The First Chouteaus

 
For more than half a century, Auguste and Pierre Chouteau dominated trade and enterprise in the Mississippi Valley. In their various roles as merchants, Indian traders, bankers, land speculators, governmental advisors, public officials, and community leaders, the Chouteau brothers exerted a tremendous influence on westward expansion. This is the first full account of their lives and illustrious careers.
 

William E. Foley is a professor of history and C. David Rice is chair and professor of history at Central Missouri State University. Foley is the author of The Genesis of Missouri: From Wilderness Outpost to Statehood and other books. Rice is the author of a number of articles on western history in American West and other journals.