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 Catenary arch, arch, it is the world's tallest arch and List of tallest buildings in Missouri, Missouri's ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, and approximately south of the confluence of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

and

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, 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 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 264,776, making it the eighth-most populous county in ...

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 Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, and

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Chouteau Island is accessed by car only from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, 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) is 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 high ...

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

Chouteau Island is the site of the first European settlement in Madison County, with evidence of French settlers dating to as early as 1750. W.R. Brink & Co. History of Madison County, Illinois. Illustrated. With Biographical Sketches of Man Prominent Men and Pioneers., 1882, pp. 68. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, https://archive.org/details/historyofmadison00brin/page/n7/mode/2up?q=chouteau.

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 Radiohe ...

camped on Gabaret Island on December 11, 1803, prior to establishing

Camp Dubois Camp Dubois (English: Camp Wood), near present-day Wood River, Illinois, served as the winter camp and launch-point for the United States's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase and Pacific Northwest by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Founde ...

near

Wood River, Illinois Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois. The population was 10,464 as of the 2020 census. Geography Wood River is located in western Madison County on the Mississippi River approximately upstream of downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It is ...

. 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 River, Mississippi and Missouri River, Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from ...

, 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 The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

, 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. It is also a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 3,171 at the 2020 census, down from 3,891 in 2010. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gate ...

. 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