Who would have thought?

Construction of a railroad bridge in the late 1800s ushered in one of Missouri’s longest-standing businesses: La Crosse Lumber Company.

La Crosse opened its doors in 1873 after the bridge was opened for traffic. The span, which was only the fourth to completely cross the Mississippi River - made Louisiana, Mo. an appealing home for a lumber yard, allowing distribution to the north, south, east and west.

A lot has changed since then, but La Crosse has remained a constant, and today is in 11 Missouri and three Illinois towns. La Crosse Lumber may have gotten its start in Louisiana, but the business’s introduction to retail actually came in Mexico.

“It is an honor to be part of this tradition,” said Chuck Sommer, Mexico store manager.

Sommer enjoys talking about the history of the storied lumber yard, adding La Crosse is the second-oldest lumber yard in the state of Missouri still owned by its founding family that is still in operation.

While Louisiana was selected largely due to its location along the banks of the Mississippi River, Mexico was selected due to the introduction of railroads, opening the Audrain County market. Sommer notes that the Mexico train station had a roundhouse and crossroads so rail could travel north, south, east or west, something that factored into the decisions.

La Crosse turns 148 years old this year - an absolutely stunning example of longevity despite all the dynamics of history that has included The Great Depression, world wars and pandemics.

Speaking of pandemics, La Crosse is well-versed in the most recent one’s impact.

“Schools were shut down; people were sent home from their jobs - including lumberjacks and lumber mills,” said Sommer.

With much of the United States homebound, stimulus checks followed.

“People had the time and money to work on their homes,” said Sommer. “So they ran to lumber yards and box stores and bought up all the building material. With no trees being harvested and no mills to produce lumber, the supply chain was depleted and the cost started going up.”

When the mills began to reopen, they still struggled to keep pace with a white-hot demand for materials.

“If you wanted it, you had to pay for it, which we did,” Sommer said.

La Crosse worked hard to keep inventory through market fluctuations.

“We never ran out,” said Sommer. “I looked for supplies two weeks out and kept stocked, while trying to keep prices as low as possible - and we did it.”

And what does Sommer see in the future?

“I think the worst is over and we will try to gradually drive prices back down.”

“Our goal is to still be your local, small town, mom and pop lumber yard,” Sommer said. “We want everyone to feel welcome, whether you are a large contractor, weekend woodworker or someone doing a Pinterest project.”

Sommer became manager of the Mexico store in April, 2019. He had worked 14 years at another local lumberyard, serving as an outside salesman and estimator.

“I was a custom builder and remodeler for 27 years before that,” he says. “So building and lumber has always been in my blood.”

Once at La Crosse, Summer worked to bring a new look and feel to the store.

“We gave it a new look and instilled old-time traditions and values,” he said. “We cleaned out old and outdated products and brought in new products: tools, paint and hardware.”

New lighting was installed and a fresh coat of paint added to the inside of the store.

“We made it welcoming to the public,” Sommer says.

And when the word “lumber” is part of your name, lumber remains a focus of the store.

La Crosse touts the quality of its lumber. And La Crosse works to provide competitive pricing, offering these grades at the same - or better - price as others’ commodity stocks, Sommer says.

That said, Sommer and the LaCrosse team have a refreshing view.

“We don’t believe that other retailers are competition,” he said. “They are an extension of our community.”

Mexico LaCrosse prides itself in collaborating with customers.

“We all believe in community and helping the entire community,” Sommer said.

And speaking of Pinterest: La Crosse will host a Ladies Night July 28.

Watch The Mexico Ledger for more information.