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History · LaCrosse

LaCrosse dates to 1888, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1930.

1888founded
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Williamborg 18:50, 24 May 2008 (UTC) · Public domain
Quick answers

How LaCrosse began

When was LaCrosse founded?

1888

LaCrosse dates its founding to 1888 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 471 in 19302020 census: 297138 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1896.The full story ↓

What stands out about LaCrosse’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of LaCrosse are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of LaCrosse’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start LaCrosse’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how LaCrosse’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How LaCrosse came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of LaCrosse.

Read it all →

With the completion in 1888 of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (O.R. & N) railroad line between Riparia and LaCrosse, George Dawson and his wife built a shack constructed from railroad ties. By 1889, LaCrosse had a population of 12. The first real store was constructed in 1899 by Tom Shobe. The town was named for LaCrosse, Wisconsin, to match with nearby Winona (named for the Minnesota town), by settlers from the Midwest.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

LaCrosse, 1888 to 1950

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888
    FoundingLaCrosse is established
  3. 1896Post officeThe LaCrosse post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

LaCrosse on the map, 1950 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of LaCrosse. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

LaCrosse on the 1950 USGS mapLaCrosse on the 1981 USGS map1950La Crosse sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of LaCrosse.

People over time

LaCrosse, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 475

Between 297 and 475 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on LaCrosse’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

LaCrosse’s post office has been open since 1896.

Hamlets and corners on the map
La Crosse

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about LaCrosse’s history

What year was LaCrosse founded?

In 1888, according to Wikidata. LaCrosse’s post office opened in 1896, and the census of 1930 counted 471 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.