La Riviere Park: Prairie du Chien’s hidden gem
This kiosk stands at the entrance of La Riviere Park and helps show visitors the extensive hiking areas.
By Peyton Meisner
La Riviere Park consists of 300-acres of land that features over six miles of excellent hiking trails and 50 plus miles of adjoining horse trails. The park is a mix of hardwood forest, grasslands and native prairies.
La Riviere Park was donated to the city of Prairie du Chien in 1977, by Dan La Riviere, as a public park and recreational area.
La Riviere was born March 9, 1898, in a large two-story house in Bridgeport Township. The house was constructed by Hercules Dousman. When La Riviere was 6-years-old, his family moved to where the current park is located. In 1914, his father Solomon purchased an additional 140 acres, putting the total acreage of the farm at around 300.
La Riviere attended St. Gabriel’s School and then the public high school.
He met his wife, Elsie Osterberger, in Prairie du Chien. Shortly after their marriage, La Riviere took over the farm from his father.
He quickly settled into dairy farming. He and his wife built up a herd of 35 Holstein cows. Investing in good equipment, La Riviere ran one of the most forward-looking dairy businesses in the area.
Campion College and High School were La Riviere’s biggest dairy customers, supplying them 100 gallons of milk per day. The milk was delivered in five-gallon cans, which, in the summer months, went to the Bridgeport Creamery. The business required the help of three hired men, and Prairie Dairy, who did the pasteurizing.
Later, his neighbors, the Selch family, did both the pasteurizing and the homogenizing. Around this time, St. Mary’s Academy became a big customer for the business.
In 1958, La Riviere retired. In 1972, Elsie passed away. In La Riviere’s final years, with no children of his own, he decided to leave all his land as a gift to the city. “I made my living from the people of Prairie du Chien and I want them to have something in return,” he was quoted as saying.
On New Year’s Eve of 1976, La Riviere passed away from a heart attack. In 1977, the city of Prairie du Chien accepted his gift.
The city accepted it in a resolution that paralleled his will: “Said lands shall be accepted, used and maintained in perpetuity as and for a public park and recreational area, and shall be kept in their natural state, or as close thereto as is feasible. The purpose of this gift is to make available for posterity an undeveloped area, while the opportunity is still present, so that present and future generations may have the pleasure of visiting and enjoying an area of unspoiled wooded hills and wildlife living therein.”
“Dan was the type of guy who would do anything for anyone. His land was worth a lot, so to donate it all to the city speaks for itself,” said Gale Beneker, a family friend of La Riviere.
Upon arrival in the park, there’s an original red barn Dan La Riviere used, which has been recently re-sided, and can be utilized for family functions, graduations and special events. Checking the nearby kiosk will show visitors the vast hiking areas; plans are in the works to re-sign and upgrade many of the user-friendly hiking trails according to Volunteer Naturalist Dennis Kirschbaum.. The park features the only area in the city where people may walk dogs without a leash. It is also bike friendly. For bird viewing, La Riviere Park is the place to go and one of the main reasons the city is designated a Bird City Wisconsin. Over 100 species have been seen in the park and the naturalist can provide guided tours upon request.
The park also has two newly installed chimney swift towers that are very rare in Wisconsin, and multiple bat houses.
If you’re looking to take the family on a short overnight adventure, the park has three walk-in, tent-only campsites with free firewood provided. There’s a large picnic area with a fire ring for small group outings. To further accommodate everyone’s needs and enhance this area, a new shelter and bathrooms which is currently in the process of being added, according to Kirschbaum.
Traveling down the road, there are spots designated for archery and the community’s compost site.
While there are many amenities on the southern portion of the park, take a walk (or drive) to the north end and witness one of the largest free horse campgrounds in America. With over 100 sites, this picturesque area is carved out of the valley, adds a completely different dimension to the park that many never see and it is an awesome site for any age.
The park is administered separately from the city park system by a city council appointed La Riviere Farm Park Committee. The farm park offers a Boy Scout camp area, primitive group camping, a horse-camp area, and marked hiking and biking trails. In the winter, cross-country ski trails are marked, and there is a toboggan slope. The Farm Park has electricity and running water at some locations, as well as pit toilets. Toilets and many of the areas of the park are handicap accessible. Recent improvements completed at the farm park are the construction of a new picnic shelter with provision for tying horses at the shelter, improvements and expansion of both the equestrian and human hiking trails, and an improved visitor’s display building.
The farm park’s varied and specialized usage creates a long list of needs. Special attention to trails, trail maintenance and equipment and trail signs are needed. Items to be added at the park include flush toilets, hydrants and heat at the nature center, a well for the horse camp, and additional picnic areas. Buildings needed at this park are a garage and storage shed. The park also needs increased parking and picnic areas.
For more information on how you and your family can enjoy La Riviere Park, feel free to call the parks and recreation department at 326-7207.
