Distinctly Montana Magazine

72 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 - 2 4 article and photos by BRYAN SPELLMAN G E T T O K N O W G E T T O K N O W A C O U N T Y A C O U N T Y C H O U T E A U C O U N T Y C H O U T E A U C O U N T Y O NE OF MONTANA'S NINE ORIGINAL COUN- TIES, CHOUTEAU COUN- TY CAME INTO EXISTENCE ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 1865. From the beginning, Fort Benton has been the County Seat, and the historic Coun- ty Court House is the second oldest build- ing in the state to still serve that function. In the years since, eight other counties were formed with land taken, at least in part, from Chouteau County. Today, the county covers 3,973 square miles, making it the 10th largest county in the state. The 2020 US Census counted 5,898 residents which places the county as 34th of Montana's 56 counties. The county number on license plates is 19. The County takes its name from a prominent fur-trading fami- ly, originally from New Orleans, who settled in St. Louis. William Clark first met the Chouteau family in the late 1700s, when St. Louis was the capital of Spanish Louisiana. With the purchase of Louisiana, and the subsequent establishment of the Corps of Discovery, the Chouteau family was instrumental in helping both provision the explorers and guide their journey up the Missouri River. Over the next half century, the Chouteau name showed up in numerous locations around the West. Pierre Chouteau founded not only Fort Benton, named for Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, but also Fort Pierre in South Dakota—and by extension Pierre, the capitol of that state. The family name also shows up on Chouteau Island in the Mis- sissippi River, the town of Chou- teau, Oklahoma, and Choteau, Montana, the seat of Teton County. And yes, the town's name is spelled differently than the county's. Two Montana towns claim to be "Where Montana Began." Both Stevensville in Ravalli County and Fort Benton trace their origins to the 1840s, long before any other Montana community. It's important to remember, however, that at that time, there was no entity known as Montana. The Continental Divide separated the Louisiana Purchase from Oregon Country, and while Louisi- ana was firmly within the borders of the United States, Oregon FORT BENTON

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