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PRAIRIE DU CHIEN

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Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 251 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PRAIRIE DU CHIEN , a See also:city and the See also:county-seat of See also:Crawford county, See also:Wisconsin, U.S.A., on the See also:east See also:bank of the See also:Mississippi See also:river about 3 M. above the mouth of the Wisconsin, about 98 m. W. of See also:Madison. Pop. (1890) 3131; (1900) 3232; (1905) 3179; (1910) 3149. It is served by the See also:Chicago, See also:Milwaukee & St See also:Paul, and the Chicago, See also:Burlington & See also:Quincy See also:railways. The city has a See also:fine location, its natural attractiveness and See also:mineral springs in the vicinity combining to make it a summer and See also:health resort. It has an excellent artesian See also:water-See also:supply. Among its buildings are the Crawford county See also:court-See also:house, the city See also:hospital and a See also:sanatorium. It is the seat of St See also:Mary's See also:Academy (1872; R.C.) for See also:young See also:women, and the See also:College of the Sacred See also:Heart (1880; R.C.) for men. Among the manufactures are See also:beer, wagons, See also:wool, and See also:pearl buttons, and the city is a centre of the fresh-water pearl See also:fisheries along the Mississippi. Prairie du Chien is one of the most interesting places, historically, in Wisconsin. The first See also:white See also:man known to have visited the site was See also:Father Hennepin in 1680; later in the same See also:year the trader Du Lhut (or See also:Duluth) was here.

In 1685 See also:

Nicholas See also:Perrot, the See also:French commandant in the See also:West, built Fort St Nicholas near the site of the See also:present city. After the See also:close of the French and See also:Indian See also:War, See also:British authorities assumed See also:possession, but no See also:garrison was regularly maintained. In 1779–1780 Prairie du Chien was the See also:scene of plots and counterplots of See also:American and British sympathizers and of the activities of Godefrey Linctot, the See also:agent of See also:George See also:Rogers See also:Clark. About 178o--1781 a permanent See also:settlement began to grow up around the See also:post. Prairie du Chien was formally surrendered in 1796 to the See also:United States authorities under the See also:Jay treaty, and by them Fort See also:Shelby was erected. On the 17th of See also:July 1814 a force of British, Canadians and See also:Indians under See also:Major See also:William McKay captured the fort, and renamed it Fort McKay, but abandoned it in May 1815. In 1816 Fort Crawford was erected—it was rebuilt on a different site in 1829—and in 1820 one of the See also:principal depots of the American See also:Fur See also:Company was established here. Here in 1823 See also:Judge See also:James Duane Doty (1799–1865) opened the first United States court in what is now the See also:state of Wisconsin. At the See also:time of the Red See also:Bird rising in 1827, See also:Governor See also:Lewis See also:Cass of Michigar Territory made Prairie du Chien his temporary headquarters. During the See also:Black See also:Hawk War (1832) Zachary See also:Taylor, then a See also:lieutenant-See also:colonel, was in command of Fort Crawford, and to him Black Hawk was entrusted after his See also:capture. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul railroad was completed to Prairie du Chien in 1857. The city was chartered in 1872.

PRAIRIE-See also:

MARMOT, a zoological emendation for the American name " prairie-See also:dog," applied to a small See also:North American rodent allied to the squirrels and marmots, and technically known as Cynomys ludovicianus (see MARMOT). In a See also:great degree prairie-marmots, of which there are several See also:species in North See also:America, ranging as far See also:south as See also:Mexico, are intermediate between marmots and sousliks (see SousLix), having the cheek-pouches much smaller than in the latter, and the first front-toe, which is rudimentary in marmots and sousliks, well See also:developed. The cheek-See also:teeth are more complex than those of marmots, and the two See also:series converge behind. In their slender build and small See also:size, prairie-marmots are much more like sousliks than marmots. In habits these rodents are very like marmots, the typical species inhabiting the open prairies, while the others are found in mountains. The prairie species (C. ludovicianus) makes a raised, See also:funnel-shaped entrance to its burrow. All feed on the roots of grass; and when disturbed, like marmots, utter a whistling cry. Rattlesnakes, owls and weasels are commonly found in the burrows; but 'their presence is no indication of the existence of a See also:kind of " happy See also:family " arrangement, the See also:snakes, at any See also:rate, preying on the young marmots. The See also:hibernation of these rodents is only partial, and confined to seasons of intense See also:cold.

End of Article: PRAIRIE DU CHIEN

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