-In 1841, Nathan Myrick established the first building, his trading post along the river.

-Early Population:
-1845: 12 people
-1853: 548 people

-Settlers trickled in slowly, mostly coming for the lumber industry which boomed in La Crosse.

-La Crosse became a county in 1855.

Source: Wingate, Robert G., Settlement Patterns of La Crosse Co., WI, 1850-1875, p. 48

-In the founding of the city of La Crosse, the city built up along the river and then expanded eastward towards the bluffs and the rest of La Crosse County.

-The early roads constructed in La Crosse were built perpendicular to the river, but eventually were changed to parallel to the river, since that was the way majority of American cities were built (North to South).

Why Settlers Chose La Crosse County:

• Location bound to East and North by Great Lakes
• 1858 the railroad comes to La Crosse
• Wisconsin was debt free when it joined the union, thus lower taxes
• Price of Land was attractive ($1.25/acre)
• Registrar for U.S. Land office was German
• Lots of business opportunities
• Bureau of Immigration participated in active recruitment of settlers
• Liberal policies towards immigrants

Source: Wingate, Robert G., Settlement Patterns of La Crosse Co., WI, 1850-1875, p. 54

Right: Picture of downtown La Crosse circa 1880s.
Special Collections, Murphy Library

Above: Pioneer Log Cabin in La Crosse Area.
Wingate, Robert, G. Settlement Patterns of La Crosse CO., WI, 1850-1875