In 1991, with the support of the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse and The La Crosse County Historical Society, The 4000 Foundation lead the “Save the Tower” fundraising campaign to secure and remov ethe Grand Crossing interlocking tower to Copeland Park to become part of The La Crosse Short Line display. Protecting the “grand crossing” of four railroads: The Milwaukee, The Burlington, The Green Bay, and The North Western, the current tower was built in 1928 to replace the original structure, which was destroyed in a train wreck.
When closed in January 1991, Grand Crossing tower was the last manually operated “Strong arm” interlocking tower in Wisconsin. Replaced by modern centralized traffic control technology, the two-story wooden tower was donated for preservation by the Soo Line Railroad, successor to The Milwaukee Road.