Department, [n. d. ), pp. 4, 5, 9, 10.
189
or maintenance of any business houses or factories in
the
area without the consent in writing of the majority
of land
owners and residents of both sides of the street for
a
distance of 600 feet in both directions 55 In 1924,
another
zoning ordinance wab passed w-hih added a 1are
secSion o.
the North Side to be used exclusively for residential
Jo
purposes.
A year later an ordinance was passed with
strengthened
the zoning law with a prohibition against -ovLing any
business buildings from outside of the restricted
district
into it.57 The same year an ordinance was passed
which re-
enacted the provisions of the previous zoning
ordinances anu
aded A seventys.x rblocks on the Su.t , Si_ a a la
UGU QUSULJ ;>Btll 6} -sDLOCK.S on SCn., o-... _c., Q vf
55. Municipal Code of the City orf La Crosse,
Wisconsin,
Supplement to Ordinances of the City of La Crosse from
Ordinance No. 520. Published October 18, 1911 to
Ordinance
No. /72, Published JuLy 26, 1923, Ordinance No. 650.
5. Municipal Code of the City o La Crosse, Wisconsin,
Supplement '"" to Ordinances of the City of La Crosse
from
Ordinance No. 722, Published Agust 23, 1923 to Ordinance
N. 778, Published Aprl 23 1925 Ordinance No. 772.
57. Municipal Code of the City of La CrosseWisconsin,
SuDpplement "C" to Ordinances of the Citv of La Crosse
from
ordinance No. 779, Published a 8, 1925 to Ordinance No.
835, Published April 16, 1927, Ordinance No. 785.
190
section of the North Side to the restricted
residential
58
area.
Another consolidating zoning ordinance was passed in
1927 which included the same area s before; but which
also
Aicludea long 1l o excpftions .ithi n the restricted
area. In some instances the spirit of the zoning
ordinance
w s. beTig evded by the concil when it granted
permission
to erect business structures by the means of
exceptions in
the new ordinance. In addition, a modified
residential area
in which apartments were permitted was included in
the new
ordinance.5
Although a law was passed by the state legislature
in 09 wLhich authorized cities to create city plan
com-
aiissions, no city took advantage of the law untii
Appleton
created a planning commission about ten years later.
One
year later, in 1919, Beloit followed Appleton's
example.
un ng the next ten years over thirty cities in the
state
58. Ibid.
59. Municipal Code of the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin,
Supplement "D" to Ordinances of the City of La Crosse
fro
LU _ r o s s e.C. L o.-
Ordinance No. 836. Published April 23, 1927 to Ordinance
No.
881, Published 15, 1929, Ordinance No. 846.
191
created city plan commissions. The council of La
Crosse
finally passed an ordinance in August, 1929, which
established
a planning commission to consist of the mayor, the
city
engineer, the president of the park board, an
alderman, and
61
three citizens.1
The University of Wisconsin Extension Divis4- ui..
-c.al
Information Bureau issued a report based upon a study
of city
planning which stated that the objectives of planning
were
adequate water, sewers, streets, schools, terminals,
and
, ^
parking facilities. In La Crosse, one of the principal
duties of the city plan c O.ulisiu.S! was considered
to be re-
.zoing. After a six months study, the commission
presented
to the council a complete draft for districting and
zoning
the city.
Tne new VrUdi.c U%= cn;ULiU.LJad all of the old
ordinances
and added restrictions. On the South Side a large
area in
the eastern section was added to the exclusively
residential
60. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Prss , April 20,
1930.
61. Mnicipal Code of he City of La Crosse, Wisconsin,
Supplement "E" to Ordinances of the City of La Crosse
from
Ordinance No. 8o2, P ublished June 20, 1929 to Ordinance
No.
940. Published July 21, 1931, Modified Ordinance No.
846.
62. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, April 20, 1930.
63. Ibid., June 1, 1930.
192
area. A modified restricted zone was added to the
classifica-
tions which included apartments and retail stores
besides the
s . . * r * - *_ - -- --* --- --- -1 -*-_ 3 _J - - _-
-* -3 - -_- r64
o.ld cIlassiicC iuLL L ul j. rs i OL ti: Lil andU
modified-LLU jLCbLesidentiL..L
Although the new zoning ordinance was c nsidered to
be
comprehensive and complete, changes were later made
by the
.o..i..4 _
64 M.. . a ic-al C.de nf the City of La Crosse,
Wisconsin,
Supplement "E" to Ordinances or the City o La Crosse
from
Ordinance No. 882, Published June 20, 1929 to Ordinance
No.
940, Published July 2, 1931, Modified Ordinance No. 846.
du 2_l ,M
L
CHAPTER VII
DEPRESSION YEARS, 1930-1940
The great depression of the thirties developed slowly
in
the city of La Crosse. There was no resounding
economic
crash LthLa was iLnLantiy recognized. An examination
of the
La Crosse newspapers of October, 1929, and for months
after,
reveal no headlines of panic or unemployment. It was
not
until 1931 that the depression became recognized in
the city
as a serious economic slump. For La Crosse the bottom
of the
depression was reached twice--in 1932 and in late
1937.
The story of the depression i the city is mainly one
of
unemployment and efforts to give imiediate relief to
the un-
fortunates. Charity; reduced city taxes, the
emmpoymernt of
hand labor, and federal and state assistance were all
a part
of the effort to relieve unemployment in the city.
In 1929, the 97 manufacturers in the city employed
5,523 persons with the value of manufactured goods at
$25,245,000. The value added by the manufacturing
process
WaS"$1.hi n. An1 Ar**d,
s $14,041,000.1 At the midpoint of the depression in
1935,
1. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of
the
United States: 1929, Manufactures, Vol. III; Reports by
193
194
4,212 persons were employed by the 71 manufacturing
firms.
The value of manufacturers had declined to
$20,067,000 with
2
.a..Lue ,,,l , ofI O tn. 1ne upsurge or 19-36-93/ is
reflected in the figures of the 1937 Census of
Manufactures.
Seventy firms employed 5,080 persons with an increase
of the
value of manufactured goods t $,o n0,000 over 1935,
or a
total of $26,923,000 and a value added of
$14,124,000. As
the ci4t i .-- s bg.iig ..iL ..L o - - - _ f Lhe co..d
slup ., .he
i939 figures for the city show employment was down to
3,873
by manufacturing firms, and the value added had
decreased to
$12,891,000.4 Not until 1940-1941 did the economy of
the
city recover from the second recession.
Ketail sales of La Crosse also reflected the ec..onom
stouation during the depression. In 1929, retail
sales were
$24.495,000 RBy 1933, retail sales -hd sl mped badly
to
States (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1933), p. 562.
2 U. S. B.ureau of the Census, Biennial Census of
iianufratuirs:a 1937 Census of^ Mnufact, es- ParA t 1
(Washing-
ton: Government Printing Office, 1939), p. 1549.
3. Ibid.
4. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Manufactures:
i947, Vol. III, Statistics by States (Washington:
Government
Printing Office, 1950), p. 644.
5. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the
United States: 1930, Distribution, Vol. I, Part 3,
Retail
Distribution (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1934),
P. 1440.
195
one-half of the 1929 sales--$12,061,000. The climb
out of
the depression had started by 1935, except for the
1937
slump, a- is indicated by the increase in retail
sales in
1935 to $14,142,000. In 1939. the retail sales ad
reac hed
$20,032 ,000 Net retail sales on a per capita basis
were
$618 in 1929 and only $469 ten years later.
Wholesale net sales dur.ng the same period were
soilar
to the trend of the retail sales. For 1929, wholesale
net
sales were $16,493,399.- The sales decreased to
one-half by
9
1933, or a total of $8,110,000. In 1935, the total sales
6. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of American
s'iness:d L 3 , R ta il D-o, V o. I T.Iforty and
City S imnraries (WDQashington: '. . Jar&S r ' ,Printing
Off i,4) V.a
j935), p. 60.
7. U. S. Bureau of Lhe Census, Census of Business:
1935 Retail Distribution, Vol. vI, Coty and City St
aries
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1936), p. 236;
U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the
United
States: 1940, Census of Business, Vol. I, Part 1, Retail
Trade (Washington: novernmAnt Printing Office, 1943); p.
151
8. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the
United States: 1930, Distribution, Vol. II, Wholesale
Distribution (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1934),
p. 60.
9. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of American
Business: 1933, Wholesale Distribution, Vol. V, East
North
Central States (Washington: Government PrntPing Office,
1935) , p. 162
:'):V), p. 162.
196
had climbed to $11,888,000, and by 1939 they were
10
$14,815,000.i0
Retail sales, wholesale sales, and the value of manu-
f.-.tu.rin in the city during the depression showed
similar
trends in that all three reached a low at about the
same
time. By the beginning of the war in Europe, none had
re-
gained ts . prspeity of 1929. While the census
statistics
show an over-all view of the effects of the
depression in La
Crosse, they do not reveal the suffering or the
efforts to
relieve suffering and unemployment by charitable
organiza-
tions and local and federal government.
Effects and Problems of the Depression
The amount of buil ding is a good indication of the
economic activity of a cty. La CLrosse was notu s
everel
ar:ected by the depression during the first two
years. The
stock market slump which came in October, 1929, came
too late
10. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Business:
1935 Wholesale Distribution, Vol. III, Section 2, Cities
and Counties (Washington: Government Printing Office,
1936),
p. 96; U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of
the
United Rtateso 10 nus of Bus,. TT 1wh 1olk 1 ale
Trade (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1942), p.
948.
197
to affect the amount of building for that year.
Industrial
building in the city showed an increase of nearly
$221,000
in 1929 over 1928, and residential building increased
from
123 homes in 1928 to 236 homes in 1929,
As the year 1930 came to a close, there were definite
indications that the city was slowly sliding into the
depres-
sion, but even at that point, the city's newspaper
referred
Lo a national building or financial depression rather
than a
general depression. The total amount spent on
building
during that year was higher than in 1929. However,
this was
due mainly to the erection of the new building at
Sixteenth
and Bennett streets by the Trane Company, and an
eight-story
1 Q
addition to the St. Francis Hospital.1- Evidence of the
decline was reflected in the decrease in the number
of
residences to only 139 in 1930 which was a decrease
of
about 100 homes compared to the previous year.
Another
indication of the slump was the decrease of the
clearings
made through the clearing house of the city compared
to the
year before. The clearings showed a 15 per cent
decrease
11. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 1,
1930.
12. Ibid.
198
which was due to the general curtailment of business
activities; but La Crosse was considered to be much
better
off than rmost of the country, for only a small
percentage of
13
the wnrkers were unemployed,
By 1932, industrial building had been greatly curbed
_although several building projects for the vear had
been
planned. Most of the building during the year was the
erec-
tion of residences and r - odelig. The LUbe. hom
erected was 155, which was below the average during
the
latter part of the twenties.14
As the factories curtailed production, unemployment
increased. Not only were the men who had heen laid
off
seeking employment, but a ls young men ready to enter
te
empinOvoAen-t field vaiLly soug jobs. Ths a= one of
th e
saddest aspects of the depression. Only estimates of
the
number or unemployed are available. By September,
1932,
it was etmatd that 14,500 en iA th cMity were' unI A
emps^lyoye1 d
- - c ·LLLLC L. A.O A ) J IC.- L A .I & LE A 1 6 S- %w
%I
compared to the 17,151 persons listed in the labor
force
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
199
in 1930.5 By October, although 500 persons were
registered
at the city's public unemployment office, R. F.
Schultz,
employment office superintendent, estimated that
there were
between 2,000 and 2,500 persons unemployed.6
The care for the unemployed and their families fell
upon
the Social Service Society. The heavy burden began
late in
1930 when families were supplied with food milk, fue;
e,
and clothing. Besides the transients who were given
help,
432 families, three times the number of any previous
year,
also received aid.7 To help the society finance its
work,
the council in the early part of the year
appropriated
$2, 5 . and later an additional $3.000. The society
a.ls
18
c L b $91,ovv iL U1 a LnarJ.-ty £ooLDali game on nian E-
-. a-V * Cx
DLay. Th J ddien to tie cWlr.t W or I "0 tj rom
cojnirv
board charity receipts were used for relief.8
In an effort to aid with relief work, the mayor
15. Ibid., September 30, 1931; U. S. Bureau of the
Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States: i930,
Unemplo ent, Vol. I (Washington: Government Printing
Office.
1931), p. 1099.
16. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press. October 5, 1931.
17. Tbd A . Janury 1, 1932.
18. Ibid.
200
appointed, in September, 1930, an advisory committee
of
fifteen to act as the Unemployment Relief Committee
to work
with L he lbU il e r-vi.Lc. The committee's main duty
was to
make investigations and recommendations for relief.19
Because so many railroads entered La Crosse, there
was
a large flow of transients into the city. This
situation
created another problem--giving aid and shelter while
transients were in the city. A home known as New
Haven of
Rest, or Municipal Hotel, was opened and maintained
by the
Salvation Army with aid from local merchants and
organiza-
tions. Two meals a day were served and clothing was
given
to the most needy of these unfortunates. All of the
men wno
4L -mos - dy o
...g..t :its ^haven were registered and allowed to stay
one day.
.tAer abouL one year or operation, it was estimated
in
December, 1931, that over ten thousand men had been
cared
20
for.20
Besides contributing to the social service to help
relieve the needs of the unemployed, the council
provided
employment by the use of public works. The city
expended
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid., December 6, 1931.
201
$144,021 for a sanitary unit on the North Side and
installed
an intercepting water main. The sanitary sewer
project had
been started in 1930, when it had been planned to
stretch
the construction over a three-year period; but
because of
the unemployment situation of 1931 the last two
installments
were combined in one to give employment to more men.
In
21
addition, only hand labor was used.2
Another relief measure was started as a joint project
of the city council and the county board. The
construction
of a second causeway between the North and South
sides was
laced under the direction of the board of publc worlk
.
Hand labor was used as much as possible, and cres w
-ere
LLaL6eU every Lout Luu n -day t give more men an
opportunity
99
to work.. -
A third public project was used as an uneployment
relief measure. Construction of the Monegan Overhead
on
on Highway 16 was started early in the year by the
state
highway commission. It was stipulated that the
contractor
had to employ two shifts of six hours each so that
sixty
21. Ibid., May 9, 1931; Ibid., January 9, 1932.
22. Ibid., January 1, 1932.
202
men could be employed from the city. The selection of
men to
work was made from more than four hundred men who had
reg-
istered, and in each case the men had been unemployed
for
23
several months.
During 1932, by all indexes, the economy of the city
reached a low point. In using the amount of building
as one
index, the city eonmy i 193 lupd badly. Oly th
As_A_k..; 1 A: Ho X_ _ _ oe VW 4 *] ] ^
.LLI A d ryw ^LL J.LL 1. * %A.. JLEdJu LL . % I .LULIp -
L &CL .Ly ,X .,&& A.. J 1 .. qG
&a"J% or .4&..LL. Ib buldJ ig L.J LA tJ a, LpLjC JU
pl U- LL fice a iUUJiL.LU
and remodeling being the largest. No industrial
expansion
occurred. The number of residential homes erected
decreased
to onluy eigh- ne, the majority being in the eastern
scti
24
t. Suuth Side.
The Ruoy L. Vingers Post Number 52, American Legion,
tried a new idea to secure work for the unemployed
during
ear e members of theost coected b canvassers
L.ss year. The members of the post collected, by
canvassers
who went house to house, 1,215 pledge cards each
providing a
minimum of two hours of labor a week. The total
number of
hours of work subscribed for twenty weeks amounted to
48,600.
23. Ibid., May 28, 1931.
24. Ibid., January 1, 1933.
203
About 1,408 unemployed men registered with the legion
post
25
for these odd jobs.25 Already 245 people were depending
upon
the city and county charity.26
Because of its reduced income, the city could no
longer
continue its relief measures, and county highway
projects
became the major source of public relief. About 882
men
from La Crosse were employed on these projects. As
the
depssion t.igha ed L e cit. L.y badCLL;ned its relie
pro.ects,
reduced city taxes from 28 mills, and reduced
expenditures
for schools, salaries, and parks.27
The report issued by the Rand McNally Company early
in
i 19 that - Crosse wz- i n the= center of one of the
"best
d us ness - Lpts in thVIe United States was small
solace to the
unemployed of the city. Regardless ot the fact that
the city
was in one of the best business spots, building in La
Crosse
during the year resulted in the erection of only
fifty-three
homes--a new low.28
The council, mindful of economy, reduced the cost of
25. Ibid., February 9, 1932; Ibid., February 10,
1932.
26. Thid . Fbruary 14, 1932.
27. Ibid., January 1, 1933.
28. Ibid., February 28, 1933.
204
lighting the city streets, reduced by 10 per cent the
salaries of officials elected in April of that year,
and
29
reduced the salaries of appointed officials. In
addition,
no new major construction work was undertaken, and
the
planned relaying of the brick pavement was
postponed.3
Two systems of relieving the hard-pressed city real
estate taxpayers were instituted by the city
government. A
part-payment system was open to taxpayers who could
pay one-
half of the assessment on or before February 28,
while one-
half of the balance was due before April 30, and the
remainder by June 30. A small interest was charged.
In
February th sae ta legislature passed a resolution
permitting
city taxpayers to sign an affidavit before March 15
if they
were unable to pay their assessments. Such an
affidavit
allowed the taxpayers until June 1 to make up the
payments.
The city council unanimously voted to grant the
extension to
La Crosse taxpayers.31
As the financial condition of the nation became
worse,
banks in the nation began to close, and several state
29. Ibid., February 11, 1933.
30. Ibid., January 1, 1934.
31. Ibid., March 1, 1933.
205
governments ordered bank holidays. Following
conferences
with financial leader-s il Washington, Governor
Schmedeman
issued a proclamation on March 3, 1933, declaring a
general
bank holiday in the state for fourte..n ays. However,
the
two national banks of the city opened as usual, while
the
four state banks were closed. Both the National and
Batavian banks received large shipments from the
Federal
Reserve banks at Minneapolis to meet the demands of
worried
depositors; but both of the banks reported that
withdrawals
were at a minimum, while the businessmen continued
making
deposits as usual. This was the day of F. D.
Roosevelt's
32
inaugural.
,i March 6, 1933, the national bank holiday was pro-
claimed by the President which cloed the two national
hanks
of the city. On the following day, however, both of
the
national banks of the city were released to conduct a
limited
33
business. On March 14, all six La Crosse banks were re-
opened for business upon order of federal and state
34
auhorities34
32. Ibid., March 3, 1933; Ibid., March 4, 1933.
33. Ibid , March 7, 1933.
34. Ibid., March 14, 1933.
206
An announcement was made on May 7, 1933, that two
state
banks of the city were to merge in order to
strengthen their
financial condition. The following day the Gateway
City
Bank moved into the Security Saving Bank's building,
where
both banks operated separately to reduce overhead.
Consolida-
tion was hoped for by January of the next year.
However, a
decision was reached at a meeting of the boards of
directors
of the Gateway and Security Saving banks to
discontinue
operations and to turn the two banks over to the
Wisconsin
Banking Department for liquidation. On October 10,
1933, a
35
special deputy took over the two banks. Depositors whose
deposits were made subsequent to March 12, 1932, were
declared to be preferred depositors and were to be
paid first
as the liquidation of the assets of the two banks
proceeded.
An uptrend in business was noticed in the city a few
months after the new national administration took
office.
The Trane Company, the Moto Meter Gauge, the La
Crosse Rubber
37
Miils, and Allis-Chalmers all reported production was
up.
35. Ibid., October 10, 1933.
3J. iaid., May 7, 1933; Ibid., October 10, 1933.
37. Ibid. May 21, 1933.
207
However, this upturn of business proved to be a part
of the
temporary national business upturn which was for only
about
four months duration, and business activity slumped
again.
More welcomed news reached La Crosse in April, 1933.
The sale of beer became legal. About $750,000 and
almost
four hundred persons were employed in remodeling the
city's
breweries and in expanding their facilities. The G.
Heileman
Company alone spent about $500,000 on remodeling and
the
construction of a brewhouse and bottling equipment
building,
while other breweries spent lesser sums. The old C.
and J.
Michel Brew.ery enlarged and began making beer as the
La
Crosse Breweries Incorporated. The George Kunz
Brewery
succeeded the old Franz Bartl Company while the
Monit-r
Brewery also began operation. With 150 men back at
work pro-
ducing beer as a result of the opening of the
breweries, the
legalizing of the sale of beer became the best
economic news
of the year.38 Taverns opened in the city at a
wholesale
rate as soon as the city ordinances were passed to
issue
licenses.39
38. Ibid., April 2, 1933; Ibid., October 6, 1933;
Ibid., January 1, 1934.
39. Ibid., January 1, 1934.
208
It was not until November, 1933, that federal aid
began
to take effect in the city. The Civil Works
Administration,
one of President Roosevelt's urgent unemployment
relief
measures, began to give aid to local units by hastily
approving proposed proiects. The Public Works
Administration
was more thorough in approving projects, and
consequently
its projects did not come into existence until later.
The
first CWA jobs for La Crosse employed 125 men for
work on
40
Highway 35. A quota of 1,175 men on Civil Work Projects
was alloted to La Crosse, and by December 2, 1933,
867 men
41
were employed through Civil Works Projects.41 Other CWA
projects in La Crosse were painting municipal
buildings,
grading playgrouns, building tennis courts, and
trmming
42
trees in parks and public streets. Another CWA project
which furnished employment for La Crosse men was
correlated
with the building of Onalaska Dam Number 7, a part of
the
federal government's construction of a nine-foot
channel for
the upper Mississippi.4
40. Ibid., November 4, 1933.
41. Ibid., December 2, 1933.
42. Ibid., January 1, 1934.
43. Ibid., November 22, 1933.
209
The quota of men under CWA for the area was cut
several
times during January; but the pronject were extended
beyond
the February 15 termination date in La Crosse with
858 men
44
employed. One of the major CWA projects of 1934 in La
Crosse was the construction of a Ta Crosse County
Airport on
French Island. It was one of thirteen state airports
approved
under the reemplovment progra of the fCedeal
,governmet.45
%wA. LIq~ LL;= L LCA. iL UV ;~i, iil;LiU 1=
Most of the work was done by hand labor which enabled
the
employment of about sixty men, but work ceased when
orders
were received from the Civil Works Administration
that the
La Crosse County Airport was one of five major
projects in
45
the state to be suspended. The completion of the project
was in doubt until the middle of the year when aid
was again
restored.
The biggest strike of the decade occurred at the La
Crosse Rubber Mills when over one thousand employees
walked
off the job in April, 1934. The main demand of the
44. Ibid., February 23, 1934.
45. Ibid., December 28, 1933.
46. Ibid., January 6, 1934.
47. Ibid., May 23, 1934.
210
one-year-old United Rubber Workers Federal Union,
Local
NumYtr_- 18383 was LLthe -L-iL tO collective
bargaining. The
union also wanted a 10 per cent increase in wages or
a
minimum of 50 cents an hour and a closed shop
agreement. In
addition, the union charged that the existence of a
company
union was in violation of section 7A of the NRA code.
An
oficia. l of uLLhe c JLpan L- LLCLed ih.L L;
VUJlpaLIy rcUgni zea
the union but was unwilling to sign a contract
relative to
48
collective bargaining. For several weeks the strike
endured while work on 20,000 Lhoes w-as halted.
Finally, a
special common council arbitration board, appointed
by the
mayor, assisted in settling the strike with the
company
As49
yielding many of the points.
General employment was slowly improving in the city.
Lne of the most encouraging indications of the upturn
was
the increase in orders that Allis-Chalmers was
receiving.
Production at the La Crosse plant had declined from
1929
until 1933, when only 600 implements were made. Early
in
1935, it became necessary to operate two shifts, and
in the
48. Ibid., April 25, 1934.
49. Ibid., June 21, 1934.
211
spring, the company was forced to operate three
shifts to
meet new orders, but at no time were they able to
keep up
with the demand. By the end of the year, the company
was
employing 400 persons compared to the 100 employed in
1929,
and production was up to 18,000 units. The implements
were
sent to every state in the Union as well as to
foreign
countries. Allis-Ch 1mers' offici o c redi t the de _
an i
for machinery by farmers to the benefits of the
Agricultural
Adjustment Administration.50 The demand for farm
machinery
continued at a high rate so that during 1937-1938, a
new
$1,000,000 addition was built.
Until December 1937, the economy of the city became
in-
creasingly better. l e indication was that 150 new
homes
were built during the year, a substantial increase
over the
previous years. Besides the additional men employed
at
Allis-Chalmers, the Trane Company erected another
addition
to meet the demands for its new air conditioning
products.
Employment at Allis-Chalmers shot up during the year
to 580.
The Moto Meter Gauge officials also noted that it was
the
50. Ibid., December 31, 1935.
212
most prosperous year for them since 1929. The
clearing house
and banks also reported increased financial activity
and
dep-sit.51 Even with business activity increasing,
the un-
employed nuumbered about 1,800.
By 1937. the Works Progress Administration was in
frtll
operation in the city with many and varied projects.
A WPA
.f. c-. l.4- ^4 iy.--'t- . t*.........-. ..-- :j f-lh
f-.- !.y.- f .-.? !-', ----1 C -.~.~ lk- .- L1
r-V a rut 4d T L1- f^-~- 3- J
instruction in knitting, weaving, and leather tooling
into
the homes of people permanently confined to their
homes.
A WPA recreation worker in charge of music, rhythms,
games,
stories, and handiwork, worked at the La Crosse
Children's
Home and at St. Michael's Orphanage. wrA labor also
was
54
used to transcribe books into Braille.
The city used WPA labor in the erection of a new
prultry
exhibition building at the Inter-State Fair Grounds,
laying
brick on Third Street, and the construction of
sidewalks.55
Extensive city projects using WPA labor were the
extension
5i. Ibid., December 20, 1937.
52. Ibid., June 16, 1937.
53. Ibid., June 26, 1937.
54. Ibid.. July 1, 1937.
55. Ibid., July 4, 1937.
213
of sewer and water mains and the grading and widening
of
56
streets.56
In cooperation with the Public Works Administration
in
which the federal government paid 45 per cent of the
costs
and the city oaid the remainder a hbildng pr^cr-ram o
*r*,-----_- - - J-- r-«,-- C.C^ a%oba,"%
started in 1936. The fIrst major project was the
construc-
tion of sewage disposal plant on Isle la Plume during
1 93
1937.57 Among the major projects started in 1938 and
con-
structed during the next two years were the building
of a
municipal swimming pool, Longfellow School, Emerson
School;
an auditorium and gymnasium for Logan School; and an
addition
to Roosevelt School. The state of Wisconsin
cooperated on
the same type of plan with the PWA for the building
of the
Training School for the State Teachers College.8
Another of the larger La Crosse factories began to
expand beginning in 1936. The Trane Company, to meet
orders
during the year, was forced to build an addition and
increase
employment. The new expansion was a result of
pioneering
research in the line of air conditioning. in 1931,
the
56. Ibid., January 2, i938.
57. Ibid.
58. Ibid., September 15, 1938.
214
company had turned to the development of air
conditioning,
and during the following years the company made and
compiled
thousands of engineering data tests to secure
information
necessary to adequately and properly engineer air
condition-
ing products -J These were lean years for the
rnmpany. For
the first time no dividends were paid on common
stock.
However, the -co,._.any developed its Custom Air and
-JniTrane
systems for air conditioning buildings. By 1936, with
its
new products, the Trane Company had air conditioned
the
Wrigley building in Chicago, the J. R. Watkins
Company
office in Winona, the A. O. Smith building in
Milwaukee, the
Boston Store in Milwaukee, the Astor Hotel and St.
Regis
Hotel in New York City, the Walt Disney Studio, and
the
Nicollet Hotel in Minneapolis. Another market was
also
exploited. The company pioneered in air conditioning
trains
with many of the leading rail systems of the United
States
and foreign countries being air conditioned by Trane
equip-
ment. The list included the buffet car of the
Victoria
State Ralway of Australiia, coaches of the
T-wloon-Cantun
.~~~u PL=TwomCno
59. Ibid. January 25, 1936; Ibid., January 1, 1937.
215
line in South China. In the United States more than
one
thousand railroad cars had been equipped by the local
company
for such lines as the Southern Pacific; the Chicago
and Rock
Island; the Chicago and Nor thwestern; the Chicago,
Milwaukee,
and St. Paul; the Norfolk and Western; the
Pennsylvania, nnd
the Gulf, Mobile, and Northern.60
During 193 the company, because or the influx of
orders from all sections of the United States and the
world,
was forced to make two expansions. As a result
employment
increased from 350 to 623 persons between January,
1936, and
February, 19376
In the beginning, Trane equipment was ed with re-
..Iof J6 h. -&&LI. - t. w W L.LL J --
ciprocating compressors made by other manufacturers,
but
Trane engineers set out to build the best compressor
that
they could. in 1938, they introduced the first
hermetic
centrifugal compressor which has since developed into
the
Trane CenTraVac. Incorporated with condenser and
evaporator
into a complete water chilling unit, Trane CenTraVac
provided
cooling for large air conditioning systems. By 1941,
the
60. Ibid., January 20, 1935; Ibid., November 30,
1937.
61. Ibid., January 25, 1936; Ibid., February 13, 1937.
62. Ibid., September 7, 1954.
216
company was employing 820 persons at the La Crosse
plants
and was on its way to become one of the largest
makers of
air conditioners. The Northern Engraving Company
began to
increase production and hire men in 1940 due to
defense
contracts. Previouslyv the rn mpt hd a erAag.d a oul
55c
employed persons. The Moto Meter Gauge also had
normal
employment before the start of war contracts in June,
1941.65
Employment during 1937 reached a high point in manu-
facturing during the depression. The Industrial
Commission
of Wisconsin lists the number of production workers
employed
during the year as 5,100.66 But by December of the
same
year, the mager o f Le Wi sconsiLLn iState Employment
Service
at La Crosse estimated that unemployment numbered
about
3,000 which was the worst since 1932. He accounted
for the
severity of the recession in La Crosse to a decline
in the
auto industry which was so important in the city.67
63. Ibid., January 1, 1945.
64. Ibid., October 12, 1940.
65. Ibida., January 2, 1944.
66. Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, "Manufacturing
Industries in T. Crosse Tis.)" Statistical Release No.
421.5
'--'a.'%-- = AClawZCwi % j. t
(Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Commission, 1949).
(Mimeographed.)
67. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, December 20,
1937
217
The effect of the recession in La Crosse is revealed
in the decline of the number of production workers in
1938
to 3,630. By 1939, the figure had risen to 4,360, and
by
68
i940 employed production workers numbered 4,366. Still,
by 1940, there were 1;572 persnns unemnloyved and 993
werP
still on public emergency relief work. It was not
until
the war contracts received by the La Crosse plants in
1941
and 1942, that the city could consider itself
recovered from
the depression that had begun so insidiously late in
1929.
Transportation
SCveral bg a' in,, p-,a ta isportation and
conications
- _ - -, - & Lt,&... UJA &&. %., _ % &
which had a considerable economic effect upon the
city took
place during the thirties. A major change occurred
when the
nine-foot channel on the upper Mississippi was
completed in
1938. Shipping on the upper Mississippi began to
increase
68. industrial Commission of Wisconsin,
"Manufacturing
Industries in La Crosse (Wis.)" Statistical Release No.
421.5
(Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Commission, 1949).
(Mimeographed.)
69. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the
Lj ited States: 1940, Population, Vol. II, Part 7,
Character-
istics of the Population (Washington: Government
Printing
Office, 1943), p. 675.
218
late in the twenties when the Inland Waterways
Corporation
began using barges on the river. During 1930 and
1931, the
company tried using deep water barges on the upper
river,
however, lack of rain and snow hampered the operation
of the
scheduled barge line service. Shifting sandbars were
con-
stantly stranding tows of the steel-hulled barges. It
was
only the constant dredging of the river by the War
Department
to St. Paul that made service possible at all. The
number of
barges that passed La Crosse during this difficult
year was
70
541 compared to 611 during 1928.
The upper Mississippi nine-foot channel to St. Paul
r ,gr-ss U . d , Llhe t iti-- to- co mp-le tin in
1938. ..
the nine-foot channel complete, an impets was given
to water
transportation as was evidenced by the number of
diesel and
steam towboats of sixty-eight barges that arrived at
St.
Paul during the year. The barges carried primarily
bulk
freight such as gasoline, coal, and coke.7
The advantage of a river terminal for the city had
been
pointed out to the citizens before the completion of
the
70. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 1,
1932.
71. Ibid., January 4, 1937.
219
nine-foot channel, but the Mississippi frontage was
unsuited
to the development of a terminal adequate for modern
barge
transportation.72 The federal government made the
city a
proposition: it would dredge a nine-foot channel in
the
Black River from its junction with the Mi sissippi tn
l.ower
Copeland Park, a distance of 1.4 miles, if the city
or
private interests would construct a river terminal
there
which would meet the community's needs. In addition,
the
federal government asked La Crosse to provide sites
for the
dredged material from the Black River channel. It was
suggested that the West Causeway marsh between the
two
sections of % the city would be a good si.73
In 1939, after a committee study, the council took
action direct-ng that an application be made to the
War
Department for authority to erect a 500-foot pile
trestle on
Black River. The council app oved an expenditure of
$3,000
to insure the city that some of the sand from the
dredging
would be used to fill in part of the West Causeway
marsh.
72. ibid. January 1, 1937; Ibid., January 4, 1937.
73.- Ibid., January 4, 1937.
220
The same resolution limited the city's total
expenditure for
the terminal and fill to $15,000.
Through an appropriation from Congress, the War
Depart-
ment dredged a nine-foot channel in the Black River
from its
mouth to St. Cloud Street to permit the nan..ap, of
hnrro.p
Up to June 30, 1941, the War Department had spent
$67,560 to
place 329,000 cubic yards of fill, part of which went
into
the area adjacent to Copeland Park, for the terminal
and the
remainder into the marsh.
It was discovered that the $15,000 appropriated by
the
council was not enough for the terminal. Civic
leaders who
had advocated the ld-ng o .- the toe- d-ug . intA L
Lh ir
own pockets and solicited from others a totl of
$10,000
ML.J.-J_VIL=LU J6 Q.
which they presented to the city treasury. The
CouLtracL for
the construction of the terminal was let in 1942; but
the
building was hindered by high water and wartime
priorities.
Finally, in September, 4, the 309-foot dock was
approved by federal government inspectors. The dock
had
cost $24,678. The first barge carrying 829 tons of
coal to
a local coal dealer arrived October 8, 1945, from
Alton,
Illinois. In 1952, a total of 371,579 tons passed
through
.,i
74. Ibid., August 27, 1937; Ibid., March 14, 1940;
Ibid.
v" - CP It I--
221
the municipal docks; shipped in had been 107,599 tons
of coal,
262,530 tons of petroleum products, and 721 tons of
mis-
cellaneous items; while 747 tons of miscellaneous
items had
b75
LUt:BI : : 1 L A .. ut
In 193. even before the completion of the nine-foot
channel, officials of the Perfect Oil Corporation, an
affiliate of Wadhams Oil Company of Milwaukee, had
studied
the possibilities of the transportation of gasoline
and oil
upon the upper Mississippi River. The company had
been
organized early in the twenties by local businessmen,
and
in April, 1930, the compnny wns sold to Socony-Vacuum
Oil
oi y i o_ bcme a- ri ___ t- _ or- t Te aL fI- i
Company of Milwaukee. The company serviced dealers of
a
100-mile radius around the city.7
In May. 1938, an option of twenty-six acres of city
owned
land or the West Causeway was granted by the council
to the
April 14, 1940; Ibid., September 19, 1950.
75. Northern States Power Company, Industrial Develop-
ment Department, "Community Fact Survey La Crosse,
Wisconsin"
(iinneapi i, .i...neta: Industrial Development
Department,
[n. d.1), p. 21. (Mimeographed.)
76. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 1, 1937;
Ibid., April 13, 1939.
222
Perfect Oil Division of the Wadhams Oil Company. The
option
provided for the purchase of the land for $4,000, the
amount
I7
the city had paid for it twelve years previously. The
company finished a two-year construction program
which in-
cluded six large steel tanks for gasoline to be
supplied by
barge from the refineries at East St. Louis and a
storage
C78
farm at Kansas City.78 Before the end of the year the
first
shipments were received.79
The railroads serving La Crosse initiated a new
develop-
ment during the thirties. Both the Burlington and
Milwaukee
systems introduced streamline diesel passenger
service in
=..l -- a.. " ' "r ."l 'i .rhed
the spri o 1 . T-* Burinto C'i lro ad I estab lished.
Zephyr service on the Mississippi Scenic Line via La
Crosse
OU
between Chicago and St. Paul. The Milwaukee Road placed
its Hiawatha on the route between Chicagu and Lle
TwinL Cities
81
during the se year.
The Burlington passenger depot had been located in
the
77. Ibid., May 14, 1938.
78. Ibid., August 13, 1939; LUiu. U SU.;LL cJ A13, 199.
79. -Ibid Apil 1 , 1 90; IbTh d May 2, 1940
8U. Ibid., May 27, 1949.
81. Ibid., May 20, 1935.
223
commercial section so that in going through the city,
trains
had to make thirty-two crossings. In 1939, the
railroad
officials wanted to build a new modern passenger
depot, but
they stated that it would be safer and faster to
erect the
depot on the back line which transversed the eastern
edge of
the city. To engthe their case, they cited the
twenty-
seven instances that trains had hit vehicles, the
nine times
that vehicles had struck trains, and the many
emergency stops
82
that were made to avoid hitting vehicles.
The biggest objection to the planned new depot site
was
that the depot would be in an exclusive single
dwelling dis-
trct and would adversely affect he land values. Alsoi
the
residents of the district complained that the
increased rail
traffic would be hazardous to children. The council
approved
.the · t. A1"lt"ouh t.h citi.enso f the J ara affe d
C Cwen t Lu
court to try to get an injunction against the
building of the
depot, they lost their case.83 The Burlington
Railroad
proceeded to erect the new depot at Twenty-seventh
and State
streets, and the new building was dedicated in
January, 1940.84
82. Ib d., February 26, 1939.
83. Ibid., November 9, 1939.
84. Ibid., January 23, 1940.
224
A radio station also became firmly established in the
cty during the thirties. As early as 1923, Ben Ott
founded
a radio station in La Crosse known as the Ott Radio
Company,
Incorporated The broadcasting station was knownn as
WARN.
This pioneer station had its first towers on the
northwest
corner of Seventeenth and State streets--the land is
now an
athletic field for the college. The company operated
the
station through 1923 and 1924; but it remained closed
during
1925 and most of 1926.
The radio company was purchased in November, 1926, by
Joseph Callaway. Studios were installed in the
Callaway
Music Store, and the Seventeenth and State street
trans=
mitting station was used. About 1930, the studios
were
moved to a suite of rooms in the basement of the
Hotel
Stoddard, and the transmitting station was moved to
Mormon
Coulee and Losey Boulevard.
Early in 1933, with the completion of the radio
build-
ing in the commercial section, the studios were moved
to
the new location. Two years later the broadcasting
firm
was reorganized as WKBH, Incorporated. The new
company
purchased the outstanding stock and took over
operation of
225
the radio station. Since the reorganization the radio
station affiliated with the Columbia Broadcasting
System
85
and has become an established institution in the city.
Thoe reat depression years, of course, were difficult
ones for the people of La Crosse. The economy of the
city
had not come down in a crash in October, 1929, but it
slowly slid until it hit bottom in 1931-1932.
Actually,
during these early years, the city was in a
relatively good
business area compared to most of the nation. At
first, with
private, city, and county aid, the unemployed were
relieved
somewhat of their hardships. The city could no longer
finance relief in 1932, but in November, 1933,
federal aid
camc to the assistance of the people, first in the
form of
the CWA projects and later as PWA and WPA assistance.
Employment and business slowly climbed upward until
it hit a
neak in 1937 only to decline late in the year. The
climb
back out of the depression did not reach the 1929
level
until the advent of the war with defense contracts.
Un-
employment varied during the depression years. About
2,000
85. Ibid., July 21, 1938.
226
unemployed in 1932 and 3,000 in December, 1937 were
the high
points. Generally unemployment averaged between 1,500
and
1,800.
For the city some of the welcomed industrial advances
during these trying years were the resumption of the
opera-
tion of the breweries, the expansion of
Allis-Chalmers, and
the development of the Trane Company. In the field of
transportation and communications, the noteworthy
develop-
ments were the completion of the nine-foot
Mississippi
channel, the introduction of streamline diesels on
the rail-
roads through La Crosse, and the firm establishment
of a
local radio station.
CHAPTER VIII
CIVIC ACTIVITIES DURING THE DEPRESSION. 1930-1940
The depression dominated the civic as well as the
economic activities of La Crosse during the thirties.
During
Lhe early years of the depression much of the local
govern-
ment's attention and activity was directed to the
relief of
the unemployed. As the city government's income
decreased,
the council no longer could expend the necessary
funds for
relief. Public Vwork were hal ed. city expenditures
were
reduced, tax rates were lowered, and taxpayers were
allowed
to pay their tr-aes in insta llments,
Because the city, by necessity, had curtailed its
activities, some of its facilities were neglected. As
a
result, there was little expansion to meet the ineds
of a
growing populaLtin. By the late thrt ies , new
library and
additional schools were needed. Starting in 1936,
with WPA
and PWA aid, sewers and water mains were extended,
schools
built, a sewer disposal plant added, and a new
municipal
swimming pool was constructed.
The spectacular rate of increase of 30.2 per cent of
the city's population between 1920 and 1930 did not
continue
227
228
into the thirties. In 1930, the population was
39,614.
Although the city leaders predicted that the 1940
census
would report a population of 50,000 for La Crosse,
the
official census returns f-l the city listed its
population
as 42 707- This was an increae of on ly 7 .8 pr ce t
a s
compared to an average increase of 8.1 per cent in
other
urban places in Wisconsin.1
In 1931, the city began to take rather str ngent
economy measures. The tax rate of 32 mills in 1930
was the
highest in the city's history. For 1932 this rate was
cut
to 28 mills and for 1933 to 24 mills. This was the
lVowVestI
2
rate in twelve years. furthermore, the assessed
valuations
for tax purposes were reduced.3 The largest item of
local
expenditure was for the public schools, which were
forced to
operate on reduced budgets. In the city government
some
departmental activities were eliminated and others
curtailed.
i. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of
the
United States: 1940, Population, Vol. I, Number of
Inhabitants (iashingtoG: Government Printing Office,
1942),
p. 1162.
2. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, November 30,
1939; Ibid., February 2, 1930e
3. Ibid., November 7, 1931.
229
All city officials and most of the employees took
salary cuts.
Despite these economy measures, the city had to stop
its
relief activities.
By 1937, the mill rate was back to 31 and was
increased
to 33 mills in 1938. With the city's income up, major
projects were undertaken with federal assistance.
During
1938, the council spent $90,000 on WPA projects
alone.5 For
the remainder of the decad . the mill rate was con
ti.I at
v&. t..Lq~ q.&qq..c__~q~ An sy.ncq ~L.~. flus ~-" W d~
qk..qJJ W..L. LJUL X L~ d I..
this high level.
The expenditures for public works to aid in the
relief
of unmnplvoyment were regulated by the money
available in the
treasury. During the two years of 1930 and 193i1
large sums
were spent on grading city streets and extending
sewer and
water mains. At first the projects had been
contemplated to
stretch over a three-year span; but during 1931, the
last
two installments were combined into one to provide
work for
more of the unemployed.6
For the next few years additional public works were
4. Ibid., December 2, 1932.
5. Ibld., December 9, 1938.
6. Ibid., January 1, 1931; Ibid., January 1, 1932.
230
suspended because of the lack of funds; but with
federal
assistance available, the city again undertook
improvements.
As an illustration, in 1936, the city spent about
$70,000
for grading streets, and for sewers and gutters. The
federal
government aid amounted to about $1 .u i0 00 The
issis sippi
Valley Public Service Company supplied about $25,000,
while
special assessments returned about $12,000 for the
repaving
of Maini treet where the streetcar tracks had been
removed.7
As early as 1934, the council had considered the con-
8
struction of a sewage disposal system. The construction
of
a sewage disposal plant a d the necessary
Aintercepting
sewers had been estimated to cost about $250,000,000.
The
council, after approval of the plans by the
government
authorities. applied to the PWA for government aid on
the
basis that the city pay 55 per cent and the PWA pay
45 per
cent of the cost. The contracts were let in August,
1936.
The entire cost of the two pumping stations,
intercepting
sewers, and the purifying plant amounted to $531,071
36, of
7. Ibid., January 8, 1937.
8. Ibid., January 28, 1934.
9. Ibid., August 15, 1936.
231
I -' _L
which the federal government through the PWA spent
$238,982.11,
while the city spent $292,0O89.2. The el tir pLuject
was
compeir i i n 137 7
Protection
The nouber of the police fire and health deparent ' s
.LL!LIU A LUC1L.LLL LV.L.J.A c. aAIu ccLL=ALLLAucu L..a
L AuL L- o
personnel and their activities, for the most part,
remained
unchanged. The number of men on the police force
remained
about forty-one from 1920 until the middle of the
thirties.
In 1923, six men were added. Two years later five
white
patrol cars with radios were purchased for the
department;
so that by 1938 the motorized part of the force
consisted of
five patrol cars. one car for plain clothesmen, one
large
arfmored car, an ambulance, four motorcycls, and one
patrol
12
wagon.
With the advent of the depression, one of the biggest
problems of the police force was juvenile
delinquency;
although, the term juvenile crime was used instead of
delinquency. A spokesman for the police department,
10. Ibid., January 2, 1938.
11. Ibid, July 21, 1938.
12. Ibid.
232
commenting on this problem in 1932, stated that the
primary
difficulty seemed to be that some parents did not
care to see
what their children were doing much less hear about
it. An
mp-.le of sQe rof th juvenilae crime t hat plague vd
the
police was the stealing of biryvcle by several ganes
of hovs
They interchanged the parts to disguise them, and
then sold
the altered bicycles to school friends for a few
dollars. 3
Automobile larceny continued to be the leading crime
committed in the city. An important factor was the
high
accident rate. To alleviate the situation, an
accident
prevention bureau was .establshed in 1939. An officer
had
been sent to the three-week traffic institute of
Northwestern
University to learn how to set up, operate, and train
men for
the local bureau. The trained men were assgned to
each
shift and assigned to the "Safety Education" car to
report
at the scene of accidents. They were also responsible
for
keeping records and educating the public.l4
Bicycles, too, came under new regulations of an
ordinance passed by the council in October, i939.
Violations
13. Ibid., January 1, 1932.
14. Ibid., May 7, 1939.
233
of the provisions of the ordinance became a
misdemeanor with
a maximum fine of $j .0, Uo iL dfult oL p4ay-entU ,
not more
than 30 days in the county jail. Some of the
provisions were:
nn ridring on sidewalks, no two on a bicycle, observe
traffi
signs, no two bicycles abreast, no stunts, no towing,
stay
within 6 feet of the curb, and all bicycles must be
registered
and tagged. The chief of police was given authority
to
suspend registration of a vehicle if it was operated
contrary
to the ordinance or was unsafe.
The fire loss in La Crosse during the decade remained
rather constant from year to year. Although there
were a
large number of alarms each year, big con'lagrations
were
few. The number of alarms each year ranged between
323 and
589. Most of the fires were relatively minor ones due
to
defective chimneys or wiring, automobile fires, hot
ashes
against buildings, flooded stoves, and fireworks.16
The fire loss ranged from $16,180 in 1939 to $401,289
in 1935, which was the year of the big Listman Mill
fire.
15. Bicycle Regulations (La Crosse: La Crosse Police
Department, 1 39), u-npoaed.
16. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 16,
1938.
234
Except for 1935, all years had less than $100,000
fire loss.
There were three large fires in the city during the
decade,
the Listman fire was by far the most serious. In
1932, the
ir,'.' T - ,- teZ. ran Churcww r. h sus t ..d "- Fs-
- .... . Iln
A: A. A. ir L0 64 %.# uL L %&.L LC C U.l .LJ6Li WI : I.
.A A.CL 4U qL d'A LU,*UaUY LU
1937, the Avalon Ballroom had a serious fire which
brought
that year's total fire loss to $97,936.
The most spectacular fire of the decade occurred when
the unused Listman Mill building apparently caught
fire from
a nearby boxcar early in the morning October 28,
1935. A
breeze fanned the flames so that the entire wholesale
district
was threatened for a time. In less than one-half
hour, the
entire interior of the building was a crackling
inferno with
fire spreading from flor U f loor ntrough -he wooden
grain
shutes.
Almost every piece of fire equipment in the city was
c. .d to ig.ht the blaze, aand fi remen from winona,
Minn-
esota, 30 miles away, were called to help protect the
city.
The fire became so intense that the firemen's rubber
coats
began to smoke, .ad spectator were -orced back nearly
a
- O-V.I CLL . wr 1___1_
17. Ibid., January 14, 1940.
235
bluck by the intense heat.
With the building doomed, the main battle was to
contain
the fire. Flames shot into the air for hundreds of
feet
scattring bluring emLbers Over a Large area causing
roof
fi.es and stting a United States mail truck ablaze
burning
eight mail sacks. The Segelke-Kohlhaus warehouse
caught fire
five or six times. The city pumping station reported
that
between 4:00 a.m. and 7.00 a.m., about 500,O00
gallons of
water had been projected onto the fire; and by noon,
nearly
800,000 gallons had been used.
By 5:00 a.m. the fire had reached its peak, and the
rest of the morning was spent confining the fire. But
the
18
building had been completely gutted.
The public health department carried on its fine work
with problems reoccurring similar to those of the
previous
decade. The supervision and inspection of the city's
milk
supply and food establishments continued. Although
the
health officer reiterated his requests for an
ordinance
requiring the pasteurization of milk sold in the
city, his
18. Iid., October 28, i935.
- -iri- _ _ ___
236
pleas were ignored. Parents still neglected to have
their
children vaccinated, and several epidemics broke out
during
this period.
Heart disease, cancer, and apoplexy, in that order,
were the leading causes of death in the city.19 As
the
major contagious diseases were brought under control,
and the
rate of infant mortality decreased, the incidence of
both
cancer and heart disease increased to become the
leading
killers.
The health officer continued to plead to the parents
of
the city to have their children immunized against
diptheria
and smallpox. At the end of 1934, he noted that not
more
than two thousand children in the city had received
treatment
for the prevention of diptheria. Although there had
not been
any cases for more than two years, this record was
due to the
19. Health Department of the City of La Crosse,
Annual
_eport of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1931
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d 1), p. 11; Health
Deanrt-
ment of the rity of La Crosse, Annual Report of the
Department
of Health and Vital Statistics City of La Crosse,
Wisconsin
for the Year Ending December 31, 1939 (La Crosse: The
Depar-,men, [n. d.l), p. 16.
237
vigilence of the health department's school wrk.20
However,
in 1936, the disease appeared again in the city when
nine
cases were reported. Fortunately no deaths resulted,
but
the source of the infection was never discovered.
During the
same year scarlet fever appeared in epidemic form
when 272
cases were reported, and four deaths resulted from
the
21
epidemic. ine increased incidence of scrlet fex-eor dA
not
stop in. 136, and 162 cases appeared ding the
following
22
year.22
Although the council ignored the health officer's
pleas
for an ordinance which would require the
pasteurization of
the city's Ui k supply, by the beginning of the
decade
nearly 50 per cent of all milk sold and consumed in
La Crosse
20. Health Department of the City of La Crosse,
Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1934
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d. ), p. 3.
21. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1936
(La Crosse: The Department, 7n. d. ), pp. 5, 7, 8.
22. Health Department of the City of La Crosse Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1937
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d.1), p. 7.
238
was pasteurized.23 Due to the frequent dairy
inspections,
infant deaths which could be traced to milk were
extremely
infrequent. TLL.s s coupaedu wiLL the fact that more
tnan
two-thirds of infant deaths during the early years
could be
24
traced to milk. This splendid showing was due partly to
the co-i-abation that had developed between the local
dairy
associations and the health department. The
association's
field man made frequent inspections during which he
took
bacteria counts. If he found a high count, it was
reported
to the health department.25 His inspections were made
in
addition to the ones made by the department. In
addition to
1%. v. I f CW% - A 6 I-----AA A- C
tions of all food handling places. As an example of
the
department's work, during 1937, fifty tavern owners
were
23. Health Department of the City of La Crosse,
Annual
Report of the DeartIL LL e" ritth and Vi l Statistic
nitsr
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1931
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d.l), p. 4.
24. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1936
a rosse: The Department, [n. d.l), p. 9.
25. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, Annual
Report of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
City
of La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31,
1938
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d.), p. 18.
239
summoned before the council regarding violations of
the
sanitary code. Thereafter, the department received
coopera-
tion from them--all using a form of chlorine as
required by
V
law.
Although the hospitals of La Crosse are privately
owned,
they are an essential part of the maintaining of the
health
of the people of the city. By the 1930's, the
hospitals
could accommodate more than 600 patients at one time.
The
St. Francis, the largest, had 315 beds. It was also
the
second largest private hospital in Wisconsin and the
oldest
1in the city Th scon- d i- n size was the Lute r
Hospita
whicLLh iad about 150 beds. The Grandview could take
care of
106 patients, while the La Crosse Hospital could
accommodate
about 50 patients.27
Besides the accommodation of over 600 patients, the
hospitals represented an investment of between
$2,000,000 and
$3,000,000 and were doing a yearly business that
amounted to
26. Health Department of the City of La Crosse, l
Aua.
LpDort of t-he Departent ' Heat anAd Vital Statstics
City
n....f - ?.V - .
f L Cvrosse. Wis L unsiL or t e Year Ending Dec1mber 31i
1937
(La Crosse: The Department, [n. d.l), pp. 23, 24.
27. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, July 21, 1938;
Ibid., January 1, 1931.
I f.
about $250,000,000. Because of its strategic position
and
adequate hnospitl s pae the caty became the hospital
center
for western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and
north-
eastern Iowa. Records during 1931 showed that about
60 per
cent of the patients cared for by the institutions
came fruo
28
out of town.
Mississippi Piver Bridge Collapse
A most dramatic and unfortunate event, the collapse
of
the Mississippi River Br-idge, brught a sustained and
united
effort from the city government and civic
organizations to
repiace the fifty-year-old structure with an adequate
modern
bridge.
The driver of an automobile who was not familiar with
the bridge was returnng from Minnesota early in the
morning
on August 9, 1935. The wheels of the car climbed the
curb.
The driver lost control of his vehicle, crashed into
the
steel girder, and the car plunged into the river. The
impact of the crash caused a 131-foot steel span to
snap and
28. Ibid.
_ __
241
plunge into the Mississippi with the car. The bridge
collapse virtually left the city cut off from
Minnesota.
The ae day of tie crasLh, A. W. Fugerstrom, secretary
of the
local cnamber of commerce, sent telegrams to the
federal
district engineer at St. Paul; the two Wisconsin
Senators,
the Secretary of War, and the two Minnesota Senators
stating
toat the La Crosse bridge had collapsed and that
state and
30
federal aid were necessary for relief.30
A second group of telegrams were sent by the
secretary
to La Crosse businessmen for a meeting to consider
the
problems of reestablishing traffic. While the fifty
local
buusiessmen agreed LLha1 temporary arrangements
should be made
iunediateiy to handle traffic crossing the river,
many of
tnem expressed the opinion that it was time for La
Crosse
31
to press for a new bridge.
On August 11, 1935, ferry service was established.32
The same day an editorial appeared in the La Crosse
Tribune
29. Ibid., August 9, 1935.
30.. Ibid.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid., August 11, 1935.
242
and Leader Press calling for action:
Some action must soon be forthcoming from
the city and county governments of La Crosse,
as the regular channel for such action, if the
opportunity is not to be forever lost for a
new bridge to replace the broken structure
which is the spectacle in the bottom of the
Missis.inni river atr the moment
--- *--**-* -...........
This is an emergency! And it calls for
action equal to that emergency. . .
Obviously, construction of a new bridge is
a project too big for the city to undertake
alone. It is a 0roject of greater cost and
magnitude than this western Wisconsin community
can expect the state government to undertake
alone.
It beoes, thLerefUore, a federal project
with which thousands of persons in this and
other communities are directly concerned. .
A citizen's Bridge Committee, sponsored by the
Chamber
of Commerce, was formed the following day with the
avowed
goal of securing a new bridge across the Mississippi
Ri er.
Not only was the cooperation of Congressman G. R.
Withrow
and Senators F. Ryan Duffy and R.. La Follette
assured, but
33. Editorial in the La Crosse Tribune and Leader
Press,
August 11, 1935.
-
243
resolutions by most of the civic organizations and
nearby
communities promised cooperation.34 On August 14,
1935,
the council passed a resolution directed to the
Wisconsin
Highway Commission. It stated that because the
existing
bridge was inadequate, and because it was owned and
main-
UL, 1r. -%" %I w-vG~ UQ LO- < C .& %) &a . -A. N. VW
CL3.# . L S ~r- & CL J I.& I AA.~ --
tained by the state, it was necessary for the state
of
Wisconsin with the assistance of federal funds to
provide a
35
new bridge.
On August 17, 1935, it was announced that an
allocation
of $35,000 by the state had been made for a survey,
sound-
ings, and plans for a new bridge over the Mississippi
River
at La Crosse. The construction was to be made with
federal
government aid.e A few days later, eleven days after
the
bridge collapse, the old bridge was opened to
traffic.37
The Wisconsin Highway Commission agreed to build the
new hridge. Bills were introduced in Congress by G.
R.
Withrow, R. La Follette, and F. Ryan Duffy for
authority for
34. Ibid., August 12, 1935; bid., August 13, 1935;
ibid., August 14, 1935.
35. Ibid., August 14, 1935.
36. Ibid., August 17, 1935; Ibid., August 20, 1935.
37. Ibid., September 21, 1939.
244
the construction of the bridge. The congressional
authority
38
came on June 19, 1936. In July, 1936, a definite
financial
ag.r.._mt was raced wic proided ta of lte $..0.. ,
_,: A,
dt6L ~CCC~lr L Se X wW^ w&^ Gus He~~i u I~iiLL1& VV6 %
bo l C&L Us. Ll % 1 2JVV P VVV
necessary to construct a new bridge, the federal
government
would provide $800.000. the state $400,uu0 the county
$200000, and the city $100,00.n
The new structure was to be located tahre blocks
south
of the old bridge. The proposed bridge was to be
eight
blocks long and the largest single project ever
undertaken by
40
the Wisconsin Highway Department. The city purchased the
right-of-way for the approaches for $85,290 out of
the
iU$1,000 provided for its share of the cost of the
bridge,
with the remaining $14,710 being replaced in the
general
fund of the city.4
The first contracts for the building of the new
bridge
were let in June, 1937. Two years later, in
September, 1939,
Governor Julius Heil cut the ribbon officially
opening the
42
new bridge to traffic.
q'Q TL J3
38. · .LU ·
39. Ibid.
40. Ibid.. June 4, 1937; Ibid., February 5, 1939.
41. Ibid., September 25, 1939.
42. Ibid., September 24, 1939
-,. -____ ·
245
City Parks, Recreation, and Library
Because the depression brought so much unemployment,
and
because working hours were shorter than ever before,
people
had more leisure than in the previous decade. One
result of
this increased leisure was record-breakrng crowds at
the city
parks and recreational facilities. By the decade of
the
thirties, the city park system was about complete
although
there was considerable improvement in facilities. Ice
skating rinks were added so that by the end of the
ten-year
period, a skating enthusiast had a choice of ten city
rinks.3
The municipl s pool waals so added to the
recreational
facilitiesad a new sow boWl was ope nd_ f. Aiies.
.Wading
pools were added to Myr.ik Park D an Copeland Park,
tennis
courts were built, the parks were beautified by the
addition
of flowers, and the beginning of a zoo was acquired
by
Myrick Park. 4
The zoo at Myrick Park was completed in 1929 and pre-
sented to the city by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
It
consisted of a monkey island, a bird sanctuary, and a
racoon
43. Ibid., December 31, 1939.
44. Ibid.
246
45
pit. Ice skating rinks became available to persons in
all
parts of the city. The national skating meets held in
La
Crosse in 1938 anu 1939, a new event to the cityf put
La
46
Crosse on the winter sports' map. Band concerts during
the umrner at RKivPri deA Myr ick, and Copeland 1
parks by- the
- -- - --~111 ~ ~J vv!-.L. LC.L.JC&. MOU)L LIC
La Crosse Concert Band were well attended. The number
of
picnickers at the municipal parks broke all records.
If a
person wished to participate in a more active sport,
horse-
shoe courts were available, softball diamonds were
located in
most of the parks, and the new tennis courts were
open to the
-1* 47
public.
A new park was added to the city system because an
alderman wished to eliminate the onerous connotations
that
were attached to a disposal plant. -.en .te citys
disposal
plant was completed on Isle ia Plue in 1937, Alderman
Joseph Houska of the ward in which the plant was
located,
decided that the usual connotations of a disposal
plant
could be eliminated by surrounding it with well
planned
45. Ibid., January 1, 1930; Ibid., January 8, 1933.
46. Ibid., December 31, 1939.
47. Ibid., January 2, 1938.
247
grounds that were functional and attractive.
Donations from private citizens and organizations
began
A Fl I' *,%1% a
vto ce in. A flagple shruubery, urns, marble benches, a
fishpond, and bird houses were added to make the
grounds
attractive. Later recreational facilities were added.
Among these were picnic tables, fireplaces, horseshoe
courts,
and a softball diamond. In 1947, in - ..o of its
founder,
the park was named Houska Park.49
The public library system of La Crosse, too, was
affected
by the depression. With the number of unemployed up,
the
total circulation reached 355,846--the highest ever
in one
year. Periods of unemployment always increase the
circula-
tion, As an illustration, d uri. the recession of ea
ly
1 A o50
1938, 15 ,^O more books ere cirulted in the first
nl.arter
than were circulated for the same period in 1937.
Schools
,~qq r-,.% - J
The school building program of the city stopped when
the
full brunt of the depression hit the city. As an
economy
48. Ibid., April, 1945.
49. Ibid., August 29, 1948.
50. Ibid., July 21, 1938.
248
measure, the council cut the city budget with the
school
51
funds taking a share of tne cut. Already in 1932, at
the beginning no the depression, the schools of the
extreme
52
North Side were crowded. Although no additional school
buildings were constructed from 1930 to 1938,
enrollment
during this period increased by one thousand.53 By
the
summer of 1937. it became generally recognized that
there
54
was overcrowding in the schools at all levels. With
federal gove.rnent assistance, a school building
program
commenced in 1938. Emerson Elementary and Orthopedic
School was constructed on the South Side, and
Longfellow
Junior ..i:h School wa sA built in theo sot eter cti
n UL
Lthe Sot. Si.. A Lh ird unit -was added to Roosevelt
Eiemen-
tary School on the North Side) and an addition was
made to
Logan Senior High School.
The enrollment of the Vocational and Adult School
increased during the depression. The largest
enrollments
51 Ihbi d., ONtrnhv 6, 1931.
52. Ibid., October 9, 1932.
53. Ibid., May 12, 1940.
54. Ibid., June 11, 1937; Ibid., June 18, 1937.
55. Ibid., May 12, 1940.
249
in the history of the school were recorded. Evening
classes
were large, especially the courses in machine shop,
mechanical drawing, home hygiene, accounting,
bookkeeping,
shorthand, typing, business law, and arithmetic.
There
were cases where families moved to La Crosse from
elsewhpre
so that a daughter could attend the school. Because
every
pupil had to be a resident of La Crosse for at least
a year,
they sometimes came alone and sometimes with their
parents
from towns not only in Wisconsin but in Minnesota and
Iowa
to e-stahlish residence in the city in order to enter
the
conumercial department of the school.
Taking advantage of federal government assistance,
the
bui1ding was rmele a ..nd a,, e eaddi .ion was -ade
in ,939
at a cost of $382,225, of which the federal
government
thrnt1gh the WPA paid the cit $17,01, 45 per cent of
the cost. Included in the new building was a
municipal
58
auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,229.
56. Iid_, October 8, 1933.
57. Ibid., January 17, 1932.
58. Ibid., December 31, 1939.
250
City Planning
The existing zoning ordinance which was a
consolidation
of previous zonng ordinances became the object of
riticism
of the city's planning consultant. One objection was
that
the ordinance did not provide for a board of appeals.
This
made it necessary for all questions of variance of
the
zoning ordinance to go to the city council; a body
that met
only once a month and was already overworked. His
second
objection was that the ordinance contained no
provisions for
regulating the extent of the use of land. For
example, in
placing buildings on a lot, no minimum space was
required
uLWet LI the bLL uilUin and Lne lot Doundaries. Homes
were
orte b-l up Lo th street oine, cutting off the view,
and
This was the first serious expression for the need of
a
comprehensive city plan since the failure of the
Hixon Plan
to get popular support in 19.60 An expert was hired
in
59. Ibid., October 12, 1936.
60. Ibid., January 1, 1937.
251
1937 to prepare a comprehensive city plan and zoning
ordinance
for the city. The fundamental needs of the city were
ex-
pressed by the planning consultant to be a
comprehensive zoning
ordinance to protect new houses, a marsh fill to
provide a
site for new houses and industry, block and Qtrret
panni ng
an auditorium, and additional personnel for the
overworked
public health department.62
The city planning commission presented the council
with
a new zoning ordinance for its consideration in July,
1938.63
After rather severe criticism of the ordinance by
persons
snpcific ly involved, the ord inanc was passd hy the
C., U- Ur, C i ~ t -- n c-- Wn., ·n I'l
counc6il4 he nw orn e provided fo a. board or a ppeal
to handle any questions about zoning and building
permits.
The new ordinance provided for seven classes or types
of
zones. The seven classes ranged from single dwelling
residential to heavy industry.65
61. Ibid., January 7, 1937.
62. ibid., July 21, 1938.
63. Ibid., July 23, 1938.
64. Ibid.
65. Municipal Code, City of La Crosse, Wisconsin,
.1j45-47, Chapter 15.
252
Civic activities of the city were dominated by the
depression during the decade of the thirties. Under a
reduced budget, most of the city's activities were
curtailed.
Street improvements were stopped, as were water and
sewer
extensions. School building stopped. It was only
during
the second half of the ten-year period, with the aid
of the
federal government, that old projects were continud
and new
projects were started.
Another effect of the depression was the increased
use
of the city's services. Parks and recreational
facilities
drew record crowds, and the circulation of books from
the
public library correlated with unemployment. Finally,
toward
the latter part of the thirties, there were new
expressions
for a comprehensive city plan which resulted in a new
improved zoning ordinance.
CHAPTER IX
THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY, 1920-1950
T.; people of Ua Crosse lta Leen disappointed by the
census returns of 1920 which showed that the city had
gained
ionly four persons during the previous ten years. But
the
increase of the population from 1920 to 1930 of
almost
10 000 persons brought great expectations from civic
leaders
lur the future growth of the city. It was predicted
that
the population of the city would be 50,000 by 1940.
However,
the increase in population during the depression
years was
_1 nit--of'r'%
dpp inting. - The -return of '940 showed the population
to
be 42,707, an increase of about 3,000 persons from
the
39,614 of 1930. Again, predictions were confidently
made
that the 1950 population would at least reach the
50,000 mark,
2
but the census fiigure for 1950 ws only 47, 55, an
increase
1. U. S. Bureauq of the Census, Sixteenth Census of
the
United States: 1940, Population, Vol. II, Part 7,
Characteristics of the Population (Washington:
Government
rintin..Lg .Ofice, 43, , p1 . 675.
2. U. S. Bureau of the Census, United States Census of
Population: 1950 Characteristics of the Population, Vol.
II,
Part 49, Wisconsin (Washington: Government Printing
Office,
1952), p. 499.
253
254
Df 11.3 per cent. Although the 50,000 goal was not
reached,
the percentage of increase during the last ten-year
period
for -the ity compared favorably with the average of
13.5 per
ceut increase Lor urban places in Wisconsin.3
The number of immigrants settling in the city
decreased
as the years passed, and the composition of the
population
changed. At the beginning of the century, the average
num-
ber of immigrants coming into the city was about 200
per five-
year period. By the 1930's, immigration was down to
less
than 100 per five-year period. As a result, the
number of
toreign-born in the city fell from 7,219, or 25 per
cent of
of tohe cfy'. A po1ulat. 1 00, to 1 ,555, or 3 per
cent,
5
in 1950. The decrease of the number of the city's
foreign-
born is revealed by the steady decrease in the
percentage
3. Ibid., pp. 4931.
4. U. S. Bureau vo the Ce.Jsus, Fift enth Census of the
United States: 1930, Population, Vol. II, General
Reports
(Wasigto Govermet Pr.;l ining Office, 1 933), p 561
5. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of
the United States: 1910, Po ation, Vol. III, Reports by
States (,wasnington: Government Printing u.ffic, 1913),
_. T -A- -l LA- A.
P 1. 09 .S. Bureau of the Census United States Census o
Population: 1950, Characteristics of the Population,
Vol. II,
Part 49, Wisconsin (Washington: Government Printing
Office,
1952), pp. 49-58.
255
from 19 per cent in 1920 to 14 per cent in 1930 and
from
5 per cent iL. 1. 74 Lu 3 per cent in i950.6
The Germans and Norwegians were always the largest
groups of foreign-born. After 1920, the next largest
foreign-
born groups were the Czechs, Poles, and Canadians.
As the children of the foreign-born married those of
other nationalities and those of long established
American
families, much of the national identity of these
persons dis-
appeared. By the third and fourth generation they
were
completely assimilated. Through intermarriage and
mobility
6. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of
the
United States: 1910, Population, Vol. III; Reports by
Stats
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913), p. 1096;
U. S. Bureau of the C. nsus, Fifteenth Census of the
United
States: 1930, Population, Vol. II, General Reports
(Washing-
ton: Government Printing Office, 1933), p. 90; U. S.
Bureau
of the Census, United States Census of Population: 1950,
Characteristics of the Population, Vol. II, Part 49,
Wisconsin
(Washington,: Gov r eLILIt Prin.ig O .i-e, 1 ), pp.
49-O.
7. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fourteenth Census of the
United States 1920, Population, Vol. II, General Report
and Analytical Tables (Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1922), p. 767; U. S. Bureau of the Census,
Fifteenth
Census of the United States: 1930, Population, Vol. II,
Generl a>port (ashingto: Gove, L-Sre.t ri.ntinb OffiLe,
1933), p. 392- U. S. Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth
Census
of the United States: 1940, Population, Vol. II, Part 7,
Characteristics of the Population (Washington:
Government
Printing Office, 1943), p. 604.
256
most of the pockets of ethnic groups also
disappeared. The
old national ideniLication was still retained by some
of the
churches such as the German Lutheran Chur.ch, -he
orwegian
Lutheran Church, and Catholic Church. In each of
these there
were many members whose surnames reflected their
original
nationality.
Social Events
The people indulged in the usual social, cultural,
and
recreational activities. There were the clubs and
lodges
found in any Midwestern city such as the DAR, garden
clubs,
Kiwanis, Lions, Masons, Elks, Optimists, Rotary,
Toastmasters,
League of Women Voters, and Amer-ican LegTo ,. For
the ultural
*m-ided __ - I r - arheiuS tudy i ub- La e
Theater, and the city symphony orchestra. For the
sports
enthusiasts there was baseball, softball, skiing,
skating,
tennis, archery, and badminton.
Considerable social prestige and social activity was
provided by one of the organizations of the city--the
La
Crosse Plugs. Organized in 1932 to boost and
advertise the
city, the Plugs went into different communities to
participate
in parades and celebrations. The organization
received its
257
name from the tall plug hats dating back to the
seventies,
which were worn by the members. During that decade
steamboat
traffic. to La Crosse brought passengers and
immigrants who
wanted to find homesteads. A group of citizens who
wanted
the incoming people to make La Crosse their home
daily went
to the levee to greet passengers of the boats and try
to
persuade them to make permanent homes in the city."
The outstanding social events during the early
twenties
were the winter crni vals of 1921 and 1922. For a
week
during January the city was the scene of parades,
dancing,
singing, skating contests, skiing, and fireworks.
A --. p-rit
A king and queen were crowned to preside over the winter
celebration. The program for the week's entertainment
listed concerts on the streets and in the parks,
horse-
racing at Riverside Park, dancing in the streets,
fancy
skating exhibitions, dancing at several of the halls,
and ski
tournament, fireworks, a hockey match, and the grand
parade
and ball.l0
A - ..- _A-. 1
ALJLLthLL e=Ve=LIL bLtll popular in-.te LwenLieb was Lhe
8. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, June 5, 1935.
9. Ibid., January 27, 1921; Ibid., January 22, 41922.
10. Ibid., January 22, 1922.
258
Chautauqua which took place in a tent in Onalaska.
The out-
standing speaker to come to the a rea ws Wi lliam
Jennin s
Bryan who drew an overflow crowd in the summer of
1922. The
La CrosSe Tribune and Leader Press described the
occasion:
Pleading for a life, lived in the way of
God and bitterly assailing Darwinism, William
Jennings Bryan held an audience that packed
the Chautauqua tent Sunday to overflowing
spellbound by his consumate oratory.i
A runaway in the downtown streets during the winter
of
1924 set the old timers to reminiscing about the
passing of
a part of the American scene. The La Crosse Tribune
and
Leadcr press quoted Judge Ciint Hunt as saying:
Yes sir, it surely was a sight for the gods,
I saw the first honest-to-goodness runaway that
t has been my pleasure to view for 20, 25, maybe
30 years. I was standing in front of Jehlen's
meat market when I heard a great clatter in the
streets. I looked toward Pearl and Third and
there was a team of spirited little horses,
hitched to a light delivery bobsled, a-rearing
and plunging and tearing up the snow. It was a
suref ire rnaway. I watched the till they
reached State Street12
Later the runaway bounced into a coal wagon on
runners
drawn by a pair of mules The runaway slid off the
coal
11. Ibid., June 19, 1922.
12. Ibid., January 14, 1924.
259
wagon and turned east. When it reached the City Hall,
the
horses headed for the entrance of the police station.
A by-
13
stander grabbed the bridl s and stopped the horses.l3
Sports
Professional baseball returned to La Crosse in 1940,
after an absence of about thirty years. The new club,
the
La Crosse Blackhawks, was the first champion of the
new
W i.&.T 14 "C"-- . ...
W'isconsin State.Leaue. l cus e dem s A1 Wr Id
War II, the league disbanded. After the war, when the
Wisconsin State League revived, La Crosse did not
participate
and industrial baseball replaced the professionals.
For those people who wished to participate actively
in
sports, there was ample opporL tunL ad wide v .arie.
During the summer swimming, cycling, trap shooting,
softball,
tennis, and horseshoes were available. Until 1939,
when the
municipal swimning pool was opened, the rivers were
the only
places to swim, but during most of the thirties the
Mississippi
River was closed to swimming because of the condition
of the
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid., September 20, 1940.
260
water.
There are many trapshooting fans in the city, but the
sport is not a new one to the local people because
the forma-
tion of -gn clubs dates back to the nineteenth
century. The
La Crosse Gun Club evolved out of several
predecessors. In
1927, the club sponsored the first Tri-State
championship
competition for shooters from Wisconsin, Minnesota,
and Iowa.
In 1938, the competition was opened to all amateurs
on the
continent.
For winter sports La Crosse offered ice skating,
skiing,
and curling. A few curling players from La Crosse, as
early
as 1918, use to venture to the nearest rink which was
at
Gaiesville to play their game. Eventually a rink was
located in the cattle barn of the Tnterstate Fair
Associa-
tion in La Crosse.17 The climax for La Crosse curlers
occurred in 1948, when the local curlers journeyed
east and
won the National Bonspiel Crown, a notable
achievement, for
it was the first time a western club had won the
crown from
15. Ibid., September 10, 1939; Ibid., July 31, 1932.
16. Ibid., July 21, 1938.
17. Ibid.
261
18
the easterners.
in 1937, the Snow Bowl, nestled back in a coulee, was
opened. A tow and warming house added to the
attractiveness
oL f1 sking 9as, for two
£ Lihe skiing site. Unfortunately for skiing fans, for
two
years following the opening, there was not sufficient
snow
20
for good skiing. When good snow years arrived, the La
Crosse skiing site became a mecca for skiers for
miles around
with .ski train- s arriving1 witLh enthusiasts who
spent a long
weekend in the coulee hills.
With ten skating rinks available in the city, ice
skating was one of the most popular sports,
especially with
tne youngsters. For two consecutive years, 1939 and
1940,
the he -igligh; t of the winter was the National
Outdoor Speed
22
Skating championships held at the Lagoon Rink in La
Crosse.
Some of the social, cultural, and sport activities
were
unorganized, while others were organized on a private
basis.
Except for the city-owned parks, just about all
activities
18. Ibid* FebruL 1 , .94 8.
19. Ibid., Deceumber 19, 1937.
20. Ibid, October 29, 1939.
21. Ibid., December 12, 1949.
22. Ibid., October 27, 1940.
.
262
were private in the early twenties; but by 1950, the
municipality had taken much of the responsibility Lo
provide
recreation facilities for the leisure hours of the
people.
Out of the park system grew playgrounds, a recreation
depart-
ment, and other civic sponsored activities.
Early in the thirties the La Crosse County Community
Council directed a survey of the recreational
facilities in
La Crosse for youths between the ages of five and
twenty.
Other groups made similar studies that showed a need
for a
municipal recreation program. But it was not until
1944
that the city council granted an appropriation for a
municinal
nrnoram. Under the new r..spibiiy accepted by the
city
to provide a recreaionU program, an all-city youth
orchestra
was organized, youth centers were opened, badminton,
archery,
volleyball, basketball, and dancing were made
available for
the city's young people. The program expanded to
include
activities for adults such as art classes,
photography,
dramatics, mixed singing, swimming, chess, and
crafts.
23. ibid., October 18, 1945; Ibid., June 21, 1944.
263
Culture
La Crosse is not noted as a center of culture
although
there are some opportunities for people who desire to
participate in cultural ativities. The city, during
the
present century, has not had any outstanding writers,
artists,
or musicians. Interest in these aspects of life is
limited
to a few persons, many of whom are connected with the
college.
There have been everL.a local writers who have
pubiished
serious books. Am ong the wrs ter have be e Albert
Hart
Sanford, a professor at the college, who has
published
several volumes on American and local history and
government.
Stephen SolthehCk H-ehherd published several books on
Wisconsin
history and the ph ilosphy of histoy. Oe
organisation, e
La Crosse County Historical Society which was formed
in 1925
has published a series of fine monographs on local
history
9A
and a history of La Crosse from 1841-1900.2
Two arti clubs have been formed by persons interested
in
art, the Men's Sketch Club and the Women's Sketch
Club.
During the thirties several art colonies were held in
24. Ibid., Qctober 11, 1925.
_ ___ __ __ __
264
25
La Crosse under the sponsorship of the two sketch
clubs.2
Also. the local artists have had exhibits at the
Vocational
Scool ..Chich attracted interest frm Lhe local
citizens26
A little theater group was organized in 1931 as a
result of activity by people interested in the
movement.
From 1932 on, the year of "Hay Fever" the first
production,
the group has presented plays in available school
auditoriums
27
in the city.
Until the thirties participation in music was limited
to small private groups or to organizations such as
the
rmarnn Frohsintn SZgin S-ciety and thI -orwegC ianJ
-filna
Sangerkor. Several attempts had been made since 1920
to
foLIU y a symiphony orchestra in each case the
orchp.trra was
short lived.' Not until 1941, under the sponsorship
of the
vocational and Adult School, was a symphony orchestra
organized which e-ndured for more than a few years.
Under
the direction of Leigh Elder, the fifty-piece
Vocational
25. Ibid., May 27, 1934.
26. Ibid., July 27, 1950.
27. Ibid., December 11, 1931; Ibid., May 11, 1932.
28. Ibid., October 18, 1932; Ibid., October 30, 1938.
~ J~~~~~~~~~~~~
265
Civic Orchestra drew its personnel not only from La
Crosse
but from the surrounding communities such as Sparta,
Viroqua,
GalesYvile, Westby, Black P -Rver F s, West Salem,
and
winona. For five years the orchestra presented
concerts
under the sponsorship of the Vocational School. In
1947,
the members filed articles of incorporation as the La
Crosse
Symphony Orchestra. The newly formed orchestra
continued to
provide the city with performances each year.30
LThe La Cosse Concert Band, organized in 1931, and
subsidized by the city council, presented concerts in
the
various city parks during the suemmr season.31 The
concerts
were usually well attended by Lhe people. The i ste
s,
while sitting on benches or on the rass, braved
marauding
mosquitoes to attend the concerts. Less venturesome
persons
remained in their parked cars and expressed their
apprecia-
tion of the music by blowing their car horns at the
end of
each number.
For persons interested in singing, there was besides
29. Ibid., November 16, 1941.
30. Ibid., May 4, 1947; Ibid., September 12, 1948.
31. Ibid., July 10, 1955.
266
the German and Norwegian singing groups, the
Vocational Civic
Choir which was formed in 1937 and offered annual
concerts.32
People interested in barber shop quartet singing
organized,
in 1947, a local chapter of the Society for the
Preservation
and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in
America.33
Two years later the Sweet Adelines was formed by the
women
who wished to participate in barber shop harmony.34
College
Higher education in the city had been established
with
the formattinon f the Normal School early in the
century. Ry
1920, it was organized with departments as follows:
Physical
Education, Secondary Education, Rural Education,
Elementary
Education, and the Special Department, providing two
years
of college for students not in teacher training.
Because the La Crosse school had been authorized to
speciali- e in physical education, imuch of the
physical plant
was devoted to that curriculum. During World ar I, a
physical education building was erected, and in 1931,
a
32. Ibid., September 22, 1946.
33. -Ibid., February 16, 1947; Ibid., March 20, 1949.
34. Ibid.
267
girls' gymnasium was added. The original physical
education
course was first lengthened to three years. In 1926,
a fourth
year was added in both the physical education and
secondary
education departments, npermitting stdents in these
two fields
35
to earn bachelor's degrees. As a result of legislative
action authorizing the Board of Regents to grant
degrees, La
Crosse Normal School became La Crosse State Teachers
College.
Although the one-year course in Rural Education was
dropped,
that department continued its two-year course. The
Special
Department retained its two-year course for
noneducation
students.
Tn 1930, Ta Crose State Teachers College was fully
accredited by the North Central Association of
Colleges and
37 Ldings
Secondary Schools.I ' The only addition to the buildings
during the depression years was the erection of a
modern
38
training school which opened l
During the depression the enrollment averaged about
seven hundred students. During World War II
enrollment
35. Ibid., June 1: 1934.
36. Ibid.
37. Ibid., January 1, 1931.
38. Ibid., January 1, 1940.
268
dropped, and the student body consisted almost
completely
of women. After the war, enrollment increased with
the
return of the veterans. In 1946, enrollment was about
one
thousand with 50 per cent of the student body being
veterans.
In 1947, the enrollment increased to 1,100 where it
remained
39
for the remainder of the decade.39
Several important changes occurred at mid-century. In
1i45, a recreation major was added. The course
included a
joint major in physical education. Five years later
the
Board of Regents approved the granting of the
Bachelor of
Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees by the local
college.
Because of the additiQn of the deagrev fnr lihavral
arvt the
name oi the college was changed from La Crosse State
Teachers
Coiiege to La Crosse State College."4 On the athletic
field
the college ended the half-century with a resounding
win over
Valparaiso University in the Cigar Bowl at Tampa,
Florida. l
39. Ibid., September 21, 1947; Ibid., January 2,
1949.
40. ibid., April 18, 1951.
41. Ibid., January 2, 1941.
CHAPTER X
ECOMThI' LIFE AT MID-CENTURY, 1940-1950
The economy of the city by 1940 had not reached the
pre-
depression level. It was Luto until most of the
city's
manufacturing concerns began to receive war contracts
or sub-
contracts that the economy reached and passed the
1929 height.
By 1944, all of the major manufacturing plants and
most of
the smaller concerns were engaged, at least
partially, in
war contracts. Obviously, the war was the biggest
factor of
the city's economy during the first five years of the
decade.
Employment, the value of manufactures, value added by
manu-
Lfcure, and sales reached new heights. While
construction
in the city was brought to a halt because of the lack
of
materials, the construction of Camp McCoy engaged
much of
the construction labor of La Crosse. Despite the
growth of
local industry, no new large industrial plants were
brought
to the city during World War II.
Following the war, .mnufacturing slumped for a short
time during the conversion to peacetime production;
but by
1947, employment and production exceeded the war
levels.
269
A series of strikes occurred following the war
b-ecause t
,workers had refrained from using the strike as a
weapon ro
obtain higher wages during the hostilities.
Consequently,
when the war was over and the nation's security was
not in-
volved the worKers struck for hiher wages. Also, as
soon-
as materials were available construction begana on
both te
erection of residences and te expansion of in ssia
plants. By id-cen ury, the economy of the cinv was at
ar
all ti-e pea..
iar Y ears
B .... e er of workers eneaged in prc-
duction nor the value added by manufac ure had reaced
-he
leve the 3-i.~ J~ Z n, er o n - Ftr e
engaged inu arn s 3, 73 co-pae t- oi, 9* -
Thuevalue added by aufac turing in 1939 was
$12,791,50 as.
rzs - ter~ls -$_ere a^ailable _ons~uctioo bSe~ao 831 nt-
2
compared to $14,C41,0_. in 1929..
i ns B 1s.ureaul of the Census, Fifteenth Censi o
UnfitSaned SVs: Vl.929, Hanu1ares, e
P.a C nrt - G0-e¢e, 1 9c5 otp 644.tre
CRffice. I95g t sL DULL3Jg V0L)i. L 3)
.n. t-, t
,C-, .
2. 6.4
/27.
Defense contracts were received by two La Crosse
industrial plants in 1940. The La Crosse Trailer
Company
received a contract to build trailers for the army,
while
the Moto Meter Gauge and Equipment Company obtained a
3
contract for making navy aviation gauges. By early 1941,
Lthe TraLUe Company and the Northern Engraving
Company had
also received contracts. The Northern Engraving
Company began
manufacturing name plates for Curtiss Wright, while
the Trane
Company was maufacturing high pressure thermostatic
traps,
--AL1 A-4 1 1-- - 1 _ 4
,nonfS, s M.c&.v6sa .J, aA. bL last hea L tig cLJ6 oi C
LUL LfLI [niavy.
By the end of 1942. about twenty-eight city factories
were producing war materials for the government, and
employ-
menLt adri payuiis had reached a new nign tor the
city.
During the remainder of the war years, most of the
city's
factories were on a wartime basis.' Altogether, the
local
industries produced about $104,010,734 of products
under
gov c on m.. V L-v CiL Sracts.
3. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, September 1,
1940.
4. Ibid., February 23, 1941.
5. "La Crosse Industry," La Crosse Business, January.
1943, p. 7.
6. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 2, 1944.
7.~ Ibid., January 2, 1946.
272
With the increase of production due to war contracts,
the number of employed production workers rose to
4,660 in
1940, 5,670 in 1941, 5,190 in 1942. 6,220 in 1943,
and 6,3303
8
in 1944. The number of employed in production, then,
increased from 3,873 in 1939 to 6,330 in 1944; a 50
per cent
increase in five years. The demnand for skilled
workers, as
early as December, 1940, caused a shortage in the
area.
Precision machinists, tool and diemakers, and
all-around
Q
machinists especial y were in short supply.
Th Vcational" a-id Aedult i chool was pessed1 LU
MruVcj#c.94An.OLALA CLA" "U L 34IJAJI waS pfLeSSIU JLLU-
service tc train mn for dCfe.e jobs aL Ud Luo ive
refresher
courses. The program was under the direction of tho
federal
10
government financed by funds provided by Congress.-
The Trane Company was one of the first large city
plants to begin war production. An addition to
Building
No. 2, located at Eighteenth and Bennett streets, was
completed in August, 1941 to meet the demands of
increased
8. Tndustrial Commission of Wisconsin. 'Manufacturing
Industries in La Crosse (Wis.)," Statistical Release No.
421.5 (Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Ccniission, 1949).
(Mimeographed.)'
9. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, December 31,
1941.
10. Ibid., February 9, 1941.
273
production. The total production of the company was
devoted to the manufacture of war goods, for its
peacetime
products of heating and cooling devices changed to a
wartime
12
purpose.l2 The products were used on every type of naval
vessel, in shipyards, and in training camps in the
United
States.!3 There was a demand for a heat exchanger
which
would be more compact and lighter in weight to cool
aircraft
superchargers. Trane and his engineers worked for
hours on
such a device and finally developed a method L bra
-zg th
sheet.s sromepth ing nr one ,hd Acvcr done co.eii c
La.ly. tLnher
war roducts of thne Tr ane Companvy ere the first all
aluminum aircraft radiators for liquid cooled
engines,
.i t el r ic f ' igs equipment a Y
-- L-, - , . &Ls ,.L .t VCLI . L A.... L.A.L LLJ6 V.LI
W.LLJb , qAd LLj6LJ U L.
tv jGi d.,.Ltj= CaUbLls; a Ut:dviLCt LO U.diLSLL L
sea water for
14
drinking, and equipment for cooling and ventilating
ships.4
Employment at the company rose from 750 in 1940 to
more than
_ ,1 4 1t94, 15
11. Ibid., December 31, 1941.
12. Ibid., January 2, 1944.
13. Ibid._ .anLiarv 1, 1 Q
14. Ibid., September 7, 1954.
15. Ibid., January 1, 1945.
274
The Northern Engraving Company began war production
of
cartridge cases and name plates in 1940, when normal
employ-
16
ment was about 800. The wartime peak of employment came
in 1943, when it averaged over 1,500.17 The company
was one
of the local factories that received the Army-Navy
':E;
18
award. 18
The Moto Meter Gauge Company began producing war
a4LtLerials on a part-time basis in 1941 and on a
full-time
basis. y February, 19.4. The actorys output
.o.nsisLed of
1 9
aircraft instruments, industrial gauges, and
thermostats.'
During the latter part of the war, the plant had a
major
expansion. At this time the factory became the
Electric
Auto Lite Company. Normal employment immeditey
-before th
20
war was about 1,500 and rose to a high of 1,750 in 1944
.
The Allis-Chalmers Mianufacturing C-ompay of La
Crosse
also benefited from the war-stimulated economy.
Employment
inea d ro a utJ. 650 oJL 1,0 0. Ab"u 4- per ctA. . f
w .L
16. Ibid., January 2, 1944.
7 . ibid., January 2, 1950.
18. Tbaid, January 1, 1945.
19. Ibid., January 2, 1944.
20. Ibid., January 1, 1945.
275
production was devnted to direct war contracts making
the M-4
crawler tractor carrier. The company also produced
tackle
blocks and snatch blocks as subcontract work fnr the
Allis-
Chalmers Company in Springfield, Illinois. The war
produc-
tion was in addition to an almost normal prouction of
farm
222
equipment.2
The La Crosse Rubber Mills began war production in
1942.
This company produced men;s four-buckle overshoes,
boats,
23
and a jungle boot for use in Lhe South Pacific
tmployment
increased from about 800 to a high of more than 1,000
in
24
1945.
The five big industries were not the only ones
engaged
.i war d.c AWV t i.A .s1 .-- ,MA o. .-. sa p A w..
,d. -u
ir 1 Ci L iULL·IVI I11~lr......... ~UL( r .LJ L. LqLI. q
, ,. , , L
a great variety of war material. A brief suiumary UL
buce oU
the smaller pl ants and their products reveal the
variety.
ihe Auvance Bedding Company produced mattresses f
25
quartsterser corps. The Bup lFp Co opany ad parts for
2i. Ibid., January 2, 1944.
22. Ibid., January 1, 1945.
23 Ibd., January 2, 1944
24. The source of these figures is unknown.
25. La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, January 2, 1944.
276
tanks, airplanes, and guns.26 The R. C. Cheney
Company,
whose peacetime product was the Saftecycle, made bomb
nose
27
plugs. The Riviera Sportswear Compay, ranized i 194.4,
28
made insect resistant tents. The La Crosse Garment
Company
roduced a variety of military wearing apparel.29 The
E. Hackner Company, altar makers, turned part of its
output
to the manufacture of blackout units and heating and
ventilat-
irLg cabinets for the government.30 The La Crosse
Novelty
Box Company's war manufacture Dbeame fuse heads, fuse
plgs,
tank parts, and air conditioning pumps. The La Crosse
Trailer and Equipment Company, one of the first local
firms
to enter war production, made a series of trailers
for the
32
GLVVG& . IJ W . A & A. I- . I a a, ,%LLQCL Y Lr-,,ll &L
L L. 11 I. C ,...,F= L.. q~A. d, V , %..& &
tion of dairy products and added dried sklrim milk to
its
33
line.33 Th, Badger StpiCng ar.d Tool Company-, rthe
.Chopi.ska.
_A&."LUFA.&J6"&AAJL W W. &
26. Ibid., January 1, 1945.
27. Ibid., January 2, 1944; Ibid., January 1, 1945.
28. Ibid., January 1, 1945.
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid., January 2, 1944.
31. Ibid&, January i, 1945.
32. Ibid., January 2, 1944; Ibid., January 1, 1945.
33. Ibid., January 2, 1944.
Z//
Tool and Die Shop, and the La Crosse Tool and Die
Company
engaged in producing war materials that ranged from
preci-
34
sion parts for submarines to cartridge cases. The
Franklin
Iron Works, the Hirshheimer Foundry, and J.
Leinfelder and
oons Manufacturing Cuompany turned their prnduct ion
to
furnishing castings to other La Crosse industries35
Building in La Crosse, during the war, reached a low
ebb due to OPA restrictions. No large industries
moved to
the city, and expansion by local industries was
limited to
the Trane and Auto Lite additions. The war almost
ended
home building. 3 However, in 1941, the Exchange
Building,
a new modern office bui1dinga was completed Th.e
strictre
uo six stories was erected by Dr. Frank J. Hoeschler
at
FiLLnh AveLjue and Jay streets. It was the largest
office
building in the city, and its erection was part of
the
37
expansion of the commercial section to Fifth Avenue.
34. Ibid.
35. Ibid.
35. Ibid., January i, 1945; Ibid., January 2, 1944.
37. Ibid., June 13, 1941.
278
Post-War Economy
Following the end of hostilities in August, 1945 and
the cancelling of war contracts, production and m
ploymn .
in La Crosse industries decreased for several
reasons. The
conversion to peacetime production took time, and a
shortage
of materials prevented full production by several of
the
l. o1 at ri s. A sr ies. of b sLL ike j f uiiowed tne
war, most
of them involving wage increases. The problem of
housing
had become acute because of the virtual halting of
home
, = -,,. -A i fl ,--A.4 -, .-- 1,.
UuilULn dul -g the waL, nLr d. = L . Le ed ofw.r solulve
the problem, for building materials continued to be
in short
supply.
Wih the conversion of local iactories Lu peac;ime
producti .on both production and employment
decreased. The
average number of employed production workers dropped
from
6,330 in 1944 to 5,970 in 1945. Factory after factory
reported eiL L. sLL C AaLUeL L4 o e UL ULoL th Lc A.
Af1 .
transportation to obtain them. It was not until near
the
38. Industrial Commission of Wisconsin,
",Mnufacturing
Industries in La Crosse, (Wis.),:' Statistical Release
No.
421.5 (Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Commission, 1949).
(Mimeographed.)
279
end of 1946 that production and employment reached
and
exceeded the ar level even though svral fAirs still
39
were hampered by shortages of materials. Several
companies
began to expand in 1946 to meet an anticipated growth
in the
market.40 By 1947, employment exceeded all previous
years
in thecity41 The value added to the materials by the
process of manufacture totaled s49,87ji))( cnmpnred
to
42
$12,000,000 in i939.2
During the | 
