Louis Campau (born August 11, 1791) is credited as the founder of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Campau grew up in Detroit in a French-Canadian family. He served as a private in the Michigan Militia in the War of 1812, where he was surrendered under General Hull. Campau married twice: his first wife, Anna (Kuggsbaum?) died in 1824. He then married Sophie de Marsac on August 9, 1825.

Louis learned business from his Uncle Joseph in Detroit, who was a fur trader and land speculator, said to be the territories first millionaire. Louis Campau was issued a license to trade with the Ottawa Indians on the Grand River. In 1826, Campau set up trade on the west side of the river, near the Baptist mission that had been founded by Isaac McCoy in 1824. In 1827 Leonard Slater came to the area to run the mission. That same year Campau moved his family to the area, including his wife Sophie and his brother Toussaint, and established his trading post on the east side of the river, in what is now Grand Rapids.

Louis Campau was not the first white man in the area, but apparently was the first who stayed, thus his credit as the first white settler in what is now known as Grand Rapids. In 1831, Campau purchased the land which became Grand Rapids, from what is now Michigan Street to Fulton Street and Division Avenue to the Grand River, with monies advanced to him by the surveyor and later Michigan Statesman Lucius Lyon. Lyon had expected that Campau would in turn sell him all but the plot on which the Campau’s resided. However, Louis evidently changed his mind, only selling Lyon the northern half of the tract. This ultimately led to a long-standing feud and irregularity in the directions of the streets of Grand Rapids which remain today.

In 1838, Grand Rapids was incorporated, and that year the Campaus built a large Greek Revival house on the soutwest corner of Fulton Street and Gay Avenue. About the same time, Grand Rapids fell on hard times and Louis lost most of his holdings to bankruptcy. However, he is said to have deeded the house to his mother earlier, so that the Campaus continued to reside in the house until they sold it in 1863. At that time they moved to a small house at Ellsworth Avenue and Elm Street. Sophie de Marsac Campau's brother, Daniel Marsac, was also an Indian trader. He came to the area in 1828 and had a camp on the river south of Grand Rapids. Later he was in Lowell and then at the mouth of the Flat River. Sophie died in 1869 at age 62. Louis Campau lived on, but in ill health, until April 13, 1871.

In the forty-five years that he lived in Grand Rapids, Campau was instrumental in transforming what had been a mission and fur trading settlement into a busy commercial center. Louis and his brother Antoine both served as city trustees. Although Campau at one time owned much of modern-day downtown, he died nearly penniless.

Antoine Campau was a storekeeper at the foot of Monroe in what became known as Campau Square, participating in his brother’s fur trading operation in kind for groceries. He came to Grand Rapids, along with his brother George, some time after 1827. Antione died in 1874 at the age of 77.