The settlement at Prairie du Chien began on the island of St. Feriole, an island on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River. Due to repeated major floods, the island today is mostly a city park and historical site, and the city is on the mainland.

During the years that the city was mostly on the island, a crossing to the mainland to the east was needed. Many bridges were installed over the years, and all but this last one were washed out. In fact, this bridge was built when the previous bridge was destroyed in the 1960 flood. The earliest bridge at this location, an 1837 structure suffered a smilar fate, as did its replacement, built in 1839.