F 589 
 .P8 09 
 ICOPV 
 
 /■ 
 
 The Early Outposts of Wisconsin, 
 
 A Paper read be/ore the State Historical Society 0/ Wisconsin^ Dcce;nber 26, 1872. 
 
 Annals of Prairie du Cliien. 
 
 By DANIEL S. DURIIIE, Librarian. 
 
 The early history of this place and sur- 
 rounding country, as compared with some 
 others in this State is shrouded with un- 
 certainty ; while the section around Green 
 Bay is known to have been inhabited by 
 various Indian tribes as early as 1639, as 
 ascertained by Jean Nicollet, who has 
 the reputation of being the first white per- 
 son who visited that region, the section of 
 territory lying to the west and south west, 
 was an unknown wilderness. 
 
 Father Marquette is supposed to be 
 the first white person who penetrated the 
 territoiy of Wisconsin west of Green Bay. 
 Passing up the Fox river with Joliet, he 
 crosses the portage of the Wisconsin, and 
 passing down the latter stream entered the 
 Mississippi June 17, 1673, — two hundred 
 years ago the present year. He saj's " the 
 river is narrow at the mouth of the Wis 
 consin, and the current slow and gentle ; 
 on the right is a considerable chain of 
 very high mountains, (?), (Maj. Pike says 
 550 feet above the water,) and on the left, 
 very fine lands. It is, in many places, 
 studded with islands ; he found ten fathoms 
 of water — its breadth very unequal, 
 sometimes three-quarters of a league and 
 sometimes narrows to three arpents or 
 two hundred and twenty yards." He did 
 not stop but proceeded on his journey 
 South, and as the prairie lying above the 
 junction of the two rivers was very prob- 
 ably hid by the timber on the bottoms, it 
 is doubtful if he ascended to it. lie saw 
 no Indians in the vicinity and there was 
 no appearance of villages or settlements. 
 This is the first account we have of the I 
 
 region known as the "Prairie du Chien 
 country." 
 
 1080. The next explorer of Wisconsin 
 and the upper Mississippi was Father 
 Louis Hennepin, who accompanied L.v 
 Salle and his party in his expedition to 
 explore the Mississippi. He was sent up 
 the river by LaSalle to the country of 
 the Sioux and discovered the Falls of St. 
 Anthony; he was taken prisoner but was 
 afterward released by Frenchmen arrived 
 from Canada. On his return, he stopped 
 near the mouth of the Wisconsin to smoke 
 some meat, probably not far from the 
 present city. He found no Indians living 
 there, nor any traders. He then passed 
 up the Wisconsin for Green Bay. 
 
 1081-89. The exact time at which a 
 military post was established at Prairie.! 
 du Chien, has been the subject of mucli^ 
 speculation, some putting it as late as 
 1775, while it is stated in a rejiort of a 
 committee of Congress, to have occurred 
 in 1755, which was the year following the 
 reconciliation of the French and Sacs 
 and Foxes. The latter date may be thfe 
 correct one, as the French surrendered 
 Canada to the English in 1700; but it 1^ 
 very evident that there must have been a 
 post at a much earlier date, at or near jhe 
 Prairie. The evidence of this early occu- 
 pation is found in the oflicial document 
 of the taking possession of the 
 Mississippi Valley in the name of 
 the French King, by "Nicholas 
 Perrot, commanding at "the post of the 
 Naudouesioux" at the post of St. Antho- 
 ny, May 8, 1089, "to which documents 
 
p 589 
 .P8 09 
 Copy 2 
 
 i^- 
 
 The Early Outposts of Wisconsin, 
 
 A Paper read before the State Historical Society o/ Wisconsin^ December 26, 1872. 
 
 Annals of Prairie du Cliien. 
 
 By DANIEL S. DURRIE, Licuariax. 
 
 The early histoiy of this phxce and sur- 
 rouuding country, as compared with some 
 others in this State is shrouded with un- 
 certainty ; while the section around Green 
 Bay is known to have been inhabited by 
 various Indian tribes as early as 1C39, as 
 ascertained by Jean Nicollet, who has 
 the reputation of being the first white per- 
 son who visited that region, the section of 
 territory lying to the west and south west, 
 was an unknown wilderness. 
 
 Father Marquette is supposed to be 
 the first white person who penetrated the 
 territory of Wisconsin west of Green Bay. 
 Passing up the Fox river with Joliet, he 
 crosses the portage of the Wisconsin, and 
 passing down the latter stream entered the 
 3Iississippi June 17, 1673, — two hundred 
 years ago the present year. He saj's " the 
 river is narrow at the mouth of the Wis 
 cousin, and the current slow and gentle ; 
 on the right is a considerable chain of 
 very high mountains, ( ? ), (Maj. Pike says 
 550 feet above the water,) and on the left, 
 very fine lands. It is, in many places, 
 studded with islands ; he found ten fathoms 
 of water — its breadth very unequal, 
 sometimes three-quarters of a league and 
 sometimes narrows to three arpents or 
 two hundred and twenty j'ards." He did 
 not stop but proceeded on his journey 
 South, and as the prairie lying above the 
 junction of the two rivers was very prob- 
 ably hid by the timber on the bottoms, it 
 is doubtful if he ascended to it. He saw 
 no Indians in the vicinity and there was 
 no appearance of villages or settlements. 
 This is the first account we have of the 
 
 region known as the "Prairie du Chieu 
 country." 
 
 1680. The next explorer of Wisconsin 
 and the upper Mississippi was Father 
 Louis Hennepin, who accompanied La 
 Salle and his party in his expedition to 
 explore the Mississijjpi. He was sent up 
 the river by LaSallp: to the country of 
 the Sioux and discovered the Falls of St. 
 Anthony; he was taken prisoner but was 
 afterward released by Frenchmen arrived 
 from Canada. On his return, he stopped 
 near the mouth of the Wisconsin to smoke 
 some meat, probably not far from the 
 present city. He found no Indians living 
 there, nor any traders. He then passed 
 up the Wisconsin for Green Bay. 
 
 1681-89. The exact time at which a 
 military post was established at Prairie., 
 du Chien, has been the subject of mucli; 
 speculation, some putting it as late as 
 1775, while it is stated in a report of a 
 committee of Congress, to have occurred 
 in 1755, which was the year following the 
 reconciliation of the French and Sacs 
 and Foxes. The latter date may be thfe 
 correct one, as the French surrenderee! 
 Canada to the English in 1760; but it.i^ 
 very evident that there must have been 'k 
 post at a much earlier date, at or near jhe 
 Prairie. The evidence of this early occu- 
 pation is found in the olHcial document 
 of the taking possession of the 
 Mississippi Valley in the name of 
 the French King, by "Nicholas 
 Perrot, commanding at the post of the 
 Naudouesioux" at the post of St. Antho- 
 ny, May 8, 1689, "to which documents 
 
2 
 
 among the iiiimcs of witnesses was IMons. 
 De Bokie-Guillot, commantlmg the 
 French in the neighborhood of Ouis- 
 konche, on the Mississippi. No more 
 suitable phice coiikl have been selected 
 for a military post than Prairie du Chien, 
 and from all the information thus far ob- 
 tained, its location must be conceded as 
 an established fact. Judge Geo. Gale in 
 his work on the Upper Mississippi, says, 
 "We may safely infer that the country 
 about I'rairie du Chien was occupied as a 
 French ]iost at least as early as April 20, 
 1689, and possiblj^ the previous fall." 
 
 In the year ItiiSo, Pekrot visited the 
 Iowa and Dacota Indians, to establish 
 friendly alliances. The discovery of 
 the lead mines on Des j\[oines and Fevre 
 rivers is attributed to him. 
 
 Baron L.v IIontan is the next person 
 Avho visited Wisconsin and published an 
 account ot his travels. lie folloAved the 
 route of Marquette, and on the 23d' 
 October, 1089, arrived, as he says, "where 
 the Wisconsin enters the jNIississippi, 
 ■which is about half a league wide at that 
 place." He observed two islands, on one 
 of which he landed — saw no signs of In- 
 dians — passed up the Mississippi and 
 made some discoveries. His statements 
 about the upper country and Hennepins' 
 account of his journey south, are not re- 
 garded with favor by historians, and can- 
 not be regarded trustworthy. 
 
 1G93-1700. In tlie spring of 1G93 Le 
 Selier came for the first time to the Mis 
 sissippi by way of the Fox and Wisconsin 
 rivers, to go to the country of the Sioux, 
 where he lived at ditl'erent times for seven 
 years, and on Sept. 1, 1700, he passed up 
 the Mississippi to St. Peters river, and re- 
 turned with 2,000 quintals of blue and 
 green earth. 
 
 1700-1730. There are no records of 
 travelers or of any settlement at the 
 Prairie until the year 172(3, when, says 
 Rev. Dr. A. Brunson, a man of the name 
 of Cardinell came to the country as a 
 hunter and trapper, and located her^. He 
 came from Canada with his wife, who is 
 supposed to be the first white woman in 
 this section. He probably came to Green 
 Bay with the French troops to punish the 
 refractory Foxes, for their insolence and 
 cruelty, and hearing from the traders of 
 the rich hunting grounds on the Missis- 
 sippi, tried his fortune in that direction, 
 and is said to have made the first farm on 
 the Prairie. His wife, who outlived him, 
 and it is said a dcjzen other men to whom 
 she was married, one after another, died in 
 1827, computed trom the best data to be 
 one hundred and thirty years of age. 
 When she first came to the country buf- 
 faloes were very abundant. She said that 
 in time of high Avatcr the Indians passed 
 
 Co pa d 
 
 with canoes along the brtTtrs on the east 
 side of the Prairie. 
 
 The next settler was a num of the name 
 of Garnier, whose descendants still are 
 found in the vicinity. 
 
 Father Guignas passed down the Wis- 
 consin in 1728, and up the Mississippi to 
 Lake Pepin. 
 
 1730-173G. About five miles from the 
 mouth of the Wisconsin the Outagamies 
 had a large town on the right bank ot the 
 river. They were induced from a super- 
 stitious belief that the Great Spirit 
 had ordered them to remove their loca- 
 tion, to build a town on the banks of the 
 Mississippi. This place was called by 
 the French "La Prairie du Chien," the 
 Dog Plain, or more properly "Les Prairie 
 des Chien," the Dogs' Prairie. This 
 name was derived from a large familj'" 
 called "Des Chiens" who formerly resided 
 there, and in 1781 the descendants of the 
 same family then resided at that place. 
 Col. B. W. Brisbois says the name was 
 derived from the Fox Chief Altm, or dog, 
 whose band occupied the Prairie when 
 first visited by tlie French, that chiefs 
 name was "Dog," hence Dog's prairie or 
 dog's meadow. Chien being the French 
 of "dog, turned it into Prairie du Chien. 
 
 173G-1755. In the year 175r)the govern- 
 ment of France established a permanent 
 militarj' post near the mouth of the Wis- 
 consin, in consequence of which a num- 
 ber of French families settled in that vi- 
 cinity, and established the village of 
 Prairie du Chien. The fort near the Wis- 
 consin, established 1G89, had evidently 
 been abandoned sometime previous. By 
 the Treaty of Versailles in 17G3, the vil- 
 lage and fort followed the condition of the 
 Canadas, and the Illinois country, as it 
 was called, passed to the Crown of Eng- 
 land. In 1783 the events of the American 
 Revolution again changed their condition, 
 and June 1st, 1796, the village and fort 
 formally surrendered to the United States. 
 
 17GG. This year Capt. Jonathan Car- 
 ver, on his way to the Upper Mississippi, 
 followed the route of Marquette and 
 others, and entered the Mississippi on the 
 15tli of October. About five miles from 
 the junction of the rivers he observed the 
 ruins of a large settlement in a very pleas- 
 ing situation, evidentl}' the town of the 
 Outagamies. At the Prairie or the Dog- 
 Plains, he found a large town containing 
 about 300 families. The houses are well 
 built after the Indian manner (log cabins, 
 covered with bark), and pleasantly situat- 
 ed on a very rich soil, from which they 
 raise every necessary of life in great 
 abundance. He saw many horses of good 
 size and shape. The town, he says, "is 
 the great mart where all the adjacent 
 tribes, and even those who inhabit the 
 
 By Transfer 
 MAR 18 1914 
 
3 
 
 most remote branches of tlie Mississippi, 
 annually assemble about the latter end of 
 May, bringing with them their furs to dis- 
 pose of to the traders. It is not always 
 that the}' do so at this place. A general 
 council of the chiefs determine whether 
 it would be more conducive to their 
 interest to sell their goods to the traders 
 liere, or carry them to Louisiana or 
 Michillimackinac." He says that 
 *'-' at the mouth of the Wisconsin stands a 
 t\, high mountain, (550 feet, according to 
 Pike), that the Mississippi is there a half 
 a mile wide, but opposite to the prairie is 
 more than a mile and full of islands, the 
 soil of which is extraordinarily rich and 
 but thinl}' wooded. It is singular, that 
 when Carver was here, he found no 
 white inhabitants, at least he does not 
 speak of meeting with any, although he 
 describes the large Indian town and its 
 commercial importance. He further re- 
 marks "that the traders who accompanied 
 him took up their winter residence on 
 the opposite side of the river; this they 
 would not have done if there had been at 
 that time a settlement of whites near the 
 mouth of the Wisconsin. This may be 
 accounted for b}' the fact that inasmuch 
 as Canada been surrendered to England, 
 the French had of course evacuated their 
 fort, which tradition said was burned the 
 second year of the American revolution. 
 
 176G-80. We find no further accounts 
 of visits of travellers until 1780. At that 
 date Captain J. Long wdiile at Mackinaw 
 was sent by the commanding officer to 
 accompany a party of Indians and Cana- 
 dians to the Mississippi. Information 
 had been received at JMackinaw that the 
 Indian traders had deposited their furs at 
 Prairie du Chien, where there was a town 
 of considerable note, built under *he 
 command of Mons. Langlade, the 
 King's interpreter, and the object 
 of the expedition was to secure 
 these furs and keep them from the 
 Americans. Capt. Long left Mackinaw 
 with thirty-six Indians of the Outagamies 
 and Sioux, twenty Canadians in nine large 
 birch canoes, laden with Indian presents. 
 The parly arrived at Green Bay in four 
 daj-s and proceeded through the Fox and 
 Wisconsin rivers to the forks of the Mis- 
 sissippi) where he met two hundred of the 
 Fox Indians, and had a feast of five In- 
 dian dogs, bear, beaver, deer, mountain 
 cat and racoon boiled in bears' grease and 
 mixed with huckleberries ! He proceded 
 to Prairie du Chien where he found the 
 merchants peltries in packs in a log-house, 
 guarded by Capt. Lakglade and some In- 
 dians. He took oOO packs of the best 
 skins and filled the canoes. Sixty more 
 were burnt to prevent the enemy (the 
 Americans) from taking them. He then 
 
 returned to Green Bay (in seventeen days) 
 and thence to Mackinaw. ' 
 
 1781. This year Lieut. Gov. Patrick 
 Sinclair, of Upper Canada, held a treaty 
 with the Indians at Mackinaw, for tlie 
 purchase of that island, Green Bay and 
 Prairie du Chien. Pierre LaPoixte tes- 
 tified before Judge Lee, in 1820, that he 
 was interpreter at the treaty. 
 
 1781-2. Michael Brisrois gave evi- 
 dence at the same time that he had then 
 (1820) been 39 j'ears i« this country, con- 
 sequently was a resident at this time. He 
 also testified that from his own knowledge 
 and tlie best information he could obtain, 
 Prairie du Chien, from the mouth of the 
 Wisconsin to the upper part of the prairie, 
 had been occupied and cultivated m small 
 improvements, both before and since his 
 arrival, 
 
 1783. The present settlement w^as be- 
 gun this year by Mv. Giard, Mr. An- 
 TAYA and Mr. Dubuque. There had 
 formerly been an old settlement about a 
 mile below the present village, which ex- 
 isted during the time the French held 
 possession of the Canadas, but it was 
 abandoned chiefly on account of the un- 
 healthy situation, being near the borders 
 ot an extensive tract of overflowed land. 
 At this time, or soon after, says Dr. Brun- 
 SON, twenty or thirty settlers, and previous 
 to 1793, the whole prairie had been claim- 
 ed and occupied, amounting to forty- 
 three farms and thirty or forty village lots. 
 most or all of which had previously been 
 built upon. This fact was estab- 
 lished in 1823, by testimony tak- 
 en before Judge Lee, who was 
 appointed to take testimony for the Gov- 
 ernment on the private laud claims of 
 parties at the village. The greater part of 
 the settlers came as hunters, traders or 
 employees, and taking wives of the na- 
 tives commenced farming on a small 
 and primitive scale, cultivating the laud 
 with Avooden plows, ironed iU the point, 
 while they also hunted, trapped, and 
 voyaged as occasion required. 
 
 1784-1800. From a report made to Con- 
 gress, Feb. 25, 1818, we learn that the vil- 
 lage and fort were formally surrendered 
 by the British to the United States, on the 
 first day of June, 1786. Gen. W. Pt. 
 Smith thinks there is a doubt of the 
 formal surrender being made at that time. 
 The general surrender of all the western 
 posts did not take place till Jiily of that 
 year. 
 
 In April, 1785, there was a great flood 
 in the Mississippi; the waters rose 
 fifteen to twenty feet above the highest 
 mark they had ever been known to reach. 
 The whole region of country drained by 
 the river, presented the aspect of an im- 
 
mense sheet of ■water stiuUled witli 
 islands. 
 
 1800-1805. Micir.\EL Brisbois became 
 a resident in 1803, and at his death (1837) 
 was buried on a bluff in the rear of the 
 village. Joseph Roletee, a Canadian 
 Frenchman, settled in 1804 and was en- 
 gaged many years in the fur trade with 
 a Mr. Cannon. 
 
 In the year 1805, Maj. Z. M. Pike, 
 having been appointed to the charge 
 of an expedition to explore the upper 
 Mississippi, left St. Louis August 5, 
 with a party of twenty officers and 
 privates, in a keel boat 70 feet long. 
 
 He arrived at Prairie du Chien Sept. 4. 
 He found Capt. Fisher in command at 
 the Fort. He proceeded up the river and 
 returned to this place April 18, 1800. On 
 the 20th he made a speech to the Puants 
 and demanded the murderers of two 
 Americans. These the Indians promised 
 to deliver at St. Louis, and to return all 
 British flags and medals in their posses- 
 sion. The following is his description of 
 the village: -'Situated about a league 
 from the mouth of the Wisconsin. On 
 the east bank is a small pond or iiiarsh 
 which runs parallel to the river in the 
 rear of the town, which in front of the 
 marsh consists of 18 dwelling houses, in 
 two streets, (near the present "Dousman 
 House") IG in Front street and 2 in second 
 street. In the rear of the marsh, (east of 
 the 3Iarrais de St. Ferriole, and near 
 Kane's Hotel.) are 8 dwelling houses; 
 part of the houses are framed, and in 
 place of weather boarding there are small 
 logs let into mortices made in the up- 
 rights joined close, daubed on the outside 
 with clay and handsomely whitewashed 
 within. There were 8 houses scattered 
 ai-ound the country at a distance of 1, 2, 
 o and 5 miles; making in the village and 
 vicinity, 37 houses v/hicli at ten persons 
 to each house would make a population 
 of 370 souls. In the Spring and Fall ow- 
 ing to the concourse of traders and their 
 eugagees, there are between 500 and COO. 
 A Fair is usually held in the Spring when 
 300 or 400 Indians are here to exchange 
 peltries for goods. 
 
 He speaks of the old village which was 
 a mile below the present one, Avhich had 
 existed during the French occupancy of 
 the country. The present village was set- 
 tled under the English government, and 
 the ground purchased of the Indians. 
 The prairie on which the village is situ- 
 ated is bounded on the rear by high, bald 
 hills. While here he selected a location 
 for a Fort. 
 
 Henry M. Fisheb, (father of Mrs. H. 
 L. Dousman) was a trader from 1805-15. 
 He was a Captain of Militia, and Justice 
 of the Peace. Bazil Gagnier, a de- 
 scendant of one of the early settlers, was 
 
 born here 1801, and is still living at Mill 
 Coulee. Mrs. Galarneau was born here 
 1798 and is still living near the city. Mrs. 
 H. L. Dousman was born in 1804 and has 
 resided nearly all that time at this place. 
 
 1800-1815. — A trader named Camprell 
 was appointed by the government sub-In- 
 dian Agent, and by the Governor of Illi- 
 nois as Justice of the Peace. His price 
 for marrying was 100 pounds of tlour, and 
 for dissolving the same, 200 pounds. 
 
 On the 18tii of June, 1812, the declara- 
 tion of war against Great Britain was made 
 by Congress. The protection of this part 
 of our frontiers was considered of great 
 importance to ourselves, as its possession 
 was to the British. Early in 1814 the gov- 
 ernment authorities at St. Louis fitted out 
 a large boat, having on board all the men 
 that could be mustered, and dispatched it 
 up the Mississippi to protect the upper 
 country. This boat reached Prairie du 
 Ciiien;' and on its arrival the men com- 
 menced putting the old fort in a state of de- 
 fense by repairing the outworks and fortify- 
 ing it. Not long after taking possession, 
 Col.McK.\Y,of the British army, descended 
 the Wisconsin with a larae force of Brit- 
 ish and Indians, piloted by Jos. Rolette, 
 of the village. The fort Avas captured af- 
 ter a determined resistance against an 
 overwhelming force, and the utmost ex- 
 ertions of Col. McKay were required to 
 prevent an indiscriminate massacre of the 
 Americans by the infuriated Indians. 
 The prisoners were finally put into a boat 
 and sent down the river. The fort was 
 left in command of Capt. Poiilman, 
 Avith two MackinaAv companies, under 
 Capt. Anderson and Lieut. D. Graiiaai. 
 He continued in command till after the 
 peace, Avhich ensued the following year, 
 when the Fort Avas evacuated by the Brit- 
 ish. 
 
 A more particular account of tlie taking 
 of Prairie dn Chien may be found in the 
 published collections of the State Histor- 
 ical Societj- of Wisconsin. 
 
 In the year 1814 Fatsib.vult, an early 
 trader of the Upper Mississippi, Avas rob- 
 bed of a large stock of goods at the village 
 b}^ tlie Winnebagoes. A slight earthquake 
 Avas noticed tills year. 
 
 Col. B. W. Brisbois, a son of Micuaei. 
 Brisbois, Avas born here 1808, and is still 
 livinsr. He Avas Slierilf of Crawford coun- 
 tv 1829-31 and 1833-35, Register of Deeds 
 1834-38, Supervisor 183G-38, Treasurer 
 1841-53 and Government Assessor 1864. 
 He has liA-ed to see the villa'ge grow up 
 from a small trading post to its present 
 importance. He has lately been appoint- 
 ed by President Grant, Consul at Ver- 
 viers, Belgium. 
 
 1816. After the peace of 1815, a lucra- 
 tive business Avas carried on betAveen the 
 merchants of St. Louis and tlie traders and 
 
Indians of the Upper Mississippi. Goods 
 were periodically sent up to the traders, 
 who in return transmitted by the same 
 boats peltries and lead. In the period 
 between 1815 and 18'20Col.JNO.SnAw made 
 eight trips in a trailing boat between St. 
 Louis and Prairie du Chien, and visited 
 the lead mines, where the city of Galena 
 now stands. At one time he carried away 
 seventy tons of lead. 
 
 On the 21st June, 181G, U.S. troops took 
 possession of the Fort at Prairie du Chien. 
 Brevet Gen. Smytiie, Colonel of the Rifle 
 Regiment, came here in the month of 
 June, and selected the mound Avhere the 
 stockade had been built and the ground 
 in front, to include tiie most thickly in- 
 habited part of the village, for a site to 
 erect Fort Crawford. During the ensuing 
 winter or spring of 1817, Col. Talbot 
 Chambeks arrived and assumed the com- 
 mand, and the houses in the village being 
 an obstruction to the garrison, he ordered 
 those houses in front, and about the fort 
 (near Col. Dous.man's residence) to be 
 taken down by their owners and moved 
 to the lower end of the village, where he 
 pretented to give them lots. 
 
 Judge LocKWOOD arrived here Sept. 10, 
 1816. He says the village at that time was 
 a traders' village of between 25 and 30 
 houses, situated on the banks of the Mis- 
 sissippi, on what is in high water an is- 
 land, now called the old village, as it was 
 so at the time. Mr. Lyons surveyed the 
 private land claims. 
 
 There were on the prairie at that time 
 about forty farms cultivated along under 
 the blufts, and enclosed in the common 
 field, each farm divided by a road or high- 
 way. 
 
 This year there were four companies of 
 riflemen, under command of Brevet Maj. 
 Morgan, building the old fort, which was 
 constructed by placing the walls of the 
 quarters and store-houses on the lines, 
 the highest outside, and the slope of the 
 roof descending within 'the fort, with 
 block houses at two corners, and large 
 pickets on the others, so as to enclose the 
 the fort. This fort was erected ou the is- 
 land formed by the river and the Slough 
 of St. Ferriole. Joux W. Johnson was U. 
 S. Factor. Col. Alex. jMcNaiii Sutler, 
 and J. P. Gates Interpreter. 
 
 1817. Maj. S. H. Lonu having made a 
 tour to the portage of the Fox and AVis- 
 consin rivers, returned to Prairie du Chien 
 and made a voyage to the Falls of St. An- 
 thony, in a six-oared skilF, acc(nni)anied by 
 a Mr. Hempstead as interpreter, and by 
 two young men named Kinxj and Gunn, 
 grandsons of Capt. Jonathan Cakveh, 
 who were going up to tiie Sauteurs to estab- 
 lish their claim to lands granted by those 
 tribes to their grandfather. The dav after 
 
 his arrival, (July 23,) he examinexl the 
 country to find a location better adapted 
 for a post than the present one, but did 
 not succeed. While here he made ex- 
 cursions in the surrounding country, and 
 refers to the remains of ancient earth- 
 works above the mouth of the Wisconsin, 
 more numerous and of greater extent than 
 had heretofore been noticed. On the 25th. 
 he measured and planned Fort Crawford. 
 He says it is a square of 3-40 feet each 
 side, of wood, with a magazine 12x24 of 
 stone — that it will accommodate five com- 
 panies — block houses, two stories high, 
 with cupolas or turrets. The iKiilding of 
 the works was commenced Jul}' 3, 181G, 
 by troops under command of Col. Hamil- 
 ton, previous to which time no timber had 
 been cut, or stone quarried for the 
 purpose. He says : "Exclusive of stores, 
 workshops and stables, the village 
 contains only 10 dwelling houses, 
 occupied by families.. In the rear of the 
 village about three quarters of a mile are 
 four others, two and a half miles above 
 are five, and at the upper eiid of the prai- 
 rie are four, and seven or eight scattered 
 over the prairie. So that the whole num- 
 ber of family dwellings now occupied 
 does not exceed 38. The buildings are 
 generally of logs, plastered with mud or 
 clay, and he thinks the village and inhab- 
 itants have degenerated since Pike was 
 here in 1805. The inhabitants are princi- 
 pally of French and Indian extraction. 
 One mile back of the village is the "Grand 
 Farm," an extensive enclosure culdvated 
 by the settlers in common. It is about 
 six miles in length and one quarter to 
 one half a mile in width, surrounded by a 
 fence on one side, and the river blutfs ou 
 the other, thus secured from the depreda- 
 tions of cattle. He speaks highly of 
 CapiJiin DuFFiiKV, the commanding offi- 
 cer. He says of the name of the village, 
 it derives its name from a family of Indi- 
 ans, formerly known by the name of 
 "The Dog, "that the chiefs name was "The 
 Dog." This family or band has become 
 extinct. The following tradition concern- 
 ing them came to his knowledge: "That 
 a large party of Indians came down the 
 Wisconsin from Green Baj-; that they 
 attacked the family or tribe of the "Dogs" 
 and massacred almost the whole of them 
 and returned to Green Bay ; that the few 
 who had succeeded in making their es- 
 cape to the woods, returned after their 
 enemies had evacuated the prairie, and 
 re-established themselves in their former 
 place of residence, and that they were the 
 Indians inhabiting the prairie at the time 
 it was settled by the French. 
 
 In the spring of this year, says Judge 
 LocKWOOD, a Roman Catholic priest from 
 St. Louis called PekePiueke visited the 
 place. He was the first that \i:.A been here 
 
6 
 
 for many years, and perliaps since the set- 
 tlement, and organized the Roman Cath- 
 olic Church, and disturbed some of the 
 domestic arrangements of the inhabitants. 
 He found several women Avho had left 
 their husbands and Avere living witli 
 other men ; these he made by the terror of 
 hie church to return and asic pardon of 
 their husbands and to be taken back by 
 them, ■which they of course, could not re- 
 fuse. 
 
 The following description of the 
 ancient mounds and fortitications found 
 here is taken from Major Long's journal 
 of 1817: 
 
 "The remains of ancient works, con- 
 structed probably for militarj^ purposes, 
 were found more numerous and of greater 
 extent on the highlands, just above the 
 mouth of the 'i\'isconsin, than any of 
 which a descrii")tion has been made pub- 
 lic, or that have as yet been discovered in 
 the western country. There the parapets 
 and mounds were found connected in one 
 series of works. Whenever there was an 
 angle in the principal lines, a mound of 
 the largest size was erected at the angle ; 
 the parapets were terminated by mounds 
 at each extremity, and also at the gate- 
 ways. No ditch was observed on either 
 side of the parapet. In many places the 
 lines were composed of i)arapets and 
 mounds in conjunction, the mounds be- 
 ing arranged along the parapets at their 
 iTsual distance from each other, and 
 operating as flank defences to the lines. 
 
 "The Indians in the vicinity of Prairie 
 du Chien can give no account of these 
 ancient works, and their onlj- mode of 
 explaining their existence is by suppos- 
 ing that the country was inhabited, at a 
 period anterior to the most remote tradit- 
 ions, by a race of Vv'hite men similar to 
 those of European origin, and that they 
 were cut oti' by their fore-fathers. It is 
 said that tomahawks of brass and other 
 metals, ditl'ering fnmi those in use among 
 the present Indians, have been found 
 imder the surface of the ground, [Keat- 
 ing.] And stories are told of gigantic 
 skeletons being often disinterred in the 
 neighborhood. Mr. Brisbois, who has 
 been for a Ions time a resident of Prairie 
 du Cliien, informs mc that he saw the 
 skeletons of eight persons that were found 
 in digging a cellar near his house, lying 
 side by side. They were of gigantic size, 
 measuring'flbout eight feet from head to 
 foot. He added, that he took a leg bone 
 of one of them, and placed it hy the side 
 of his own leg, in order to compare the 
 length of the two; the bone of the skele- 
 ton extended six inches above his knee. 
 None of these bones could be preserved, 
 as they crumbled to dust soon after they 
 were exposed to the atmosphere." 
 
 1818. — In the summer of this year 
 
 "William Faknswop.tii, in company with 
 Ramsay Crookes, with seventeen voya- 
 geuvs and three passengers, embarked 
 from Mackinaw in a bark canoe,and passed 
 up the lake to Green Bay, and bj'the Fox, 
 "Wisconsin and the Mississippi rivers to 
 St. Louis. 
 
 Col. Hickman arrived with his lady at 
 the fort, and Col. Chambers returned to 
 iSt. Louis. 
 
 Col. JoHX SiiAW built a gri.st mill at 
 Fisher's Coulee, four miles above the prai- 
 rie, where the Dousman mill now stands. 
 
 Crawford county organized October 2G 
 This county and Brown counter included 
 the whole State. The dividing line was a 
 north and south line, running through the 
 middle of the portage between the Fox 
 and Wisconsin rivers. Prairie du Chien 
 made the county seat of Crawford county. 
 
 Among the arrivals during the year 
 were Mr. Nicholas Boilvin, Indian 
 Agent and Civil Jlagislrate, Col. McNair 
 and Maj. Fowler. 
 
 1819. — Maj. Thos. Forsyth, Indian 
 Agent,made a journej'^ from St.Louis to St. 
 Anthony's Falls. He left St. Louis June 7, 
 and arrived at Prairie du Cliien July 5. 
 He met here a son of Red AVing with a 
 band of followers, and Kettle, chief of a 
 band of Foxes. 
 
 Prairie du Chien, by common consent 
 of the Indians, was neutral ground; so 
 that if hostile tribes, or members of them, 
 met upon it they were obliged to keep the 
 peace while there ; but they sometimes 
 fought within three or four miles of it. 
 
 The old Red Wing, a Sioux chief, ar- 
 rived a few days after, says Capt. Hick- 
 MAX, and left on the 26th for St. Louis. 
 On the 8th of August he set out with Col. 
 Leavenworth, with 98 soldiers, in 14 
 batteaux and two boats Avith provisions 
 and ordnance, for St. Peter's river, for the 
 new fort to be erected there. He says at 
 the Prairie, flour was worth $10 per cwt., 
 corn $3 per bushel, eggs $1 per dozen, 
 chickens $1 per pair, and butter — none 
 made. 
 
 J. H. LocKwooD took up his permanent 
 residence in the fall of this year. 
 
 Maj. Nathan Clarke, of the IT. S. xVr- 
 my, was here with his wife. Their daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. Charlotte O. Vanci>eve, was 
 born at Fort Crawford. He subsequently 
 removed to Fort Suelliug where he was 
 Commissary. 
 
 Mrs. Gen. V-vncleye is living at St. An- 
 thony, Minn. 
 
 1820. Judge Lee came here to take 
 testimony on the laud claims of parties re 
 siding here. Crawford county tliis ycav 
 erected a jail of hewn timber, l'6x25, near 
 the present residence of F. J. Miller. 
 Michael Brisbois testified before Judge 
 Lee that he had been 39 years in this 
 country, and that about 18 years before 
 
(1802), the French residents became some- 
 ■\vhat apprehensive as to their title; which 
 fact having been made Icnown to tlie In- 
 dians, one of tlie tirst chiefs of the Fox 
 ration, named Nan-pouis, ratified at Ca- 
 holiia. near St. Louis, an ancient sale of 
 said Prairie to the French. Congress had 
 ratified these claims previously. In the 
 fall of the previous year (1819), Gov. Lew- 
 is C.^ss, with consent of the Secretary of 
 AVar, projected an expedition for explor- 
 ing the ^ orth western Territory ; attached 
 to it was IL 11. Schoolcraft, 
 the well known writer on Indian historJ^ 
 On the otii of August, 1820, he arrived at 
 Prairie du Cliien from below, and where 
 he spent a few days. He says of his visit 
 here, "that the town is pleasantly situated 
 on the Mississippi ; has 80 buildings, in- 
 cluding the garrison, a'rrangcd in two 
 streets parallel with tlie river, with an ag- 
 gregate population of 500. This is exclu 
 sive of the garrison, consisting of a com- 
 pany of infantry 96 strong, under com- 
 mand of Capt. FowLE." ITe says: -'The 
 village has the old shabby look of all the 
 anticiue French towns on "the Mississippi ; 
 the dwellings being constructed of logs 
 and bark, and the court-yards picketed in 
 as if they were intended for defence. The 
 town is called Kipisagee, by the Chippe- 
 was and Algonquin tribes generally,mean- 
 ing the place of the jet or overflow of the 
 (Wisconsin) river. The word appears to 
 be based on the verb kipa, to be thick or 
 turbid, and srmge, outliow; the river at 
 the floods being little else than a moving 
 mass of sand and water." 
 
 Col. SxELLiNG was detained here several 
 weeks en court martial, of which he was 
 President, and subsequently at Fort St 
 Anihony, afterwards changed to Fort 
 Snelling. 
 
 On the 15th of April, three Mackinaw 
 boats, manned with six hands each, load- 
 ed with wheat, oats and peas,under charge 
 of Messrs GnAiiAir and Laidl.^w, left 
 Prairie du Chien for Selkirk colony, on 
 Eed River. 
 
 1821. A steamboat first made its appear- 
 iincehere. It was called the Virgmia, 
 and owned in St. Louis. 
 
 Jas. Rolette Alexis Baily and a few 
 more went on her to St. Peters or Fort 
 Snelling. They stopped and cut wood as 
 they needed it. J. B. Toyer went as 
 pilot. It is said that they were all intoxi- 
 cated during the trip up and back. 
 
 It was a stern wheeler, and a man with 
 a pole was stationed on the bow to aid in 
 steering. 
 
 The inhabitants Avere greatly surprised 
 when the}' first saw it in the middle of 
 the river without sail, as the keel boats 
 always kept near the shore in ascending 
 the river. 
 
 There is some dispute as to the year, 
 but Col. B. W. BuTSBors, who saw it, says 
 it was in 1821. 
 
 The records show that Alexis Baily' 
 was here April 11th, 1821. Baily was 
 the first man to see the boat — he procured 
 a spy-glass of jM. Bkisbois, and tlius dis- 
 covered its character. 
 
 Madame Bkisbois went on board, and 
 remarked how strange it was tliat they 
 did not have to get down into it, as in 
 other boats she had seen. 
 
 1821. This year Lord Selkirk purchas- 
 ed a number of cattle of Joseph Rolette, 
 and hired Alexis Baii-ly, J. B. Loyer 
 and others to drive to the Red River of the 
 North. 
 
 Loyer was a natura. pilot; and, after 
 looking at a map of the country, proceed- 
 ed west to the highlands, and by taking 
 frequent notice of the North star, succeed- 
 ed in striking within five miles of the 
 point of destination. He was without edu- 
 cation of any kind, but succeeded in be- 
 coming an excellent pilot for land and 
 water. The steamboats which passed 
 above this place in early times depended 
 entirely upon him for a guide, and fre- 
 cjueutly were delayed hei-e for daj's at a 
 time, awaiting his arrival. 
 
 James G.vrdepie, one of our best river 
 pilots at present, is a relative of the old 
 pilot. 
 
 1822. Col. Robert Dicksox, Messrs. 
 Laidlaw and Mackenzie arrived here 
 from Selkirk Settlement, on North Red 
 river, Canada; Dr. Brunson thinks it was 
 in 1821. Very high water in the Missis- 
 sippi entered the parade, which it covered 
 to the depth of three or four feet ; also 
 penetrated the officers' quarters, rendering 
 it necessary for the garrison to remove to 
 the higher ground back of the slough. 
 
 This year it was enacted bj'the Govern- 
 or and Judges of the Territoiy of Michi- 
 gan "that all the citizens of this territor}-, 
 inhabitants of the borough of Prairie du 
 Chien, be and the same are hereby ordain- 
 ed, constituted and declared to be from 
 time to time forever hereafter, one body, 
 corporate and politic, in fact and in name 
 by the name of the "Wardens, Burgesses 
 and Fremen of the borough of Prairie du 
 Chien." 
 
 Some of the provisions of the law were 
 veiy curious; among other things "a fine 
 of $2.00 was assessed for allowing a chim- 
 ney to blaze out at the top ; §1 for hitching 
 a horse to a fence ; $2 fine for white per- 
 fons to be seen skulking or sneaking 
 about after ten o'clock at night, and |3 
 to !|:5 for sharriveriers.''' , 
 
 The borough passed and repealed by- 
 laws for about three years, and stopped 
 business in 1825. The first Warden was 
 Joiix W. JoHxsox; M. Brisbois and 
 
Tnos. McNair, Burgesses — the last were 
 Jos. Rolette, Warden, M. Brisbois and 
 J. H. LocKWOOD, Burgesses. 
 
 1833. Count Beltrami came up the 
 Mississippi on tlie steamer Virginia (118 
 feet long and 23 feet wide) in the month 
 of May, and stopped at Prairie du Chien; 
 among the passengers were Maj. Biddle, 
 Mr. Taliaferro, and Lieut. Russel. 
 
 Maj. S. H. Long, U. S. A., made his 
 journey up the Mississippi by order of 
 the Government to discover the sources 
 of St. Peter's river. His party left Phila 
 delphia for Fort Dearborn, Chicago., and 
 tlience by land northwest through Illinois 
 and the southwestern counties of Wiscon- 
 sin to Prairie du Cliien, where they ar- 
 rived on June 20 — found Col. Morgan in 
 command. The route taken from Fort 
 Dearborn is believed to be the iirst that 
 ever was taken by the whites, the journej' 
 occupied nine days, traversing 238 miles. 
 He says that there were about twenty 
 dwellings M'ith a population of 150. The 
 Fort, he saj^s, is the rudest and most un- 
 comfortable he had ever seen. The site is 
 low and unpleasant. He refers to the an- 
 cient mounds in the vicinity which have 
 been heretofore described. The party 
 were here re-inforced, and proceeded up 
 the river. There were but few Indians 
 here at the time. 
 
 Hon. Jas. Duane Doty having been 
 appointed Judge of the United States Dis- 
 trict Court in the northwest, repaired to 
 Prairie du Chien, where he organized the 
 Judiciary of Crawford county, and opened 
 court. He intended making this place 
 liis home, but Ihe leading Imlian traders 
 not regarding the establishment of courts 
 within their precincts with favor, and tiud- 
 ing a more health}' location for his family 
 desirable, he was induced to remove to 
 Green Bay. While here he acted as 
 postmaster. 
 
 The Detroit Gazette of Oct. 17, sa3-s, 
 "that information from Prairie dit Chien 
 hy tJce way of St. Louis, states that on the 
 day of the election for Delegate to Con- 
 gress, 83 votes were polled, of which Joun 
 Biddle received 83 votes." This Mas be- 
 fore railroads and telegraph lines were es- 
 tablished. 
 
 On the 10th day of June next, 1873, fifty 
 years will have elapsed since the first 
 steamer came up the Mississippi river and 
 landed at Fort Snelling. It was the steam- 
 er Vircjinia. Mrs. General Van Ci,eve, 
 now residing at Minneapolis, is probably 
 the only woman now living wlio witnessed 
 the arrival of this steamer. 
 
 1834. The second steamboat arrived 
 here {Tlce Putnam) and proceeded up the 
 river to Fort Snelling. 
 
 The County Board of Crawford county 
 considered the propriety of erecting a 
 
 courthouse, but the highest tax allowed 
 by law would only suffice for current' ex- 
 penses, and it was deferred. 
 
 1825. The United States Government 
 sent Gov. Cass of Michigan, as Commis- 
 sioner to this place to meet the Sioux and 
 Chippewas, lowas, Winnebagoes, Menom- 
 onees and Sauks and Foxes, to settle by 
 treaty the metes and bounds of their re- 
 spective lands or ciaims. These were es- 
 tablished in part, leaving the Winneba- 
 goes and Menomonees an open question 
 for further action. The meetings were 
 held on Aug. 1st and 19th. 
 
 The steamer Warrior passed up the riv- 
 er on the way to Fort Snelling, having as 
 passengers. Captains Dx\.y and Beech, of 
 the army, Geo. Catlin, the Indian artist, 
 Gen. Geo. W. Jones and others, and ar- 
 rived at Fort Snelling, June 34. On the 
 34th, Catlin returned to Prairie du Chien, 
 in a canoe and spent a number of days. 
 While here, Wau-be-shaw's band of Sioux 
 came to the Prairie and remained some 
 weeks. Catlin painted a number of In- 
 dian portraits at this place. See his work 
 on the American Indians. 
 
 1836. Col. Hercules L. Dousman came 
 this year as the confidential agent of the 
 American Fur Company, and where he 
 continued to reside to his deatli, Septem- 
 ber 12, 1868. 
 
 In the month of May occurred a great 
 flood of the Mississippi, the highest of 
 more modern times. Tlie water at 
 Prairie du Chien reaching twenty-six feet 
 above low water mark. The troops aban- 
 doned the fort and took possession of the 
 higher ground east of the slough. 
 
 Joseph Brisbois was clerk of Craw- 
 ford county from 1«26 to 1833. 
 
 1837. In the fiiU of this year, the troops 
 at Fort Crawfiud were transferred to 
 Fort Snelling, leaving the former unforti- 
 fied. Shortiy after, the AVinnebagoes be- 
 came very insolent, and in the month of 
 March following,attacked a camp of half 
 breeds on tiie Iowa side of the river op- 
 posite Prairie du Chien and killed the 
 whole family. A family b,y the name of 
 Gagnieu living at the pond, three miles 
 southeast of the village was murdered, a 
 child about two years old was stunned 
 scalped and thrown under the bed, where 
 she was found a day or two after; she is 
 still living near Prairie du Chien, the 
 scalped part was never covered with hair. 
 
 Murders were frecpient and the settlers 
 were obliged to take refuge at the Fort, 
 which was put in as good order as possi- 
 ble and taken possession of bj^ them. On 
 account of these troubles four companies 
 left Fort Snelling August 17, under Maj. 
 Fowle, for Fort Crawford. Two chiefs, 
 Weekan and Red Bird surrendered, and 
 the latter died ia the fort. 
 
9 
 
 A full account of tlie "Winnebago out- 
 break" as it is termed can be found in 
 Smitu's History of Wisconsin, and the 
 published collections of the State Histor- 
 ical Societ}'. 
 
 Judge LocKWOOD, in the summer of 
 1826, built the first framed house 26x30 
 near the fort, which was subsequently 
 sold to the government, and occupied by 
 Col. Z. Taylok. It was afterwards re- 
 moved, and a new building erected at a 
 cost of $7,000, for the accommodation of 
 General Buookk. 
 
 Col. T. L. KcKexney, one of the com- 
 missioners to treat with the Indians at 
 Butte des Morts, came up the Fox and 
 down the Wisconsin to Prairie du Chien, 
 arriving here Sept. 3. He says: "the 
 buildings are old and in a state of decay, 
 only two good houses, Rolette's and 
 Judge Lockwood's, about one hundred de- 
 caying tenements, the picket fort standing 
 on the plain a little north of the village, 
 (where the DoussrA>f residence now stands) 
 and quite a ruin. 
 
 1828. On the 25th of August of this 
 year, a special term of the United States 
 District Court w'as held here by Judge J. 
 D. Doty, for the trial of the Indians for 
 the murders committed in June of the 
 preceding year. On the 1st of September, 
 Chick-hojSg-sic, or the Little Boeup, 
 and Wa-nx-ga, or the Sun, were indicted, 
 tried and convicted as accomplices of 
 Red-Bird in the murder of Gagnier and 
 LiPCAP ; they were sentenced to be hung 
 Dec. 26, but before that day the Presi- 
 dent's pardon, dated Nov. 8, arrived, and 
 the two Indians were discharged. Two 
 other Indians charged with the murder of 
 the family of Methode, were discharged, 
 under a nolle pro&equi. There can be no 
 doubt, says Judge Doty, that this murder 
 was intended by the AVinnebagoes as a 
 first act of hostility in the commencement 
 of a war upon the w'hite population. 
 
 Gen. Jos. M. Street, Indian Agent, 
 and Maj. Stephen H. Kearney were in 
 command at the fort, wliicli was garrison- 
 ed by the 1st regiment. 
 
 In this j-ear (1828) Lucij^-s Lyon, U. S. 
 Surveyor, run out and staked the farm 
 lots, known as the " private laud claims," 
 embracing the whole prairie and three 
 ravines, or vallies, east of it. 
 
 1829.— A daughter of Col. Zachary 
 Taylor was married at the fort to Dr. A. 
 C. Wood. 
 
 Caleb Atwater, one of the commis- 
 sioners appointed by the Government to 
 negotiate with the r.idians of the upper 
 Mississippi for the purchase of the miner- 
 al country, arrived July 15. There were 
 present the Winnebagoes, Chippewas, Ot 
 tawas, Pottowatamies, Sioux, Sauks, 
 Foxes, Menomonees, officers of the fort, 
 the Indian Agents, Gen. Street, Dr. Wol- 
 
 COTT and J. H. Kinzie; also the sub- 
 agents, interpreters, and a great concourse 
 of strangers from every important city. 
 The treaties were made July 29 and Au- 
 gust 1, and eight millions of acres of land 
 added to the public domain. 
 
 In May of this year. Judge Doty, fl. S. 
 Baird and ]\[. L. Martin traveled on 
 horse-back from Green Bay to Prairie du 
 Cliien and back, accompanied by a 
 Menomonec Indian as guide. They were 
 the first white men Avho performed this 
 land journey. At the term of court at 
 which these gentlemen attended, twenty 
 indictments were found for murder, re- 
 sulting in the conviction of one person, 
 who subsequently escaped. 
 
 1830. After the quelling of the Winne- 
 bago disturbances a large number of 
 miners and settlers came to the lead re- 
 gion, and an impulse was quickly given 
 to a great portion of western AVisconsin, 
 which aftbrded every promise of future 
 prosperitJ^ 
 
 The building of the jjresent Fort Craw- 
 ford was commenced this year, and in 
 1831 occupied with a part of the troops, 
 and completed in 1832. Hon Thos. 
 P. Burnett arrived and became a settler, 
 and was sub Indian agent under Gen. 
 Street- Mr. Baird, of "Green Baj^, wife, 
 two children and help arrived in a bark 
 canoe on an excursion. 
 
 The population this year Avas about 600. 
 
 The old fort was vacated in the winter 
 of 1830 and spring of 1831. Jas. D. Doty 
 shortly after deeded the ground where the 
 new fort was built, to Ihe counlj- for a 
 court' house. The county supervisors 
 agreed to change this site for the old fort, 
 which was to be used as a court house, 
 jail, &c. They endeavored to get a law 
 passed by Congress ratifying the exchange, 
 but failed. March 14, 1831, the supervi- 
 sors addressed a note to Col. Morgan, 
 commander of the fort, requesting him to 
 23ermit the people of Crawford county and 
 "their public functioners,' to have the use 
 of the blockhouse on the southeast corner 
 of the old fort as a [clerk's office, court 
 house, &c. 
 
 1831-1832. The old causes of dissension 
 between the Indians and the Avhite set- 
 tlers were again stirred up, as they had 
 never been cftectually allayed, b}^ tlie rest- 
 less Black Hawk; and in the spring of 
 this year he crossed the Jlississippi from 
 the west with his own band of three hun- 
 dred warriors, together with their families, 
 determined to regain, if possible, the pos- 
 session of their old homes. 
 
 The Black Hawk war was now com- 
 menced, but the history of it at length 
 cannot here be given. During the contin- 
 uance of the war, 200 Indians of the Sioux 
 and Chippewas came here soon after the 
 battle of the Pecatonica, to fight against 
 
10 
 
 the Sauks. Tliey, lio\Ycver, shortly after 
 returned to their homes. 
 
 Capt. J. B. EsTES arriyed at the fort at 
 Prairie du Chien ou the 33d of July, with 
 the news of the battle of Wisconsin 
 Heights, and of the flight of Black Hawk 
 towards the Upper Mississippi. Col. 
 Looms, then in command at Ft. Crawford, 
 sent the steamer Enterprise, of Galena, up 
 the river. At Black River they found 
 forty Winnebagoes, with twenty-eight ca- 
 noes collected.lo aid the retreating Sauks 
 to cross the river. These Indians and 
 their canoes were seized and brought down 
 to Ft. Crawford July oO. Tlie Enterprise 
 being a slow boat Col. Loomis hired the 
 Warrior to go up the river a second time. 
 On the 1st of August this boat ascended to 
 the mouth of Bad Axe River, and here 
 they found the Indians on the east side, 
 and. the engagement commenced and the 
 Indians were driven to the Avoods. The 
 boat returned the same night to Prairie du 
 Chien for wood, and started back, arriving 
 at 10 A. M. Ou the 2d of August, the bat- 
 tle was continued, and the Indians over- 
 whelmingly defeated. 
 
 Black Hawk was captured by the Win- 
 nebago chiefs Cha-e-tar and the one-eyed 
 Decokra, who brought him and the 
 Prophet to Prairie du Chien, and deliv- 
 ered them as prisoners to Gen. Street, 
 the agent of the Winnebagoes, on the 37th 
 of August, 1833. 
 
 The cholera raged here severely this 
 year, and one hundred soldiers died in two 
 weeks. 
 
 I. P. Perret Gentil came here in 
 1833 ; lias been County Treasurer seven- 
 teen years, and Assessor nearly as long. 
 
 Dr. A. Brunson says: "It was about 
 tliis time that Jeff. Davis, then a Lieut, 
 in the U. S. Army, at this point, stole and 
 married a daughter of Col. Z. Taylor, 
 then and for many years in command at 
 this fort. A reconciliation was afterwards 
 effected, and though Davis rose to some 
 distinction, it was said that 'old Zack' was 
 never fond of him." 
 
 Another authority places this event in 
 1829. 
 
 CuAS. J. Latrobe, an English traveler, 
 was here in 1833 — said he found but few 
 Indians, and those were Mcuomonees. He 
 further adds : 
 
 ''The old French settlement of Prairie 
 du Chien, founded the same year as the 
 city of Philadelphia, and occupying as 
 much ground as the penitentiary of that 
 flourishing place, lies on the margin of 
 the river, and consists of a few old, gray 
 trading and dwelling houses with nothing 
 either in architecture or position to merit 
 further notice. It seems doomed to re- 
 main under the same spell as others of a 
 like origin." Of the old fort he says: 
 " To the north of the village an ancient 
 
 quadrangular block-house, built of squared 
 logs, and as usual so contrived as to pre- 
 sent eight faces — the upper part of the 
 square standing across the angles of the 
 lower, marks tiie position of the old mili- 
 tary post, which within these few years 
 has been superceded by a large spacious 
 range of stone barracks, built on the gen- 
 tle swell on the opposite side of the hayou. 
 An Indian mound, round which the new 
 buildings were constructed, was removed 
 in levelling the square, and forty-eight 
 bodies, some enclosed in wooden or bark 
 coffins, were removed. Fort Crawford, as 
 the new erection is called, is calculated 
 to afford quarters to an entire regiment, 
 though only a few companies were there 
 at the time of our visit." 
 
 Previous to and until the capture of 
 Black Hawk, the whole countrj^ might 
 with propriety be considered Indian terri 
 tory. There were but a few hundred set- 
 tlers, and these, except the miners, the 
 army and government officials and traders, 
 were mostly Canadian French, and mixed 
 blood. After the war, the Indian title 
 having been fully extinguished to all that 
 portion of the State lying south and east 
 of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers and 
 Green Bay, the country commenced to 
 settle, and from this time forward may be 
 dated the wonderful growth of the State in 
 all its wealth and prosperity. • 
 
 In July of this year two river gamblers 
 came up the river to this place. They 
 had taken the small-pox somewhere below, 
 which made its appearance on them here, 
 and from which they died. The disease 
 spread from them to the inhabitants and 
 Indians. Some of the former died, but 
 more of the Indians. In Waubasiia's 
 band, where Winona now stands, 140 
 died. The contagion was said to work its 
 way west to the Missouri river, scattering 
 death among the poor natives. The Man- 
 dan Villages were said to have lost all but 
 sixteen souls. The Winnebagoes in this 
 vicinity died hj scores and hundreds, and 
 their remains were scattered along the 
 river banks and in the woods, unburied, 
 and eaten up by the wolves. 
 
 The United States Government, under a 
 treaty with the Winnebagoes, established 
 a school and O'^ened a farm on I'ellow 
 river, in Iowa, nearly opposite this place, 
 of which Rev. David Lowry had charge. 
 While the buildings were being erected 
 he with the stores for the work, had his 
 headquarters at this place. He or- 
 ganized the first Protestant church of some 
 ten or twelve members. Some of whom, 
 including Gen. Street, the Indian agent, 
 with this family, were Cumberland Pres- 
 byterians; some Methodists, as Samtel 
 Gilbert and wife ; and some New School 
 Presbyterians, as Ezekiel Tainter and J. 
 T.Mills, then a clerk in the quartermaster's 
 
11 
 
 department in the Fort. It was called the 
 Church in the Wilderness, and it was un- 
 derstood it was tor teniiiorary pui-poses, 
 and that so soon as their proper cluirches 
 should be organized in iheir reach, each 
 one should be at liberty to go to his own 
 liomo. It continued but one or two years 
 before Gen. Street was moved to Rock 
 Island, and the organization of the I\[eth- 
 odist church terminated its existence. Mr. 
 LowRY, ho\vever, continued to preach at 
 this place for some time. 
 
 18:>j. This year a stone court house and 
 jail was built, with residence for sheriff or 
 jailor, which was the best in the territory 
 for several years. 
 
 After the removal of Gen Street to 
 Rock Island and Mr. Lowky to his 
 school, there were but three American 
 families in the place, outside of the fort. 
 Judge J. H. Lockwood,Sajiuel Gilbert 
 and Ez. Taixter. There was one Ger- 
 man and one Irish family, and three or 
 four discharged soldiers." The remainder 
 were of French and mixed blood. In all 
 about 500, outside of the fort. 
 
 Charles Fexxo IIoffmax in his 
 '■Winter in the West" says "on the 12th of 
 November, 1834, he arrived at the Prairie, 
 and was entertained by Col. Z. Taylor, 
 at the fort. He remained two weeks. The 
 garrison consisted of five companies of 
 the 1st infantry. Saj's the village is a 
 half a mile from the fort v/ith antique 
 looking timber houses, containing an 
 ampliibious population of voyagers and 
 hunters, half French and half Indian. 
 Visits the mounds and fortifications on 
 the bluffs." 
 
 Alex. McGregor, tlie founder of the 
 city bearing his name, came to Prairie du 
 Chien this year, (1885), and in 1847 re- 
 moved across the river. He died there 
 Dec. 12, 1858. On the 23d of January, 
 1835, the county authorities resolved that 
 a courthouse and jail be be built for the 
 public convenience. Wm. Wilson re- 
 ceived this contract for $3,095. This was 
 the first court house built in what then 
 constituted the territory of Michigan. 
 The late Col. H. L. Dousman was one of 
 the supervisors who superintended tiie 
 building of the old court house in 1835, and 
 was one of the committee to plan and 
 superintend tlie building of the new one 
 in 18G7, shortly before his death. 
 
 Rev. Alfred Brunsox caine here in 
 the fall of 1835, and again in the spring 
 of 1836 with his familj', and continued 
 to reside here. He was superintendent of 
 the Methodist E. Churcli mission of 
 upper Mississippi and LaUe Superior. 
 He purchased a farm and built a houso, 
 bringing material from 3leadville, Pa., 
 and continued here several years as su- 
 perinteudent, and orgauizeda Methodist 
 
 Church, which has continued to this 
 time. 
 
 Geo. W. Featiierstoxhaugii, the 
 Englisli geologist came up the river to 
 Fort Snelling, spending a few days here. 
 
 Rev. R. CvDLE, of P. E. Church, came 
 here as a missionary 183(3, but was shortly 
 after a])poiuted chaplain at Fort Craw- 
 ford, where he continued till 1841, when 
 he resigned and entered the missionary 
 service in another part of the territory ; 
 while here he organized Trinity Church. 
 
 S. A. Palmer, of Pottsville, Pa., was 
 here in 1836, relates that there were 300 
 troops at the fort, four substantial stone 
 buildings, each 200 feet long, forming a 
 square; a few mean houses, tenanted by a 
 miserable set of French and Indians; j.\s. 
 Fisher and O. B. Thomas, came here in 
 1836 ; his father Jonx Thomas, came in 
 1835, and have been many years in public 
 life. 
 
 Judge Ira B. Burxsox, came here from 
 Pennsylvania in 1836, and has been coun- 
 ty surveyor 1837-46; sheriti' 1848-9; clerk 
 of court 1850, and Judge of county court 
 since 1853. 
 
 1836. In this 3-ear the fever of specula- 
 tion, then running rampant over the coun- 
 try, reached this place, and property ran 
 up to fabulous heights. Two land com- 
 panies were organized, who bought up all 
 they could get of the private land claims 
 below the garrison, and laid it out into 
 city lots. But failing to succeed as they 
 wished, this part of the city remained only 
 on paper for several years. 
 
 A man bj' the name of V.\x Dorx, from 
 ]\riciiigan, tull of the idea of Chicago and 
 Milwaukee, came to this place, and 
 finding no land in market except the pri- 
 vate land claims, bougkt up some claims 
 on Government land not yet surveyed, in 
 the Wisconsin bottoms, which are low 
 and marshy, and subject to annual inun- 
 dations. This he plotted on paper, and 
 went east and put it into stock, at §200,- 
 000, $100 per share, and imposed upon 
 many honest men, who supposed they were 
 buying shares in the city of Prairie du 
 Cliien, for so he called his marsh. He 
 paid for his claims in Michigan wild cat 
 monej^ a few days before those banks ex- 
 ploded. He had to leave the country, and 
 the last heard from him he was in Texas. 
 
 In this year population began to in- 
 crease. Many who were bound ultimate- 
 ly for Iowa and Minnesota made this their 
 sto|)ping place, till they could prepare 
 their future homos. Several new liouses 
 were put up, and permanent residences 
 made. A ferry was established across 
 the river to a point where McGregor now 
 stands. 
 
 In the fall of this year Col. Z. Taylor, 
 with his regiment, left this fort for Flori- 
 
12 
 
 da, and Gen. Brooke assumed command. 
 As "new lords make new laws" so a lit- 
 tle incident connected witli this change 
 shows how the public money is sometimes 
 disposed of. Gen. JBrooke thought the 
 house in which Col. Taylor, with a 
 large familj', had lived in for many 
 years, was not good enough for him, 
 and lie applied to the Department of War 
 for a new house. The answer was, "No ! 
 can't afford it; repair the old one." 
 To do this the old house was entirely re- 
 moved, or torn down, except the cellar, 
 and over this a new building was erected, 
 costing $7,000, under t'flc head of repairs. 
 This house, with all the government land, 
 was subsequently sold, being bought and 
 remodeled by Col. Joiiw Lawlor, the 
 grounds improved, all of wliich now 
 has a palatial appearance, and in which 
 he now resides. [Col. W. B. SL.vraiiTER 
 states that Gen. Brooke vras, in I806, at 
 Green Bay, Avith his famllj^ ] 
 
 The population of Prairie du Chien was 
 850, and the county of Crawford, 1,220. 
 
 1837. In this year Michael Brisbois, 
 who settled here in 1802, died and was 
 buried on the brow of the bluff, back of 
 the prairie. He chose this place for his 
 final resting place for this reason. He 
 came down the Wisconsin river in a 
 canoe Avith his family, and as he rounded 
 the point to ascend the Mississippi to 
 this prairie, the point selected was 
 was the first point of the blufl" that 
 struck his eye. At his funeral, he 
 being a Catholic, there being no priest of 
 that order here then, a lay diocesan attend- 
 ed to the service. But as some of his 
 children Avere protestants, they desired a 
 protestant to attend and participate in the 
 funeral service, and according!}- the Rca'. 
 Alfred Brunsox was invited, and both 
 form of service were used. 
 
 This year the Winnebagoes •eded their 
 land in "this section to the United States, 
 and Avliite people began to make claims 
 and settle the land before they Avei'e sur- 
 veyed, or in the market. 
 
 Capt. F. Marryat, the English novel- 
 ist came from Green Bay to Fort Winne- 
 bago in June, 1837, and from the latter 
 place to Prairie du Chien, Avith a party 
 Avith provisions for the fort. Wliile here 
 he visited the Mounds. He Avrites "that he 
 considers Wisconsin the finest portion of 
 North America, not only i'vom its soil, but 
 its climate." He remained a week at the 
 fort, Avhich, he says, is a mere enclosure, 
 intended to repel the attacks of Indians, 
 but is large and commodious, and the 
 quarters of the officers are excellent, 
 built of stone, which is not the case at 
 Fort AVinnebago or Fort Howard. 
 
 The foUoAving settlers came this year: 
 ElikuWarxer, Jared Warner, Setii 
 
 Hill, S. A. Clark, Ths. Bugbee, Dr. B, 
 C. Miller, Lea'i R. Marsh, and D. Hop- 
 kins. 
 
 The county authorities levied a tax to 
 build a bridge across the "Marryis de St. 
 Ferriole." It Avas built between the Cath- 
 olic church and the Dousman residence, 
 and floated aAvay soon after. 
 
 Loscn and Scth Hill, and H. W. 
 Savage and Thos. A. Savage came this 
 year. 
 
 A Bank vras started this year called the 
 Prairie du Chien Ferry Co. Handsome 
 bills were issued. Geo. W. Pine, Pros., 
 H. W- Savage, Cashier. It did not circu- 
 late Avcll here, as it had no charter. It 
 did less damage than most of the Avild cat 
 institutions of that day. 
 
 A commission Avas appointed l)j" the 
 President to adjust the claims against the 
 Winnebago Indians under their late treaty, 
 Avhich provided a large amount to be paid 
 to the traders and their relatives. Simon 
 Cameron, Brodhead, and other gentleman 
 from Pennsylvania Avcre in attendance. 
 The commission brought with them se\-e- 
 ral attorneys, Avho, the claimants soon dis- 
 covered, it was advisable to employ, to 
 prepare and present their claims. Those 
 who paid most to the attorneys, got the 
 largest allowances; in this way some who 
 had no just claim AvhatCA-er, received large 
 amounts. 
 
 1838-9. On the arriA^al of the Ind ian an- 
 nuities this 3'ear, the money was placed in 
 arsenal at the fort and well guarded. Dur- 
 ing the night three persons succeeded in 
 removing three kegs containing each five 
 tliousand Mexican dollars. After consid- 
 able difficulty the parties Avere arrested 
 and tlie money recovered, except about 
 $1,200. 
 
 The lands east and north of Prairie du 
 Chien Avere this year surveyed. -Maj. 
 Wji. Wright settled on a claim Avhere he 
 now liA-es. Ncav settlers this yearA\'cre: 
 W. H. C. FoLSO-Ai, Chris, and Elias 
 BoAVEN, Daa^d Clark, Wm. Curtiss, 
 Elisha Warner, and John Forster. 
 
 1840-1850. This year (1840) the Board of 
 County Commissioners of Crawford coun- 
 ty, memorialized Congress to grant to the 
 count}^ all the scope of countiy purchas- 
 ed by tlie early French traders from the 
 Fox Indians, for the purpose of a perma- 
 nent settlement at this place, for the ben- 
 efit of said purchasers and their descend- 
 ants. The memorial alleges that said 
 purchase was made in good faith and had 
 not been disputed by any of the Indian 
 tribes Avho have occupied this country 
 subsequent to the purchase; that the 
 rights which the citizens acquired under 
 that purchase had ncA-er been forfeited or 
 relinquished, but have descended by an 
 uninterrupted succession to tlie citizens 
 
13 
 
 of Crawford county. Tliis purchase cov- 
 ercd all the country lyini^ between the 
 Mississippi and Kickapoo rivers, running 
 north about tiftcen or twenty miles from 
 the moutli of the Wisconsin river. The 
 memorialists claimed that the purchase 
 was respected througli all tlie clianges and 
 transfers of the country IVom France to 
 Great Britain and then to the United 
 States Congress, however, did not see 
 fit to grant the petition, and the lands 
 were put into the market, and the best por- 
 tions entercil in 1841. The population of 
 Pi'airie du Chien in 1840, was l,50o. 
 
 After the survey oi the lands lying to 
 th(^ north and east, and their being 
 brought into market for sale, emigration 
 set in rapidly and the county of Crawford 
 which at one time comprised the whole 
 western half of the State, including the 
 country around Minneapolis and the Falls 
 of St. Anthony was divided and subdivid- 
 ed until it reached its present size. In 
 1830 Iowa county was formed, taking all 
 of Crawford county south of the Wiscon- 
 sin river. In 1840 the county of St. Croix 
 was taken off, out of which La Pointe 
 was organized in 1845. In 1841, the coun- 
 ty of Portage took what was left lying 
 east of range 1, of 4th principal meridian, 
 out of which Sauk, Adams, and parts of 
 Richland and other counties have been 
 formed — Richland county taking all east 
 of range 3, north of the river. Chippe- 
 wa county was also taken oft in 1845, and 
 in 1851 La Crosse and Bad Axe. In 1840 
 the county board granted a ferry license 
 across the St. Croix river, at tlie battle 
 ground near the head of Lake St. Croix, 
 near Stillwater. This gives some idea of 
 the extent of the county of Crawford 
 north, thirty-two j-ears since. 
 
 In the year 1843, the election precincts 
 as established by the county board, were 
 Praii'ie du Chien, Black River Falls, Chip- 
 pew-a Falls and Menomonee. In March 
 of this year, R. D. Lester, sheriff of the 
 county, w^as killed by an Indian while de- 
 scending the Mississippi above the Prairie. 
 In 1845, jMount Sterling and Prairie La 
 Crosse were made election precincts. Mr. 
 Peltox erected a steam mill, and the first 
 newspaper, the Patriot, was published. 
 
 In 1846, St. Croix county was organized 
 from Crawford. There was much sickness 
 this year; some ten or more of the ea*ly 
 settlers died, among others, Mrs. D. Biiis- 
 Bois, mother of Col. B. W. Brisbois, and 
 Mrs. Alfred Brunson. This year and 
 the succeeding one (1847), Fort Crawford 
 was garrisoned by a company of volun- 
 teers under Capt.'WvRAM Knowltox, the 
 regular ti'oops having gone to Mexico. 
 
 In June, 1847. there was another freshet 
 in the Mississippi, the river above the vil- 
 lage was three to five, and in some places 
 
 ten miles wide, extending from bluff to 
 blutl". A large portion of the prairie was 
 overfiowed, tliough no material damage 
 was done. On the 20th of July, a milita- 
 ry company known as the "Dodge 
 Guard.s," was re-organized, and sixty-si.K- 
 men were mustered into tlie service by 
 Major Alex. S. IIooe, for and during the 
 Mexican war. Twenty-five of the former 
 company re-enlisted under Capt. jVJorgan 
 On the i4th of September, Major IIooE, 
 commandant at the Fort, received orders 
 to repair to Baton Rouge, and left imme- 
 diately. 
 
 1848. At the election for President, 
 Nov. 15, Gen. Lewis Cass received 108 
 votes, and Gen. Zachary Taylor 70. 
 
 1849. Louis Maynard was killed by 
 TiiEopniLus L.\ Chafi'elle, and his 
 house burned. The latter was tried in 
 November of that year, and found not 
 guilty, on plea of insanity. 
 
 The population in 1850 was 2,399. 
 
 1850-55. A large railroad meeting was 
 held Jan. 16, 1850, to take into considera- 
 tion the proper point for a terminus of the 
 Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad. 
 Resolutions were passed recommending 
 Prairie du Chien, and setting forth its ad- 
 vantages over other points that had been 
 suggested. 
 
 information was received here that a 
 large number of Winnebago Indians had 
 left their designated home on the Crow 
 Wing, with chiefs Dandy and Little 
 Hill, and that they were at Black river 
 and vicinit}', having been starved out, and 
 had returned to Wisconsin in pursuit of 
 game, and that their appearance and con- 
 duct were in every Avay hostile to the 
 white settlers in that region; that they had 
 made serious depredations upon the 
 whites, stealing horses and cattle, entering 
 dwelling houses and carrying ofl:' provis- 
 ions. 
 
 On the 18th of March, Gen. DoDGE,then 
 in the U. S. Senate, called the attention of 
 the Secretary of the Interior (Hon. Tnos. 
 Ew^ing) to the matter, who on tne 5th of 
 April informed him that troops would be 
 sent forward to protect the settlers and 
 force the Indians to return to their coun- 
 try. In the month of May Hon. II. M. 
 Rice, of St. Paul, received a contract from 
 the Government for removing the Indians 
 to their homes. On the 13th of Februaiy, 
 1851, two Chippewa Indians named Osiib- 
 ga and Baptiste Robado, confined in jail 
 at the Prairie on conviction of murder 
 and sentenced to be executed, broke jail 
 and escaped. 
 
 During the same moutli the Legislature 
 of this State set off and organized Bad Ax 
 county from the county of Crawford. 
 
 1856. On the 12th of June, 1856, the 
 government olficers and troops departed 
 with stores and provisions on the steamer 
 
 
 
 at 
 
 ...»>' 
 
14 
 
 " War Eagle " for Fort Snclling. The | 
 garrison consisted of four companies of 
 United States ritles. Tlie local newspa- 
 pers expressed the desire tliat the Fort 
 would not be again used as sucli, and the 
 grounds should be brought into market. 
 At this time the railroad from Milwaukee 
 to Prairie du Chien was being pushed to 
 completion and considerable interest was 
 felt by all classes of people, on the efltect 
 it was to have on the growth and prosper- 
 ity of the town. 
 
 On tne 2tith of June, two ejectment 
 suits were tried iu the circuit court, in- 
 volving the title to farm lots 33 and 34, 
 heretofore held and supposed to be held 
 by the United States government, and on 
 which Fort Crawford is situated. The 
 suit was brought bj^ It\\ B. Bkunson, B. 
 W. Brisbois and Cykus Woodman, 
 against a tenant of the United States, the 
 government taking up the defense. The 
 suits were decidetl in favor of the plain- 
 titfs. 
 
 On the 2d of November, Trinity Church 
 was opened for worship for the tirst time; 
 Rev. J. E. Egar, Rector. The building 
 was 20 by 65 feet. 
 
 During the same month, Alex. Mc- 
 Gregor built and put in operation a 
 steam ferry boat, to ply between Prairie 
 du Chien and the village of McGregor. 
 
 The Courier, of January 8, 1857, says, a 
 line of steamers is building, to run in 
 connection with the railroad from Prairie 
 du Chien to Saint Paul; that during tl'c 
 year past two new brick hotels have been 
 completed, and two others remodeled; 
 two steam ferry boats, to cross the river 
 to McGregor, have been purchased ; one 
 new churcli, erected; three splendid brick 
 blocks, nineteen stores, two breweries, 
 one steam flouring mill, and about a hun- 
 dred dwelling houses put \;p, besides the 
 extensive works of the railroad company. 
 Five brick yards, two stone quarries, 
 three lumber yards and one saw mill have 
 been inadequate to meet the demands re- 
 quired for improvements. 
 
 1857. The great and long expected 
 completion and opening of the Milwaukee 
 and Prairie du CHiien Railroad took place 
 this year. On the 16th of April the tirst 
 train from Milwaukee with the directors 
 and a party of guests arrived. The open- 
 ing of the road was a great cause of re- 
 jwicing and every one felt the inspiration. 
 When it is remembered that ditllculty was 
 experienced before tiiis time by the resi- 
 dents in going to and fro from Milwaukee 
 and Chicago, and depending as they were 
 obliged to do, entirely on the Mississippi 
 river for a market, and in the winter sea- 
 son entirel}' cut off except by land trans- 
 portation, it will be seen that there was 
 much cause for enthusiasm. Its influ- 
 ence on Prairie du Chien and the states of 
 
 Iowa and Minnesota was »f a marked 
 character, inducing immigration, and 
 benefiting all classes of business enter- 
 prise. One newsjiaper states that three 
 hundred and twenty-seven houses were 
 erected here this j'ear, and besides many 
 other public improvements. 
 
 The location of the depot grounds was 
 for some time a cause of difticulty, as 
 residents of the two portions of the city 
 known as the upper and the lower town, 
 were each anxious that the location should 
 be in their section. The Railroad com- 
 pany chose the lower town, which was 
 used for a time, and subsequently chang- 
 ed the same to the upper town. It is not 
 probable that any further changes will be 
 made. 
 
 At the election held April 16th, for 
 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Mi 
 M. Cotiiren received 202 votes, and E. V. 
 WiriTON 433. and 33 scattering. 
 
 1858. For some time previous, the 
 towns on the Upper Mississippi were 
 known to be the lurking place of a gang 
 of robbers and thieves, and this year the 
 depredations that wei'c committed in the 
 neighborhood of tlie Prairie, made it evi- 
 dent that they had come up the river to 
 extend their business. About the 1st of 
 ]\Iay a crowd of villainous looking fel- 
 lows were observed about the town, and a 
 few days after an elderly man in passing 
 tlirough the place to his home in thecoun- 
 
 ry fell into their hands and was plundered 
 of everything. Shortly aftei- a jewelry 
 store in the town was broken into and 
 robbed of property to the value of $2,000. 
 These vagabonds were seen in the streets 
 v%'ith revolvers and bowie knives insulting 
 those who came in their way, and threat- 
 eaing "to clean out the town." The proper 
 authorities were insufficient to discharge 
 their duties, and tlie rowdies were allowed 
 to do pretty much as they pleased. 
 These events created a great deal of 
 excitement among the inhabitants, and a 
 vigilance committee was appointed, who 
 arresteil some twelve of these characters, 
 and put them in the jail. A meeting of 
 tlie citizens was called, and it was decided 
 that something must be done to rid the 
 town of these rascals. The prisoners were 
 brought to the Court House and examined, 
 and it was decided that six of the princi- 
 pal ones should have their heads shaved 
 and to receive ten to thirty lashes on the 
 back, and sent down the river; one of the 
 number, a negro, was appointed to do the 
 shaving. The sentence was dul}^ enforced. 
 A few of the number were discharged, on 
 due and proper admonition, and some es- 
 caped. A report of the proceedings was 
 drawn up and published in the news- 
 papers. 
 
 1859. At the election for associate jus- 
 tice of the Supreme Court, April 5, Wji. 
 
/ 
 
 15 
 
 Pitt Lynde received 27-4 votes and Bykox 
 Paine 118. 
 
 Oa the 12tli of IMay another inundation 
 took place, the -water being liigher than 
 had been ivnown for ten years. The is- 
 lands in the river were covered, the main 
 town an island and the britlge over the 
 slouii;!! under water. 
 
 The discovery of gold at Pike's Peak 
 created considerable excitement here and 
 
 a number of persons went to the gold re- 
 gion. 
 
 18(>(). Tlie history of the city from this 
 time tbrward to the present time is so re- 
 cent that it is not necessary to extend this 
 paper to further length, leaving that to 
 the future annalist. 
 
 The population of the city in 1860 was 
 2,399, and in 1870, 3,GU1. 
 
 The writer of tlais paper would express his acknowledgment to Ecv. A. Brunsox, D. D., Hon. Iea 
 B. Bruxson and Col. B. W. Bkisbois, lor valuable iuforuiation. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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