Hiawatha Nostalgia

Peggy Derrick

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Catalog Number: 2016.009.01

This Things That Matter installment is dedicated to Hiawatha. Not the historic Hiawatha revered by some Native Americans, but the other Hiawatha, the one that European-Americans have romanticized and idolized ever since Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem was published in 1855.

Several generations of schoolchildren memorized passages from “The Song of Hiawatha,” and other artists, writers and musicians used it as inspiration for a century or more. The influence of Longfellow’s noble savage, who supplanted authentic Indian history in mainstream culture, was broad and deep.

This is the “Hiawatha” who stands watch at the north end of La Crosse’s Riverside Park, observing the citizens of La Crosse, as they argue past each other about his attributes. Does he honor the Native Americans of the region? Or does he negate the very reality of their existence?

This technical drawing is one of Anthony Zimmerhakl’s original plans for the statue. It shows an armature of iron rods around double central beams, confirming that the statue is hollow. Notes on the drawing reflect the artist’s thought process and show his understanding of his medium — concrete. There also is a note in another handwriting that states: “this is one of 4 original sketches of the Big Indian in Riverside Park drawn by Anthony Zimmerhakl. Verified by S.J. Zimmerhakl son + co-worker.”

This sketch is in the collection of the La Crosse County Historical Society; it was donated by Mary A. Grass, a former Zimmerhakl neighbor.

As executive director of the La Crosse County Historical Society, I have an ulterior motive for writing about the controversial statue. I want to toot our horn and let readers know about an opportunity to learn the real history of the statue in Riverside Park. One of the best-kept secrets in La Crosse is our quarterly newsletter, Past, Present & Future, which members receive and always features a lengthy article about local history.

In the past two years, we have published articles about local architecture, Hmong resettlement in La Crosse, German singing and shooting societies, and the first female minister to serve at a church here. Any story of life in the Coulee Region is a candidate to be documented in Past, Present & Future. Ours is the only publication focusing on La Crosse regional history, and our articles are well-researched and well-written.

After realizing how little people know about how the statue in Riverside Park got there or why it is called “Hiawatha,” we decided to dedicate an issue to its history. We also invited a couple of respected local writers to give their personal perspectives on the controversy. LCHS is not taking a side in this dispute, but we think we have a role to play in both educating the public about the history behind the statue and in providing a respected public venue for the sharing of ideas.

Recent discussions have led me to believe that public opinion is becoming more divided, even as we approach a point at which the city may determine that it doesn’t want to be defined by an anachronistic mid-20th century roadside attraction. In that case, “Hiawatha” will either come down or be moved elsewhere. If that happens, he will be missed by many, and they may feel that their history, their identity, is being taken from them and being publicly erased.

Personal memories we share with others are the most basic level of community identity. As a local historian, I cannot ignore or dismiss that. It matters. It’s part of who we are. But it is also a part of who we are not, and that is the crux of this dilemma.

I believe La Crosse can resolve this issue in a successful, positive way. Understanding how we got here is a crucial first step; understanding other points of view is another step. This is why the historical society has addressed both those steps in our March newsletter.

I don’t pretend to have the answer, but I have sympathy for both sides, and my hope is that a people as caring and as resilient as the residents of La Crosse can figure out a way to reframe this discussion so it becomes a question of how we can recognize and support each other’s needs, not just how we can get our way.

If you would like to read more about the history of the statue and become an informed participant in this process, please become a member of your historical society. Give our office a call at 608-782-1980 or visit our website. All members receive a subscription to Past, Present & Future, and membership is a great way to support local historic research.

The more our past is a shared story, the more La Crosse’s future will be a shared future.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on March 3, 2018.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Police Flashlight

Ben Hudrilik

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Catalog Number: 1998.004.02

This large 3-in-1 flashlight was produced mostly in the 1920s. It was advertised to police, firefighters, railroads and the Boy Scouts for signaling. Made by Yale-Brand, this flashlight is equipped with a basic searchlight, a red light and a green light, all capable of being turned on or off independently with the three switches.

The different colored lights of the flashlight could be used for different things. The red light and green lights could be used for traffic control, emergencies or railroad use in which the user would have to signal “stop” and “go.” The main light would just be used as a basic search light in the dark.

Donated by the Stahr family, this flashlight was the personal equipment of Carl Stahr, who served in the La Crosse Police Department from 1953 to 1979. Stahr was originally from Winona, but came to La Crosse and worked at the Electric Auto-Lite Company before joining the police force at the age of 30.

Stahr served on the force for more than 30 years, and had his fair share of excitement. He was involved in a high-speed chase after a car was stolen by a soldier from Fort McCoy; arrested a Chicago murderer at the bus depot; and found run-away underage go-go girls in the downtown bars.

Stahr’s most famous encounter was when he was off-duty. His neighbor had caught on fire in a garage explosion and Stahr jumped the neighbor’s fence to assist him by putting him out and helping to control and extinguish the fire in the garage. Stahr was given an Officer’s Award for attempting to save the life of his neighbor in this heroic act, but unfortunately the neighbor died of his burns later in the hospital.

Carl Stahr may have acquired this flashlight as a young boy in the late 1920s or early ’30s, when they were most popular: Perhaps he used it in the Scouts. Or, it may have been handed down to him in his in his early years on the police force, in which case he could have used it while he worked the night shift. Unfortunately, we can’t say for certain whether Stahr ever used this flashlight while working as a La Crosse police officer.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on February 24, 2018.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Recipes from the Spence-McCord Drug Co.

Hailey Hudzinski

Catalog Number:  2017.020.01

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

The Spence-McCord Drug Co. was formed after the 1905 merger of the James McCord Drug Co. (founded in 1864) and the T.H. Spence Drug Co. (founded in 1874).

The company first occupied a four-story brick building in downtown La Crosse that was destroyed in a May 4, 1905, fire. The building next door, then home to the Funke Candy Co., was badly damaged.

The Funke Candy built its factory in 1898 on the site of the first building in La Crosse, a log cabin constructed in 1842 by Nathan Myrick. He established a trading post here and is generally recognized as the founder of modern La Crosse. The candy company operated in this building for 35 years until its closure in 1933. In 1937, Spence-McCord moved into the vacated building and operated there until 1963, when it expanded into a warehouse and office building at 1502 Miller St. The downtown building was sold to the owners of Ross Furniture. Since 2014, the building has been home to the Charmant Hotel.

The expansion and success of Spence-McCord was not just limited to La Crosse. Although the company was founded here, it operated offices in Mankato, Minn., Green Bay and Madison.

Spence-McCord also played a significant role in efforts to eliminate polio. In 1958, Spence-McCord published a series of ads in the La Crosse Tribune reminding citizens to receive the vaccine. In 1961, Spence-McCord’s Green Bay office received the first shipment of the Sabin oral polio vaccine in northeastern Wisconsin, which was then shipped to area doctors, hospitals and drug stores. In 1963 and 1964, Spence-McCord aided in polio immunization programs in both La Crosse and Green Bay. In Green Bay, the clinic offered the vaccine free of charge but encouraged a 50-cent donation to cover the cost.

Not only did the company provide essential vaccines, it also created recipes for a variety of items. The La Crosse County Historical Society received a donated Spence-McCord recipe box from Shirley Lesky, who worked in the company’s accounts payable department for more than 20 years. She kept the box as a memento when the business closed in 1973 — and we’re glad she did.

It contains recipes for a variety of balms, lotions and ointments, some more conventional than others. A recipe for bedbug exterminator calls for corrosive sublimate and wood alcohol. Spence-McCord’s grasshopper poison requires bran, molasses, Paris green or crude arsenic, amyl acetate and water. Mosquito dope (my personal favorite) calls for olive oil, sassafras oil, spirit of camphor, citronella oil and eucalyptus oil.

For more original Spence-McCord recipes, visit our website, wwww.lchshistory.org, but, please, don’t try them at home.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on February 18, 2018.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.