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Show MARCH OF PROGRESS DOES AWAY WITH OLD TIME FOR.T - II 81 il j FAMOUS BUILDING AT PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. WIS.. TO v v BE TOR.N DOWN v Old Fort Crawford, at Prairie du Chien, Wis., famous in the history of the settlement of the northwest, is being be-ing torn down and before many days the last remnant of tha old fort will be destroyed. Already workmen are tearing away the massive old walls which long ago sheltered all who sought refuge behind them. For a century cen-tury and a half thev hnve withstood the ravages of time and the attacks of the painted Indian warrior. Fort Crawford is a relic of long ago; around its barren ruins is grouped more history than at any other place In Wisconsin; it is, indeed, a thing of history, romantic, bloody and priceless. the spot where at one time many of the, most famous soldiers of tho American army fongh-t. To the lover of the historic and romantic ro-mantic there is something cruel about the destruction of the remains of old Fort Crawford. To the residents of Prairie du Chien, who for years have seen and thought little of the past of the dilapidated old walls, it Is a hard, cold business proposition. They see no reason why sentiment should retard tho progress of their city. They can see nothing to be gained in the presence pres-ence of the staring sentinels of stone. But a few rods north from the site of tho fort, hidden from the casual glance by tho thick growth of rank' woods, and made more obscure by the presence of broken down fences, ia the old federal cemetery. There is no hand to strew (lowers upon the graves of tiie heroes whose remains lie there. It is a place of mysterious surroundings and is avoided and shunned. Though upon the age-worn granito tablets tho epigraphs of many whoso names are inserted in living letters upon tho pages of history are carved in crude broken letters, there is none to notice thorn nor to give them a passing thought. The massive old fort proper has long since boon torn down anil upon its site now stands tho beautiful St. Mary's academy. Whore tho report of the sentry's sen-try's gun once startled tho wilderness now is heard the peaceful tones of the convent bell. Even before the pickax of the first workmen clicked against the crumbling crumb-ling masonry, there was but little left of the famous old fort. Barren and alone, like towering sentinels guarding guard-ing its sacred secrets, two walls of the fort hospital remain. The remainder of the once imposing series of mas-give mas-give buildings have been-cntirely destroyed; de-stroyed; they lie in a weed-grown heap of rocky ruins, liko a fallen and neg-locted neg-locted monument of fame. The stone walls were fast falling to decay, but the deep narrow windows nnd the battle-scarred buttresses still remain. Toward the Mississippi, which flows past a few rods distant, is a gnarled and stunted oak tree. It is so near tho old fort that the afternoon sun sends its thin, sharp shadow upon the barren walls. This alone will remain to mark |