Hercules Louis Dousman (August 4, 1800 - September 12, 1868) was a trader and real-estate investor who became the first millionaire in Wisconsin. August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1800 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A millionaire is a person who has a net worth or wealth of more than one million United States dollars, euros, UK pounds or units of a comparably valued currency. ...

Dousman was born on Mackinac Island, Michigan, and was brought into the fur trade by his father Michael, a prominent Mackinac trader. In 1826, Hercules left Mackinac Island and moved to the frontier settlement of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he worked as the assistant, and later as the partner of Joseph Rolette, the local agent of the American Fur Company. A view of the village of Mackinac Island Mackinac Island (pronounced MACK-ih-naw) is a small island, 4. ... State nickname: Wolverine State or Great Lakes State Other U.S. States Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Governor Jennifer Granholm Official languages English Area 250,941 km² (11th)  - Land 147,255 km²  - Water 103,687 km² (41. ... The fur trade was a huge part in the early economic development of North America. ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Prairie du Chien is the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin. ... One of the periods of glaciation was also termed the Wisconsin glaciation. ... The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. ...

In Prairie du Chien, Dousman built up a good reputation with both the Native Americans he traded with and his superiors, John Jacob Astor and Ramsey Crooks in the east. He replaced Joseph Rolette as agent in Prairie du Chien, and in 1842 Rolette passed away. During that same year, the American Fur Company filed for bankruptcy. In order to save the company Dousman entered a into a joint venture with Pierre Chouteau and Henry Sibley and bought the company's Western Division. Now that Dousman was his own boss, his earnings quickly expanded. He invested most of his money in real estate in both Prairie du Chien and the growing city of Milwaukee. John Jacob (originally Johann Jakob) Astor (July 17, 1763 - March 29, 1848) made a fortune in fur trading and real estate. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ...

As his investments paid off, Dousman began to build up his 25 acre (101,000 m²) estate on an island in the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien. In 1843, he built the famed House on the Mound, and in 1844 he married Jane Fisher, the wife of his former partner, Joseph Rolette. Together they had one son, Hercules Louis Dousman II, who was born on April 3, 1848. Less than two months later, Wisconsin became a state. Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge Saint Louis¹: 5,500 m³/s Vicksburg²: 16,800 m³/s Baton Rouge³: 12,800 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin Lake Itasca Mouth Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Hercules Louis Dousman II (April 3, 1848 - January 13, 1886), better known as Louis Dousman, was the son of Wisconsin millionaire Hercules Louis Dousman I. Louis Dousman spent his early years in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the city of his birth. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

As Wisconsin became more and more civilized the fur trade industry fell apart, and Dousman was forced to find new ways to bring in money. Aside from his investments in real-estate, grain, and lumber, Dousman was a principal investor in Wisconsin's first Railroad, the Milwaukee & Waukesha, which later became known as the Milwaukee Road. Dousman was very influential in bringing the railroad to Prairie du Chien in 1857, which caused a small boom in the city's population. As Dousman owned much of the land in the city, he made a large profit from the population increase, and his net worth grew to over one million dollars, a sum that less than one-thousand Americans could claim to possess at the time. The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Dousman died on September 12, 1868, as one of Wisconsin's most influential men. He is immortalized by the Villa Louis historic site in Prairie du Chien and as the central character of two novels by August Derleth. Dousman is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Prairie du Chien. August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. ...