Spend a cool summer afternoon exploring Fort Crawford
An April 13-14 Boy Scout encampment brought 185 Boy Scouts to the Fort Crawford Museum, where they listened to interpreters and enjoyed a planetarium. They also braved the cold April weather and camped at La Riviere Park. (Submitted photos)
Pictured is the Board of the Prairie du Chien Historical Society, which owns and operates the Fort Crawford Museum, and owns and is restoring the St. Germain dit Gauthier-Coorough House on St. Feriole Island. From left: President Mary Elise Antoine, Joe Atkins, Terry Seeley, Treasurer Lori Bekkum, Carolyn Sand, Cindy Standoff, John Mundt, Secretary Janet Finn, Bob Ziel and William Howe. Not pictured is Vice-President Chad Fradette.
This 1842 oil painting of the second Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien was purchased from a private owner in California, since restored and will now be on exhibit at the Fort Crawford Museum’s this summer. The image depicts a guest visiting Gen. Chas McDougall, the post surgeon, and his orderly on a hunting trip.
By Correne Martin
Summer is the time people start making plans for family vacations. Before looking out of town for cool destinations, consider some time at the often forgotten Fort Crawford Museum in Prairie du Chien. The historical site opens for the season May 1. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
For the cost of less than a movie, spend an entire afternoon and explore all the extraordinary things that have occurred in Prairie du Chien in recent history as well as a few centuries ago.
“It’s not just military history. It’s railroad, clamming, the river, St. Mary’s Academy, Campion High School and more,” explained Mary Antoine, president of the Prairie du Chien Historical Society, which runs Fort Crawford. “We’ve had tremendously good compliments from tourists who come through the museum. We encourage local citizens to come out and be amazed too.”
Within the multiple buildings of the Fort Crawford Museum, there’s plenty to bring vivid memories and imaginations to life.
See the tools of Frontier medicine. Learn how Army surgeon William Beaumont pioneered the study of human digestion through his experiments at the Fort Crawford Military Hospital. Discover Civil War Medicine and the history of the Swift U.S. Army Hospital.
Relive Wisconsin’s military history. View the artifacts uncovered in archaeological excavations of old Fort Crawford as you follow the story of the Black Hawk War and its participants, including Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis.
Delve into Prairie du Chien’s past. See how Wisconsin’s second oldest city grew from a frontier fur trading village into a Midwestern river town as you encounter exhibits on local schools, historic businesses and the coming of the railroad.
There are some new exhibits and programming happening at the museum site this summer that all local families and history buffs will want to check out.
A new program called Fridays at the Fort will be held June 15 through Aug. 17. This free weekly event is geared toward kids and families and it will most often start at 1 p.m. (with exceptions for certain presentations).
“They will be able to come and do something. Then they will make something and get to take it home,” Antoine said.
Among the activities happening on Fridays at the Fort will be rope making, candle making, Ojibwe storytelling/games/music, basket making, sewing a quilt block and making a constellation chart. Watch for more information leading up to these exciting, hands-on opportunities.
Attendees will also be given the option to tour the museum for a fee.
Also of popular interest to many, a Mole Day exhibit is planned for the museum, with a June 23 grand opening and reception with Mole Day creator himself, Maury Oehler, a retired high school chemistry teacher from Prairie du Chien. Oehler was instrumental in creating the National Mole Day Foundation in May of 1991.
Celebrated annually on Oct. 23, from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m., Mole Day commemorates Avogadro’s Number (6.02 x 1023), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry, particularly in schools globally.
Additionally, an 1842 oil painting of the second Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien, which was purchased from a private owner in California and since restored, will be on exhibit in the museum’s “hospital.” The image depicts a guest visiting Gen. Chas McDougall (at that time, the post surgeon). A boat in the painting contains Dr. McDougall and his orderly on a hunting trip.
According to Antoine, the artist may have been standing on what was once known as “Bum’s Island,” west of today’s Fort Crawford Museum.
In October 2018, the Prairie du Chien Historical Society will also be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Crawford County with an exhibit and other fun observances.
For more about what you can discover at the museum, call 326-6960, find the Fort Crawford Museum on Facebook or visit www.fortcrawfordmuseum.com.
Currently, about 4,500 people visit the Fort Crawford Museum each season.
