Chouteau, Gabaret, and Mosenthein Islands

Chouteau Island ( ), situated approximately due north of the

Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources conside ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, and approximately south of the confluence of the Missouri River and

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, is one of a cluster of three islands: Chouteau Island, Gabaret Island, and Mosenthein Island. The three, with a combined area of approximately , are located in

Madison County, Illinois Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 264,776, making it the eighth-most populous county in Illinois and the most popu ...

Description

The three-island complex is sometimes referred to as "Chouteau Island", though two occurred by nature and the third, Chouteau island itself, was made by digging a channel around it. The Chouteau island was created during the construction of the Chain of Rocks Canal between 1946 and 1953. Most of Chouteau Island lies in Chouteau Township, but its southern quarter lies in Venice Township, both in Madison County. Gabaret Island and Mosenthein Island both lie entirely in Venice Township. Chouteau Island is 3200 acres. Chouteau Island is bounded by the Mississippi River to the west and the Chain of Rocks Canal to the east. The of Mississippi River that border the Island on the west is the only natural stretch of the Mississippi without barge traffic between St. Paul, Minnesota, and

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

. Chouteau Island is accessed by car only from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

via the Canal Bridge, a one-lane vehicular bridge that crosses the Chain of Rocks Canal. From

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 ...

, visitors may reach the Island by foot or bicycle traffic via

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

's Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. Chouteau Island is a key part of the

Confluence Greenway In 1997, with support from The McKnight Foundation, a group of non-profit organizations led by Trailnet formed a partnership to plan and implement the Confluence Greenway. The Confluence Greenway was planned as a system of parks, conservation and r ...

, a regional recreation corridor. Popular events on the Island, include Eagle Days (held each January for watching bald eagles) and various recreational bicycle rides. Several walking/biking trails have been developed on the Island.

History

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

camped on Gabaret Island on December 11, 1803, prior to establishing Camp Dubois near

Wood River, Illinois Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois. The population was 10,657 according to the 2010 census. Geography Wood River is located at (38.863047, -90.088527). According to the 2010 census, Wood River has a total area of , of which (or 9 ...

. Mississippi River Lock #27 ( Chain of Rocks Lock) is located at the south end of the Island. Following the

Great Flood of 1993 The Great Flood of 1993 (or Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993) was a flood that occurred in the Midwestern United States, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood wa ...

, governments acquired all residences within the Island complex. Over 70 percent of Chouteau Island is now in public ownership, under the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, the

Illinois Department of Natural Resources The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is the code department of the Illinois state government that operates the state parks and state recreation areas, enforces the fishing and game laws of Illinois, regulates Illinois coal mines, ...

and the city of

Madison, Illinois Madison is a city in Madison and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,891 at the 2010 census. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the United States. ...

. The three agencies are collaborating to develop Chouteau Island as a recreational complex to feature floodplain and grasslands restoration, additional trails, interpretive overlooks, picnic areas, camping areas and a visitors center near the entrance to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

References

{{Parks of Greater St. Louis Islands of the Mississippi River River islands of Illinois Landforms of Madison County, Illinois Artificial islands of the United States Tourist attractions in Madison County, Illinois

Description

History

See also

References