If you didn’t go to the beach, where else was there to swim? Checking out favorite pools in La Crosse

The city has had a variety of swimming spots over the years, besides popular beaches like Pettibone and Black River. Memorial Pool on Campbell Road, at the UWL campus, was originally built in 1938 as the city’s first official outdoor pool. The cost of construction was just over $70,000. That pool operated until 2016, when it was closed because of high maintenance costs. Over the next three years, Memorial was rebuilt, and the new pool opened in 2019, while the historic pool house was preserved.

Both of La Crosse’s public high schools have had swimming pools over the years. In the early 60’s, the old Central High at what is now Weigent Park included a pool. Central students were required to have swimming classes, and the school had its own water ballet class with girls known as the Dolphins.

In the early 60s, Mayor Milo Knutson vetoed an addition for Logan, which would have had an indoor-outdoor swimming pool. Knutson said a pool should be run by the recreation department, not by the school system, and the Tribune agreed with the mayor, saying it was not the job of schools to provide a pool. When the new Logan High opened in 1979, it had an indoor pool, and still does, and the old high school, now Logan Middle, at last has an outdoor pool.

UWL also has had indoor swimming pools, first at Wittich Hall, and then later, adding the new pool inside Mitchell Hall. Come on in, the water’s fine, yesterday in La Crosse.