Yesterday in La Crosse
Lang Drive was a problem 58 years ago
In 1959, La Crosse State Senator Ray Bice introduced a bill in Madison to seek state aid for an extension of Lang Drive and George Street. The streets were not connected at that time, but were separated by north-side railroad tracks. The Wisconsin Highway Commission said the road project was not eligible for state funding, because it was not on a federal or state highway. It’s now part of U.S. Highway 53. The city was lobbying for the bridge over the tracks, now known as the George Street overhead.
The Milner Hotel on Pearl Street was about to come down. It had stood for about 60 years, and was originally called the Jefferson Hotel. The old building would make way for a gas station. It’s now the site of a Subway restaurant and a parking lot.
On a typical Monday night in early ’59, you could turn on the TV and watch “Name That Tune,” “The Danny Thomas Show,” “Father Knows Best,” the detective show “Peter Gunn,” and the “Arthur Murray Dance Party.” Fifty-eight years ago, Yesterday in La Crosse.