Powell Park

Powell Park is a recently renovated neighborhood park located on West Avenue and Jackson Street, with space for relaxation and active play. The park was originally known as the West Avenue Playfield and the name was not changed to Powell Park until 1958.

The West Avenue Playfield was part of landscape architecture John Nolen’s plan “The Making of a Park System in La Crosse “published in 1911. The inclusion of play areas for children shows the importance of these spaces to early park planners. Until recently Powell Park contained a softball/baseball field and was flooded in the winter for ice skating. A new basketball court and paths between open play spaces are part of the newly designed Park.

Powell Park has been in existence since 1909, when the three acre field was purchased by the City of La Crosse from brothers Dr. George Powell and Dr. Will Powell. There is some confusion about whether the park is named for them, or their more well-known brother, Dr. Frank Powell, who was elected the mayor of La Crosse four times between 1885-1895. Dr. Frank Powell was given the name White Beaver by the indigenous people he knew before arriving in the La Crosse area. He had also made the acquaintance of Buffalo Bill Cody, and in 1887 he went to England to perform with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebration.

In 1890 Mayor Powell gave the City an ornate cast iron water fountain on a marble base. The White Beaver Fountain displays a bas relief beaver and Dr. Frank Powell’s name carved in its base, and was originally located at the corner of 2nd and Main Streets to welcome travelers by steamboat and train to the City. The fountain was moved to Powell park in 1971. It was damaged by a car in 1976, repaired by volunteers from Trane Company, and after being on display at City Hall from 1978 until 2018, has been placed back in the Park.

The South Branch Library had been located on the southeastern part of Powell Park in a barracks type facility. It was relocated in 1952 when the new library building was constructed just a few blocks away.