The development of the lock and dam system in the 1930s brought the fish rescue operations to an end because they eliminated of the backwaters that trapped them.

Property for the facility was donated by the City of Guttenberg and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Construction of the hatchery and aquarium building, the superintendent's residence, and a garage were begun in 1938 and completed in 1939 by the Public Works Administration.

[2] The ponds were closed and transferred to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in 1971.

The rest of the facility was transferred to the State of Iowa in 1974, and it acquired the titles to the properties from the federal government in 1986.