LA CROSSE, la kros'. A city and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wis.. 200 miles west by north of Milwaukee; at the confluence of the La Crosse and Black rivers with the Mississippi, and on the Chicago, Milwaukee and ;•saint Paul, the Chicago and Northwestern. the Chicago, Bur lington and Quincy, and the Green Bay, Winona and Saint Paul railroads (Map: Wisconsin, B 5). It is near extensive forests pine and hard-wood timber; has a large wholesale trade, being the market for a vast Section of the Northwest; and is noted for it manufactures, which include lumber, sash. doors and blinds, boots and shoes. plows and other agricultural implements, boilers and heavy machinery, car riages, rubber goods, cracker,. knit goods, flour, woolen goods, tanned leather, beer and ale, coop erage products, and cigars. The lumber mills have a capacity of over 1.000.000 feet per day.
The city ships also considerable quantities of seeds. La Crosse has a public library with over 20,000 volumes, a fine city hall, court-house, post office, county jail, opera houses, wagon bridge across the Mississippi River, and Lake and Petti bone parks, the latter on an island in the lis sissippi River. First permanently settled in 1841, La Crosse was incorporated as a city in 1S56, its present government being administered. under a revised charter of 1891, by a mayor, elected every two years, and a unicameral coun cil. which elects the health officer, board of edu cation. weighmaster, city attorney. and sors. Other officials are chosen by popular elec tion. The city owns and operates its water works. Population, in 1890, 25,090; in 1900, 2S,895.