"Traces of a Sauk Indian village have been found here, and the place was called Prairie du Sac by the French. It has also been claimed that the name means the prairie or meadow of the bag or sack, suggested by the shape of the land and not the Indian name. D.B. Crocker established a village in 1840 when he built a log store, soon followed by other settlers. This was largely a protestant community, north of the settlement of Catholics in Sauk City. City Charter was revoked and the area is now part of the federal waste disposal system."

From Increase Lapham's 1844 Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin:

"The principal settlement in this county {Sauk] is on the river, at a place called "Prairie du Sac," twenty-five miles northWest from Madison. The prairie is about eight miles wide, and extends eighteen miles along the Wisconsin. Its name is given in allusion to its form, being that of a " sack," or bag, and not from Sauk, the tribe of Indians."

Learn More

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin

See more images, essays, newspapers and records about Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.

Dictionary of Wisconsin History

Explore more than 1,600 people, places and events in Wisconsin history.

[Source: Card file at the WHS Library reference desk]