Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:
Upper Mississippi River Valley history

History of Prairie du Chien


Read More About It

"Prairie du Chien: French, British, American" by Peter Lawrence Scanlan


Vocabulary:

contingent


Interesting Fact:

The fort was named after the governor of Kentucky, Isaac Shelby.


Study Questions:

  • What event was taking place in the country at this time?
  • Who was in command of the 200 soldiers in Prairie du Chien?
  • What happened to the fort and the soldiers later in the year?


    Search these newspaper databases for additional stories about forts in Wisconsin:

  • Wisconsin State Journal/The Capital Times
  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  • BadgerLink Wisconsin Newsstand
  • Wisconsin Historical Society


    U.S. historical events that occurred on June 2:

    1941: Baseball great Lou Gehrig dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known today as Lou Gehrig's disease.
    1966: Surveyor I, a U.S. space probe, lands on the moon and begins transmitting pictures of the lunar surface.



    • June 2

    June 2, 1814: A contingent of 200 American soldiers arrived in Prairie du Chien from St. Louis. They took over the trading post and rebuilt Fort Shelby, the first building in what is now Wisconsin to fly an American flag.

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