Prairie du Chien is strategically located at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers and so was nationally important in the development of the Western Frontier.
Fort Crawford occupied two prominent sites in Prairie du Chien between 1816-1856 controlling its activities as well as its land use and development. Even when it closed, the fort continued to exert influence for a long time. Some traces are still turning up. In 1999 when Beaumont Road was rebuilt, interesting artifacts from Fort Crawford were found under the roadbed.
