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Visit Villa Louis, on the site of the Battle of Prairie du Chien.

Villa Louis


Perched atop a Native American mound on Saint Friole Island, Villa Louis commands a panoramic view of the Mississippi River. Built for the Dousman family, who made a fortune during the French and British fur trade, the house was suited both to their large family and their lavish social life. The house and its furnishings have been authentically restored to reflect Villa Louis' heyday in the 1890s. The Dousman family gave the property to the city of Prairie du Chien in 1935 to be operated as a house museum. Villa Louis became Wisconsin's first state-owned historic site in 1952 and is open for tours.

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Related Topics: Explorers, Traders, and Settlers
The French Fur Trade
The War of 1812
Creator: Mix, Edward Townsend
Pub Data: Wisconsin Historical Society.
Citation: Mix, Edward Townsend. Villa Louis. Wisconsin Historical Society. Online facsimile at:  http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/villalouis/; Visited on: 2/9/2010
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