“”Almost 200 Logan High School students embarked on an adventure. Dozens of student teams participated in the school’s third annual La Crosse History Scavenger Hunt throughout the city’s downtown area.
“La Crosse has a really unique history,” said Logan High School teacher Eric Martin. “This project teaches our students about the rich and sometimes overlooked stories of our community while building their skills in research and collective problem-solving.”
Each team had a set of clues, questions, and mystery puzzles to solve. Answers could be found during interviews with residents and business owners and group research done at the La Crosse Public Library’s archives department.
The scavenger hunt was a large undertaking again this year and wouldn’t be possible without the help of dozens of volunteers and the district’s community partners at The La Crosse Public Library, UW-La Crosse, The La Crosse Historical Society, and Downtown Mainstreet, Inc.
“The goal is to introduce students to a primary resource for learning about the history of their community,” said La Crosse Public Library Senior Archivist and Archives Manager Anita Taylor Doering. “Students will be guided through using research methods they may not be accustomed to like city directories, maps, and other archived material.”
Some clues required teams to find a specific location, such as the site of the Stoddard Hotel which once served as La Crosse’s social center and was visited by President John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Students also visited various downtown La Crosse businesses to find clues, get answers, and take pictures.
“I didn’t realize just how historic La Crosse is,” said Logan High School sophomore Thaying Vang. “There’s a lot in downtown La Crosse. I didn’t know it was this interesting. We’ve learned a lot today.”
The historical scavenger hunt was designed to have teams work together to find pieces from La Crosse’s past to compete for points. The teams with the highest point totals at the end of the day will win various donated prizes.
Martin plans to bring the scavenger hunt project back again next year.””””[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”0″ images=”11999,11995,11997,11998,12000,12001,12002,12003,12004,12005,12006,12007,12008,12009,12010,12011,12012,12013,12014,12015,12016,12017,12018,12019,12020,12021,12022,12023,12024,12027,12025,12026″ img_size=”625×417″]””
