Highlights of the Great River Road

Wisconsin's Great River Road meanders through the Mississippi River corridor. This corridor forms the southern half of the state's western border. The corridor's dramatic landscape was created by melting glaciers, which carved the magnificent river valley.

©Byways.org The beautiful Wisconsin portion of the Great River Road curves along the coast of the great Mississippi and leads to fascinating historical sites and quaint river towns.

Many segments of the Wisconsin Great River Road parallel the Mississippi River, some of which gracefully snuggle between the bluffs and the river. You're afforded numerous vistas of the mighty Mississippi and its valley and vast backwaters.

You are also accommodated by 20-plus waysides, scenic overlooks, and pull-out areas.

The following is an itinerary for the Victory to Bridgeport section -- which is only one portion -- of Wisconsin's Great River Road.

Victory: Begin your tour in Victory. This small settlement along the Great River Roadhas a picturesque setting: snuggled next to the river on one side, with bluffs acting as a backdrop on the other. Five settlers laid out this village in 1852 and named it Victory to commemorate the final battle of the Black Hawk War fought south of the village 20 years earlier. Victory prospered during the wheat boom of the 1850s, but today, it is only a remnant of its past.

De Soto: The village of De Soto is four miles south of Victory. This river town has the distinction of being named after the famous Spanish explorer Fernando de Soto, the first European to see the Mississippi River. It was platted in 1854 on the site of a small outpost of the American Fur Company.

Today, this community is a shadow of its past, when it peaked with sawmills, grain dealers, blacksmiths, dressmakers, breweries, and hotels. Learn from the locals how the wing dams constructed in the Mississippi diverted the river closer to their community.

Ferryville: Eight miles south of De Soto lies Ferryville. This little river town clings to the bluffs along the river and is the longest one-street village in the world. It was first called Humble Bush but was renamed Ferryville when platted in 1858. The name reflects the founder's intentions to establish ferry service across the Mississippi to Iowa. Ferryville still clings to the bluffs and portrays a true river town experience to its visitors.

Lynxville: Your next stop, Lynxville, is eight miles past Ferryville. Because of the stable depth of the river at Lynxville, it was a reliable and popular landing during the steamboat era of the mid- to late 1800s. Although the steamboats are gone, this quaint little river town remains as the host community to Lock and Dam 9 as well as some apple orchards.

Prairie du Chien: With about 6,000 residents, Prairie du Chien is the largest town on your tour. Stop at the Wisconsin Tourist Information Center to find out about the many area attractions of this second oldest settlement in Wisconsin.

It became a trade center as early as the 1670s with the arrival of Marquette and Jolliet. Hercules Dousman built Villa Louis, now owned and operated by the State Historical Society, an opulent 1870s estate with one of the nation's finest collections of Victorian decorative arts.

The Villa Louis Historical Marker at this site provides an overview of the origin and history of this luxurious mansion. Medical history from the 1800s and an exhibit of medical quackery is displayed at the Fort Crawford Medical Museum. Some warehouses built in the early 19th century by the American Fur Company still survive on historic St. Feriole Island, as do remnants of the old American Fort built to protect this outpost. Tour the town in a horse and carriage or view the Mississippi River aboard an excursion boat.

Bridgeport: Driving seven miles southeast of Prairie du Chien, you arrive in Bridgeport. The name of this village is most fitting. In the late 1800s, a ferry carried grain and other farm products across the Mississippi River to a railroad in Minnesota. Today, Bridgeport is near the highway bridge crossing the Wisconsin National Scenic River and the gateway to Wyalusing State Park and Sentinel Ridge, where the Woodland Indians left behind hundreds of earthen mounds.

Explore quaint river towns, bird-watch for eagles, and enjoy rock art from ancient peoples -- all this and more can be yours along Wisconsin's Great River Road.

Find more useful information related to Wisconsin's Great River Road:

• Great River Road in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois: The Great River Road also spans these states. Check out these scenic drives.
• Fountain City, La Crosse, Prairie du Chien, Trempealeau: Find out what there is to do in these cities along the Great River Road.
• Scenic Drives: Are you interested in scenic drives beyond Wisconsin? Here are more than 100 scenic drives throughout the United States.
• How to Drive Economically: Fuel economy is a major concern when you're on a driving trip. Learn how to get better gas mileage.