Title: La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Bridges, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Bridges
Date: 1857-1932

Creator:

• La Crosse (Wis.). Committee on Bridges.

Unique Identifier: La Crosse Series 024

Quantity: 1.2 cubic feet

Physical Description: 3 archives boxes

Repository:

La Crosse Public Library
Contact Information

Archival Location:

La Crosse Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Resolutions and reports from the Committee on Bridges to the Common Council, 1857-1932. The materials are arranged by bridge location; therein, chronologically. There isn’t any further indexing to this collection at this time other than what the City Clerk has on index cards. The reports are mostly requests for new or improvements to existing bridges.

Bridges best represented in this series are the main and west channel bridges across the Mississippi River, including the ice or winter bridge, and the road (Highwater Road) from the west end of the wagon bridge to La Crescent, MN, 1888-1932. Other bridge areas that have some substance in this series are La Crosse River (n.d.; 1859-1922), Isle la Plume (1857-1931), Pettibone Park (1880-1917), Black River (1891-1926), and the Causeway [Plank Road], (1867-1919).

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.lcpl-lacrosseseries024

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42450742

(Accession no. 1996.004) Resolutions were located in the City Clerk’s basement area of City Hall; came to the Archives as part of the Mayor’s Special Committee on Historic Records, Dec. 1996

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

[Identification of item], La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Bridges, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Bridges, La Crosse Series 024, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering with assistance from Jaime Dechant, July 1998

Common Council resolutions and reports began to be organized by a numbering system in Dec. 1932. Before that time the resolutions were kept folded up in chronological order, roughly by subject or Council committee (such as Parks, Judiciary, Fire, Police, etc.). This set of pre-1932 resolutions represents those labelled as Bridges, and date from 1857-1932.

The original order of these reports was not maintained. In arranging this series, the resolutions were grouped together by the location of the bridges; therein, chronologically. Railroad bridges are NOT included in this series. Railroads built and maintained their own bridges. This series represents bridges constructed under the authority of the city of La Crosse. In a few cases, private citizens representing certain industries asked the Common Council for permission to construct their own bridges to facilitate ease in transportation.

Bridges best represented in this series are the main and west channel bridges across the Mississippi River, and the road from the west end of the wagon bridge to La Crescent, MN, 1888-1932. What is unusual here is the inclusion of deeds for right-of-way and other agreements made with property owners in 1888-1891 in order to build the series of bridges and improve the roadway to La Crescent. Resolutions regarding the lifting of the toll can be found in the general resolutions subseries. Other bridge areas that have some substance in this series are La Crosse River (n.d.; 1859-1922), Isle la Plume (1857-1931), Pettibone Park (1880-1917), Black River (1891-1926), and the Causeway [Plank Road], (1867-1919).

Although this series consists of non-railroad bridges, the railroads did play a role in the history of the Mississippi River Wagon bridge, completed in 1891. A battle between the interests of the Southern Minnesota Railroad and those of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad raged until 1876 when the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad constructed a bridge across the Mississippi River in North La Crosse. Congress had to give permission for any bridge spanning over the Mississippi so that river transportation or navigation would not be jeopardized. In the 1870s and 1880s, many proposals for new bridge or ferry projects across the main river channel fell apart. Residents hoped that the proposed Southern Minnesota Railroad bridge, planned for at the end of Mount Vernon Street in the 1870s, could somehow be a combination wagon and railroad bridge. But the Southern Minnesota Railroad was unable financially to complete a bridge.

Because the river was considered unnavigable in the winter, the city of La Crosse was able to construct a “winter bridge” or ice bridge across the Mississippi River after the close of navigation in the fall without permission from the federal government. “Winter bridges were built of piling, driven through the ice, and timbers in the usual way, but with opening of navigation in spring they were removed.”(1) Because of the extreme cost of ferrying teams, goods, and people across the Mississippi River in the monopolized public ferry boats, the “winter bridge” was very popular. “During two months of free winter crossing, nearly as many Minnesota teams came to La Crosse as during the entire navigation season.”(2)

To promote commerce and communication, it was imperative that a bridge across the Mississippi River be built to accommodate teams, wagons, and people to and from La Crosse, Wisconsin, and La Crescent, Minnesota. Minnesota Farmers were taking their produce and business to other Minnesota towns, such as Winona, even though La Crosse paid higher prices for these goods.

Financed by a $70,000 city bond issue approved by La Crosse voters, plans for a wagon bridge across the Mississippi River were underway by 1888.(3) The Department of War and the U.S. Corps of Engineers initially did not like the bridge plans or the proposal to have the bridge be connected to the end of Pearl Street. But the plans were altered to accommodate a Mount Vernon approach, and by 1891, a toll drawbridge was completed, as well as a pontoon bridge that spanned the west channel, and a “highwater road” and several small bridges to La Crescent, MN. The toll on the main channel bridge was lifted in 1919. The state took over maintenance of the bridge in 1930.(4)

This main channel drawbridge stood until Aug. 1935 when a fatal traffic accident caused 131 feet of the western side of the bridge to collapse into the river.(5) A new main channel bridge was completed that connected Cass Street to Pettibone Island in Sept/Oct. 1939. The $1,500,000 main channel bridge was constructed by the Wisconsin Highway Commission, just on the heels of a new west channel bridge completed in 1936 as a joint Wisconsin-Minnesota Highway Commission project.(6) At the time, it was the “largest project ever undertaken by the state, the building of this bridge has been a project in which cooperation between city, county and state has been exemplified to a high degree.”(7)

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(1) Albert H. Sanford and H.J. Hirshheimer, A History of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1841-1900 (La Crosse, WI : La Crosse County Historical Society), 1951: 152; and La Crosse Democrat, 21 Oct. 1870. In the Sanford & Hirshheimer book, there is also a good description of the ferry monopoly across the Mississippi River from 1857-1869.

(2) Ibid., and Republican & Leader 3 Jan. 1883.

(3) For a good brief article on the history of the 1891 “High Bridge”, consult E.H. Hoffman, “Curbstone Pickups,” La Crosse Tribune 21 Sept. 1939.

(4) “Working Days on Old Bridge End Saturday for Tenders and Engineers...” La Crosse Tribune 21 Sept. 1939.

(5) “Two Drown as Mississippi River Bridge Caves in Under Automobile,” La Crosse Tribune 9 Aug. 1935: 1.

(6) “New West Channel Bridge,” La Crosse Tribune 1 Jan. 1936.

(7) “Highway Commission Shares City’s Satisfaction in Bridge Completion,” La Crosse Tribune 21 Sept. 1939.

(La Crosse Series 011)

La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Streets and Alleys, Resolutions and Reports on Streets and Alleys

(La Crosse Series 022)

La Crosse, Wisconsin, Office of the City Clerk, Reports of City Officers

• La Crosse (Wis.). Common Council.
• Bridges--Mississippi River
• Bridges--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Municipal government--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Public records--Wisconsin--La Crosse

Box 1   Folder 1	General topics, 1886-1932
Box 1   Folder 2	Black River, 1891-1926
Box 1   Folder 3	Causeway (Plank Road), 1867-1919
Box 1   Folder 4	Clinton Street, 1905-1923
Box 1   Folder 5	Division Street (Colman Lumber private bridge), 1880
Box 1   Folder 6	Finance, 1870-1928
Box 1   Folder 7	Gould/Hagar Street viaduct, 1914
Box 1   Folder 8	Gordon Ferry bridge, 1895
Box 1   Folder 9	Green Island (running slough), 1914
Box 1   Folder 10	Gund Hill gully, 1900-1901
Box 1   Folder 11	Isle la Plume, 1857-1931
Box 1   Folder 12-13	La Crosse River, 1859-1922
	Mississippi River
Box 1   Folder 14	Ice bridge (winter bridge), 1870-1902
Box 1   Folder 15-16	Road to La Crescent, Minnesota and La Crescent Road bridges (Highwater Road, Pettibone Highway extension), 1888-1932
	Wagon Bridge (drawbridge)
Box 2	General resolutions, 1880-1932
Box 3   Folder 1-2	Deeds, 1888-1894
	West Channel (Pontoon Bridge)
Box 3   Folder 3-4	General resolutions, 1888-1932
Box 3   Folder 5	Dams, 1903
Box 3   Folder 6	Pettibone Park, 1880-1917
Box 3   Folder 7	Rose Street, 1883-1927
Box 3   Folder 8	St. Andrews Street, 1888-1924
Box 3   Folder 9	Sumner Street (Holway Lumber private bridge), 1882
Box 3   Folder 10	Swift Creek, 1903-1927