La Crosse is located in the western part of Wisconsin and a city and seat of La Crosse County and sits along the Mississippi River at the La Crosse River’s influx in the northwestern part of Madison. In 1841, the area where the present-day La Crosse stands was developed around a trading post on the site where the French explorers named the area Prairie La Crosse. The lacrosse game was played by the Winnebago and Sioux Indians on the site. The sire became necessary transportation and a sawmilling center, and in 1858, the area was reached by railroad, with the decline of lumbering during the 1900s. The site developed a brewery and most of which was then closed at the end of the 20th century. The city’s manufacture included the air conditioning and heating systems, rubber and plastic footwear, and the textiles and some lumber processing.