Prairie Du Chien, the oldest settlement on the Upper Mississippi River, and the second oldest city in the state of Wisconsin, has roots dating back to the late 1600's and the French-Canadian Fur Trade.

One of the big attractions on St. Feriole Island in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, is Villa Louis, a Victorian country estate established in the 1840s by Hercules Dousman, a local fur trader and entrepreneur. His son Louis built the house that still stands here in 1870. The Wisconsin Historical Society manages the house and manages the tours.

With over 90 percent of its original furnishings and a recent restoration to recreate its 1890s appearance, Villa Louis is one of the Midwest's great house museums (open early May through late October). Photo by Kathy Alexander.