Other La Crosse, WI Area Mills, 1850-1900s.
-La Crosse was considered a prime spot for mills because of its commercially significant location between Minneapolis and Chicago, and its vicinity to the Mississippi River and wheat farmers in southeast Minnesota. (This allowed for easy access to and cheaper prices for wheat). Local newspapers and area trade boards predicted La Crosse would surpass Minneapolis (the main competitor) in flour production because of its location and capability to produce flour for less (in La Crosse it cost 28 cents per barrel of flour vs. 31 cents in Minneapolis); this, however, did not happen in part because the area possessed few large water power sites.
-In 1881 the La Crosse area had 17 water powered mills
15 for flour and feed (grist)
1 feed and saw mill
1 woolen-mill
-The number and types of mills fluctuated over time.
Rushford Flour Mill
Located in Rushford, MN, this mill was owned by John Oehler (until 1948), brother to Louis Oehler. Brothers Fred and Gustav also helped to run this mill.
Bloomer Mill
Blumer or Bloomer Mill, (spelling differs based on source), located on Mormon Creek (just up stream from the Oehler Mill) and was owned by Matthias Blumer in 1881. It had 3 run of stone. It was a flour mill, and it was built in 1870. The mill house was three stories high. It burnt down sometime before the year 1900. It appears from articles in the early 1900s, found in the La Crosse Tribune, that several of Blumer's neighbors felt like he did not take very good care of his property, which affected those downstream.
Chaseburg Roller Mills
Chaseburg Roller Mills was owned by Louis Oehler and his partner George Hosmer. The Hosmers had been neighbors of the Oehler family in Mormon Coulee. Louis Oehler, his three children, Elmer, Margaret, and Evelyn, and their house keeper arrived in Chaseburg, WI in order to make their new home there on October 21, 1913. This was immediately after he and George Hosmer bought the flouring mill there from the Graf Brothers. Louis Oehler had the first visitors at his new home five days later. His brother and sister-in-law, Gustav and Margaret Oehler, their two children Wilford and Ester, and Mr. Roesler took an auto ride there (La Crosse Tribune, 21 October 1913, p. 8). In 1914, the La Crosse Tribune reported on the week-long visit of former neighbor John Hosmer to the Oehler home in Chaseburg, WI (La Crosse Tribune, 3 June 1914, p. 2).
John Hosmer's son, George Hosmer, starting working at the Oehler Mill in Mormon Coulee at a young age. Later in life, he married Louis' daughter Ida Oehler. The Louis Oehler and his children would return frequently to the La Crosse area in order to visit relatives at the Oehler Mill in Mormon Coulee. Elmer Oehler, son of Louis, would also travel to La Crosse in order to attend school. He graduated from the La Crosse High School in 1917.
The Chaseburg Mill was a modern roller flour mill, more technologically advanced than the stone Oehler Mill in Mormon Coulee. In 1914, the La Crosse Tribune reported on the construction and installation of an "electric lighting system" within the Oehler and Hosmer mill. The Tribune boasted that the private electric plant "may later light the village streets and a number of the business places." (La Crosse Tribune, "20 Years Ago Today," 25 August 1934, p. 3). The mill also had a heating system and the best water power in the area. The Tribune wrote that with these features "the mill now ranks with the best of the smaller mills." (La Crosse Tribune, 9 October 1916, p. 8).
In 1916, the La Crosse Tribune reported that Oehler and Hosmer planned to "erect a three story addition to the mill on the east-side" of the building. The report continued stating that "the additional space will be used for storage and some new machinery is to be installed to take care of the ever increasing business." (La Crosse Tribune, "Chaseburg Plans New Buildings," 11 April 1916, p. 9). This addition was completed in October of the same year. The three-story addition was equal to nearly half the former building.
In November of 1916, the partners lost three 100 pound sacks of flour between Chaseburg and La Crosse. They placed an ad in the paper advertising a reward for their return (La Crosse Tribune, 29 November 1916, p. 9).
Louis Oehler operated this mill for about 14 years, until 1927 when he became ill at 69 years of age. The funeral was held on 3rd Street in La Crosse. He was buried in the family cemetery in Mormon Coulee even though his family no longer owned the Oehler Mill. George A. Hosmer died at the age of 84 on September 5, 1941 in Minneapolis, MN. He was buried in the Oehler Family Cemetery in Mormon Coulee.
John Hosmer's son, George Hosmer, starting working at the Oehler Mill in Mormon Coulee at a young age. Later in life, he married Louis' daughter Ida Oehler. The Louis Oehler and his children would return frequently to the La Crosse area in order to visit relatives at the Oehler Mill in Mormon Coulee. Elmer Oehler, son of Louis, would also travel to La Crosse in order to attend school. He graduated from the La Crosse High School in 1917.
The Chaseburg Mill was a modern roller flour mill, more technologically advanced than the stone Oehler Mill in Mormon Coulee. In 1914, the La Crosse Tribune reported on the construction and installation of an "electric lighting system" within the Oehler and Hosmer mill. The Tribune boasted that the private electric plant "may later light the village streets and a number of the business places." (La Crosse Tribune, "20 Years Ago Today," 25 August 1934, p. 3). The mill also had a heating system and the best water power in the area. The Tribune wrote that with these features "the mill now ranks with the best of the smaller mills." (La Crosse Tribune, 9 October 1916, p. 8).
In 1916, the La Crosse Tribune reported that Oehler and Hosmer planned to "erect a three story addition to the mill on the east-side" of the building. The report continued stating that "the additional space will be used for storage and some new machinery is to be installed to take care of the ever increasing business." (La Crosse Tribune, "Chaseburg Plans New Buildings," 11 April 1916, p. 9). This addition was completed in October of the same year. The three-story addition was equal to nearly half the former building.
In November of 1916, the partners lost three 100 pound sacks of flour between Chaseburg and La Crosse. They placed an ad in the paper advertising a reward for their return (La Crosse Tribune, 29 November 1916, p. 9).
Louis Oehler operated this mill for about 14 years, until 1927 when he became ill at 69 years of age. The funeral was held on 3rd Street in La Crosse. He was buried in the family cemetery in Mormon Coulee even though his family no longer owned the Oehler Mill. George A. Hosmer died at the age of 84 on September 5, 1941 in Minneapolis, MN. He was buried in the Oehler Family Cemetery in Mormon Coulee.
Listman Mills

The Listman Mill situated on the Mississippi in the city of La Crosse, WI. This is a postcard from the early 1900s, the smudge on the front is a postmark stamp. The Listman Mill was one of the biggest mills in the area. It was a commercial mill, while many other area mills only served their surrounding community.
Listman Mill was the largest area mill, was located within the city of La Crosse at the intersection of Front and Jay Street. The image to the left is a post card from 1910. The front reads Listman Mill Co., La Crosse, Wis. Capacity 6600 bls. Flour Daily. The Listman Mill was built in 1879 and distributed flour nationally. The Listman Mill was established by C.A. White and William Listman, and it operated in La Crosse for more than 30 years. In 1879, the mill experienced a fire causing $95,000 worth of damage.
Several years later the mill was rebuilt and produced flour until 1918 when its then owners, The Kansas Flour Mills Corporation closed the mill due to labor issues. The Kansas business had closed the mill in order to disband the union the workers had formed, which was demanding a change in the work schedule. When the Kansas company took over they increased the number of hours workers labored per day, decreasing the shifts per day from three to two. The mill was shut down despite it being one of the largest mills in the Great Lakes Region and despite its national distribution.
The corporation retained the building and used it for wheat storage. In 1935, negotiations for another company buying the property ensued, but the sale never materialized because the building caught fire in that year. In 1993, developer Warren Loveland tried to convince current owner of the mill, Cargill Inc., to turn the former mill into a museum about milling in Wisconsin. In the end, the project was deemed to costly as the building was still heavily damaged from the 1935 fire. The Listman Mill was torn down in 1995.
Several years later the mill was rebuilt and produced flour until 1918 when its then owners, The Kansas Flour Mills Corporation closed the mill due to labor issues. The Kansas business had closed the mill in order to disband the union the workers had formed, which was demanding a change in the work schedule. When the Kansas company took over they increased the number of hours workers labored per day, decreasing the shifts per day from three to two. The mill was shut down despite it being one of the largest mills in the Great Lakes Region and despite its national distribution.
The corporation retained the building and used it for wheat storage. In 1935, negotiations for another company buying the property ensued, but the sale never materialized because the building caught fire in that year. In 1993, developer Warren Loveland tried to convince current owner of the mill, Cargill Inc., to turn the former mill into a museum about milling in Wisconsin. In the end, the project was deemed to costly as the building was still heavily damaged from the 1935 fire. The Listman Mill was torn down in 1995.
Other Mills Near La Crosse, WI:
- Lloyd L. Lewis Mill: Located on Fleming Creek was the first flour mill built in La Crosse County in the township of Farmington. It was built in 1850 as a grist mill. The lumber for this mill came from the Black River. Lloyd L. Lewis was also the first postmaster of Mindro, which he named.
- Hamilton Mills/Palmer's Mill: Found on the La Crosse River near Lake Neshonoc which is near West Salem, WI. Construction started in the winter of 1851 and was finished in 1853. This mill had three run of stone, which means the mill could produce about 300 barrels of flour per week. The flour produced was said to be of a top, number one quality. It saw business from miles and miles around including Sparta and Tempealeau, WI. Palmer ran this mill for 16 years before selling it to Orrin Van Ness in 1869 who ran the mill for one year before partnering with Charles Adams. Together Adams and Van Ness ran the mill for another year before Adams sold to Leonard Lottridge. Lottridge and Van Ness ran the mill together for two years until Van Ness sold to McMillan in 1873. McMillan Mill: After two years McMillan bought out Lottridge and in 1881 he was still running the mill as the sole owner. By that time the mill had upgraded to more modern machinery five run of stone for flour and was producing 100 barrels of patent flour per day. The mill also had one run of stone for grinding feed. The dam was 10 feet high and had the potential to power even more stone. The dam could have been raised up to 10 feet higher, which means it could have potentially produced six to eight hundred barrels of flour per day.
- H. Lovejoy-Van Ness Mill: (Also known as Steensen's Mill - named changed with ownership change) like the McMillan Mill was located on the La Crosse River had two run of stone.
- Dutch Creek Mill: Construction started on this mill in Bangor, WI, on Dutch Creek, in 1853 or 1854. The mill in full operation under D. J. Benkins in 1855; he owned the mill until 1870. After that, Baxtor and Jones operated the mill until 1872 when Jones sold to E. R. Roberts and Baxtor died. Roberts then sold the mill to John Bosshard. In 1877, Bosshard died, but his son took over the operation. In 1881, the mill was listed as owned by J. Bosshard Jr. and H. Legler. The mill itself was two or three run of stone. The mill was said to produce standard quality flour.
- Katanyan Mills: Built in Bangor around 1861.
- Bowen Mill: Located in Burns Valley.
- Pfenning Mill.
- Freeman Mill: Built in 1878. One of the largest mills in the area. Located in the City of La Crosse.
- Buttrick Mill: Destroyed by fire in 1860.
- Bangor Woolen Mills: Found on Dutch Creek, this mill was founded in 1864 by George Sheydt and John Ruedy. In 1872, Sheydt sold to Otto Bodmer. In 1879, Ruedy was killed. The mill employed twelve men who operated four looms, one spinning jack, and one set of cards. They purchased most of their raw wool from farmers in the area. The mill produced cashmeres, flannel blankets, and stocking yard. In 1880 they produced 25,000 yards of flannel, 10,000 yards of cashmere, 150 pairs of blankets, and 2,000 lbs. of stocking yarn. The mill was worth about $30,000 in 1880. In 1881, the mill was listed as owned by Otto Bodman and the widow of Ruedy.
- Barlow Flouring Mill: This mill could be found on Bostwick Creek.
- Barre Mills: Located on Bostwick Valley Creek. This mill had a ten foot high dam and two run of stone. It was built in 1858 by Mr. Harker from New York. Later the mill was taken over by a La Crosse Lawyer by the name of Handeron. He ran the mill for two years. After that Brown and Van Ness too charge of the mill and ran it for three years. Then John Craig took ownership of the mill and ran it for 10 years. Next Valentine Weirner ran the mill for four years before selling to William Ruks. Ruks still owned the mill in 1881. The mill at that time was said to produce high quality flour ranked number one.
- Big Creek Mill: This was a flouring mill that was located in the township of Burns near Sparta, WI on the La Crosse River. In 1855, it started out as a saw mill built by Enos Phillips. Ten years later, Williams and Jones reconstructed the dam and turned the mill into a flour mill. After two years, Jones sold his shares to Williams who ran the mill alone until 1876. In that year, Williams was killed at the mill in an accident. His widow sold the mill to William Davis who worked the mill until 1878 when he was bought out by E. Manuel Roberts. Manuel Roberts still owned the mill in 1881.
- D. Vaughn Saw Mill: Found on Burns Creek was on the north part of the La Crosse River.
- L. Bowen Flour Mill: Located on Burns Creek was on the north part of the La Crosse River.
- Union Mill: In north La Crosse County on Fleming Creek. A flour mill built in 1864. Owned by James Barclay in 1881.
- J. A. Young Flouring Mill: Fleming Creek supplied the water power for this mill and it was owned by J. A. Young.
- H. N. Sly Feed and Saw Mill: Another mill that relied on Fleming Creek.
- Halfway Creek: Located in Holmen, WI. A flouring mill owned by C. Christianson in 1881. It was originally built in 1866.
- Midway Flour Mill: This a flouring mill was owned by A. Grams in 1881, and sat on Halfway Creek.
- McKown Mill: Like the Oehler Mill, this mill was located on Mormon Creek. Out of the three mills on Mormon Creek, this mill was the furthest upstream. It was a flour mill with 3 run of stone. The following biographical information was printed in the History of La Crosse County Wisconsin, 1881: " M.H. McKwon, miller, Section 20; P. O. La Crosse; was born in Greenfield, La Crosse Co., and lived with his parents until the fall of 1878, when he was married to Carrie Benham, born in 1860; they have one child - Merton, born in December, 1879. In January, 1880, Mr. M. and his brother Charles leased the Center Valley Mill, and are now running the same under the firm name of M. H. & C. S. McKown. The mill has four run of stone, which enables them to do much more than custom work. In politics he is a Republican."
- Coon Creek: A flouring mill owned by Joesph Nedwiedek in 1881.
- Chipmonk Creek Mill: This mill was located in Vernon County. The part of the Chipmonk Creek that sits in La Crosse County did not have enough power to run a mill.