Crawford County Courthouse on September 24, 2019
Crawford County was created in 1818 by the Michigan Territorial legislature from unorganized land. At the time of its creation Crawford County consisted of the entire western half of what is now Wisconsin; Brown County was also created in 1818 and covered the rest of the future state. Both of these original Wisconsin counties have been subdivided many times since they were created. Crawford County was named for William H. Crawford who was the Secretary of the Treasury under President Monroe at the time.
The county seat and largest city of Crawford County is Prairie du Chien. It is the second oldest city in Wisconsin. Like the Green Bay (the oldest city in Wisconsin), it was settled by French explorers in the late 17th century. The name of the city translates as “Prairie of the Dogs” and apparently the chief of the local Fox tribe of Native American had a name which the French translated as “dog.” Or at least that is the story. As a child I always thought it had something to do with prairie dogs which I enjoyed seeing at the Vilas Zoo in Madison.
There is a lot of history here and I’m just going to skim it. The European settlement of begins when Marquette and Joliet reached the Mississippi River in 1673 at what is now the city of Prairie du Chien after traveling across Wisconsin from Green Bay. Located at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, Prairie du Chien was the perfect location for a fur trading post as well as military fortifications as the French, British and eventually the Americans fought over control of the Great Lakes region. Prairie du Chien (and Forts Shelby and Crawford) was an important site in the War of 1812, which finally established American control of the region.
The Crawford County courthouse was originally built in 1867, though it has been added on to several times. It is located at 220 North Beaumont Road in Prairie du Chien. I visited Prairie du Chien on Tuesday September 24, 2019 to see the courthouse and some of the other sites around town. The courthouse is located a little north of the current downtown area. Because the trees around it are mature, it’s almost impossible to take a picture that gives a true impression of the size of the building.
The Prairie du Chien Police and the Crawford County Sheriffs office are part of the complex. This is the most recent addition (1996) near Beaumont Road. The main entrance to the courthouse is next to the sheriffs entrance. There is another entrance for staff which is in the wing of the building that was built in 1930. It’s a relatively small building, but there is a new Crawford County Administration building just across the street and it looks like most of the county offices are located there.
I walked from the courthouse over to St. Feriole Island to see Villa Louis. I remember visiting Villa Louis as a kid, so it was kind of fun to see it again. On the grounds of the villa are the remnants of the first Fort Crawford, including a reconstructed blockhouse. After my walk, I drove to the Fort Crawford Museum, which is located on the site of the second Fort Crawford. This was the fort that figured into the 1832 Blackhawk War. I remember visiting here as well with my family when I was 12 or 13 years old. It seems much smaller now!
Other than the one visit with my family to see the historic sites in Prairie du Chien in the late 1960s or perhaps early 1970s, I really have no memories of Crawford County at all. It was fun to see some of the sites again after 50 years or so.