PdC native creates virtual video of downtown Prairie du Chien in 1960s
Mike Sutton
By Correne Martin
You can take the man out of Prairie du Chien, but you can’t take the Prairie du Chien out of the man. Mike Sutton fits that description perfectly. Though he’s lived in Texas since 1979, his devotion to his hometown has remained strong. In fact, the community served as the inspiration behind a virtual project he spent all of 2014 producing.
Currently an Arlington, Texas, resident, Mike is a Prairie du Chien High School and UW-Eau Claire graduate. With a background in information technology and computers, he worked in defense for Lockheed Martin for much of his career before retiring last year.
On Jan. 21, this year, Mike published an 11-minute YouTube video that presents a series of 3D images showing a virtual downtown Prairie du Chien, circa the 1960s—when he was growing up. Watching the simulation, viewers may feel as though they’re strolling through the heart of the city, on a calm, sunny day, taking in all the storefronts and all their old-time characteristics. The video is set to two original blues songs Mike wrote and recorded himself, playing all the instruments.
“I grew up on Blackhawk Avenue, above the Panka Shoe Store,” he stated. “I had done a lot of 3D modeling and started by creating Panka Shoe Store and the Metro Theatre next door. Before I knew it, I had half a block, so I thought ‘what the heck, I’m gonna stick with this.’”
Mike began his research on the project by looking at some Super 8 mm films put together by his uncle, Griff Williams, who had a keen interest in Crawford County history. He referenced books compiled by local historian Mary Elise Antoine and gleaned information from posts to the “History of Prairie du Chien” and “If you grew up in Prairie du Chien” Facebook pages. When he couldn’t recall certain details himself, Mike also referred to his cousin, Brad Williams, who is best known for having an exceptional memory (hyperthymesia).
“I always tried to make it look exact, but I decided early on that I wasn’t going to make it perfect, just as close as I could. If I didn’t have a picture of a certain place, I figured my memory was as good as anyone else’s,” Mike said.
The video creator said, throughout this project, he enjoyed reflecting on his memories of living in Prairie du Chien for 18 years.
“Of course, the places I frequented the most were the ones I put the most work into, like Frank’s Rexall Drugs, Hamann’s (Variety Store) and McGill’s Grill. I went to Frank’s a lot to buy 45s. They always had the ‘Billboard Hot 40.’ And Santa Claus always came to Hamann’s,” he recalled. “I could even remember some of the people who worked in those places. It was a fun project. It gave me something to do in my retirement.”
Designed using standard computer modeling software like those used for 3D gaming (Autodesk 3ds Max and Mental Ray), Mike said he could create a representation of one building in about two to three hours. He would begin with the building’s frame and then add texture, more detail and eventually the fine attributes, such as posters in the windows, chairs out front and signs on the street.
Since Mike’s video went viral on YouTube and on the two Facebook pages he mentioned, he’s received numerous positive comments from viewers. In the month that it’s been on YouTube, nearly 1,200 viewers have watched it. “It’s just my perspective of Prairie du Chien growing up, but I’m glad to hear people are looking at it and enjoying it,” he said.
Ultimately, this was nothing more than a fun project he’s happy to share with the public. And if it happens to spark more local interest in Prairie du Chien history, he’d be thrilled with that as well.
“It’s funny to see, in a town like Prairie du Chien, how few people are interested in the history,” he commented. “But those who are interested really do a lot of work to try to keep the history of the community alive. Kudos to those people.”
To check out Mike’s video showing virtual downtown Prairie du Chien, visit YouTube.com and search for “Virtual PDC 65 with Original Music by Mike Sutton.”
To view his personal blog, visit mojodallasproject.wordpress.com, and for his professional website, go to mikejsutton.wix.com/mojodallas.
