Title: La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Parks, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Parks
Bulk Dates: 1900-1932
Inclusive Dates: 1869-1932

Creator:

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

Unique Identifier: La Crosse Series 020

Quantity: 1.4 cubic feet

Physical Description: 4 archives boxes

Repository:

La Crosse Public Library
Contact Information

Archival Location:

La Crosse Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Common Council resolutions & reports relating to the city parks, 1869-1932. The materials are separated alphabetically into subject categories, then chronologically within the folders. The bulk of the resolutions date after 1900. The best represented subjects in the series are Cameron, Copeland, Myrick, Powell, and Riverside Parks, as well as financial documents. Until 1908 the Committee on Parks, a committee of the Common Council, authorized expenditures and oversaw the administration of parks, while Public Works actually maintained the city parks. In 1908 the Council passed an ordinance establishing a Board of Park Commissioners and a Park Department to assume those supervisory duties. Over time, the Park Department crew became large enough to handle the daily maintenance operations of the parks.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.lcpl-lacrosseseries020

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

42449765

(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

[Identification of item], La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Parks, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Parks, La Crosse Series 020, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering with assistance from Carrie Seib, May 1997; additions interfiled by Jaime Dechant, Jan. 1999

The resolutions are organized alphabetically by subject, therein chronologically. Originally the files were arranged strictly in chronological order. Very brittle paper has been deacidified, and some items encapsulated. A few blueprints are included in the files. The Archives staff assigned a file number to each piece of legislation in the hopes of creating an index in the future. These are labeled on the documents in brackets and are noted in the container list as file numbers.

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 labeled as Parks.

The resolutions consist generally of expenditures, land acquisition proposals, maintenance of parks and boulevard trees, and items relating to parks (comfort stations, tennis courts, ice skating rinks, etc.), mainly dating from 1900-1932. Not all parks are represented in these Council files. The parks best represented are Cameron, Copeland, Myrick, Powell, and Riverside.

Until 1908 the care and maintenance of city parks fell under the jurisdiction of Public Works. A Common Council committee called the Park Committee authorized expenditures and generally administered Council policy regarding city parks. It is unclear when this committee was established, but the first Council legislation in the resolution files relating to parks is dated 1869, and it dealt with Cameron Park (then referred to as 4th Street Park).

A Board of Park Commissioners was established on May 15, 1908, and two park districts were created. Mayor Wendell A. Anderson was very supportive of the city's involvement in the creation of parks and was instrumental in the construction of Riverside Park. Riverside Park was a major endeavor in terms of land acquisition from individuals, commercial interests, and the railroads, and a great cost since so much fill was hauled in along the riverfront. One of the first things the Board of Park Commissioners did was to hire landscape architect John Nolen to devise a master plan for parks in La Crosse. The Park Department was not only in charge of city parks, but the trees on boulevards and streets, and the landscaping of playgrounds and schools.

The parks have gone through many name changes, some officially and some were casual names given to them by residents. The most common names of parks that the Archives staff is aware of and that are represented in this series are the following:

Adams St. Playfield

Hood Park

Burns

Main St. Park, High School Park, 7th St. Park

Cameron

4th St. Park, 4th Ward Park, Public Square, King St. Park

Memorial Field

Interstate Fairgrounds, Fairgrounds Park

Myrick

Oak Grove, Oakwood, Lake Park

Powell

West Ave. Playfield

Riverside

Levee, Riverfront Park

Spence

Public Landing, "park at the end of State St."

(La Crosse Series 013)

La Crosse, Wisconsin, City Park and Recreation Department Records

(La Crosse Series 017)

La Crosse, Wisconsin, Common Council Resolutions and Reports

(La Crosse Series 022)

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

• La Crosse (Wis.). Common Council.
• Municipal government--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Parks--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Public records--Wisconsin--La Crosse

File #001-004 Box 1   Folder 1	Band concerts, 1916-1932
File #005-007A Box 1   Folder 2	Baseball, 1922-1925
File #008-011 Box 1   Folder 3	Board of Park Commissioners, 1908-1910
File #012-017B Box 1   Folder 4	Burns Park, 1871-1904
File #018-030 Box 1   Folder 5	Cameron Park, 1869-1924
File #030A Box 1   Folder 5A	Campbell Cemetery, 1932
File #031X-063 Box 1   Folder 6	Copeland Park, 1909-1932
File #064-177B Box 1   Folder 7-8	Financial reports and budgets, 1871-1922
File #178-180 Box 1   Folder 9	Forest Avenue Parkway, 1902-1931
File #181-186 Box 2   Folder 1	Grandad Bluff, 1923-1932
File #187-187E Box 2   Folder 2	Hixon Forest, 1913-1932
File #187F-194 Box 2   Folder 3	Hood Park, 1910-1924
File #195-200 Box 2   Folder 4	Ice skating rinks, 1906-1931
File #201-203 Box 2   Folder 5	Insect and pest control, 1886, 1927
File #204-204A Box 2   Folder 6	Island #105 proposed purchase, 1915
File #205-206J Box 2   Folder 7	Isle la Plume/Taylor Island, 1909-1931
File #207-213 Box 2   Folder 8	Memorial Field, 1883-1932
File #213K-245B Box 2   Folder 9	Myrick Park, 1873-1931
File #246 Box 2   Folder 10	North Side boat landing, 1908
	North Side proposed parks
File #247-251 Box 2   Folder 11	Canterbury Park, 1894-1895
File #251A-251C Box 2   Folder 11A	Monitor St., 1923-1924
File #252-253A Box 2   Folder 12	Old Shooting Park Addition, 1895-1901
File #253B-254 Box 2   Folder 13	Park Addition, 1876-1887
File #255-259A Box 2   Folder 14	Park Department administrative matters, 1914-1924
File #260-307 Box 2   Folder 15	Pettibone Park, 1901-1932
File #308-309 Box 3   Folder 1	Playgrounds, 1909
File #310-314A Box 3   Folder 2	Powell Park, 1910-1930
File #315-396C Box 3   Folder 3-5	Riverside Park, 1900-1932
	South Side proposed parks
File #397-410 Box 3   Folder 6	Durand and Hill Addition, 1885-1888
File #411 Box 3   Folder 7	Simonton, 1876
File #412 Box 4   Folder 1	Spence/Reynolds (fractional lot 1, section 31-17-7), 1924
File #413-419 Box 4   Folder 2	Spece Park, 1898-1906
File #420-424 Box 4   Folder 3	Tennis courts, 1916-1931
File #425-454 Box 4   Folder 4	Trees and tree removal, 1878-1931