A Treasure in the Heart of La Crosse, Wisconsin

By John Emmering

Ever since La Crosse, Wisconsin, was touted as “God’s Country” in the 1970’s and the beauty of its surroundings were featured in the Old Style Beer commercials, I have aspired to visit that locale. Reading accounts of last year's “Driving the Driftless” National Tour, which I was unable to attend, served to further pique my interest in that beautiful part of western Wisconsin. With little going on here at home over the Fourth of July weekend this year, my wife Robin and I decided to take a road trip and spend a couple days up in La Crosse.

With our three-day weekend ahead of us, Robin and I took off in our brand-new Ford Fusion early on Friday morning July 3rd. Our first destination was the Dahl Automotive Museum located on Third Street in the heart of La Crosse. The museum was prominently marked and was located on the site of the impressive Dahl Hyundai dealership. A good number of our members will remember the Dahl Auto Museum as a stop on the “Great River Road Tour” that our Northern Illinois Regional Group co-sponsored with the Twin Cities Region back in 2012.

Charging only a nominal entrance fee of $4.00 for seniors, the museum offers an intriguing look at automotive history. It spans back to 1911 when the Dahl Brothers, Chester and Harry, were granted a Ford Motor Company dealership franchise. They added Model “T” Ford automobiles to the products available at their father Andrew’s general store. In the following years, the Dahl family established a virtual empire of automotive dealerships representing many makes and models located around the country. The Dahls even opened a Ford Dealership in nearby Aurora, Illinois.

As we entered the museum’s showroom, we spied a 1929 Ford Model “A” pickup truck prominently displayed, emblazoned with “Dahl Motors” on its doors, a tribute to the early days when the Dahls were predominantly involved with sale of Ford products. A brass radiator 1911 Ford Model “T” on display heralds back to the Dahl family’s first foray into the automobile sales business. Model “T” Fords are further represented by a 1919 “TT” truck, a 1922 Speedster, a 1923 Depot Hack, a 1923 Runabout Roadster, and an example of the improved 1926 Ford Coupe. There are abundant other Ford and non-Ford cars displayed.

Of course, the Ford V-8s drew my special interest. The first example of an early Ford V-8 we came across was a pristine 1939 Ford Deluxe Coupe. Further down the aisle we encountered the museum’s 1932 Ford Deluxe Three Window Coupe. A placard explained for visitors that it was the first V-8 engine offered in a Ford. A 1936 Ford Deluxe Phaeton caught our attention also. Its placard explained that it was a late 1936 model with a 1937 type flathead engine, and similar to President Franklin Roosevelt’s private car. A red 1953 Ford Sunliner Convertible topped off the early Ford V-8s in the collection.

The museum celebrated the Dahl family’s legacy with a timeline of their family history and accomplishments. Further, a collection of automotive hood ornaments is displayed, as well as the miniature Starlite Drive-in Theater. The Dahl Museum was a perfect start to our great weekend in La Crosse. For any V-8 enthusiast traveling in the La Crosse area, the Dahl Auto Museum would be a worthwhile stop.