A look at President Carter’s visit to Prairie du Chien
An archival picture of Jimmy Carter during his visit to Prairie du Chien in 1979. (Courier Press)
By Steve Van Kooten
On Dec. 29, Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100. He served as the 39th President of the United States between 1977 and 1981 for the Democratic Party, with a legacy that included establishing the Departments of Education and Energy, engendering foreign relations with China and the Soviet Union and the Iran Hostage Crisis.
In the middle of his presidential term, Carter visited Prairie du Chien and McGregor on Aug. 19, 1979, as part of a “mixed business and vacation cruise” on the Delta Queen. First Lady Rosalyn Carter and their daughter, Amy Carter, joined him.
During his visit, Carter jogged on the Prairie du Chien Senior High School track, met with U.S. Senator John Culver in McGregor, Iowa, and attended a 3M employee picnic to promote his plan to address the country’s energy crisis.
At the picnic, Carter said, “Our nation’s security is threatened because we are too dependent on foreign oil,” Carter told 3M picnickers. So, everyone in the United States must do as we have done in the past when our country was in danger or when it was threatened. United with one another instead of being divided one from another [and] realize that every single American is important, cut back on waste of energy and your driving habits, obey the speed limits, joining the van pool system that 3M is doing in other parts of the county, will soon be doing here; make sure that you don’t waste energy in your homes; do everything you can to save precious energy; and secondly, we will have to use more solar power.”
Don Ruehlow wrote in a front-page article for the Courier Press: “If all the energy could have been stored following President Jimmy Carter’s visit to Prairie du Chien Sunday, the United States would not have an energy shortage.”
Before the Delta Queen docked along Lawler Park, the Courier Press documented city officials’ preparations.
In the Aug. 15, 1979, edition, the city council approved a $6,000 maximum spending limit for the president’s visit. Fred LaPointe coordinated the event with Prairie du Chien Mayor Fred Huebsch.
Other city officials, including Director of Public Works Glenn Speich, Water Superintendent Herb Brookens, Police Chief Gary Knickerbocker and Fire Chief Mike DeMuth, all played pivotal roles in getting the city “shipshape,” according to a statement made by Huebsch after Carter’s visit.
The city cleaned up Lawler Park, conducted a city-wide street sweep and planned security measures in the weeks before the president’s arrival. At the time, Knickerbocker claimed security costs would run approximately $2,500 to $3,000.
Crawford County officials also lent support to Prairie du Chien for the event. Board Chairman Bob Dillman, Sheriff Bill Fillbach and Highway Commissioner Jim Atkinson received recognition for their contribution.
In the Aug. 20, 1979, edition, Huebsch said, “Crawford County officials have been very cooperative, even though they were faced with setting up and running the County Fair at the same time.”
The Courier Press claimed nearly 10,000 people braved rainstorms to greet Carter when the Delta Queen docked next to St. Feriole Island.
Huebsch recognized other individuals and organizations for their efforts, including the local Democrat Party led by June Steiner, which acted as a liaison with White House staff; the Chamber of Commerce, including Mike Lochner, Jerry Sullivan and Jay Hauser; the Bluff County Arts Council; and the Women’s Civic Club.
