La Crosse

La Crosse lə krôs [key], city (1990 pop. 51,003), seat of La Crosse co., W Wis., at the foot of high bluffs on the Mississippi, where the La Crosse and Black rivers meet; inc. 1856. Metal products, machinery, building materials, apparel, transportation equipment, and foods and beverages are made in La Crosse. A French fur-trading post was there in the late 18th cent. Later, the city had a thriving lumber industry. A campus of the Univ. of Wisconsin, Viterbo Univ., and a U.S. fish hatchery and experimental farm are in La Crosse. The city also has a zoo, an aquarium, and a historical museum.

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