Prairie Du Chien Area School District - Geography

Geography

Prairie du Chien is located within the Mississippi River Valley, upon a long triangular plain that is bounded on the west by the Mississippi River, on the south by the Wisconsin River, and on the east-northeast by a series of tall bluffs. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.36 square miles (16.47 km2), of which, 5.63 square miles (14.58 km2) of it is land and 0.73 square miles (1.89 km2) is water. While the city's area encompasses most of the plain upon which it sits, portions of the plain extend outside city limits. Just north of the city limits, where the plain forms part of the Town of Prairie du Chien, there is a small unincorporated settlement known locally as "Frenchtown". The plain also extends outside the city southward into the Town of Bridgeport. Here the plain ends, becoming the wetlands of the Wisconsin River Delta.

Both inside and outside the city limits, backwaters of the Mississippi River occasionally break across the far west side of the plain to form small islands. While most of these islands are too small and flood prone to have ever been inhabited, one larger island just west of downtown Prairie du Chien formed the city's fourth ward until a 1965 flood prompted a mandatory relocation of the island's residents to higher ground. During the relocation project, most buildings with no special historical significance were removed. Now called "St. Feriole Island", the island serves as a 240-acre (1.0 km2) city park.