La Crosse: Teacher Resources

Segment One: Early History
The city that grew up on a river prairie today retains that beauty, thanks to the un-glaciated topography and the confluence of 3 rivers.
Watch video (06:14)

Segment Two: Oneota
In the 1920s and 30s, archaeologists from the Milwaukee Public Museum found artifacts that began to define a culture called Oneota. Watch video (05:08)

Segment Three: Steam
In 1858, the Milwaukee and La Crosse Railroad tunneled through the hills near Tomah, and arrived in La Crosse, beginning an era when steam engines, and steam-powered sawmills drove the economy. Watch video (08:50)

Segment Four: Medicine Men
In 1891, a newly-minted physician from Norway named Adolf Gundersen arrived in La Crosse, and medical care in the city would soon undergo a revolution.
Watch video (10:10)

Segment Five: Reinvention
As the lumber industry that built the city of La Crosse disappeared, and the city set about the task of reinventing itself.
Watch video (10:36)

Segment Six: College Town
The growth of its three colleges aided the city’s adaptation to the post-lumber economy.
Watch video (04:22)

Segment Seven: Ebb and Flow
High tech and higher education now characterize La Crosse, as it now hosts more than 15,000 college students at its three colleges, and its regional medical industry has become the city’s largest employer. Watch video (09:29)