Microgranting event March 17 to include UWL students partnership project reimagining La Crosse spaces

Microgranting event March 17 to include UWL students partnership project reimagining La Crosse spaces

For centuries, the land that now holds the former Kmart on La Crosse's south side has been a place of change - and removal.

Indigenous people were displaced from the land. A trailer court community was eventually cleared. The Kmart store was closed and boarded up.

Today, students at UW-La Crosse are researching that history - and imagining what this and other city spaces could become next.

"After centuries of removal, there will be something there that will bring people back," says Kylie Lemke, a UWL history major.

Lemke and Chloe Malinowski, an archaeology major, are studying the former Kmart property and its future possibilities as part of a public history course taught by History Professor Ariel Beaujot. The course is part of UWL's new Public History Certificate and includes a collaboration with La Crosse-based independent publisher Ope! Publishing.

Students in the class are researching several sites around the city - most of them large parking lots or vacant properties - to explore what the spaces once were, how they are used today and how they might be reimagined in the future.

Their research will become a series of illustrated zines created in partnership with Ope! founders Roxanne Aubrey and Rachel MacFarland. Illustrator Tiana Traffas will transform students' ideas for the future into artwork for the publications.

The collaborators plan to produce five zines highlighting different La Crosse locations and print about 500 copies of each. The publications will be distributed free to the community later this year, encouraging residents to think about how local spaces shape civic life - and how they might evolve.

To help cover printing and production costs, the team will pitch the project at La Crosse SOUP, a community micro-grant event with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, at the Weber Center. Attendees purchase a bowl of soup and vote on which project should receive funding. The group hopes to raise about $2,000 to print the zines.

The project gives students hands-on public history experience while inviting the community to imagine new possibilities for the places they share.

"This is a chance to see the city in a new way," says Aubrey. "And maybe that will spark some cool discussions and some fresh ideas - and even lead to real civic engagement. We want more people to feel that we can all play a part in making La Crosse our home."

Beaujot says projects like this show students the real-world impact of their work.

"Whenever students work with a community organization they see that they have value to the larger community, they also work hard for the 'client' rather than seeing this as only a class project," she says. "It is something that helps build their resume and also gives them a sense that they can change the world around them."

Students dive deep into Kmart lot history

For Lemke and Malinowski, researching the former Kmart site has meant digging into archival documents, studying city history and even interviewing a La Crosse city council member.

Lemke has a personal connection to the site.

"I grew up in La Crosse when that Kmart was still open," she says of the store, which closed in September 2017. "As a citizen of the city, it's important to know what is happening with this old building."

Through their research, the students learned the property once housed a trailer park called Krause's Kabin Court until 1964. The site also included a motel, grocery store and gas station, creating what was once a small pocket community.

Their research reaches even further back. Historical records show that in 1851, lumber businessman Benjamin B. Healy purchased 40 acres of land - including the current Kmart site - for $50. Before that, it was the home of the Dakota and Ho Chunk Tribes.

Over time, Healy's property holdings grew significantly. According to the 1870 census, his real estate was valued at $40,000 - over $1 million in today's dollars.

"We can't change what happened on the land in the past," says Malinowski. "But what we do with this land in the future can be a way of acknowledging that history and thinking about how space can be used in better ways."

The students' original assignment was to imagine an entirely new use for the property. But as they conducted their research, they learned that the Kmart lot redevelopment project - turning it into a residential building called Copper Rocks - was back on track to potentially begin construction in the summer.

Rather than ignoring those plans, Lemke and Malinowski adjusted their project to focus on how the redevelopment could support the community.

"The housing is needed," says Malinowski. "More housing means more residents, more tax revenue for the city and more opportunities for families just starting out."

Preparing for careers in public history

Both students are pursuing UWL's new Public History Certificate, which prepares students for careers in museums, archives, historical organizations and other public-facing roles.

For Malinowski, the experience has provided valuable career preparation.

"I want to be a museum curator one day," she says. "A big part of that work is collaborating with the community and making sure you're telling a complete story."

Through the project, students have gained experience interviewing people, analyzing archival records, and translating historical research into language that community members can understand.

"I'm learning the importance of getting the full story and doing research carefully and thoroughly," Malinowski says. "That's essential for the career I want."

For Lemke, the class has reinforced her passion for history and helped her see how historical work can serve communities.

"The class is small, so you build close relationships with your professor," she says. "Professor Beaujot gives us feedback and encourages us to think deeply about our ideas. She's a big reason people pursue the certificate."

The students are now drafting their zines. A successful vote at La Crosse SOUP could help bring their work to a wider audience through publication.

"Public history allows me to contribute to my community," Lemke says. "I can take the knowledge I have and use it to inform people and help shape conversations about the future."

Other sites students are researching include:

• Oktoberfest Grounds
• Ward Avenue parking lots near Marcus Theater
• Parking lot at 1511 Rose Street (former Tattoos bar site)
• Stoddard Hotel site (5th and State streets)
• Parking area near Mayo Clinic Health System