Nearest city Portage, Wisconsin Built by Francis Le Roi Area 1 ha Added to NRHP 28 October 1970 | Built circa 1820-1824 NRHP Reference # 70000029 Phone +1 608-742-2949 | |
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Architectural style French colonial log home Address 1824 WI-33, Portage, WI 53901, USA Hours Open today · 10AM–4AMWednesday10AM–4AMThursday10AM–4AMFriday10AM–4AMSaturday10AM–4AMSunday10AM–12AMMondayClosedTuesdayClosed Similar Historic Indian Agency H, Portage Area Chamber, Museum At the Portage, Portage Cafe, Myrtle Lintner Spear Mu | ||
The Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters is a historic site in Portage, Wisconsin. Located between the Fox River and the Wisconsin River, the site contains two historic buildings: the "surgeon's quarters" and Garrison School. The "surgeon's quarters", built circa 1820, has served multiple purposes over time. Garrison School was built circa 1850. Both properties are owned, operated, and maintained by the Wisconsin Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which operates it as a historic house museum with 19th century period furnishings.
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History
"The Portage" was a land bridge just 1 1/4 miles wide separating waterways that flow into the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. The Fox River flows north toward Green Bay, providing access to the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Wisconsin River flows southwest to the Mississippi River, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The area around Portage was an early travel route for Native Americans. Centuries before the white men arrived, they traversed the 2700-pace foot path between the rivers and recognized it as an important travel route.
In the early 1800s, the U.S. government recognized the geographical importance of "le Portage", which became known as "Portage". Fort Winnebago was one of three forts built to protect settlers and commerce along the Fox-Wisconsin water system in the territory that later became the state of Wisconsin. The other two were Fort Howard in Green Bay and Fort Crawford, in Prairie du Chien.
"By Command of Maj.-Gen. Macomb"
"R. Jones, Adjt.-Gen."
The building now known as "the Surgeons Quarters" was built in 1824 by Francois Le Roi and Therese L'Ecuyer, a Métis. In it, they operated a fur trading and sutler's post and a portaging business. It is one of the oldest French colonial log homes in Wisconsin still standing on its original foundation and is the only remaining building of the historic Fort Winnebago, which was active from 1828 through 1845.
During the War of 1812, the British ventured into the territory in an attempt to reclaim this important waterway.
Soldiers arrived to build Fort Winnebago in 1828. The log house was used by the United States Army as a surgeon's quarters for the fort and as an officers' residence. In 1845, the garrison left the fort, ordered west to protect the frontier.
Garrison School, a 19th-century one room schoolhouse that was in use until 1960, was moved from its former location to its current site next to the surgeon's quarters.