Town of La Crosse Wisconisn

This town was organized in the year 1851. The first town election was held in April of that year, when there were thirty-six votes polled. Timothy Burns was elected Chairman, Lloyd L. Lewis, Supervisor, C.a.Stevens, Town Clerk, Robert Looney, J.Bean and James Reed, Justices, Lodowick Lewis, Treasurer, and Lorenzo L. Lewis, Town Superintendent. In addition to the original town of La Crosse, the county, when organized, embraced the present counties of Jackson and Trempealeau, with a strip taken off the east of the original town. In the summer of 1851, the first county election was held: Timothy Burns was elected Judge, Wm. T. Price, Register of Deeds, Clerk of the Court, and Treasurer, and Robert Looney, Clerk of the Board. They had an election in the fall of 1851, when George Gale was elected Judge, A. Eldred, Sheriff, F.M. Rublee, Treasurer, C.A. Stevens Register of Deeds, and Robert Looney, Clerk of the Court, Clerk of the Board.

La Crosse may be said to have fairly taken a start this year. A road was laid out, in August, from the river, above the town running up the valley twenty-seven miles, to Wm. Pettit's the present site of the village of Sparta. This year, the mail was carried weekly from Prairie de Chien to St. Paul, by Reed and Shaufier. At the close of the year, in December a division of the Sons of Temperance was instituted, consisting of ten members, W.W. Ustick, W.P. The years 1852 and 1853, were prolific in many improvements in a physical, social , moral, and religious point of view. Many permanent buildings were erected, among them a large steam-mill, near the mouth of La Crosse River; Sunday schools were established, and Common Schools were earnestly promoted; a tax of $1,500 was voted for the purpose of erecting suitable buildings to accomodate the children; and a United States Land Office was opened in La Crosse on the first day of June, 1853. A Baptist Church was organized, under the care of Rev. W.H. Card, on the 22nd of January, 1852; and on the same day, the Congrgational Church of La Crosse was organized, under the labors of Rev. J.C. Sherwin. Both of said churches have commodious houses of public worship, and each sustains a large Sunday school, with a good library. A Library Company was organized under the laws of the State, in April, 1853; C.A. Stevens President, Edwin Flint, Vice President, Sam. D. Hastings, Clerk and Librarian.

Frontier Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, No. 45, commenced labor under dispensation granted, in October, 1852; and, in June, 1853, a charter was granted by the M.W.G.L. of the State of Wisconsin, the Lodge consecrated, and the officers duly installed. The first officers were, Morrison McMillian, W.M., Solomon Howe, S.W., J.R. Crossett, J.W., Col. E. Childs, Treasurer, C.A. Stevens, Secretary. La Crosse Lodge of I.O.O.F., No. 69, was instituted August 13th 1853, by the R.W.G.M., assisted by Theodore Rodolf D.G.M. The first officers were, Theodore Rodolf, P.G., Ira Myrick, NG., D.D. Cameron, V.G., John M.Levy, R.S., and George Farnham, T.

The first meeting of the County Borad of Supervisors, was held in La Crosse, on the 11th day of November, 1851; the Board consisted of Timothy Burns, town of La Crosse; J. Spaulding, town of Albion; Charles Whipple, town of Pine Valley; Robert Looney, Clerk. The first Court was held in the summer of 1851, in the frame buidling erected by John M. Levy, Wyram Knowlton presiding.

The village of La Crosse was organized as a city in 1856, by virtue of a charter granted the same year. The first officers were, Mayor, T.B. Stoddard; Aldermen of the First Ward, W.W. Crosby, Moses Clark, and James Moher, Alderman of the Second Ward, E.D. Campbell, W.H. Tucker, and George Sharpfe; Alderman of the Third Ward, C.A. Stevens, James Whalen, and Robert Looney; Peter Burns, Marshal; W.W. Wstick, Treasurer; H.Cramer, Superintendent; A. Moore, Cleak; Harvy E. Hubbard, Police Justice. Perhaps there is no surer indication of the rapid increase and intelligence of a community, than the increase of their mail facilities. In the year 1850, J.B. Miller, wa appointed Post Master. The record of his doings is lost, except the whole amount of postage received by him from the time of his appointment until August, 1852, which amounted to but $7.50. At the latter date, Simeon Kellogg was appointed Post Master.

They had but a weekly mail. The first mail made up by Simeon Kellogg, contained but eight letters. In July, 1854, Mr. Kellogg resigned, and the present incumbent, Harvey E. Hubbard, was appointed. The last mail Mr. Kellogg made up, contained 887 letters. The present number of letters mailed, as rendered July 1st, 1859, by Mr. hubbard, amounts to 2,000 weekly. Such, and so recently, was the beginning of La Crosse, now a city claiming over 7,000 inhabitants. I first reached the place in the fall of 1851. There were but a few homes at that time, and they were principally on the band of the river. The prairie was covered with claim shanties, made of rough borads, and of almost every conceivable shape. The land came into market in the fall of that year.

Information taken from the 1906 Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. This being a reprint from the Original Issue of 1859.