La Crosse becomes hub of Upper Mississippi River port project

The West Coast — of Wisconsin — could get more attention soon from businesses around the Midwest and elsewhere.

La Crosse, Prairie du Chien and other spots on the Upper Mississippi River are the focus of a project called the Northern Grain Belt Ports Initiative. The initiative is aimed at making the region more competitive with other markets...

...Ken Harwood of MRRPC said the expansion of the country 200 years ago was driven in large part by the Mississippi, moving lumber, farm products and people on the river.

“To be honest,” Harwood said, “the river played a role in major civilization for 12,000 years before that.”...   ...more