McGregor, IA

McGregor is a Clayton County city on the Mississippi River, across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Alexander MacGregor established a ferry landing here in 1837; the town was laid out in 1847 and incorporated in 1857. The ferry and the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad made McGregor a transfer point for grain moving from Iowa and Minnesota toward Milwaukee. Its riverfront location still defines the city, with bluffs, rail history, and the Wisconsin shore shaping the view across the water.

ATTRPeter Van den Bossche from Mechelen, Belgium / CC BY-SA 2.0

McGregor's historic downtown and residential buildings preserve the commercial boom that followed the ferry and railroad, and the city still has antique shops, specialty stores, restaurants, live music, and artists' spaces. Pikes Peak State Park sits just outside town, with trails above the Mississippi and views toward the Wisconsin River confluence; Effigy Mounds National Monument is part of the wider Driftless Area setting. McGregor is a compact river city where historic buildings, tourism, and the working geography of the Mississippi meet within a short distance.