La Crosse, a S. W. county of Wisconsin, separated from Minnesota by the Mississippi river, bounded N. W. by Black river, and drained by the La Crosse; area, 450 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 20,297. The surface is undulating and generally well timbered, and the soil is fertile. The chief productions in 1870 were 581,485 bushels of wheat, 21,789 of rye, 192,503 of Indian corn, 286,126 of oats, 25,985 of barley, 66,526 of potatoes, 27,179 lbs. of wool, 182,501 of hops, 248,638 of butter, and 15,297 tons of hay. There were 3,486 horses, 4,438 milch cows, 5,231 other cattle, 9,288 sheep, and 4,408 swine; 2 manufactories of agricultural implements, 1 of boats, 3 of carriages, 1 of iron castings, 1 of machinery, 4 of saddlery and harness, 1 of sash, doors, and blinds, 5 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware, 1 of woollen goods, 4 breweries, 7 saw mills, and 1 bridge-building establishment. Capital, La Crosse.

La Crosse #1

La Crosse, a city and the capital of La Crosse co., Wisconsin, on the E. bank of the Mississippi river, at the mouth of the Black and La Crosse rivers, 105 m. W. N. W. of Madison and 175 m. W. N. W. of Milwaukee; pop. in 1860, 3,860; in 1870, 7,785; in 1874, including the village of North La Crosse annexed in 1871, estimated by local authorities at 13,000. It is finely situated on a level prairie, and has many handsome buildings, including the court house, which cost $40,000, the post office, an opera 'house, and the high school building. It has ample railroad communication by means of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, the Chicago and Northwestern, the La Crosse, Trempealeau, and Prescott, the Southern Minnesota, and the Chicago, Dubuque, and Minnesota lines. • The city has an extensive trade in lumber, and contains a large manufactory of saddlery and harness, a plough factory, three founderies and machine shops, a grist mill, a large sash, door, and blind factory, several breweries, nine saw mills, and three banking houses. The United States courts for the TV. district of Wisconsin hold one session here annually.

There are flourishing graded schools, a young men's library of 2,400 volumes, two daily and five weekly (one German and one Norwegian) newspapers, a semi-monthly periodical, and 17 churches. - La Crosse was first laid out in 1851, though an establishment for trading with the Indians existed as early as 1841. It was incorporated as a city in 1856.