Layers of Prairie du Chien History, Part II
Dousman Family
Dousman House
Villa Louis
By Rachel Mergen
Dousman Family
In the late 1820’s, Hercules L. Dousman came to Prairie du Chien. He was a clerk for Joseph Rollete, who’s widow, Jane Fisher Rollette, married Hercules in 1844.
Hercules was a very wealthy businessman, who purchased great amounts of land in the Prairie du Chien area, along with investing in steam boats, lumber, railroads, and stocks and bonds.
Hercules and Jane had one child, Louis Dousman, who married Nina Sturgis. Nina and Louis had five children, Violet, Virginia, Nina, Louis and Judith.
Dousman House
The Dousman House, originally called the Railway House, was built in 1864, by the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railroad.
The first railroad to come to Prairie du Chien was from Milwaukee, which traveled between the two cities starting in 1857. The purpose of the railroad was to connect the Mississippi River with Lake Michigan, so that agriculture crops could be more easily brought to the east coast. Without the railroad, the crops would have to be sent down to New Orleans and then connected to the east.
The original depot was on the south side of Prairie du Chien, but was moved to St. Feriole Island prior to 1864. Warehouses were also built nearby to store grain. The building can still be seen on the island.
The problem with the railroad though was that it stopped in Prairie du Chien, forcing passengers to use a ferry to go to Iowa.
The Railway House was built by the railroad company to accommodate passengers, who were waiting to get on the train or the ferry.
In 1874, the hotel became less needed when John Lawler created a bridge for the trains to cross across the river. The hotel was sold to Huf Schmidt.
The hotel was renamed the Dousman House, because Louis Dousman used to go there every morning to get the newspaper, so that he can read it while smoking cigars.
The house can be rented for a variety of events.
Villa Louis
The Villa Louis was built on the site of Hercules’ brick house on the mound.
In 1868, Louis inherited the land and former house and his father’s investments. He decided to demolish the old house, creating the Villa Louis with completion in 1871. The architect in charge of the new house was the Milwaukee’s well-known E. Townsend Mix.
A little more than a decade after the completion of the Villa Louis, the property was expanded between 1883 and 1885.
Stables and barns were added to the land, along with a half-mile track. Louis expanded the one room structure that is known as the Dousman office building into a two-story structure. An interior decorator from Chicago was hired to change the style into one of British Arts and Crafts.
Currently, after having been restored, the house’s carpets, wall paper, fabrics and paint colors reflect the styles of the 1890’s. A large amount of the furnishings are the originals that the Dousman’s used in their daily lives.
When Louis died in January of 1886, his wife Nina was left with their five children in the house. She changed the name of the property to Villa Louis in honor of her late husband.
