As Wisconsin and the region attracted more European Americans, the fur trade declined. The European demand had declined with changes of fashion and the Native Americans, who provided the pelts and were important customers for manufactured goods, were being pushed west by new settlers. Dousman withdrew from the fur trade in the late 1840s and focused on his investments. In addition to having numerous holdings in real estate, grain, and lumber, Dousman became involved in transportation companies. He invested in packet companies and steamboats that ran on the Mississippi River.
