Just above the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers lies a 9-mile prairie whose beauty and location have long drawn people to its expanse. At this traditional gathering place of Native Americans; French explorers and fur traders stored trade goods and celebrated on the prairie; in time building homes at la Prairie des Chiens. American soldiers constructed a fort here; at the entrance to the upper Mississippi Valley; to secure the region for settlement. Wave upon wave of people arrived in Prairie du Chien by steamboat and railroad; and by 1900; a bustling city had spread across the plain. But the French heritage and majestic beauty of the river endured. After World War I; tourists came to drift along the banks of the Mississippi; climb the steep bluffs surrounding the prairie; and sample the Friday night fish fries. Wisconsin�s second-oldest community; Prairie du Chien retains the attraction that drew the first explorers to its shores.
#2194062 in eBooks 2011-04-25 2011-04-25File Name: B0099V26F8
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