(AP) — Though this summer's rains have caused extensive flooding in parts of Wisconsin, flooding has always been a part of life in the state because of its many rivers and lakes. French settlers in Prairie du Chien made one of the first written records of flooding in the state in 1785, calling it "the year of great waters," Wisconsin Public Radio reported (http://bit.ly/2tx6KNs). The area received 14 inches of rain in 24 hours, and floodwaters swept away more than 400 million feet of logs from lumber yards, which knocked down everything in their path.