Downtown in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Traders and Tribes
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 23, 2023
1. Traders and Tribes Marker
Fur traders and tribes built strong partnerships over time. Traders relied on American Indians to trap and shoot who animals in exchange for blankets, guns, iron cookware, and other goods. Governments controlled trade through licenses that often kept trading rights within a family. The Chouteau family founded the city of St. Louis. They were one of the city's first fur-trading families and began trading with the Osage in 1764. Families who arrived later had to go further west to find trading partners. Joseph Robidoux, arriving in 1770, pushed west along the Missouri River where he met other tribes and new trading posts. These settlements gave way to towns that still exist today, such as St. Joseph, Missouri, Omaha, Nebraska, and Pierre, South Dakota.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1770.
Location. 38° 37.401′ N, 90° 11.108′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from South Leonor K Sullivan Boulevard north of Poplar Street, on the right when traveling
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Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: One Day, Three Nations (within shouting distance of this marker); Commercial Beginnings (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); In Memory of Robert E. Lee (about 400 feet away); Rock Solid (about 600 feet away); First Conference, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (about 600 feet away); Church Domain (about 600 feet away); Great Flood of 1993 (about 600 feet away); An Explosion Saves The City (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 23, 2023
2. Traders and Tribes Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 3,059 times since then and 2,844 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 11, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
