Prairie du Chien Wisconsin: Encyclopedia II - Prairie du Chien Wisconsin - History

Prairie du Chien Wisconsin - History

The first European visitors to reach Prairie du Chien were the French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, who reached the city by canoe on June 17, 1673, and discovered a route to the Mississippi River. Much further travel between French Canada and the Mississippi River passed through Prairie du Chien, although routes via the Illinois River were also used. In 1685, the French explorer Nicholas Perrot established a trading post in the area as part of the massive French fur trade industry. The significance of Prairie du Chien as a center of the fur trade did not diminish until the mid 19th century.

In 1763, Great Britain defeated France in the French and Indian War, and took possession of the French territory in North America, including Prairie du Chien. The British expanded the fur trade during their occupation of the area. During the American Revolutionary War the city was used as meeting point for British troops and their Native American allies. After the Treaty of Paris (1783) granted the area to the new United States of America, the British and their Loyalists were slow to withdraw. Only after the War of 1812 would the city become fully American.

The U.S. was slow to present any authority over Prairie du Chien, but late in the War of 1812 the U.S. realized the importance of holding Prairie du Chien to prevent British attacks from Canada, and began construction of Fort Shelby in 1814. In July, the fort was captured by British soldiers, who occupied it until the war's end in 1815. Not wanting another invasion through Prairie du Chien, the Americans constructed Fort Crawford in 1816. The fort was the site of the Treaty of Prairie du Chien (1825 & 1829).

In 1829, army doctor William Beaumont carried out many of his famous experiments on digestion in the hospital of Fort Crawford. Beaumont's discoveries are still the basis of our knowledge on the human digestive process.

Col. Zachary Taylor, who later became the 12th U.S. President, was the commanding officer at Fort Crawford during the Black Hawk War of 1832. Taylor oversaw the surrender of Black Hawk in Prairie du Chien. Lt. Jefferson Davis, who later became the president of the Confederate States of America, was positioned at Fort Crawford at the same time. It was there that he met his future wife Sarah "Knoxie" Taylor.

Outside the walls of the fort, early nineteenth life in Prairie du Chien was still dominated by the fur trade. Prairie du Chien's most notable traders during this time were Michael Brisbois, Joseph Rolette, and Hercules L. Dousman. Dousman especially was able to establish a fortune in the fur trade. This money, combined with income from investments in land, steamboats, and railroads, propelled Dousman to become the first Millionaire in the state of Wisconsin. Dousman died in 1868, and his son, H. Louis Dousman inherited much of his fortune. In 1870 Louis Dousman used his inheritance to construct a luxurious victorian mansion over the site of the former Fort Shelby. When Louis died unexpectedly in 1886, his family renamed the home "Villa Louis" in his memory. The Dousman Family continued to occupy the home until 1913. Nearly forty years later, in 1952, the mansion became Wisconsin's first state-operated historic site. Inventor and engineer, Jeremiah Burnham Tainter also lived here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After the fur trade declined in mid nineteenth century, Prairie du Chien 's attention focused to agriculture and the railroad. Although the city was first connected to the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad in 1857, the width of the Mississippi River posed a challenge for further expansion of the railorad into Iowa. This problem was temporarily solved by disasemmbleing the trains at Prairie du Chien and ferrying them across the river to be put back on the tracks on the other side. A better solution was found by two men named Michael Spettel and John Lawler, who designed a permanent pontoon bridge to span the river in 1874. Lawler took most of the credit for this invention, and made a small fortune through it's operation. Lawler used his money to fund the establishment of two Catholic boarding schools in Prairie du Chien, St. Mary's Academy and Campion High School in the later part of the century. Campion High School especially was known for it's educational quality, and it produced several notable alumni including Vicente Fox, George Wendt, Congressman Leo Ryan, Governor Patrick Lucey, actors David Doyle and Kevin McCarthy, and writer Garry Wills. Campion remained open until 1975.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki