Welcome to La Crescent, Minnesota!

Tucked along the bluffs of the Mississippi River, the City of La Crescent’s natural surroundings set the stage for a vast assortment of recreational opportunities. La Crescent is uniquely located on three scenic byways: Apple Blossom Scenic Byway, National Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway and the Great River Road all pass through La Crescent. Casual travelers can find quiet time on the back roads and enjoy the scenic beauty of southeastern MN and the Mississippi River.

Recreational enthusiasts have so much to choose from with hiking, bicycling, boating, kayaking, fishing, birding, snowshoeing and so much more! A variety of eateries, shops, local wineries, orchards, and lodging will make La Crescent your planning easy and a perfect home base for all of your adventures. Businesses, travelers, and local residents appreciate the quick and easy access to major highways and interstates, and the short drive to the La Crosse, WI municipal airport. Come for a visit! You may just pause long enough to plant roots in our small town and stay awhile.

Visit the Apple Capital of Minnesota!

La Crescent is “The Apple Capital of Minnesota”! Steeped in tradition, La Crescent has been celebrating the apple harvest for over 70 years. Visit us mid-May when the apple blossoms are in full bloom, the colors in the apple orchards spectacular, and the scent is heavenly.

Our Annual Apple Fest is held the third weekend in September and offers fun for the whole family culminating with the King Apple Parade on Sunday afternoon.

Apple Harvest is in full swing between August and October. Be sure to get out and visit an orchard to sample some of our many delicious and unique varieties of Minnesota grown apples. Several orchards also offer ‘pick-your-own’ apple harvest experiences. Fun for the whole family!

applefest logo - Explore La Crescent

La Crescent’s Founders: Peter Cameron and wife Emma Eastman

Two of the most interesting people in La Crescent’s past are its founder and his wife Peter Cameron and the notorious Emma “Virgin Em” Eastman. Cameron originally settled on the other side of the Mississippi in La Crosse Wisconsin and in 1846 became the city’s first newlyweds. Eastman was a beautiful woman with a reputation for collecting husband’s, nine – eleven – maybe twelve, only Emma truly knows. Cameron was the fourth of her many husbands and they were together until his death in 1855.

According to legend, she rode around town on a white horse armed with a double-barreled shotgun and slept with a sixshooter under her pillow. And rumor has it, she knew how to use them. In 1859 she shot Daniel Cameron, Peter’s brother, at her home when he confronted her about ownership over family deeds.

Historic Emma Cameron - Explore La Crescent
Downtown La Crescent Minnesota - Explore La Crescent

La Crescent’s Fascinating Beginnings

Peter’s lumber business provided him with vast land holdings in La Crosse. Angry about his legal issues in Wisconsin, Cameron founded La Crescent in 1851. Unlike La Crosse, La Crescent had no natural port on the Mississippi River which made the town slow to settle since people had to ferry over. Cameron tried to remedy the situation by digging a canal over to La Crescent intending to change the course of the Mississippi so it would pass La Crescent instead of La Crosse. The canal was never finished and he died shortly after the digging began.digging began.

La Crescent was originally named “Camerons” after Peter Cameron, but then renamed to “Manton” a few years later by William and Harvey Gillett. Cameron gave the downtown land to the brothers on the promised they would clear it and plat a town. A few years later, the Kentucky Land Company bought Manton and built 12 of the city’s original houses. Thinking they needed a more romantic sounding name to entice settlers to come here, they renamed the town “La Crescent.” The reasons for the name were not recorded, but locals believe the name symbolizes the crescent shape of the bluffs around the town and the bend of the Mississippi River around it.

By the late 1800’s people came by stage, Riverboat, and wagon. Settlers cleared and developed timbered land, and some followed Harris’s success by starting their own fruit farms. Today, historical information about La Crescent is available by visiting one of the two museums – the Heritage House and the Apple Shed. Located on South 3rd Street, a visit to the museums is like a walk through time. Artifacts include equipment from the 1876 Railroad Swinging Bridge when it was operated by steam. The bridge is no longer steam operated, but is still in use and with a short drive down Shore Acres Road, you can get an up-close view of the historic overpass. The Apple Shed documents the history of local orchards with farm equipment, photographs, and memorabilia, giving visitors a true sense of how La Crescent gave life to the state’s apple industry.