At first, the town had a good site where the Kaskaskia and Mississippi Rivers joined. But from St. Louis to the junction of the Ohio River, the Mississippi became wider and more shallow, with more severe flooding. Much of Kaskaskia and other French colonial towns have been lost through flooding and erosion. Following the Great Flood of 1844, Kaskaskia was rebuilt to the south. The original site became an island, surrounded by the Mississippi River. The flood of 1881 destroyed the original town, and the Mississippi shifted into the channel of the Kaskaskia River, passing east instead of west of the town. Parts of the town were rebuilt in the new area.