La Crosse city commission approves funding for “Hear, Here” history project

A city committee in La Crosse is giving its blessing to an expansion of the “Hear, Here” history project.

The heritage preservation commission endorsed a plan Thursday to add dozens of stories about the north side of La Crosse to the list of recordings that are accessed by phone.

UW-La Crosse history professor Ariel Beaujot hopes the city will contribute $34,000 to the expansion.

Beaujot said some of her favorite stories about the north side include “a young man who was paid by his neighbors to take the cows from their backyards and take them out to pasture, (and) a kid who remembers the circus coming to town and watching the elephants walk around the train yard.”

Signs on lampposts around the city are placed near locations mentioned in the Hear, Here recordings, giving phone numbers where a specific story can be found.

Beaujot started the Hear, Here project almost a decade ago. She said visitors from all over the U.S. have placed calls to listen to the stories while in La Crosse. The idea has also expanded from La Crosse to towns in Canada and Europe.

The city council could make the final decision on funding. The new Hear, Here stories could be ready about a year from now.