Grandad Bluff

A look from Grandad Bluff to downtown La Crosse, a
bridge over the Mississippi River and Minnesota beyond.
8/16/2019 dwm photo

I've been to La Crosse a number of times, but it wasn't until the last one that I made it to the top of Grandad Bluff.

It stands 600 feet above downtown and the Mississippi River valley, with a city park atop the the miniature mountain offering a spectacular view.

Grandad and many of the adjacent bluffs along the river were having their rock harvested for building and road construction as early as the Civil War. 

If it weren't for early 20th century donors, Grandad might not exist today.

Exposed section of the Bluff. 8/16/19
dwm photo

Ellen Hixon and her sons lead the effort to purchase the bluff and surrounding area from a developer and turned over to the city in 1912 as park land.

Mining nearby bluffs stopped by the 1930s and nature took over, restoring the land almost to its original appearance.

From downtown, a trip east on Main Street becomes Bliss Road which climbs Grandad.  It is narrow two-lane road and I was thankful that it wasn't our route out of town for the next day's Ride Across Wisconsin.

A local biker told me local officials do shut down the hill a few times a year for rides that challenge a biker's climbing ability.

Driving up the hill isn't bad if you take your time, and at the top you are rewarded with a park and parking where you can walk without stairs to enjoy the view.

Looking south from Grandad Bluff. 8/16/19 (dwm)

Main Street was straight below as I peered down to see it stretch from the foot of the bluff until it disappeared between urban bluffs of offices and shops.

Just a few blocks north of Main Street is the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse campus where we saw members of the marching band practicing for their fall performances.

The sky blue bridge attracts the eye and marks the location of the river, a good 3 miles west.

Grandad Bluff rises majestically above the city - which is likely how it got its name - looking down on his kids below.

The fourth flagpole installed atop the
bluff since 1941 adds 70 feet to
Grandad's height. 8/16/19 (dwm)

The bluff is where vast amounts of farmland stretch to the east.  While Bliss Road was carved into the side of Grandad, in most cases the way from the top of the hill to valley was with streams and rivers carving their own path.

It's impressive geography, a natural wall which formed the boundaries of the Mississippi River.  We drove between the bluff and river all the way from Prairie du Chien, caught between rocks and a wet place.

Since people first settled the area - the bluffs, river valley, and life-giving water of the river made it an attractive place to live.

More than a century and a half after the first European settlers showed up, that is still the case for La Crosse.