10/12/2026
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Happy Indigenous People's Day! On Monday, October 12, we celebrate and honor the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Indigenous peoples.
Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day!
Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) people are the Indigenous people of Wisconsin. Hoocąk people were created in Wisconsin and have lived here since the beginning of time. The Hoocąk influence on the county of La Crosse is tied to their continual presence in this place.
Their traditional territory stretched from Moogašuc (Moe-gah-shuch, Red Banks near Green Bay) to the other side of the Mississippi River, down into northern Iowa, and back up along the Rock River to Green Bay.
Prior to colonization, the Hoocąk were primarily farmers, hunters, and fishermen living along the abundant waterways of Wisconsin. The rich water life of the Hinųkwas (La Crosse) area has kept the Hoocąk living here into present times.
Hoocąk people were forcibly removed from Wisconsin seven times by the U.S. Government. Many families hid to avoid capture, and other families journeyed through harsh winters on foot from Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Nebraska back to their homeland of Wisconsin.
Today, the Ho-Chunk Nation is a sovereign nation consisting of four branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial, and general council. The Ho-Chunk Nation operates a Tribal Office Building in Black River Falls and many satellite offices, such as the Three Rivers House in Hinųkwas.
Text from the Hoocąk exhibit at the La Crosse Area Heritage Center, curated by Josephine Lee and Tracy Littlejohn.
Image: Map of Wisconsin First Nations — Treaty lands in 1800 and present-day tribal lands.
https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/map/
https://theways.org/map
