Prairie du Chien

About Prairie du Chien

Prairie du Chien ( PRAIR-ee doo SHEEN) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second-oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established as a European settlement by French voyageurs in the late 17th century. Its settlement date of June 17, 1673, makes it the fourth colonial settlement by European settlers in the Midwestern United States, after Green Bay, Wisconsin; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and St. Ignace, Michigan. The city has many sites showing its rich history in the region.

Prairie du Chien is near the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, a strategic point along the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Mississippi. This location offered early French missionaries and explorers their first access and entrance to the Mississippi River. Early French visitors to the site found it occupied by a group of Meskwaki led by a chief whose name Alim meant chien in French ('dog' in English). The French explorers named the location Prairie du Chien, French for 'dog's meadow'. Originally, this name applied only to the plain upon which the settlement lay, but it was later applied to the city. The city of Prairie du Chien is located partly in the town of Prairie du Chien and partly in the town of Bridgeport.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Prairie du Chien weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Nearest webcams to Prairie du Chien

There are no webcams in Prairie du Chien itself. These are the closest, 32 miles away or more.

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Prairie du Chien

Median household income

$54,268

Median home value

$161,300

Median rent

$795/mo

Median age

46.7

Map of Prairie du Chien

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Prairie du Chien Street View

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Prairie du Chien, WI population

Prairie du Chien had 5,506 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Prairie du Chien at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Prairie du Chien

• McGregor, IA2.7 mi W
• Marquette, IA2.9 mi W
• Clayton, IA9.7 mi S
• Bagley9.9 mi S
• Eastman10.0 mi NE
• Patch Grove10.8 mi SE
• Harpers Ferry, IA11.0 mi N
• Wauzeka12.4 mi E
• Monona, IA12.9 mi W
• Farmersburg, IA13.0 mi SW
• Garnavillo, IA13.1 mi S
• Waterville, IA14.1 mi NW

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Prairie du Chien