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

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

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

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. 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 We ...

, 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 (1750-1829), founder of

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

:::*Auguste Aristide Chouteau (1792-1833), fur trader :::*Henri Chouteau I (1805-1855), railroad executive, killed in Gasconade Bridge train disaster ::::*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, solicit ...

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 Bel ...

, husband of Cora Baker (great-great-granddaughter of

Isaac Shelby Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the American Revolutionary Wa ...

) ::::::*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 be ...

:::*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 an ...

(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 Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

:::*Louise Chouteau, married Gabriel Paul, French

chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

:::*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", cross ...

:Children of Marie-Therèse Bourgeois Chouteau and Pierre Laclède (also founder of St. Louis, Missouri): ::*Victoire Chouteau, (1760-1825), wife of Charles Gratiot, Sr., financier of the

Illinois campaign The Illinois campaign, also known as Clark's Northwestern campaign (1778–1779), was a series of events during the American Revolutionary War in which a small force of Virginia militiamen, led by George Rogers Clark, seized control of several B ...

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 Charles Chouteau Gratiot (August 29, 1786 – May 18, 1855) was born in St. Louis, Spanish Upper Louisiana Territory, now the present-day State of Missouri. He was the son of Charles Gratiot, Sr., a fur trader in the Illinois country during t ...

, (1786-1855), builder of

Fort Meigs Fort Meigs was a United States fortification along the Maumee River in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio during the War of 1812. The British Army, supported by Tecumseh's Confederacy, failed to capture the fort during the siege of Fort Meigs. It is n ...

and

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

and participant in Battle of Mackinac Island :::*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 American politician and diplomat. A member of the Washburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of the United States Republican Party, he served a ...

(1816-1887),

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

and U.S. Ambassador to France ::* Jean Pierre Chouteau (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 (1786-1838), founder of posts in Oklahoma and

Chouteau, Oklahoma Chouteau is the second-largest town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,097 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6 percent over the figure of 1,931 recorded in 2000. Geography Chouteau is located at . According to th ...

::::*Emilie Sophie Chouteau (1813-1874), wife of Nicolas DeMenil and owner of Chatillon-DeMenil House :::* Pierre Chouteau, Jr., nicknamed 'Cadet', (1789-1865), founder of posts on Upper Missouri River, including Fort Pierre and

Chouteau County, Montana Chouteau County is a county located in the North-Central region of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,895. Its county seat is Fort Benton. The county was established in 1865 as one of the original nine count ...

, and partner to Bernard A. Pratte in the Pratte & Chouteau Trading Company. :::* François Chouteau, 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 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

::::::*

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" of Oklahoma; 5th-generation descendant of Jean Pierre Chouteau ::*Marie Pelagie Chouteau (1760-1812), grandmother of Emilie Pratt, wife of

Ramsay Crooks Ramsay Crooks (2 January 1787 – 6 June 1859) was an American fur trader who immigrated to Canada from Greenock, Scotland. He was the father of American Civil War Colonel William Crooks who served in the 6th Minnesota Regiment. In 1803 Ramsay w ...

(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 ...

and business partner of Jean Pierre Chouteau

Places

Choteau, Montana Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287, (the latter terminating at the former in this city) approximately east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National F ...

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 Pierre ( ; lkt, Čhúŋkaške, lit=fort) is the capital city of South Dakota, United States, and the seat of Hughes County. The population was 14,091 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous US state capital after Montpelier, ...

(named for Pierre Chouteau, Jr.) *

Chouteau Bridge The Chouteau Bridge a four-lane girder bridge on Missouri Route 269, 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 tr ...

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

* Chouteau Avenue 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 James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

Alpheus F. Hawley Alpheos or Alpheus may refer to: * Alpheus (mythology), a river god in Greek mythology * Alpheus, West Virginia, a community in the US * Alfeios River, the Greek river which the mythological god refers to * Alphaeus, a father of two of the Twelve A ...

, 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