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Restoration hoped for French-Canadian cabin on St. Feriole Island

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Efforts to completely restore the Gauthier/Coorough House on St. Feriole Island, at the intersection of Bolvin and 5th Streets, started last month. The city of Prairie du Chien transferred ownership to the Prairie du Chien Historical Society, which is currently working to get the log cabin listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The project and an endowment for its future are anticipated to cost $100,000. (Photo by Correne Martin)

By Correne Martin

In 1840, Madeline Gauthier sold her Prairie du Chien log cabin home to her daughter, in return for “love, affection and one dollar.” With it, she included an inventory of all the furnishings that adorned the inside of the house. That document made its way to the Register of Deeds and, now, the Prairie du Chien Historical Society is hoping to use it in a major restoration of the structure, located on St. Feriole Island.

This renovation would allow a home for interpretation of the community’s French-Canadian heritage, which is not currently derivable from any entity in Wisconsin, according to Mary Antoine, historical society president. Estimates for the overhaul as well as an endowment to maintain the property are in the $100,000 range, she said.

The one-and-a-half-story cabin is typical, in style, of French-Canadian homes of the early 1800s. The horizontal log construction was the type brought into the northern Mississippi region from Quebec, as opposed to the vertical build used by settlers from the St. Louis area south, Antoine accounted.

The date the structure was first built is unknown, because, until 1800, there were no records of land transitions. And, a person had to prove 20 years of occupancy in order to acquire a deed. However, in 1820, Isaac Lee came to Prairie du Chien and interviewed the settlers, along with two witnesses per person claiming the 20 years. It was then that Jean-Baptiste Caron proved a 20-year tenancy to obtain the deed for lot number 7 of the main village, which is presently located on the north end of the Villa Louis property.  

In 1825, Caron sold the lot with all its structures, according to historical documents. So, the house is believed to have been there then. It was sold to Guillaume St. Germain, whose family owned it for many years.

“It went from [St. Germain] to his daughters to his granddaughters,” Antoine said. One of his descendants was Madeline Gauthier, who sold it to her daughter, Madeline Cherrier, for “love, affection and one dollar.”

Then, in the 1890s, Nina Dousman McBride purchased the cabin. In 1900, she sold it to Charles Gremore, who moved it to its present-day location, at Bolvin and 5th Streets on the island. Just two years later, it was sold to George Coorough, whose family possessed it until Merilla Coorough moved out in 1978, upon the Fourth Ward relocation project. In the 1980s, under city of Prairie du Chien ownership, the house was stripped of its exterior layer, which covered the log structure most of its years. A dormer window and addition were removed and it was later gutted as well. During the relocation event, this house, in addition to the two-story log cabin and red brick house on St. Feriole Island, was saved due to historical architectural value, Antoine explained.

In 1990, a historical analysis was done by Dennis Au, of Michigan, on both of the log homes on the island. The city, at that time, put a new roof and gutters on the Gauthier/Coorough House to protect it from water damage. Yet, it’s overall condition has continued to deteriorate.

“I’ve sat there and looked at those buildings for years. There’s a restored one on County K, I live in one; there’s about a dozen of them in Prairie du Chien. They’re really very important to our history. I finally said it’s about time we do something,” Antoine quipped.

On that note, the renowned historian contacted the Wisconsin Historical Society to see about getting the house on the National Register of Historic Places. She also earned a grant to hire Historic Preservation Consultant Elizabeth Miller, of Madison, to propose the nomination of the building to the national register. Miller has nominated over 100 national facilities to-date.

“Once we receive that designation, we can go after more grants,” Antoine said. “Of course, if people want to donate (to the major restoration), they can.” Donations would be tax deductible as soon as the building is listed on the national register.

To put the project into motion, the Prairie du Chien Common Council met and agreed, Feb. 28, to turn ownership of the house over to the Prairie du Chien Historical Society. This transfer is legitimate as long as the society shows continued progress on the project, which includes fundraising.

“If money came in hand, it could be restored relatively quickly,” Antoine said, noting the logs will be repaired, fortified and sealed, giving the exterior a similar look to how it is now.

“The chinking has to come out. We’ll have to get rid of all the vermin and do it ecologically. The back wing will look different; we’ll cover that in historically appropriate wood siding. And then all the framing, under the eaves and the clapboards will be painted,” she specified.

She added, “The (Big River) Long Rifles store equipment in there and they are very supportive of what we’re doing.” The city has now agreed to store those items for them.

The first step in the project, aside from fundraising, will be to develop a plan. Eventually, volunteers will likely be needed and log home experts will be consulted in addition to historical documents.

After restoration, the goal is to open up the cabin for public use for interpretive programs for non-profit and city tourism events. A timeline is uncertain at this point.

“The Villa focuses on the Dousman story. There’s the Fur Trade Museum and the Fort Crawford but no place that interprets French-Canadian history in Prairie du Chien,” Antoine reiterated. “In fact, in all of Wisconsin, there’s nothing. Michigan and Minnesota do a nice job but we need to do better.”

Since Prairie du Chien proclaims itself as Wisconsin’s second oldest city, this is an opportunity to further showcase the river community’s history for future generations.

Anyone wishing to contribute should contact the Fort Crawford Museum at 326-6960.

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