History: Later Development at the Fort
On April 14, 1857, not quite a year after the last troops left Fort Crawford, the first train arrived in Prairie du Chien on the newly completed Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad. Integrated by rail with eastern cities, Prairie du Chien was no longer a frontier community. The advance of rail traffic also meant that the once crucial intersection of waterways at Prairie du Chien had lost its earlier strategic importance. The village began to transform from a trading and military outpost into a Midwestern rail center.
The Civil War began in 1861, and although Fort Crawford was far removed from the conflict, it saw new life as an army enlistment center and as a hospital for wounded union troops. After the war, the army put the fort up for sale. John Lawler, the local railroad agent, purchased it in 1868. He took up residence in the house once reserved for the fort commander. Meanwhile, residents and businessmen in Prairie du Chien looted the buildings, taking away the bricks and stones to build houses and shops elsewhere in the growing town.
As the fort barracks were reduced to ruins, John Lawler decided to donate the property for the construction of a school at the site. In 1872, the St. Mary's Institute, a Catholic boarding school for young women, was built where Fort Crawford had stood. Lawler also donated nearby land to the Society of Jesus to allow for the construction of Sacred Heart College, later Campion High School. Although the once-prestigious school buildings now have other uses, exhibits at the Fort Crawford Museum preserve their story.
Next: The Fort Crawford Museum
St. Mary's Academy is shown in this early 20th century postcard. The buildings still stand as Wyalusing Academy.