History: Fort Crawford Museum
Little remained of Fort Crawford by the early twentieth century except for the crumbling walls of the fort hospital. Part of this building had already been demolished to make way for the construction of Church Street, now Beaumont Road. When demolition threatened the last remnants of the fort hospital in the 1920s, the Fort Crawford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution purchased the fort ruins to preserve what remained. Through private fundraising and a Civil Works Administration grant, the DAR was able to begin rebuilding the fort hospital during the 1930s, but funding challenges during the Great Depression delayed a complete restoration. Follow this link to learn more about the role of the Daughters of the American Revolution in saving the Fort Crawford Hospital for preservation.
It was 1960 when the State Medical Society of Wisconsin at last opened the rebuilt Fort Crawford Hospital to the public as the Museum of Medical Progress. Two additional buildings were built for the museum by 1962, and the State Medical Society created exhibits to show visitors the story of Dr. Beaumont's research. Additional displays illustrated other events in the history of medicine.
In 1996, the Prairie du Chien Historical Society took over the Fort Crawford museum. The society retained a strong focus on Dr. Beaumont, but also gave new attention to other events in the history of Fort Crawford and Prairie du Chien. During construction work near the museum in 1999, workers uncovered the foundations of the Fort Crawford barracks beneath the pavement of Beaumont Road. Experts from the Mississippi Valley Archaeological Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, excavated the site. Some of the artifacts they discovered are now on display in the museum. Today, the Fort Crawford Museum contains over fifty exhibits on Prairie du Chien, Fort Crawford, and the history of medical progress.
A postcard shows the ruins of Fort Crawford around 1910.