Editing LaCrosse, Washington (section)

==History==
With the completion in 1888 of the [[Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company]] (O.R. & N) railroad line between [[Riparia, Washington|Riparia]] and LaCrosse, George Dawson and his wife built a shack constructed from railroad ties. By 1889, LaCrosse had a population of 12. The first real store was constructed in 1899 by Tom Shobe.{{cn|date=February 2025}} The town was named for [[LaCrosse, Wisconsin]], to match with nearby [[Winona, Washington|Winona]] (named for the [[Winona, Minnesota|Minnesota town]]), by settlers from the Midwest.<ref name="Spokesman-2022">{{cite news |last=Hanlon |first=James |date=November 23, 2022 |title=LaCrosse residents unite to revitalize downtown and preserve tiny southwest Whitman County community |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/nov/23/after-years-without-a-grocery-store-lacrosse-resid/ |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref>

LaCrosse was incorporated on February 19, 1917.{{cn|date=February 2025}} Beginning in the 1980s, many farmers in the area surrounding LaCrosse opted to enroll in the federal [[Conservation Reserve Program]] and leave their lands unused for agriculture. The loss of business is cited as one factor in the town's population decline.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stucke |first=John |date=March 6, 2011 |title=Census: Dwindling small towns determined to fight extinction |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/mar/06/census-2010-swindling-small-towns-determined-to/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref> A community benefit group formed in 2012 to fund revitalization projects and lure new businesses to replace closed services; the lone grocery store in LaCrosse closed in the 2000s and was followed by the town's [[hardware store]] a few years later.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stucke |first=John |date=July 15, 2012 |title=Residents of LaCrosse, Wash., work to revitalize town |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jul/15/down-but-not-out/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref> LaCrosse also enrolled in the state government's "Washington Main Street" program to advertise its historic downtown.<ref name="Spokesman-2022"/>