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Show Will Preserve Historic Fort s . and Gen. William Clark, Levis Cass and Winfield Scott. The treaties of 1820 and 1S30, wherein where-in the Indians deeded away the Inst of their lands east of the Mississippi river, were signed at Fort Crawford. The Black Hawk war centered about It, and Abraham Lincoln, then a young lieutenant was stationed at the fort during this conflict. Chief Blackhawk was taken to the post as a prisoner after his capture by the Winnebago chiefs after the rout of the Sacs and Foxes at the Battle of Bad Axe. Near the site of the fort is Fort Crawford cemetery, where those who died during their term of service were buried. The cemetery is government owned and well cared for. Daughters of American Revolution Revolu-tion Plan Reconstruction of Famous Fort Crawford. ORIGINAL WAS BUILT IN 1812 Most Famous of Any of the Forts In the Northwest Has Fascinating History Zachary Taylor Once Commandant. Prairie du Chien, Wis. Preservation and eventual reconstruction of historic y Fort Crawford is forecast by the ac- tion of the Prairie du Cliien chapter of the D. A. K. In securing un option on the property from W. H. Graves, its owner, in an effort to preserve it for historical purposes. Fort Crawford was the most famous of any of the forts in the Northwest. The original post, B'ort Shelby, was built during the war of 1S12. Hardly had the first American troops taken possession of it, when a detachment of British troops, re-enforced by Indians, In-dians, came down the Wisconsin river and laid siege to it. The garrison was forced to surrender and for a year the Union Jack floated over the frontier post and southwestern Wisconsin was a part of the British empire. Buildings Ruined by Fire. At the close of the War of 1812 the fort was evacuated and shortly afterward after-ward most of the buildings were gutted gut-ted by fire. The American government then rebuilt re-built the fort on the same site, calling It Fort Crawford. Later a new site was chosen a mile south on higher ground and a larger Fort Crawford was erected. Zachary. Taylor, later President of the United States, was commandant of it at one time. One of his lieutenants was Jefferson Davis, who led the southern Confederacy through the Civil war. Davis fell in love with Taylor's daughter and married her, to the great displeasure of the commandant. command-ant. The fort surgeon was Doctor Beaumont, Beau-mont, whose assistant, Martin St. Alexis, had a bullet hole In his stomach. stom-ach. Through this hole Doctor Beaumont Beau-mont studied the processes of digestion. diges-tion. The experiments thus conducted still form the major part of the knowledge knowl-edge medical science has of the stomach stom-ach and Its functions. St. Alexis Is mentioned in many school physiologies. physiolo-gies. Other Notables at Fort. Others stationed at the fort at various va-rious times were the historian, Henry Schoolcraft ; the artist, George Calvin |