I visited Prairie du Chien on Tuesday September 24, 2019. I had the days off and decided to visit Crawford County and Prairie du Chien. The last time I was in Prairie du Chien, I was 12 or 13 years old and my family and I toured some of the historic sites. So it was fun to visit again.

The courthouse was originally built in 1867 I think. It has been added on to several times. The Prairie du Chien police wing was built in 1996, and I think the sheriffs office was part of this building project. The main courthouse entrance is near the sheriffs office, but the addition near the parking lot dates from 1930. It’s a nice building but the mature trees around it make it difficult to get a good picture of it.

Just across the street is the new Crawford County Administration building. It seems like most of the offices, including the clerk of courts, are located here.

I walked from the courthouse to the Washington Street Park and then across the bridge to St. Feriole Island. The small marina in the park was built in 1960 and is on a small channel of the Mississippi River. I walked through the big park to the Villa Louis site. there is a new museum store, but I skipped that, and the guided tour, in favor of just walking the grounds and taking some photos. The exterior of the villa is pretty much as I remember it. As are the grounds, including the foundations of the first Fort Crawford.

St Feriole Island is a big park area, which I don’t remember at all. I walked through it on my way back to the car and saw a sculpture garden. The park is so big that it has streets and driving seems to be the preferred method of getting from one site to another.

On my way out of town I drove past the Fort Crawford Museum which is on the site of the second Fort Crawford which took part in the Blackhawk War of 1832. The buildings seem much smaller than I remembered and that was about it. I stopped on briefly and then headed for home.