This hilltop mansion commands a sweeping view of a landscape steeped in history. Descendants of pioneer fur trader Hercules Dousman built the house in 1870 atop a mound overlooking the Mississippi River, which drew European explores to this spot in the 17th century. By the beginning of the Revolutionary War, fur traders and native tribes met here to trade goods. The fur trade sparked a clash of armies on this site in the only battle of the War of 1812 fought on Wisconsin soil. It also brought Dousman here in 1826 to ply the trade for the American Fur Company.

H. Louis Dousman built the Villa Louis as the centerpiece of a country estate that reflected the family's status. For a time the estate operated as the Artesian Stock Farm, breeding and raising fine standard bred trotting horses for harness racing. Amid the thick of Victorian-era pomp in 1885, Dousman and his wife Nina redecorated the house in British Arts and Crafts splendor. The Dousmans left the estate in 1913 and its luster waned over time until the Wisconsin Historical Society took ownership of the property in 1952 and eventually returned the magnificent home to its 1890s heyday.

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Show me all markers in:  Prairie Du Chien, WI  |  Crawford County  |  53821  |  Wisconsin  |  United States of America

War of 1812
Fort Crawford
Smoke stacks and paddle wheels
Veterans Memorial
Prairie du Chien
Pere Marquette and Sieur Jolliet
Jefferson Davis
L'ancien Cimetiere Francais
Site of the Second Fort Crawford
Black Hawk's Surrender

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