Judging and dismissing a place, hastily, might make for a missed serendipitous experience. The city of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, USA is not a place that is commonly known in global travels. In the case of Prairie du Chien, certain people and events made the place significant to global history. Influences from around the globe were imbibed into Prairie du Chien’s historical making. The history of the area and the house of Villa Louis at Prairie du Chien is a succession of extremely significant events for the city, the state of Wisconsin, and the United States. Today, Villa Louis stands dignified looking at the Missippippi River as a product of its assembly and owner’s aspirations in life.
Ancient Tribes and their Work
The site of the villa is on very ancient lands. The land in the driftless area of USA was created by the last glacier which retreated about 15,000 BC to 17,000 BC (Bieder, 1995). The landscape in this driftless area has not been carved and flattened by the glacier’s power and push. But the Mississippi river was created after the glacier receded.
Approximately 12,000 BC to 10,000 BC, Paleo Native Americans dwelled in the area now known as Prairie du Chien. The proof we have of this are the tools that are dated to this time.
Also, circa 8000 BC-4000BC, the first known inhabitants occupied north eastern Iowa/southwestern Wisconsin as evidenced by mounds, rock shelters, and other artefacts discovered and dated by archaeologists.
Approximately 800 BC, early Woodland tribes made clay pottery, stored food and built conical, round, burial mounds for their dead. (Janes, 2002)
The Mississippi River and ancient conical mounds
The Mississippi is an ancient river and one of the largest in the world. The tribes who dwelled in the Mississippi river valley made conical shaped and later effigy mounds. One such mound that was excavated and recorded was the Dousman mound located on the island called St Feriole, at Prairie du Chien. “Dousman’s” mound was explored and described by Cyrus Thomas, in 1890-1891. Dousman’s mound is seventy five feet in diameter and five feet tall. The mound was a burial place for three skeletons and their burial accessories. The house of Villa Louis was built upon the Dousman mound.
Wisconsin was traversed first by “New France”, French-Canadian, Europeans due to the alliances formed between them and the native American tribes: Menominee, HoChunk (Winnebago), Dakota (Sioux), Huron, Ottawa, Algonquian and Ojibwe. The native American tribes had been living and dwelling at the “Messippi” for thousands of years before the rivers European “discovery” on June 17, 1673. The native American tribes helped Father Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette down the Wisconsin river into the Mississippi this was the first time Europeans had discovered and recorded, in Europe, the Mississippi river. This was due to Count Louis Frontenac wanting French domination West to the Gulf of Mexico. (Bieder, 1995)
The British were also discovering the area, at this time, too.
Fur Trading: French Fur Trade 1634 – 1763 / British Fur Trade 1763-1815
When French Canadians began fur trading and dwelling with the native Americans they lived among and traded furs for goods exclusively with the tribes. Furs traded included beaver, elk, buffalo, raccoon, otter, fox and muskrat in exchange for liquor, issuing credits and other amenities. (Bieder, 1995) European amenities included: metal hatchets, knives, kettles, traps, needles, fish hooks, cloth, blankets and jewelry (Maas, 4) The French followed the tribes to their hunting grounds to trade so it became less difficult for the tribesman. Otherwise the tribes would have to go all the way to Green Bay. (Bieder, 1995) Green Bay was the first trading post in Wisconsin.
Prairie du Chien – early fur trading post in North America
Prairie du Chien is the second oldest fur trading post in Wisconsin. In,1680, Robert Cavelier and Sieur de La Salle, built a trading post. The main leaders for the fur trade travelled from Mackinac City. People from Mackinac city were connected to New York City, Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. The French Canadians were connected with the king of France. The British connected to their rulers.
The name, Prairie du Chien, came from the area’s annual inter-tribal fur trade. The tribes came together through the branches of the Mississippi to the site of Prairie du Chien. (Butler, 1815) The name of the area/town came from Colonel Joseph Brisbois translating the Fox tribe Chief’s name. The chief’sname translated to “dog”. The Fox tribesmen occupied the prairie when French would visit. The word for dog in French is Chien, thus the name of the region, Prairie du Chien.
The village of St. Feriole began sometime in the1670’s on the mainland of Prairie du Chien, the island, where Villa Louis was built, was a floodplain. (Antoine, 2015)
In 1685, Nicholas Perrot, fur trader and mediator between French and tribes, established Fort St. Nicholas. Tribesman were being abused by the new influx of Europeans. In 1696 the fur trade was curbed, because of this abuse, and a number of trading places reduced. (Bieder, 1995)
There were struggles for both the native Americans and the new pioneers from Europe. Translators were required for the French and Englishman to negotiate with the tribesmen. Carver Henry Fisher, a translator, came to the remote site of Prairie du Chien, to work and begin their families. The fur trade brought wealth and later luxury to living at Prairie du Chien.
Mapping
A map, Le Cours de Mississippi, that included Prairie du Chien was made in 1718 by a French cartographer Fer.
Wars
The French Indian War took place between, 1754 – 1760. The war’s purpose was the French and Native American tribes fighting together against British. Some of the tribes sided with the British. Some other tribes fended for themselves and sided with neither – like the Iroquois. The US first president, George Washington, was a soldier in this war. After the war, populations were scarce so tribes like the Winnebago and French/British inter-married each other.
In 1760, the French defeated by the British at Montreal.
After the war, the British still remained, owning and navigating the land even after Americans won the 1776 American War of Independence. (Bieder, 1995)
Separating and Placing Ownership
“Thence by a Line to be drawn along the Middle of the said river Mississippi” –unknown
The Americans won the war of Independence but there was still work to be done to established the country. One of those issues was land ownership. The people living in Prairie du Chien and St Feriole did not have title/deeds to the land they had been living on for decades. In 1781, the British of Prairie du Chien helped people gain title to their lots by creating paper deeds/titles for the land. Colonel Michel Brisbois was one of those who was instrumental in “authenticating” the land ownership for the people of Prairie du Chien. (Antoine, 2015)
The Paris treaty was signed on September 3, 1783 and the British relinquished Wisconsin to the Americans. The treaty did not become effective until May 12, 1784.
In 1785, Colonel Michel Brisbois married a Winnebago woman and had three children: Angellic, Michel and Antoine. She lived with her Winnebago family and he did not.
Michel then had a second marriage on August 8, 1796, which was to Domitelle (Madelaine) Gautier de Verville. They had a son Bernard Walter Brisbois was born in Prairie du Chien in 1808. Michel died in Prairie du Chien on April 1, 1837.
This background story is important as the de Verville was the family lineage for one of the main characters of Villa Louis – Jane Dousman (1804-1882). The other main character was Hercules Dousman, born in 1796, Mackinac City.
End of Part One
References:
Antoine, M. E. (2011). Prairie du Chien. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Publishing.
Antoine, M. E. (2015). Legendary locals of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
Bieder, R. E. (1995). Native American communities in Wisconsin, 1600-1960: A study of tradition and change. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
Butler, 1814-1815, French Fort at Prairie du Chien.
Coryer, A., Antoine, M. E., & Murphy, L. E. (2016). Frenchtown chronicles of Prairie du Chien: History and folklore from Wisconsin’s frontier.
Janes, Amelia R, Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild. (2002). Wisconsin’s past and present: A historical atlas. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press.
Maas, Jeffry, Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild. (2002). Wisconsin’s past and present: A historical atlas. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press.
Great research and your narrative draws a new way of looking at the evolution of a remarkable place. Thank you!