Dahl Subaru

     Five generations of the Dahl family have influenced the automobile industry for almost 100 years.  Dahl Automotive La Crosse is the ninth-oldest family-owned Ford dealership in the nation.  This has been made possible through years of customer loyalty, which stems from a constant focus on the customer's complete satisfaction with our products and services.  The rich history of the family as they continue to grow alongside the automotive industry is a great legacy in the making.
    
            Dahl Ford in Westby, WI: 1918
     Andrew H. Dahl of Westby, WI, who was already running a general store, serving in the Wisconsin legislature, and raising seven children, received an agency agreement from Ford Motor Company in 1911.  Ford Model T's were sold at Andrew's General store, Andrew H. Dahl Co., for $500 each until a new store was built.  At this time two of Andrew's four sons, Harry and Chester were convinced to run the operation acting as managers, salespeople, and driving instructors.  Ford Motor Company, during the initial years, would transport Model T parts by locomotive, leaving it up to the dealers to assemble them back at their shops.  In addition to selling the car, Ford dealers needed teach customers to drive this brand new machine.  Dahl expanded to Viroqua, WI and La Crosse in 1911. 
                                           Downtown La Crosse 1914
         The first garage in La Crosse was located at Main and Front streets (shown above) but was too small for the thriving store and within two years of operation we expanded to a larger dealership located on Sixth and King streets.  That building is still standing, and today houses WKBT-TV.  Chester established a string of Chevy dealerships all over the country during the late 1920's, and in the early 1930's was recognized as the largest Chevy dealer in the world.
    

 
                        Dahl Ford Dealership 1918: 6th and King, La Crosse, WI
Kenneth Dahl, Harry's son, began selling Fords with his father in 1937.  The family business continued to prosper under Kenny's leadership, with dealerships across the nation from Beaumont, Texas to Yonkers, New York.  During this expansion, stores were started in many other states, including Davenport, IA, that still is operated by the Dahl family.  In 1954 the La Crosse business relocated to Fourth and Cass streets, but just three years later moved to it's present location at Third and Division streets.  Kenny Dahl is now 94 years old and spends most of his time in Florida where he gets on the golf course a couple times a week. 

















                                Ford Showroom on 6th st. in La Crosse: 1920's
Harry Dahl, Ken's son and part of the fourth generation, joined the business in 1970 and now is the current president of the company.  He added the Subaru franchise in 1985, the Mitsubishi franchise in 1988 and the Suzuki franchise in 2003, expanded the company's body shop and service department, and established Dahl Automotive Onalaska, which offers the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Hyundai lines.  Sales have grown from 12 cars in 1911 to more than 2,000 vehicles in 2004
                       Dahl Subaru, Ford, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki:  4th st. La Crosse, 2009
Now leading the charge is the 5th Generation: Andrew, Jansen, and Tyler.  All 3 boys hold various positions within the dealerships and stay commited to continue the legacy that nearly 100 years has built. 

From Left: Harry, Andrew, Jansen, and Tyler Dahl