Meet historic people at Visiting Our Ancestors cemetery tour
At St. Gabriel’s Cemetery, which began in 1840, some of the community’s finest memorials stand, including this one for John Lawler. (Submitted photo)
The nights are cool and the leaves are turning color, so it is time for the popular event, Visiting Our Ancestors, sponsored by the Prairie du Chien Historical Society. This event is a Tour of Prairie du Chien’s six historic cemeteries.
On Saturday, Oct. 6, the tour begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Fort Crawford Museum, located at 717 S. Beaumont Rd. All will gather at the museum, then board vans to travel to the cemeteries, beginning with the Old French Cemetery and ending at the Brisbois Cemetery high above on the bluffs. At each cemetery, the costumed host of the tour will give a short history of the burying grounds and then introduce the resident.
The French Catholic Cemetery is the oldest cemetery still in existence in the state of Wisconsin and may be the oldest cemetery in the upper Mississippi Valley. Few of the graves are marked, but much is known about the people who are buried there, beginning in 1816, including Elizabeth Rolette.
Rev. Augustin Ravoux, the first permanent pastor of St. Gabriel’s Parish, began St. Gabriel’s Cemetery in 1840. The earliest graves are unmarked but fine memorials were set for John Lawler, Fathers Galtier and Becker, and several mayors of Prairie du Chien.
The land for Calvary Cemetery was donated the same year that Strange and Euphrosine Powers donated part of their farm lot for the construction of St. Gabriel’s Church and location of the parish cemetery. Perhaps there was a little competition between the Powers family and Hercules L. Dousman. Strange Powers may explain if this is what happened.
Two cemeteries were established within the Fort Crawford Reservation. Today, only the officers’ cemetery exists. Burials from 1829 to 1865 present stories of the rich history of the fort, even a connection back to the American Revolution with Colonel Willoughby Morgan.
The cemetery located at the southern most part of Prairie du Chien has had several names: Prairie du Chien Cemetery, Lower Town Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery. Some of the earliest businessmen of the community rest here, including, for some reason, the founder of McGregor, Iowa.
Once accessible to the hardy willing to climb the face of the bluff, the Brisbois Cemetery can now only be entered through private property. Lonely and picturesque, it sums up the history of Prairie du Chien.
Besides these stories and more, at each cemetery, visitors will have the opportunity to meet and talk with a resident of the community. They will present personal stories of their lives in Prairie du Chien. Elizabeth Rolette dedicated her life to her father. Colonel Willoughby Morgan fought in the War of 1812 and commanded Fort Crawford. The memories of Dometille Brisbois and her niece Jane Fisher Rolette Dousman span history from the fur trade through the 1880s. Alexander Mac Gregor made his fortune in Mississippi River transportation. And Strange Poze/Powers baked bread for the community besides donating land for St. Gabriel’s Church.
There is a fee for Visiting Our Ancestors: A Tour of Prairie du Chien’s Historic Cemeteries, which also includes admission to the Fort Crawford Museum. Reservations are suggested due to space limitations. For more information, contact the museum at 326-6960. The Fort Crawford Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is owned and operated by the Prairie du Chien Historical Society. For more information, visit www.fortcrawfordmuseum.com or find the museum on Facebook.
