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My name is Rebecca Maloney and I am the temporary county coordinator for LaCrosse County.  If you have any corrections or additions for this site please email me

Origin of La Crosse, Wisconsin

The name of La Crosse is of pure French origin. When the French explorers and traders ascended the Mississippi River...., they saw the Indians playing a game on the prairie that stretched two miles eastward from the bluffs. This was a ball game played with a long handed racquet that reminded the French of their tennis game which they called "la crosse".

Description from John W. Hunt's 1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer: "PRAIRIE LA CROSSE, is the name given to the beautiful prairie at the mouth of La Crosse river, it was formerly an Indian trading station, and was frequented by them for the purpose of playing their favorite game of ball, from which fact the river now known as La Crosse river, derived its original name of Ball river."

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WIGenWeb State Coordinator:  Marcia Ann Kuehl WIGenWeb Assistant State Coordinator:  Rebecca Maloney La Crosse County Coordinator:  AVAILABLE!! Copyright 2010 - by the WIGenWeb Team.  All rights reserved.  Copyright of submitted items belongs to those responsible for their authorship or creation unless otherwise assigned.