
Before Lewis and Clark
The Story of the Chouteaus, the French Dynasty That Ruled America's Frontier
Shirley Christian(Author)
Bison Books (Publisher)
Published on 1. May 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
536 pages
978-0-8032-2524-4 (ISBN)
Description
Before Lewis and Clark relates the extraordinary saga of the Chouteaus, the dynastic family that guarded the gates to the West for three generations. From their St. Louis base, the Chouteaus, patrician and French in their origins, made their fortunes along the two-thousand-mile length of the Missouri River. Led by the brothers Auguste and Pierre, the family not only engaged in land speculation, finance, and the fur trade but also acted as suppliers and advisers to expeditions and enterprises between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains-including the famous expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from 1804 to 1806.
This is the story of the Old World meeting the New, of the eastern United States discovering the West, and of a wealthy, powerful, charming, and manipulative family that dominated business and politics in the Louisiana Purchase territory before and after the Lewis and Clark expedition.
This is the story of the Old World meeting the New, of the eastern United States discovering the West, and of a wealthy, powerful, charming, and manipulative family that dominated business and politics in the Louisiana Purchase territory before and after the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Reviews / Votes
"Christian's lively portrait of the Chouteaus opens a window on a little-known portion of early American history."-Publishers Weekly "With illustrations, a helpful genealogical table, map, and more than 40 pages of notes, this is a significant contribution to U.S. history and the famous exploration. . . . Highly recommended."-C. L. Egan, Choice "An inspirational account."-Stanley Trachtenberg, Kansas City Star "A fine history . . . A useful tonic to a literature suddenly full of books on Lewis and Clark, but with only passing references to those who came before them."-KirkusMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Nebraska
United States
Publishing group
University of Nebraska Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1 map, 1 figure, 21 images
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
623 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8032-2524-4 (9780803225244)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Shirley Christian has been a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, the Miami Herald, and the Associated Press and is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Nicaragua: Revolution in the Family.
Content
Map: Chouteau CountryLaclede-Chouteau Family Tree1. Among a People of Strange Speech2. The First Generation: Pierre Laclede Liguest3. Haughty Children of the Middle Waters4. The Business of St. Louis5. Auguste and Pierre, Greatly Loved and Greatly Feared6. New Rulers, New Ways7. Intrigues and Possibilities8. Enveloped in a Cloud of Miseries9. Dreaming Big--and Stumbling10. The Third Generation11. Auguste and Pierre: Men of Property12. Pierre Jr.: Gentle Creole, Driven Tycoon13. A. P. Chouteau: Star-Crossed Hero14. Francois and Berenice: Together to a New Place15. Pierre Jr.: Position, Advantage, and Perhaps VanityEpilogueNotesAcknowledgmentsIndex