Editor’s Note: Please welcome author and lacrosse historian Alan Childs to the LaxAllStars.com family. Alan has not only authored children’s books like Flamethrowers: Guardians of the Game, but he has also dedicated much of his time to uncovering the rich history of the game of lacrosse, specifically in Minnesota and through the Midwest. We are extremely excited to start sharing some of Alan’s favorite discoveries, starting this week with the true story behind La Crosse, Wisconsin!
When Dave White wanted to revive the sport of lacrosse in the Twin Cities area, he had to find transplanted lacrosse players who might have moved to Minnesota.
Why, because the game of lacrosse had disappeared from the culture of Minnesota.
Dave White arrived here from Ohio back in the 1970s, and he didn’t have the luxury of cellphones, the internet, or tools like Google, Facebook, or Twitter to send out his desire to start a lacrosse program.
So what Dave did was create a bumper sticker that read:
It worked. Dave got stopped by people who said they played lacrosse growing up and joined Dave in creating the Twin Cities Lacrosse Club.
But why is there a town named La Crosse, which is just south east of the twin cities across the river in Wisconsin?
History Lesson – Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, President Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase from the French.
Louis and Clark were then sent, by order of the President, to map the new United States territory.
In Clark’s report to the President, he cited that a fortified trading post should be established near St. Peter’s falls or St. Anthony falls. Today this area is near the City of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Given the main means of trade was canoe, building a fort for people to canoe on the rivers and trader furs and other items made sense for the First Nations and fur traders. Fort Snelling would be built there, right where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers come together.
Lieutenant Zebulon Pike was sent in 1805 to acquired 100,000 acres in this area from the St. Peter to the Mendota area. On his journey Lieutenant Pike observed a lacrosse game being played on the eastern shore of the Mississippi river.
In Pike’s journal entry of 1805, he expressly stated that the area name originated from the “French name of the game of ball played by the Indians at this place.”
The place Pike was referring to on his journey he called Prairie de La Crosse.
So, why is there a town named La Crosse in Wisconsin?
When a city was founded along this same eastern shore of the Mississippi river in Wisconsin, they would use the name that Lieutenant Pike had used in his journal, Prairie de La Crosse. By the 1850s the town had shortened the name to, La Crosse.
Today, in downtown La Crosse, near the Mississippi river, is a statue dedicated to the game that the town is named after.
Dedicated in 1981 this shows the local nations playing the game of lacrosse using their style of sticks.
What makes the area of La Crosse, Wisconsin special for playing lacrosse?
When the First Nations lived in this area in 1500s, about the time the game started in Wisconsin, there were no turf fields available or other areas dedicated to sports. Lawn mowers hadn’t been invented and grass would grow tall making it tough to find a lacrosse ball.
In the areas near the rivers where the water would rise and recede, the grass would naturally bend over and stay down. This feature of the grass, plus the area was generally flat from the consistent river flooding, made this spot around the Mississippi River ideal for playing lacrosse.
So when spring came the Ojibwe, Fox, and other nations would gather to play their spring games near the river. Many lakes also had this feature of flat lying grass and flat lands where games would be popular to play.
How did lacrosse come to the Midwest? I thought it was an Eastern Sport?
In future articles we will explore in more detail on this topic, but a simple overview is in order. The Algonquians who were the forefathers of the Ojibwe, Odawa, Sauk, Fox, and other nations lived on the eastern shores of turtle island near what is now Newfoundland, or where the St. Lawrence River empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
Most scholars agree the birthplace or cradle of lacrosse was the St. Lawrence River valley area. Here the ancestors of the Ojibwe designed and developed a team game that would later be seen by the Jesuit missionaries and Dr. Beers who would write the first rules of lacrosse.
Around 900 A.D. the Algonquian elders had a vision that they needed to move their nation west. The journey took over 500 years to complete, but they were told they would know when to stop when the found the place where “food grew on the water”.
According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the Ojibwe arrived in Minnesota in 1545 and they found that food, Wild Rice. The Ojibwe then settled in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Manitoba areas.
The Ojibwe taught their trade partners such as the Dakota, the French, and other white settlers the game of lacrosse.
Are there other towns named for lacrosse?
I’m sure there are many small towns across the country named for the sport of lacrosse.
Besides La Crosse, Wisconsin back in my state, Minnesota, we have the most famous of towns, Ball Club.
Ball Club, and Ball Club Lake are located near the head waters of the Mississippi River where famous Ojibwe lacrosse games took place.
According to Thomas Vennum, this area holds a special meaning for many elders where great gathering of lacrosse games occurred and nations reveled in their most beloved game.
How do we bring the game back home?
For those outside of the state Minnesota, the term Mississippi River can mean a large river, but in this area it is very shallow and came be walked across. The open and flat fields here are perfect for lacrosse games.
Perhaps someday a national tournament could be held again on this sacred lacrosse soil.
My favorite street sign is located here, Lacrosse Shores Road.
As we explore the history of lacrosse we know there have been many stories lost about the original game. However, as we look around and travel to these scared grounds, we find signs and clues just how big a role this game played in their lives.
We must all learn from the past, honor those who came before, and grow the game for future generations to understand how special and unique this medicine, sport, tradition of lacrosse is.
