Hotel Directory > United States Hotels > Wisconsin Hotels > Prairie Du Chien, WI Hotels

This is the current conditions weather report for Prairie Du Chien. The report was made 24 minutes ago, at 12:15 UTC. The wind was blowing at a speed of 12 miles per hour / 18.5 kilometers per hour from the westnorthwest (290°). The temperature was 9°F / -13°C, with a dew-point at 9°F / -13°C. The temperature felt like -6°F / -21°C. The atmospheric pressure was 30.41 inHg / 1031 hPa. The relative humidity was 51%. The skies were clear.

Prairie du Chien is the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin. The population was 6,018 at the 2000 census.

Often called Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established by French voyageurs in the late 17th century. The city is located near the confluence of the Wisconsin River and the Mississippi River, a strategic point along the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Mississippi.

Early French visitors to the site found it occupied by a group of Fox Indians led by a chief whose name, Alim, meant "Chien" in French, or "Dog" in English. As a result, the French explorers named the location "Prairie du Chien", which is French for "Prairie of the Dog". Originally this name applied only to the plain upon which the settlement is located, but it was later extended to mean the city as well. The city of Prairie du Chien is located between the Town of Prairie du Chien and the Town of Bridgeport.

Today Prairie du Chien is noted because of its five National Historic Landmarks and its nine sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Its close proximity to Effigy Mounds National Monument and Pike's Peak State Park in Iowa and Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin, along with its rich history and location alongside the Mississippi River make Prairie du Chien a popular destination for tourists. The Prairie Villa Rendezvous, which attempts to recreate the atmosphere of a 19th century fur trading camp, has been held in the city every Father's Day weekend since 1975 and attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.

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