The city of La Crosse was named for the American Indian game the French called "La Crosse." On this site, the Winnebago peoples played hard-fought matches. The welded, COR-TEN steel sculpture was designed and fabricated by sculptor Elmer P. Petersen, and architectural and engineering services for Harborview Plaza Park were donated as a community service in 1980 by HSR Associates, Inc. of La Crosse, Wisconsin.