Indians and Indian occurrences. For instance, we have
Prairie du Chien, which is the French for the Dog prairie. In early days
an Indian chief, who sailed under the dignified name of "The Dog," had
his headquarters at this prairie, and thus the name. It will be observed
that it has maintained its name in full, "Prairie du Chien," and was, in
days past, a military post, called Fort Crawford, and is now quite an
important town in Wisconsin.

A little way up the river, and we have "Prairie La Crosse," but the
first part of the name is generally dropped now, and it is known as La
Crosse simply. No old settler, however, who dates back of the fifties,
ever calls it anything but "Prairie La Crosse." This place got its name
from the fact that the Indians selected it as a favorite point at which
to play their game, known to them as "Ta-kap-si-ka-pi," but called by
the French, "La Crosse." Anyone who has been there, and is familiar with
the prairie on which the city of La Crosse is built, will recognize at
once its superior advantages for a game of ball of any kind. It is long,
wide and level. This game has always been a great favorite with the
Sioux Indians. It originated with them, and became what might be called
their national game. From its spirited character, it was very much liked
by the Canadian-French, and they adopted it to such an extent that it
is called their national game, but under an entirely different name.
They called it "La Crosse," and are still devoted to it. In fact, it is
played very generally throughout the northern half of North America. In
playing the game, the Indians used a stick made of ash about the length
of a walking cane with a circular bend at the end most distant from the
hand, in which curve was a network of buckskin strings, forming a
pocket, about four inches in diameter and two inches deep. With this
stick, which is called a "Ta-ki-cap-si-cha," the ball is manipulated.
The ball is of wood, round, and about the size of a hen's egg, and in
the game must never be touched by the hand. The Canadians have changed
the form of stick used by them, by making it longer, and forming the end
that takes the ball something like half of a tennis racquette.

The site of La Crosse was in early years the favorite ball ground of the
Indians, and from this circumstance acquired its present name. The game
is too well known to need a description. Suffice it to say that the main
object is to get the ball to certain