History of Towns in La Crosse County

Introduction:

Towns are a political division but should not be confused with the geographical system of townships. Townships are theoretically square tracts of land approximately six miles on each side and are based on the rectangular survey system. Sometimes the boundaries of a township are in alignment with the political town, but not always as seen in the map above.

Land and property records often cite a section, township and range number. These numbers represent the legal description of land and do not change even if political boundaries and names change. La Crosse County encompasses townships 15-19 north and ranges 5-9 west.

Town Divisions:

The Town of La Crosse existed from 1851 until 1856 when the city of La Crosse was chartered by the state legislature. From the original town lines, the towns of Shelby and Greenfield were created in 1856.

The Town of Bangor was first brought under town government as part of the Town of Pierce in 1852. It also included at that time the present Barre, parts of Hamilton, and all of Burns & Washington. In 1853 the name changed from Pierce to Barre. In 1856 the eastern portion of Barre was set off and organized into the Town of Burns.

The Town of Hamilton was originally called Neshonoc and included all of the Town of Burns originally and was organized in 1853. Burns broke off in 1854, and in 1866 the towns of Neshonoc and Barre were consolidated and became Hamilton. In 1874 part of the southern part was set off and organized into Barre.

The Town of Barre, the region also known as Bostwick Valley, originally included all of Bangor, Washington and the southern portion of Hamilton. Barre held its first town meeting in 1853. In 1856 the Town of Bangor was set off, and in 1867 Barre & Neshonoc were consolidated and called Hamilton. In early 1874 the present day Town of Barre was organized.

In 1856, the Town of Burns was set off from Barre and organized into a separate town. In 1857, the southern part of Burns was organized into a separate town called Buchanan and subsequently changed to Washington.

The Town of Washington was brought under town government originally as a part of Pierce, which was later named Barre. In 1856, the Town of Burns was set off from Barre and organized into a separate town. In 1857, the southern part of Burns was organized into a separate town called Buchanan and the name subsequently changed to Washington.

The Town of Holland was formed in 1857 and originally constituted a portion of Onalaska & Hamilton. In 1868 the Town of Jackson was divided and parts of Jackson & Onalaska were given to Holland.

The Town of Jackson was formed 1857 and was dismantled in 1868. The Town of Onalaska gained three sections from the breakup of the Town of Jackson in 1868, while the Town of Farmington was formed in 1868 upon the division of Jackson.

The Town of Medary was created in 1954 from the Town of Campbell. Not only had annexations made French Island even more of an island than before, but French Island residents were demanding services that the more rural town residents didn't want or need. The dividing line for the split was approximately Oak St. on La Crosse's north side; west of that line continued to be Town of Campbell; east of that line became Town of Medary.