This brief history of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, is not meant to be definitive, but will hopefully help the reader to gain some introductory knowledge. For further reading, we suggest the following materials:

Bryant, Benjamin F., ed. Memoirs of La Crosse County.... Madison, WI: Western Historical Assoc., 1907.

History of La Crosse County, Wisconsin : Its Settlement.... Chicago : Western Historical Pub. Co., 1881.

Kooiman, Barbara M. Southern La Crosse County, Wisconsin: Historic/Architectural Survey, Circa 1845 to 1950. La Crosse, WI: Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, 1998.

La Crosse County Historical Sketches. 8 vols. La Crosse, WI: La Crosse County Historical Society, 1931-1955.

Library of Congress. American Memory. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Program, 1936-1940. Pioneer Days of A. H. Bratferg.
      URL: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html then search for "bratferg." A broader search, such as "la crosse," will produce more pioneer stories from this series, as well as map, photographic images and other manuscript material dealing with La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Sanford, Albert H., and Hirshheimer, Harry J. A History of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1841-1900.
La Crosse, WI: La Crosse County Historical Society, 1951.

Wisconsin Historical Society. Office of School Services. Wisconsin Stories.
   An "American Letter" by Norwegian Immigrants.
      URL: http://wisconsinhistory.org/wisconsinstories/documents/norweigians/an.htm
   The Black Hawk War.
      URL: http://wisconsinhistory.org/wisconsinstories/documents/blackhawk/black.htm
   The Emigrant's Handbook and Guide to Wisconsin.
      URL: http://wisconsinhistory.org/wisconsinstories/documents/emigrants/emigrant.htm
   Life in a Lumber Camp.
      URL: http://wisconsinhistory.org/wisconsinstories/documents/lumber/hedidnt.htm
The Wisconsin Historical Society continually adds valuable primary and secondary source documents to its web site. Check them out at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/.

Wingate, Robert George. Settlement Patterns of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, 1850-1875. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Minnesota (Social Geography), Aug. 1975.

Wisconsin Cartographer's Guild. Wisconsin's Past and Present: A Historical Atlas. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998.