Title: Peter L. Scanlan Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1884-1954

Creator:

• Scanlan, Peter L., 1862-1956

Call Number: Platteville Mss D

Quantity: 4.4 c.f. (11 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the Southwest Wisconsin Room and Area Research Center, Ullsvik Hall, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Platteville Southwest Wisconsin Room / Platteville Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of Scanlan, a medical doctor and local historian of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Included are some personal papers and extensive research correspondence, copies of documents, and notes on the history of Prairie du Chien and of Crawford County. Information is present on the biography of Nicolas Boilvin; the history of Bridgeport, Cassville, Milwaukee, and Irish Ridge (Grant County); Fort Crawford; World War II in Crawford County; area churches; the genealogies of area families including the Boilvin, Brisbois, Campbell, Cardinal, and Giard families; and the genealogies of Robert Dickson, Solomon Juneau, and (Jean) Joseph Rolette. Personal papers include World War I correspondence received from his family while Scanlan served in the medical corps in World War I; school class notes; his brother Charles' diary; and brief papers of his daughter Marian who taught high school English at several Wisconsin schools, wrote magazine articles and other materials, and assisted her father in his research.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-pltv000d

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Peter Lawrence Scanlan was born in Mount Hope, Wisconsin, on June 12, 1862, the son of John and Honora (Greene) Scanlan. He received his education from Wisconsin State Normal, Platteville; the University of Wisconsin; Rush Medical College, where he received his M.D. degree in 1891; and Carlisle (Pa.) Army Field Medical School, where he received his diploma in 1924. He earned money for his education by farm labor and carried hod, mixed mortar, laid rock, and plastered. Scanlan taught school, first in his home district, later a year at Rockville, and in 1887 and 1888 at the high school at Avoca, Iowa County, Wisconsin.

Scanlan began practicing medicine in Lancaster, Wisconsin in 1891. While there he met one of its prominent school teachers, Lydia Harrison, of Hazel Green, Wisconsin. They were married on October 30, 1895. In Lancaster Scanlan served on the pension board, and organized the Grant County Medical Society, becoming its first secretary. He formulated an aseptic poultice that was incorporated into John B. Murphy's Annual on Surgery in 1904. He practiced medicine in Lancaster for fourteen years, and in 1905 moved to Prairie du Chien where he continued to practice until 1943. In 1906 he organized the Crawford County Medical Society. In 1917 he was on the Crawford County Council of Defense and organized the Crawford County chapter of the American Red Cross. He was a physician in attendance for a time at both the Prairie du Chien Sanitarium and the Rathbun and Kluss Sanitarium.

Scanlan served in the medical corps during World War I as a captain. On discharge he became a major in the Reserve, and at the time of the second world war he was a colonel in the Auxiliary Reserves.

Dr. Scanlan was noted as a prominent citizen of Prairie du Chien. He prepared a paper on Wyalusing Park and gave the main address at the 25th anniversary of the marking of the Indian Mounds in the park. Because of this he was made an honorary member of the State Archeological Society. He was curator and one of the vice-presidents of the State Historical Society. Through his influence the 100th annual meeting in 1946 was held at Prairie du Chien.

Toward the end of his medical career Scanlan increased his interest in Wisconsin history. His love of local history brought about contributions to the field including papers dealing with the story of Irish Ridge, the history of St. Clement's church and also St. Gabriel's parish, a sketch of Cassville, and the history of Crawford County in manuscript form. In 1937 he published Prairie du Chien, French, British, American. He wrote many newspaper, medical and magazine articles, a biography of his brother Charles, and an autobiography of himself. His last publication was the compilation of the Scanlan Family Tree, published in November 1950.

The Grant County Historical Society at its meeting at Cassville honored Scanlan with a membership. Because of his contribution to the field of literature he was made an honorary member of the Mark Twain International Society and also the Eugene Field Society. He was an honorary member of the Beaumont Foundation, and held. membership in the American Legion and the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin. He was cited by Kiwanis as an outstanding citizen in 1940. Politically he was a Democrat. Scanlan died in 1956.

Scanlan's daughter Marian, his only child, was born January 21, 1898, at Lancaster, Wisconsin. She graduated from eighth grade parochial school, Prairie du Chien High School, La Crosse Normal, and the University of Wisconsin, attended Chicago University, and received her A. M. degree from Marquette University. She taught English at the high schools of Florence, Janesville, Ashland, Blue River, and at Washington High School in Milwaukee. Besides magazine articles, Miss Scanlan wrote This Is My Town intended for Prairie du Chien pupils of the sixth grade. Her knowledge of French was a great help to her father in his writing of Prairie du Chien's history. She also did much of her father's typing and editing. She died on July 3, 1943.

Correspondence, Boxes 1-3

Scanlan's correspondence (arranged chronologically) includes single letters for the years 1884, 1890, two letters in 1906, and. single letters in 1911, 1914, and 1916. The remainder of the correspondence is dated between 1917 and 1954. A large portion of the early correspondence falls in the year 1918, when Scanlan served in World War I. Most of these letters are from his wife, his daughter, and his brother Charles. They concern family matters and Scanlan's own welfare.

Beginning with approximately February 1923, the correspondence contains historical material relating to Prairie du Chien. Between the years 1923 and 1937 the correspondence consists partly of letters from Louise P. Kellogg and Alice E. Smith of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin concerning problems of research and the final editing of various articles on Wisconsin history. Many of the letters concern genealogical research carried on for his book Prairie du Chien, French, British, American. Correspondence in the 1940s and 1950s relates to research for articles for the Wisconsin Magazine of History and the Wisconsin Historical Collections, and to Scanlan's personal interest in Wisconsin genealogy.

Research Notes and Boxes, Boxes 4-9

Since Dr. Scanlan was so interested in local history and the history of Wisconsin his papers contain many folders of research notes gathered for the preparation of articles and speeches. These include topics such as the history and churches of Prairie du Chien, the history of Crawford County, the biography of Nicholas Boilvin, histories of Bridgeport, Cassville, Milwaukee, and Irish Ridge (Grant County), and a variety of miscellaneous interests.

Genealogy, Boxes 9-10

Scanlan's genealogical research notes are concerned with such early Wisconsin families as Boilvin, Brisbois, Cardinal, and Giard. These notes were taken in preparation for his book on the history of Prairie du Chien, and later for various articles he wrote.

Miscellaneous Personal Papers, Box 11

Box 11 contains Scanlan's early school class notes, medical notes, official army papers, his brother's diary, and mounted newspaper clippings concerning Wisconsin history. Also included in this box is the correspondence, biography and poetry of his daughter Marian.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Peter L. Scanlan and Marian Scanlan, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, 1939-1940, 1949-1950, 1952. Several items presented by Owen Hackett, 1978. Accession Number: M78-78

	Series: Correspondence
Box   1	1884, May - 1932, December
Box   2	1933, January - 1939, December
Box   3	1940, January -1954, January
	Series: Research Notes	⇧
Box   4 Folder   1	History of Prairie du Chien (carbon copy)
Box   4 Folder   2-6	Miscellaneous research concerning Prairie du Chien Note: This includes unarranged manuscript and typewritten notes.
Box   5 Folder   1	Notes on Crawford County History
Box   5 Folder   2-6	History of Crawford County and carbon copy revision, chapters 1-17
Box   6 Folder   1	Protestant churches in Prairie du Chien
Box   6 Folder   2	Copies of deeds recorded at Prairie du Chien, 1819-1869
Box   6 Folder   3	The Irish at Prairie du Chien, 1850-1910?
Box   6 Folder   4	Photostat and typed material concerning Prairie du Chien, 1647, 1800-1818
Box   6 Folder   5	Map photostats of Prairie du Chien area and miscellaneous material
Box   6 Folder   6	Photostat material concerning the Methode Massacre and Prairie du Chien, 1827-1829
Box   6 Folder   7	Photostat material concerning Fort Crawford, 1830-1832; 1833-1834; 1835-1837; 1843-1857
Box   6 Folder   8	Brunson - Brisbois vs. U.S. on the Fort Crawford claim, from the Judge Advocates records
Box   7 Folder   1	Baptismal records from Little Chute, Wisconsin, Mission to Prairie du Chien, January 1839
Box   7 Folder   2	Parish records: baptisms, burials, marriages, 1817-1829, of St. Gabriel's Church, Prairie du Chien Note: Baptisms at Prairie du Chien made by Rev. S. Mazzuchelli of the Church of St. Michael, Galena, January 31-February 25, 1836.
Box   7 Folder   3	Registre de Catholicite de la Prairie du Chien, 1839-1862, consisting of baptisms, marriages, and burials with index compiled by Marian Scanlan
Box   7 Folder   4	Roster of service men recorded as having left St. Gabriel's parish up to July 10, 1942
Box   7 Folder   5	Miscellaneous articles and speeches and findings on rock buildings on the Island at Prairie du Chien, now known as the Fourth Ward
Box   7 Folder   6	Notes on Crawford County board meetings
Box   7 Folder   7	List of World II veterans; deceased of World War II; and women of Crawford County in World War II
Box   7 Folder   8	Notes taken in Jefferson Memorial
Box   7 Folder   9	Notes from Michigan Pioneers
Box   7 Folder   10	Miscellaneous Research notes
Box   7 Folder   11	Prairie du Chien men in service of Hudson's Bay Company
Box   8 Folder   1	Notes on Bridgeport, Wisconsin
Box   8 Folder   2	Notes on Cassville, Wisconsin
Box   8 Folder   3	Notes on Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Box   8 Folder   4	Notes on books and miscellaneous research notes
Box   8 Folder   5	Comments and collections in Wisconsin Historical Collections
Box   8 Folder   6	“A Bit of Local History,” and “Looking Backward” [Irish Ridge, Wisconsin]
Box   8 Folder   7	“By the Wayside,” reminiscences of Dr. Scanlan
Box   8 Folder   8	Dr. Beaumont and his experiments on Alexis St. Martin
Box   8 Folder   9	Centennial History of St. Gabriel's Parish, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Box   8 Folder   10-11	Nelson Dewey Park
Box   9 Folder   1-3	Transcript and translations of Nicholas Boilvin letters
Box   9 Folder   4	Revision of life and letters of Boilvin, January, 1942
	Series: Genealogy	⇧
Box   9 Folder   5	Miscellaneous Wisconsin genealogy
Box   9 Folder   6	Campbell family
Box   9 Folder   7-8	Scanlan family
Box   10 Folder   1-2	Boilvin family
Box   10 Folder   3	Brisbois family
Box   10 Folder   4	Cardinal family
Box   10 Folder   5	Robert Dickson
Box   10 Folder   6	Giard family and Dubuque Court Records
Box   10 Folder   7	Solomon Juneau
Box   10 Folder   8	Marin family
Box   10 Folder   9	Jean Joseph Rolette
	Series: Miscellaneous Personal Papers	⇧
Box   11 Folder   1	Early medical school notes; Grade and high school class notes; Diary of Charles M. Scanlan
Box   11 Folder   2	Official Army Papers
Box   11 Folder   3	Marian Scanlan: correspondence, biography, poetry
Box   11 Folder   4-5	Mounted newspaper clippings, articles and comments concerning P.L. Scanlan and Wisconsin history