• Alsubaie, Azoz
  • Azoz, an international student from Saudi Arabia, found out how rules about public spaces are different than he expected.

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  • Amoapim, Patrice
  • Patrice Amoapim had an experience of racial stereotyping while out at a bar with friends.

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  • Asher, Toni
  • After becoming executive director of The Pumphouse, Toni Asher had her first personal experiences with the problem of homelessness in La Crosse.

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  • Bell, Kalon
  • After the decision not to indict the officer who shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Kalon Bell and his colleagues organized a march from the UWL campus to City Hall to have their voices heard.

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  • Black, Bernard
  • Bernard Black started African-American Cultural Alliances, and was surprised to find a need for furniture in our community.

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  • Boszhardt, Robert
  • Robert (Ernie) Boszhardt, an archaeologist of the Driftless Region, identifies the former Ho-Chunk cemetery where the Oktoberfest grounds are now located.

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  • Chao, Mai
  • “Two Rivers” by Mai Chao was awarded honorable mention in the 2017 Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Connell, Doug
  • Riding his bike one day, Doug Connell spotted a garage that he believed to be a Greek Revival house, and he saved it from demolition.

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  • Constalie, Kyle
  • Kyle Constalie’s poem, “Into Collision,” received second prize in the 2017 Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Crocker, Les
  • In 1978 Les Crocker went down to the Odin J. Oyen building and discovered stacks of old designs and drawings.

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  • Daly, Tegan
  • Tegan Daly’s poem, “Trauma Center,” tied for third prize in the 2017 Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Day, Micah
  • Micah Day benefited from the YMCA Teen Center so much that he decided to make a handmade table to thank them.

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  • DeNure, Chip
  • In 1998 Chip DeNure celebrated the results of the North-South Corridor referendum vote at Jules Coffee Shop.

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  • Doe, Jane
  • Jane Doe was a juror in a bar brawl case that was going to be dismissed until she fought for conviction.

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  • Erickson, Carol
  • Carol Erickson was involved in the Livable Neighborhoods organization that was instrumental in stopping road construction through the marsh.

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  • Evans , Camoya
  • Camoya Evans felt moved by Lillian Smith Davenport's grace to design her headstone over fifty years after Lillian's burial at Oak Grove Cemetery.

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  • Evans , Camoya
  • A Student of Color at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse questions the reasons for naming buildings after Alumni of Color.

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  • Falkenberg, Gene
  • Gene Falkenberg’s poem received honorable mention in the 2017 Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Fellows, Sarah
  • Sarah Fellows explains how her husband Sam "beat" the union for his employees at Doerflingers.

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  • Fellows, Sarah
  • Sarah Fellows had the job of procuring bananas for local merchants that were stored in her grandfather’s downtown warehouse and in storage rooms under Main Street in La Crosse.

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  • Freedland, Maureen
  • Maureen Freedland agreed to be a plaintiff in the case against the Ten Commandments Monument in Cameron Park.

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  • Green, Dan
  • Dan Green fights against stereotypical images of Native Americans, including the statue in Riverside Park.

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  • Grenisen, Jim
  • Jim Grenisen was one of the first people to explore a long forgotten fallout shelter in the basement of the Rivoli Theater.

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  • Gundersen, Alf
  • Alf Gundersen, a venereal disease specialist, persuaded his father to move the Gundersen Clinic from 3rd and Pearl to a location closer to the current hospital.

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  • Hill, Edwin
  • Edwin Hill and 30 other architectural preservationists held a protest to try to save the old post office in 1976. They were vastly outnumbered in their quest.

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  • Hoeschler, Jake
  • Jake Hoeschler had an amusing experience in a bar talking with a man who was complaining about Frank Hoeschler - not knowing that Jake was his nephew.

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  • Hoeschler, Jake
  • Jake Hoeschler's uncle Frank Hoeschler paid tribute to his German heritage on his buildings and businesses, but was accused of being anti-American.

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  • Holland, Jane
  • Jane Holland went to a local bar in 1982 with her husband and a friend, only to be kicked out because her two companions were perceived to be gay.

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  • Hotchkiss, Christina
  • After going through a difficult time and having no permanent place to live, Christina Hotchkiss' boss found a way to make sure she got into a safe living situation.

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  • Hotchkiss, Christina
  • Working with an interesting clientele and for a character of a boss at the Casino Bar was an impacting experience for Christina Hotchkiss.

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  • Houlihan, Susan
  • “River Walk” by Susan Houlihan tied for third prize in the 2017 Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Jeong, Rina
  • As an international student studying in La Crosse, Rina Jeong was extremely excited to go to The Pearl Ice Cream Shop, but she encountered some challenges as a non-English speaker in a new country.

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  • Jones, Tom
  • Tom Jones, an expert on Ho-Chunk basket weaving and a collector of baskets, describes this rare art form.

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  • Kahlow, Chris
  • Chris Kahlow chained herself to the row houses at 6th and Main to protest their demolition in 2004.

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  • Koch, William
  • William Koch describes the area of downtown La Crosse that included what at the time were called houses of "ill-fame."

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  • Kooiman, Barb
  • Barb went downtown with friends in 1979 and was offered a job as a stripper.

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  • Koski, Siiri
  • Siiri Koski attended the 2017 Pride in the Park as an out bisexual woman for the first time.

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  • Krump, David
  • “Ophelia Soft” by David Krump won first prize in the 2017 Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Lee, ChongCher
  • ChongCher Lee is reminded of the uncertainty of life in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp and the tremendous changes he has experienced throughout life.

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  • Littlejohn, Tracy
  • Tracy Littlejohn was involved in the process of bringing the trompe-l'oeil style mural to The Pump House and appreciated the efforts made to make the mural both historically and culturally reflective.

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  • Macías-González, Victor
  • In 2000 Victor Macías-González moved to La Crosse and frequented the gay bars.

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  • McCue, John
  • After not eating for a couple of days, John McCue stopped in the Tosa Club for some food despite having no money to pay for it.

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  • Micallef, Shawn
  • Shawn Micallef had a close encounter of the third kind in Riverside Park.

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  • Morris, Benjamin
  • Benjamin Morris felt compelled to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock and describes how his identity as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church shaped his experiences.

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  • Morris, Benjamin
  • Benjamin Morris, a hunter and gun owner, discusses helping organize the La Crosse March For Our Lives protest at Cameron Park that occurred in 2018.

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  • Moss, Robbie
  • As one of the only Black women in La Crosse, Robbie Moss experienced microaggressions while shopping downtown in the mid-1900s.

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  • O’Sullivan, Mary
  • Mary O’Sullivan and others of the lesbian community of La Crosse, had great fun buying out-of-date tuxedos from Desmonds Formal Wear.

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  • Pappas, Paul
  • After returning from the Army and not finding a place to fit-in, Paul Pappas rented a room and lived in the YMCA in La Crosse for five or six years.

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  • Parker, Kate
  • Kate Parker attended La Crosse SOUP to help raise funds for a wedding between two people experiencing homelessness.

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  • Peeples, Martin
  • Martin Peeples was uncomfortable with people who experienced homelessness until he became homeless himself.

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  • Peterson, Elmer
  • Elmer Peterson was asked to create a sculpture for the city of La Crosse and chose to depict lacrosse players to honor the history of the area.

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  • Pfafflin, Jim
  • The La Crosse Regional Airport is not just an airport for Jim Pfafflin; instead, it’s his family’s homestead and his father’s legacy.

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  • Polacek, Jessica
  • At a Black Lives Matter solidarity rally in Cameron Park, Jessica Polacek emphasizes that the Black community in La Crosse has the support of allies.

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  • Reinert, Rose
  • Rose Reinert recalls her experience resigning from her position on the Human Rights Commission.

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  • Rodriguez, Ernesto
  • Ernesto (Ernie) Rodriguez was surprised the police stopped him while walking downtown.

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  • Rodriguez, Ernesto
  • Ernesto (Ernie) Rodriguez experienced an instance of prejudice while walking down the street.

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  • Satory, John
  • Before its demolition John Satory removed the Italian marble from Hotel Stoddard only to find evidence of how the building was planned and used.

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  • Schaettle, Karl
  • Karl Schaettle was there the night an automobile accident caused serious damage to the Mount Vernon Street Bridge.

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  • Schley, Jane
  • Jane Schley attended the La Crosse Oktoberfest festivities as a college freshman in 1974 and had an unpleasant encounter with the police.

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  • Sigman, Michael
  • Since 2003, Michael Sigman has been associated with the La Crosse Concert Band that has been performing for over a century.

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  • Snow, Anne
  • Executive director, Anne Snow, turned her idea into a reality by making an old furniture building into a Children's Museum.

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  • Spivey, Shaundel
  • Shaundel Spivey witnessed a fight outside a bar in downtown La Crosse, and after speaking out when he saw unfair treatment of people based on race, he himself ended up being arrested.

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  • Stobb, William
  • William Stobb’s poem, “Fun,” inspired the the Hear, Here Poetry Contest.

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  • Van Roosenbeek, Will
  • Will Van Roosenbeek tells of a LGBT bookstore called Rainbow Revolution that was located on 5th Avenue.

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  • Vang, Vandali
  • Vandali Vang, a Hmoob student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, encounters the La Crosse Police while downtown with friends.

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  • Wagner, Hunter
  • Hunter Wagner is a blind high school student who urban hikes in downtown La Crosse.

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  • Williams, Antoiwana
  • On the day of her graduation from UW-La Crosse, Antoiwana Williams was called the N-word.

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  • Winter, Gustave
  • During his childhood, Gustave Winter, born 1888, delivered packages to prostitutes in the red light district of La Crosse.

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  • Xiong, Xong
  • The Hmoob experience with war influenced Xong Xiong to engage in an anti-war protest in a congressman’s office.

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  • Yang, Nauhoua
  • Nauhoua (Tony) Yang fled from his home to a Thai refugee camp before finding a new home in La Crosse.

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  • Zaragoza, James
  • The Catholic Charities Winter Warming Center offered James Zaragoza a taste of home.

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  • Zierke, Richard
  • Richard Zierke started working at Heileman Brewery as a young man and appreciated the family atmosphere that existed before a new owner took over.

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