Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume XIV (1898)

              1822 the history of fort winnebago 65 the history of fort winnebago by andrew jackson turner to the present generation old fort winnebago at port age is a tradition to the older citizens of our state who recall its whitened walls as they appeared above the stockade that inclosed them and who retain a vivid recol lection of many of its appointments and environments it is a reminiscence very few there are now living who dwelt in the fort from its first occupancy and who had an acquaintance with those of its garrison who were subse quently illustrious in military and civil life of such some passed their earlier years at the fort in comparative ob scurity awaiting an opportunity to prove their mettle on the sanguinary field of conflict but these afterward left their impress on the pages of history some of their names are still spoken others who were here of equal merit are rarely or never mentioned for the opportunity came not to them much that occurred here has been recorded in vari ous public documents volumes and papers but nowhere i believe has it all been arranged in a convenient form so the old fort may be said to have had a history but no historian it is not my purpose to attempt an exhaustive history of the fort but rather to collate what has already been written but which is so scattered as to involve great research on the part of the student who desires to know as much as possible of its origin and history i have incor porated in my account some things not found in any pub lished matter which i have heard related from the lips of those who were there as early as 1830 and who knew its 5