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Fort Crawford
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Fort Crawford was decommissioned in 1856, having outlived its usefulness as a frontier post. During the Civil War, however, it functioned as a military hospital and recruiting depot. This photograph taken in 1864 shows that the stockade had already been removed. After the war the fort's stone buildings were slowly vandalized for new construction in Prairie du Chien. By the 1920s, only the ruins of the hospital remained. At this point, the DAR and later the State Medical Society stepped forward and launched a restoration project. Today, the Fort Crawford Hospital is a museum operated by the Prairie du Chien Historical Society.
1864
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W013J5J
WHi 39647
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Fort Crawford
1880
Fort Crawford Hospital. A man is sitting on a branch in the yard.
Fort Crawford
1930
Fort Crawford, with a view of the ruins of the hospital building.
Fort Crawford
1910
Fort Crawford. Caption reads: "Ruins of hospital, old Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, Wis."
The Ruins of Old Fort Crawford
1925
Fort Crawford (the second site, showing ruins of the building of 1892-?). These are the ruins of the hospital. Caption reads: "The Ruins of Old Fort Crawford, Prairie-du-Chien, Wis."
