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4 books match the query 'Prairie du Chien (Wis.)'
An Elegant Edifice
The Women Who Forged a Legacy at Villa LouisMary Elise Antoine
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2026
On the banks of the upper Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, stands Villa Louis, the majestic Italianate-style mansion and estate built by the prosperous Dousman family in 1871. An Elegant Edifice tells the stories of the women of the Dousman residence. Jane, who outlived her husband by fourteen years, oversaw the estate and maintained the family’s presence in Prairie du Chien. Jane’s daughter-in-law, Nina, managed the property and assumed the role of head of the family following her husband’s death, ensuring stability for her children during times of tragedy. Finally, Nina’s daughters Violet and Virginia helped to restore the family home in the 1930s, secure its future as a historic site, and record the Dousmans’ history for posterity.
An Elegant Edifice illustrates the broad strokes of American expansionism through the backgrounds and activities of these influential women, complete with marriages and separations, births and deaths, business disputes, lawsuits, and reconciliations. With stories of St. Louis and St. Paul society, the stylish shops of New York City, and the prominence of Prairie du Chien in the nineteenth century, this book reveals the leisure activities and extravagant lifestyle afforded to the family by their wealth—Tiffany jewelry and housewares, William Morris wallpaper and fabrics, Jaccard silver, and a fine art collection to rival the public museums of the era.
Thanks to the women’s fortitude and shared conviction in the importance of family, Villa Louis has been preserved and restored to its 1890s splendor and is today considered one of the most authentically restored Italianate villas in the United States. While previous histories have focused on the Dousman patriarchs, public historian Mary Elise Antoine offers a new perspective on the Dousman family history by bringing into focus Jane, Nina, Violet, and Virginia. These women’s lives—historically less well-documented than the lives of their husbands, fathers, and sons—contributed greatly to the preservation of Villa Louis and to our understanding of an important chapter in American history.
Enslaved, Indentured, Free
Five Black Women on the Upper Mississippi, 1800–1850Mary Elise Antoine
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2022
Focusing on these five women, Mary Elise Antoine explores the history of slavery in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, relying on legal documents, military records, court transcripts, and personal correspondence. Whether through perseverance, self-purchase, or freedom suits—including one suit that was used as precedent in Dred and Harriet Scott’s freedom suits years later—each of these women ultimately secured her freedom, thanks in part to the bonds they forged with one another.
Frenchtown Chronicles of Prairie du Chien
History and Folklore from Wisconsin's FrontierMary Elise Antoine
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2016
Albert Coryer, the grandson of a fur trade voyageur-turned-farmer, had a gift for storytelling. Born in 1877, he grew up in Prairie du Chien hearing tales of days gone by from his parents, grandparents, and neighbors who lived in the Frenchtown area. Throughout his life, Albert soaked up the local oral traditions, including narratives about early residents, local landmarks, interesting and funny events, ethnic customs, myths, and folklore.
Late in life, this lively man who had worked as a farm laborer and janitor drew a detailed illustrated map of the Prairie du Chien area and began to write his stories out longhand, in addition to sharing them in an interview with a local historian and folklore scholar. The map, stories, and interview transcript provide a colorful account of Prairie du Chien in the late nineteenth century, when it was undergoing significant demographic, social, and economic change. With sharp historical context provided by editors Lucy Eldersveld Murphy and Mary Elise Antoine, Coryer’s tales offer an unparalleled window into the ethnic community comprised of the old fur trade families, Native Americans, French Canadian farmers, and their descendants.
The War of 1812 in Wisconsin
The Battle for Prairie du ChienMary Elise Antoine
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2016
In The War of 1812 in Wisconsin, author Mary Elise Antoine brings a little-known corner of Wisconsin’s history to life. Prairie du Chien, located just above mouth of the Wisconsin River, was the key to trade on the upper Mississippi. Whoever controlled the prairie commanded the immense territory inhabited by thousands of American Indians—and the fur they traded. When war broke out between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, British and Americans fought to maintain the ever-shifting alliance of the tribes.
This is the story of the battle for the control of Prairie du Chien and the western country, which began many years before the three-day siege in July of 1814 for which the Battle of Prairie du Chien is named. It is also the tale of the people, Euro-American and Native, who lived in pre-territorial Wisconsin and how the contest for control of the region affected their lives and livelihoods. The outcome of the War of 1812 would determine what "manifest destiny" would mean to all who called these lands home.