Footsteps of La Crosse Ghost Tour Stop
Del's Bar is a named stop on the Footsteps of La Crosse ghost walking tour. The tour covers the bar's history and the reported disembodied voice incidents.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A La Crosse saloon operating since the city's founding era where staff report a disembodied female voice ordering workers out of the women's restroom and recurring giggling in empty hallways.
229 3rd St, La Crosse, WI 54601
Research updated June 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$
Bar; standard drink prices
Access
Limited Access
Street-level bar in historic downtown building
Equipment
Photos OK
Long-operating La Crosse saloon · Downtown Mississippi River commercial district · Footsteps of La Crosse ghost tour stop
Del's Bar at 229 3rd St occupies a building in downtown La Crosse's historic commercial district, which developed rapidly in the mid-19th century as the city became a Mississippi River trade hub. La Crosse's 3rd Street corridor was part of a dense network of saloons, boarding houses, and entertainment establishments that served river workers, railroad employees, and the general population.
The bar has operated under various names and ownerships over the decades, with 'Del's Bar' being the current designation. Precise founding records are not available in the sources reviewed, but local sources characterize it as one of the city's long-standing drinking establishments with roots going back to La Crosse's founding era.
The Footsteps of La Crosse ghost tour includes Del's Bar as a regular stop, alongside other downtown locations with paranormal reputations, placing it within the city's recognized heritage tourism circuit.
Sources
The most specific paranormal account tied to Del's Bar involves a male maintenance worker who was addressed by a disembodied female voice while working in or near the women's restroom. The voice ordered him to leave; no one was found on the premises who could have spoken. The account is documented by the Haunted Places database alongside the 229 3rd St address.
Additionally, staff report recurring sounds of giggling in empty hallways — a pattern consistent enough to have become part of the bar's local reputation. The Footsteps of La Crosse walking tour includes Del's Bar as a named stop, indicating the accounts have enough credibility to anchor a commercial heritage product.
No historical death or specific incident has been identified in available sources as the origin of the reported activity. The phenomena rest on staff testimony.
Del's Bar is a named stop on the Footsteps of La Crosse ghost walking tour. The tour covers the bar's history and the reported disembodied voice incidents.
A functioning neighborhood bar in downtown La Crosse. Staff have reported a disembodied female voice and recurring sounds of giggling in empty hallways.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
La Crosse, WI
Built in 1880 by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway as a freight depot, the building served La Crosse's commercial rail traffic for decades before being converted to a restaurant. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
La Crosse, WI
The building at 122 S 4th St operated as the Malin Pool and Sample Room under owner Paul Malin in the late 19th century. Malin allegedly died by suicide on the premises in 1901. The property has changed hands multiple times in the century since.
Milwaukee, WI
Shaker's Cigar Bar occupies an 1894 Walker's Point building originally constructed as a cooperage for the Schlitz Brewing Company. During Prohibition the structure operated as a speakeasy reportedly tied to the Capone family, with a brothel on the upper floors. Bob Weiss converted it to its current cigar-bar configuration in 1986.