 Polish immigrant Joseph Cotulla arrived in La Salle County in 1868 and eventually established a large ranching operation.In 1881, Cotulla donated 120 acres of his land to the railroad for the townsite of Cotulla, and the railroad built a depot there in 1882.While Cotulla continued to develop his town, Iuka's postmaster, Jesse Laxton, developed a townsite just across the tracks named La Salle.