Travel Back in Time to Prairie du Chien

When we received the message, “do you have anything on Prairie du Chien,” we couldn’t believe we hadn’t done this historic location before. And yes, we have many images, maps, and archival items illustrating the city’s importance. In fact, a search for “Prairie du Chien” brings back over 800 results! At the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, Prairie du Chien has a rich, and complicated, legacy. Members of the Sauk, Fox, and Ho-Chunk tribes, among others, lived and traded at this location for 10,000 years; French fur traders and voyageurs rendezvoused here, starting in the late 1600s; it was an important military site for the French, then the British, and eventually Americans; it was also the site where Black Hawk was surrendered to Zachary Taylor, ending the eponymous Black Hawk War.

Prairie du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin 1870
Prairie du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin 1870.
A postcard of a panoramic view of the town of Prairie du Chien with the Mississippi River in the foreground and bluffs in the background in November, 1911.
A postcard of a panoramic view of the town of Prairie du Chien with the Mississippi River in the foreground and bluffs in the background in November 1911.
UW-La Crosse Murphy Library.
The British capture of Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812, from Thomas Gummersall Anderson, a British fur trader with alliances among the Sioux in the Upper Mississippi.
The British capture of Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812, from Thomas Gummersall Anderson, a British fur trader with alliances among the Sioux in the Upper Mississippi.
Letters about white incursions onto Indian lands in 1827 Author Joseph Montfort Street (1782-1840).
Letters about white incursions onto Indian lands in 1827. Author Joseph Montfort Street (1782-1840).
Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, 1829-30
Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, 1829-30.
Memoir by Wadze-hutta-kaw of Black Hawk's surrender Author: Decorah, One-Eyed, Ho-Chunk chief, 1772?-1864 Source Creation Date: ca. 1852
Memoir by Wadze-hutta-kaw of Black Hawk’s surrender. Author: Decorah, One-Eyed, Ho-Chunk chief, 1772?-1864 Source Creation Date: ca. 1852.
The Brisbois House, oldest stone house in Wisconsin.
The Brisbois House, oldest stone house in Wisconsin.
Exterior of Villa Louis (Old Dousman Mansion) taken from southeast.
Exterior of Villa Louis (Old Dousman Mansion) taken from southeast.
The city's location does put it at risk for flooding. Here's a massive flood of the Mississippi in Prairie du Chien, 1965.
The city’s location does put it at risk for flooding. Here’s a massive flood of the Mississippi in Prairie du Chien, 1965.