Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Pierre Chouteau, Jr. and Company Records, 1834-1864
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Pierre Chouteau, Jr. & Company
- Title
- Pierre Chouteau, Jr. and Company Records
- Dates
- 1834-1864 (inclusive)18341864
- Quantity
- .7 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 4 (1:1-3)
- Summary
- Pierre Chouteau, Jr. and Company was a St. Louis, Missouri, based fur trading company with operations on the Upper Missouri River, including the area that later became Montana. Records include a letter from Pierre Menard (1810) from the region around Three Forks; Fort Benton Journal, Fort Sarpy Journal, and Fort Union Journal (1854-1856); and scattered correspondence and financial records (1834-1864). [Includes copies. Journals published in Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, vol. 10.]
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Pierre Chouteau, Jr. and Company, a St. Louis, Missouri-based fur trading company, was formed through the purchase of the assets of the American Fur Company's Western Department, in 1834 by Bernard Pratte and Pierre Chouteau, Jr. The new firm operated as Pratte, Chouteau and Company, but in 1838, Pratte retired, Chouteau gained control and the firm operated for the remainder of its existence under his name. The firm, however, continued to be known as the American Fur Company throughout its operation. The Chouteau Company's Upper Missouri Outfit was the major American trading company in the Northwest from its inception to the end of the fur trade era in the 1860s, with periodic competition from other short-lived companies. The monopoly enjoyed by the Company from the mid-1830s was gained primarily by the combined use of light-draft steamboats and an illegal distillery at Fort Union. Some of the Chouteau Company's more well known partners and employees included: Alexander Culbertson, Andrew Dawson, Malcolm Clarke, Kenneth McKenzie, Alexander Harvey, and Louis Rivit.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Included in this collection are items representing the operations of several of Chouteau's predecessor companies as well as records of the later firm. Of particular note is a letter from Pierre Menard to Pierre Chouteau (April 21, 1810), written from the Three Forks of the Missouri, describing an attack on Menard's party by a group of Blackfeet. The two journals in the collection were kept by employees of the Choteau Company while operating from posts in what is now Montana. The Fort Benton journal (September 28, 1854 - November 30, 1856) was primarily kept by Andrew Dawson (1818-1871), but also by Alexander Rose, during May-October, 1856. The entries detail daily life and trading at Fort Benton, the Company's primary post for trade with the Blackfeet tribes at the head of navigation on the Missouri River. The James Chambers journal (January 1855-August 1856) reflects primarily the activity at Fort Sarpy, principal company post for fur trade with the Crows, but also includes entries from Fort Union and Fort Benton. Chambers' journal is also a detailed description of the life of the traders of the era. With the original journals are various transcripts, notes, indices, and miscellany, produced when the volumes were edited for publication in Vol. X (1940) of Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, done by Society Library staff members John B. Ritchie and Anne McDonnell. Also included are copies of correspondence by chief agents at Fort Union for the American Fur Company (1834-1835) and post inventories representing operations of the Chouteau firm. All of the copies in this group come from the collections of the Missouri Historical Society.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by series. Some material in the Financial series has been moved to the oversize map case. See container list for items.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Incoming Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1-2 | Pierre Menard to Pierre Chouteau [original and copy] |
April 21, 1810 |
General Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 3 | Copies from the Fort Union letterbook and elsewhere |
1834-1835, 1848, 1860-1861 |
Financial Records Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Oversize Folder | ||
| 1 / 4 | Inventory of goods shipped to Fort Alexander, Fort
Benton, and Fort Union [copies only] |
1850 |
| 1 / 5 | Inventory of goods at Fort Alexander, Fort Benton,
and Fort Union [copies only] |
May 1851 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 6 | Inventory of goods at Fort Alexander, Fort Benton,
and Fort Union [typed transcripts] |
May 1851 |
| 1 / 7 | Inventory of goods at Fort Benton [original] |
1864 |
| Oversize Folder | ||
| 1 / 8 | Payroll for steamboat Banner State [copies only] |
July 31, 1852 |
| 1 / 9 | Statements of furs and robes shipped and onhand
[copies only] |
1852, 1856 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 10 | Statements of furs and robes shipped and onhand
[typed transcripts] |
1852, 1856 |
Legal Documents Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 11 | Agreement between Pierre Chouteau and Andrew Dawson
and Malcolm Clarke |
1862 |
Writings Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 12 | Fort Benton journal (kept primarily by Andrew Dawson
and Alexander Rose) |
1854-1856 |
| 1 / 13 | James Chambers journal (primarily Fort Sarpy, but
also includes Fort Union and Fort Benton) |
1855-1856 |
| 1 / 14 | Fort Benton journal (kept primarily by Andrew Dawson
and Alexander Rose) [copies] |
1854-1856 |
| 1 / 15 | James Chambers journal (primarily Fort Sarpy, but
also includes Fort Union and Fort Benton) [copies] |
1855-1856 |
Miscellany Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 1 | Materials re publication of the journals (includes
copies of credits, foreword, indexes, etc.) |
1940 |
| 2 / 2 | Appendices from 1940 volume |
1939-1940 |
| 2 / 3 | Notes and references from 1940 volume |
1939-1940 |
| 2 / 4 | Photographic copies of pages of the journals |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
- Fur trade--Montana
- Trading posts--Montana
Corporate Names
- Pierre Chouteau, Jr. & Company (creator)
Geographical Names
- Dakota Territory
- Fort Alexander (N.W.T.)
- Fort Benton (Mont.)--Commerce
- Fort Sarpy (Mont.)
- Fort Union (undated)
- Three Forks (Mont.)
Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
