Chouteau was the name of a highly successful, ethnically French fur-trading family based in Saint Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, which they helped found. Their ancestors Chouteau and Laclède initially settled in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. They then moved-up the Mississippi river and established posts in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

, particularly along the Missouri River and in the Southwest. Various locations were named after this family.

People

* Marie-Therese Bourgeois Chouteau (1733-1814), matriarch of the family :children of Marie-Therèse Bourgeois Chouteau and René Augustin Chouteau, Sr. ::*

René Auguste Chouteau René-Auguste Chouteau, Jr. (September 7, 1749, or September 26, 1750 – February 24, 1829Beckwith, 8.), also known as Auguste Chouteau, was the founder of St. Louis, Missouri, a successful fur trader and a politician. He and his partner had a mo ...

(1750-1829), founder of St. Louis,

:::*Auguste Aristide Chouteau (1792-1833), fur trader :::*Henri Chouteau I (1805-1855), railroad executive, killed in

Gasconade Bridge train disaster The Gasconade Bridge train disaster was a rail accident in Gasconade, Missouri, on November 1, 1855. The Gasconade bridge collapsed under the locomotive ''O'Sullivan'' while crossing. More than thirty were killed in the first major deadly bridge c ...

::::*Henri Chouteau II (1830-1854), married Julia Deaver :::::*Azby Auguste Chouteau Sr. (1853-?),

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and one of the founders of

Minnesela, South Dakota Minnesela (Lakota: ''mni šeyéla''; "red water") is a ghost town and was the first settlement in and county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Minnesela was founded in 1882 and was located three miles southeast of present-day Bell ...

, husband of Cora Baker (great-great-granddaughter of Isaac Shelby) ::::::*Azby Chouteau Jr. (1884-?) ::::::*Henri Arminstead Chouteau III (1889-1952),

realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

Benedict Richards, Marjorie. ''Minnesela: The City That Never Happened. Spearfish,'' SD: Northern Hills Printing, 1972. Print. :::*Edward Chouteau (1807-1846), trader :::*Gabriel Chouteau (1794-1887), served in

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

:::*Eulalie Chouteau (1799-1835), married René Paul (1783-1851), first surveyor of St. Louis ::::*

Gabriel René Paul Gabriel René Paul (March 22, 1813 – May 5, 1886) was a career officer in the United States Army most noted for his service during the Seminole Wars and the Mexican–American War and as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Birth and ...

(1813-1886),

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

:::*Louise Chouteau, married Gabriel Paul, French chevalier :::*Emilie Chouteau, married Thomas Floyd, US officer in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

:Children of Marie-Therèse Bourgeois Chouteau and

Pierre Laclède Pierre Laclède Liguest or Pierre Laclède (22 November 1729 – 20 June 1778) was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and stepson Auguste Chouteau, founded St. Louis in 1764, in what was then Spanish Upper Louisiana, in present-day M ...

(also founder of St. Louis, Missouri): ::*Victoire Chouteau, (1760-1825), wife of

Charles Gratiot, Sr. Charles Gratiot (1752 – 20 April 1817) was a merchant trader in the American Midwest during the American Revolution. He financed George Rogers Clark with $8,000 for his Illinois campaign, which was never reimbursed. Gratiot was born in Lausann ...

, financier of the Illinois campaign during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

:::* Charles Gratiot, (1786-1855), builder of Fort Meigs and Fort Monroe and participant in

Battle of Mackinac Island The Battle of Mackinac Island (pronounced ''Mackinaw'') was a British victory in the War of 1812. Before the war, Fort Mackinac had been an important American trading post in the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It was important for ...

:::*Henry Gratiot (1789-1856), soldier in the Black Hawk War ::::*Adèle Gratiot (1826-1887), wife of

Elihu B. Washburne Elihu Benjamin Washburne (September 23, 1816 – October 22, 1887) was an Americans, American politician and diplomat. A member of the Washburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of the Republican Party (United States), ...

(1816-1887), U.S. Secretary of State and

U.S. Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...

::*

Jean Pierre Chouteau Jean-Pierre Chouteau (10 October 1758 – 10 July 1849) was a French Creole fur trader, merchant, politician, and slaveholder. An early settler of St. Louis from New Orleans, he became one its most prominent citizens. He and his family were promi ...

(1758-1849){{Cite book , last = Beckwith , first = Paul Edmond , title = Creoles of St. Louis , publisher = Nixon-Jones , date = 1893 , location = St. Louis :::*

Auguste Pierre Chouteau Auguste Pierre Chouteau (9 May 1786 – 25 December 1838) was a member of the Chouteau fur-trading family who established trading posts in what is now the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Chouteau was born in St. Louis, then part of Spanish colonial ...

(1786-1838), founder of posts in Oklahoma and Chouteau, Oklahoma ::::*Emilie Sophie Chouteau (1813-1874), wife of Nicolas DeMenil and owner of Chatillon-DeMenil House :::*

Pierre Chouteau, Jr. Pierre Chouteau Jr. (January 19, 1789 – September 6, 1865), also referred to as Pierre Cadet Chouteau, was an American merchant and a member of the wealthy Chouteau fur-trading family of Saint Louis, Missouri. Early life and education Choutea ...

, nicknamed 'Cadet', (1789-1865), founder of posts on Upper Missouri River, including Fort Pierre and Chouteau County, Montana, and partner to Bernard A. Pratte in the Pratte & Chouteau Trading Company. :::*

François Chouteau François Gesseau Chouteau (February 7, 1797 – April 18, 1838) was an American pioneer fur trader, businessman and community leader known as the "Founder" or "Father" of Kansas City, Missouri. Biography François Gesseau Chouteau was born in 1797 ...

, first official European settler of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

::::::*

Yvonne Chouteau Myra Yvonne Chouteau () (March 7, 1929 – January 24, 2016) was an American ballerina and one of the " Five Moons" or Native ''prima ballerinas'' of Oklahoma. She was the only child of Corbett Edward and Lucy Annette Chouteau. She was born March ...

(1929-2016), 20th-century

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

classical ballerina, one of the "

Five Moons The Five Moons were five Native American ballerinas from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who achieved international recognition during the 20th century. The five women were Myra Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin, and sisters Maria ...

" of Oklahoma; 5th-generation descendant of Jean Pierre Chouteau ::*Marie Pelagie Chouteau (1760-1812), grandmother of Emilie Pratt, wife of Ramsay Crooks (1780-1859), General Manager and President of the

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...

and business partner of

Places

* Choteau, Montana * Chouteau County, Montana * Chouteau, Oklahoma *

Chouteau Creek,Mayes County, Oklahoma Chouteau was the name of a highly successful, ethnically French fur-trading family based in Saint Louis, Missouri, which they helped found. Their ancestors Chouteau and Laclède initially settled in New Orleans. They then moved-up the Mississipp ...

* Pierre, South Dakota (named for Pierre Chouteau, Jr.) *

Chouteau Bridge The Chouteau Bridge a four-lane girder bridge on Route 269 across the Missouri River between Jackson County, Missouri, and Clay County, Missouri. The bridge is named for Francois Chouteau, who was a member of the Chouteau fur trapping family a ...

across the Missouri River in Kansas City * Chouteau's Landing in St. Louis *

Chouteau Avenue Chouteau was the name of a highly successful, ethnically French fur-trading family based in Saint Louis, Missouri, which they helped found. Their ancestors Chouteau and Laclède initially settled in New Orleans. They then moved-up the Mississipp ...

in St. Louis The family sold the Chouteau posts along the upper Missouri River in 1865 after the American Civil War to Americans James B. Hubbell, Alpheus F. Hawley, James A. Smith, C. Francis Bates. Hubbell, based in Minnesota, already had some licenses from the federal government to trade with Native Americans in the West. He and his colleague Hawley formed a partnership with these men to set up a business. They formed the Northwestern Fur Company and operated it through posts along the upper Missouri River until 1870. They closed the business due to losses of equipment and furs during the Sioux uprising and warfare during the 1860s, which resulted in a volatile environment that made it too difficult to operate.Lucile M. Kane, "New Light on the Northwestern Fur Company"
''Minnesota History Magazine,'' Winter 1955, pp. 325-329

References

External links

''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''
"Henri Arminstead Chouteau."
Find a Grave. N.p., 29 Sept. 2007. Web. French families Business families American families of French ancestry