Prairie du Chien is the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 6,018.
Often called Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established by French voyageurs in the late 17th Century. The city is located near the confluence of the Wisconsin River and the Mississippi River, a strategic point along the early waterway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi.
Early French visitors to the site found it occupied by a group of Fox Indians led by a chief whose name, Alim, meant "Chien" in French, or "Dog" in English. As a result, the French explorers named the location "Prairie du Chien", which is French for "Prairie of the Dog". The city is located alongside the Mississippi River, between the Town of Prairie du Chien and the Town of Bridgeport.
Prairie du Chien is situated on a flat, elongated deposit of sediment along the east banks of the Mississippi River, just north of its confluence with the Wisconsin River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.4 km2 (6.3 mi2). 14.5 km2 (5.6 mi2) of it is land and 1.9 km2 (0.8 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 11.83% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,018 people, 2,376 households, and 1,473 families residing in the city. The population density is 415.7/km2 (1,075.9/mi2). There are 2,564 housing units at an average density of 177.1/km2 (458.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 95.06% White, 3.61% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,376 households out of which 29.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% are married couples living together, 10.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% are non-families. 33.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.28 and the average family size is 2.92.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,038, and the median income for a family is $43,444. Males have a median income of $29,595 versus $20,183 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,680. 8.1% of the population and 6.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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 Institute now known as Mount Mary College, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 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.
Source:
PrairieDuChienWisconsin.com
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