Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-11-28

: Jean Fisher, who at the age of Ii
married Joseph Rollette, partner Of
John Jacob Astor in the American fur
i company. After her marriage she
l.went East to school. On her return
! to the frontier as the accomplished
Ewife of the most powerful trader in
the Northwest, she filed a conspicu-
Ious place in the life that radiated out
| from Prairie du Chen. Historians
speak of her beauty and ability, of
her gracious hospitality in those early
days when Prairie du Chen was
geographically described as place
east of the Mississippi and west of
Detroit"
In 1924 from the school of the East
Iarrived the young man, Hercules
ELeuis Dousman, born of u represen-
tative family on the island of Macld-
nae. He came to Prairie du Chen
las the confidential agent Of Mr.. Astor
and was associated for time as a
lsubordinate with Joseph Rollettc.
| displaying remarkable ability, a few
years later he supplanted Rolette as
the western agent of the American
fur company. In 1893 two years af
ter the death of Rolette, he married
his widow, Jane Fisher Rollette.
| Thus was founded the Dousman fam
lily. The building of home and the
development of Villa Louis immediate
| ~ followed historic spot was
chosen as a site.
| When tie first settlers came to Prai-
re du Chicn in the 18th century a
| huge Indian mound was discovered on
an lsland near the river. The first cab
ins were built near it. When war broke
| out between the United States and
England a detachment of soldiers was
| sert north from st. Louis by boat to
erect a fort at Prairie du Chen, A rude
struetpre was put UP ON top of the
mound The British, hearing of this
| occupation Of the upper Mississippi
region by United States troops. sent
an army composed of several hundred
Canadian Indians and traders and 1000
Indians to capture the fort. The troops
came down the Wisconsin, surprised
the little garrison and after three days
siege and some cannonadinS forced the
| t.nited States troops to surrender. The
union JACK was hoisted ever Fort Nc
| Kaye. there to fly until 4 year later
when the treaty of peace was signed
i ana tIlt lIoOliN Ntit ~ w ~ ~ N'.'sN'
ate. ON the night of the departure the
fort burned.
Four companies Of United States
troops came Il few months later and
new fort was built ON the ruins of the
old and named Fort Crawford. build
ines TO accommodate five companies
were erected and a strong garrison
maintained. Then followed stirring
| 6avs about the old mound FAMOUS
men came and went. Zachary Taylor
served as commandant several years.
Under him as lieutenant was Jefferson
Davis.
The officers at the fort and their
| families and the fur traders and thelr
families formed little arlstoefatle
circle whose members rode and dlned
and Wincd and danced and rolnanceu
of Prarie du Chien when all else OF
Wisconsin except Green Bay was
wilderness and the entire northwest
unknown except to the 'voyageurs.
| In this social life Hercules Dousman'
agent of the American fur company,
| and the beautiful wife OF Joseph hoi-
| lete were a vital part,
hen in 1881 new Fort CraWtofd
was built a mil further down the bank
and the old one was torn down, MI.
| Dousman became the owner Of the
| grounds about the mound and there,
aftee his marriage with Mrs. Rollete'
| built the first fine home in the upper
VALLEY en- the ruins of the famous
| fort.
Rv then he had become so powerful
a factor that his influence over the
Rockies is said to have been abso-
| Lutte. II was an influence won by an-
wavering justice and fairness The
| war department at Washington sought
| his advice frequently in the manage
ment of affairs on the frontier Time
and again when all other means OF
pacifying the warning tribes in the
territory seemed useless, history says
he was the only man who could ana
dared to act" The secretary of war
called him "the most valuable man IN
the northwest"
AS his fortune grew he beautiiied
his home on the mound and developed
the lands about it into handsome
estate and came to live with luxury
found nowhere else in the territory at
that time. on his death his only son
|
inherited his great fortune, and with
| much of the business talent OF his
father. conceived plans of vast i'm
provement for the estate. In the
midst of the great task he died at an
early age leaving Villa Louis to his
five children and widow, the dauEh-
ter of Gen. Sturgis.
The new generation further em-
bellished the home and added to us
| traditions OF late years there has
come a scattering of the daughters to
found new homes of their own else
where. The only son, bearing the
same name as father and grandfather,
has remained at the home and taken
care of the estate Recently he has
gone West and the famous old place,
a home OF refinement for three gem
Grafton, has been leased for a school
for Minneapolis Journal,
| He Passed
Robert Thorpe. an old Missouri stage
driver. whe recently died in Texas,