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La Crosse, Wisconsin, Office of the City Clerk, Licenses Issued by the La Crosse City Clerk

 Record Group
Identifier: La Crosse Series 050

Scope and Contents

Licenses were required by the La Crosse Common Council from the very beginning of city government. These volumes (1856-1955) list the various types of licenses required by the City which changed over time. There is a gap in the license record from 1878-1881 inclusive. Examples of licenses issued by the City Clerk are retail and wholesale liquor, gun powder, taxis, "runners" (hotel proprietors), beverage, shows (circuses, menageries, etc.), pool/billiard/bowling alley, cigarette, electricians, plumbers, scavengers, auctioneers, transient merchants, and the like.

The earliest volumes were kept by the Treasurer’s Office, as some are labelled "Treasurer’s Journal" and include orders paid by the City and some other accounts, including tax certificates. Tax sales list only names and amount and certificate number. There are no links between the certificate numbers and an address or legal description. A span of years is generally covered in each volume, although the earlier volumes have several sub-groups of licenses within a volume. Generally, within the volume the licenses are arranged by type of license, therein chronologically recorded. Information recorded includes licensee name and fee collected.

The City Clerk’s Office at City Hall retains licenses since 1955

Dates

  • 1856-1955

Creator

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Extent

8 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Lists of licenses issued by the City Clerk’s Office as designated by the La Crosse Common Council, 1856-1955. Some of the early volumes came from the City Treasurer’s Office and are journals that sometimes include orders paid and tax certificates as well as licenses. There is a gap from 1878-1881 inclusive in the license record.

Types of licenses include retail and wholesale liquor, taxis, gun powder, "runners" (i.e. proprietors of hotels), beverage, shows (including circuses and menageries), billiard/pool/bowling alley, etc. Generally the volumes cover a number of years, and arrangement is by type of license. The information taken includes licensee’s name and fee paid.

Acquisitions Information

(Accession no. 1996.004) Licenses were located in the City Clerk’s basement area of City Hall; came to the Archives as part of the Mayor’s Special Committee on Historic Records, Dec. 1996.

Physical Description

2 archives boxes, 9 volumes

OCLC Number

42449950

Processing Information

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering, May 1997; revised Feb. 1999

Title
Guide to the La Crosse, Wisconsin, Office of the City Clerk, Licenses Issued by the La Crosse City Clerk, 1856-1955
Status
Completed
Author
Anita Taylor Doering
Date
1997-1999
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the La Crosse Public Library Archives Repository

Contact:
800 Main St.
La Crosse Wisconsin 54601
(608) 789-7136