Lumbering on the Black River at Onalaska, Wisconsin, 1852-1902

File(s)
Date
1974Author
Johnson, Dorothy Sagen
Advisor(s)
Gilkey, George R.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In the last half of the nineteenth century, the area of West
Central Wisconsin became synonymous with logging and the lumber
industry. As the forests of this region were being exploited to their
fullest, men and women poured into the regions along the rivers which
served as highways to the pineries. One of the main centers of activity
was an area which encompassed the point at which the Black River joins
the Mississippi. At this point, settlers established two rival settlements
within two years of each other. One of the cities, La Crosse,
became famous as a lumber town; the other, Onalaska, became a "boom
town", but never was able to rival her competitor in population or
economic growth.
The story of La Crosse and her lumbering history has often been
related in papers and theses, but the history of Onalaska has been only
half told in various civic directories, short newspaper articles, and
centennial brochures. Since local history has long fascinated me, and
since I am now a resident of Onalaska, I decided to explore Onalaska's
early history as a subject for my seminar paper. It soon became evident
that Onalaska history was also going to be a history of lumbering on the
Black River, since that industry was the reason Onalaska was established.
The purpose of this paper, then, is to recount briefly the history
of lumbering along the lower Black River, and to describe its effect
upon Onalaska from 1852 through 1902. By reading old newspapers, city
and county records, and various printed materials concerning the subject and area in question, I believe that I have been able to compile a
paper which is both interesting and informative, and academically
acceptable as a research project.
Subject
Onalaska (Wis.) -- History
Lumbering -- Wisconsin -- Onalaska -- History
Black River Valley (Taylor County-La Crosse County, Wis.) -- History