Choteau was named to honor Pierre Choteau, Jr., the president of the American Fur Company and the first to bring a steamboat up the Missouri. It is one of the oldest towns still alive in Montana which began as a trading post. Once a center for large cattle ranchers, cattle and sheep raising continues as an important key to the economy of the area.
Early Native Americans migrated along the Old North Trail in the foothills west of Choteau. For centuries, buffalo and Blackfeet Indians claimed the endless prairies. Later, fur trappers and traders worked their way through the area followed by stockmen and farmers of the present. The cultures of the German Hutterites and French-Indian Metis add to the unique texture and history of Choteau.
The historic quarry stone courthouse stands imposingly on the "village green," the center of town. Cottonwood-lined streets extend out to the grasslands with mountains beyond. Congenial and open, Choteau area residents reach out to visitors sharing their special Western hospitality.
Caption: The Marias River Valley
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