The city charter for La Crosse was signed in 1856, but La Crosse was considered a settlement as early as 1842. That means a centennial for...
In 1974, you could see a big sign along Mormon Coulee Road, promoting a new shopping center to be built soon near the Holy Cross Seminary. ...
In the summer of 1967, the president of La Crosse State, Sam Gates, announced plans for punishing students who demonstrated, or protested speakers on campus. Gates...
On July 20th of 1969, the ‘Eagle’ moon lander of Apollo 11 became the first manned spacecraft to arrive on the lunar surface. Neil Armstrong and...
In October of 1961, a large statue of an Indian was installed at the north end of La Crosse’s Riverside Park. The 25-foot statue by Central...
“He waffles, he wiggles.” That’s what the president said about his campaign opponent in 1976, yesterday in La Crosse. President Gerald Ford turned 63 years...
On July 13th of 1995, the mercury soared to 108 degrees in La Crosse by 3 in the afternoon, and stayed at that temperature for another...
In October of 2008, Arizona Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy landed at the La Crosse airport, for a campaign rally roughly a month before...
In the summer of 1969, Mrs. Mauree Applegate Clack of La Crosse died. She had taught education at La Crosse State for 21 years. Later that...
Gambling and even sweepstakes were forbidden in Wisconsin for decades. But by 1990, the state had legalized bingo, the lottery, and dog-racing. Casinos were still off-limits, though. The...
In July of 1943, the Second World War was raging on several fronts. Just on the front page of the La Crosse Tribune, the Secretary of the...
The 4th of July in 1970 was the official opening day for La Crosse’s current City Hall. The 6-floor building on La Crosse Street replaced the City...
On July 2nd of 2015, President Barack Obama spoke at UW-La Crosse, in the Recreational Eagle Center. It was Obama’s only visit to the city during...
In the summer of 1961, the Country Fair Amusement Park was located at Avon and Monitor Streets. On Wednesday nights, the whole family could play miniature...
In 1972, the 4th of July fell on a Tuesday, and the La Crosse Tribune suggested that Independence Day become a Monday holiday, for the sake...
The first four days of July in 1983 were set aside for a holiday festival in Riverside Park, called Riverfest. Organizers were hoping it would become...
On the weekend before the presidential election in 2000, Republican Dick Cheney and Democrat John Kerry both made trips to La Crosse, but not at the...
On a Saturday morning in June of 2009, a 300-pound black bear made its way into the city of La Crosse. It wound up in a...
The debut of WXOW, Channel 19, happened on March 7th of 1970, a day when the big story was a solar eclipse over North America. WXOW...
You would have heard Aretha Franklin a lot on the radio in 1967. She had five hits in the top 10 that year, including “Natural Woman,”...