Housing wasn’t so good in some parts of town, 58 years ago

In 1960, the La Crosse building inspector and the health officer said many houses didn’t have indoor toilets or running water, and were using wells and septic tanks.  Most of the houses in that condition were in rural areas, and had just been annexed to the city.

Gas station operator Don Medinger was the La Crosse chairman for the Congressional campaign of Democrat Norman Clapp.  The 3rd District race was for an open seat, with Clapp facing former Republican Gov. Vernon Thomson.  Don Medinger had a long career on both the La Crosse city council and county board, and his son John has reached even higher offices, serving in the Assembly and as a two-term mayor of La Crosse.

One big new building opening in downtown La Crosse in 1960 was the headquarters for First Federal.  It later became Associated Bank, and is now the La Crosse County administrative center.  The new bank cost $600,000, and had a pneumatic tube system for the tellers, a dumbwaiter for moving supplies, and a “kiddie lift” to raise young customers to window level.  High-tech banking 58 years ago, 1960, yesterday in La Crosse.