Grandad Bluff

Grandad Bluff is a cliff on the east side of La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is approximately 590 feet above the surrounding land and 1183 feet above sea level. Bliss Road provides access to the bluff.A park shelter in a fenced-off area atop the bluff provides visitors with a view of La Crosse. It contains a panoramic photo of La Crosse taken in 2004, with annotations of La Crosse landmarks. Locations visible from the bluff include the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, the Mississippi River, bluffs in Minnesota, and Interstate 90.GeologyThe landscape has a geomorphically young appearance because of its Pleistocene history. The Mississippi River probably did not occupy this course before the Pleistocene. The bluffs along this portion of the Mississippi River are Prairie du Chien dolostone capping Cambrian sandstone. Grandad Bluff is a classic mesa, as are all the bluffs along the river.HistoryThe land comprising much of Grandad Bluff was first purchased from the state by Judge George Gale in July 1851. Between 1851 and 1912, there were 83 transfers of the property. The bluff was used as a source of construction materials, and its limestone was quarried for many years. The bluff was to be sold for large-scale quarrying, however the La Crosse residents were outraged by the plans. To save the bluff from ruin, Joseph & Irene Hixon, a prominent La Crosse family, purchased the land in 1909. The family held the property in trust until 1912 when the land was donated as a park to the city of La Crosse. A group of residents, led by G. C. Hixon, raised $15,000 to construct roads and purchase more land around the bluff. The area below Grandad Bluff became the center of Hixon Forest, which continues to serve as a popular hiking area.