Come Hell Or High Water: Prairie du Chien's 4th Ward

Prairie du Chien is known as the second oldest settlement in the state of Wisconsin. In the beginning, most activity on St. Feriole Island was centered on the fur trade. The colorful characters who were prominent in this enterprise remain part of the lore of the city. The island is separated from the mainland of Prairie du Chien by a slough. When the trading in furs grew diminished, the islanders turned to the river, itself, for their livelihood. The Mississippi yielded fish and clams, the shells of the latter used for buttons. From the 19th Century through the middle of the 20th, a vibrant, expanding community occupied St. Feriole, also known as the Fourth Ward. The people of St. Feriole knew their neighbors well and considered themselves part of an extended family. However, a disadvantage of living so near the river was having to deal with the floods that inevitably recurred. The great flood of 1965 spelled disaster for the citizens of the Fourth Ward. The Federal Government declared the area unsuitable for habitation. People were forced to move and some took their houses with them. This book commemorates the modern history of St. Feriole Island as a memorial to those who lived there over decades. The vanished houses are depicted, the names and addresses of the owners set down. Their faces and stories are within the pages of this book. The places they frequented and in which they worked are recorded. Life in the Fourth Ward will never be forgotten by those who experienced it, but now it will be possible for their descendants and future historians of Prairie du Chien to know something of it, as well.