Q: When I was a kid, there was a sort of lake in La Crosse surrounded by the Causeway, La Crosse River and Mississippi River. My mother referred to it as Lake Verchota. She said that many years previous to that time there was a city official (maybe a mayor) named Verchota who somehow was behind the development of this lake with the intention of making it a recreation area. My question is whether this naming is a reality or is it a type of joke?

A: Joseph J. Verchota served several terms as mayor of La Crosse from 1923 to 1929, 1931 to 1935 and 1939 to 1947. He was a strong advocate for education and led the way for the construction of Logan High School during a time when schools were the responsibility of the city. He was a strong backer of industrial development and was instrumental in the creation of the La Crosse Municipal Airport.
The La Crosse Public Library Archives could not find anything definitive in the local history record as to why the area you described would be called Lake Verchota. It certainly was not an official designation.

The area between the Causeway and the Black River was the topic of development plans in the 1930s. According to “A Historical Analysis of the Lower La Crosse River: 1841-Present,” by Anthony Godfrey, there was a proposal to create an artificial lake here as a centerpiece for a new park in the early 1930s, but the plan never came to fruition.

Most of the development plans centered around commercial use, but nothing was really done to this area until after World War II. Perhaps because plans for the area remained idle for so long the term Lake Verchota was created to indicate dissatisfaction with the city’s apparent lack of action with this area.

In cooperation with the La Crosse Public Library, the Tribune invites readers to call or e-mail questions of local interest. We’ll try to find the answers and publish them. The phone number for Ask the Trib is (608) 791-8450. Send questions to news@lacrossetribune.com.

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