French History of Kansas City - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. Chez Les Canses or "Chouteau's" Historical Marker

Chez les Cansès was the first permanently inhabited white settlement in what is now Kansas City. It was a French speaking village and it never grew bigger than a few dozen families. The inhabitants of the village were involved in farming and the fur trade through various Chouteau led trading posts along the Missouri and Kansas rivers. In 1844, the village was completely wiped out by a flood.

2. The Old Chouteau Trading Post Historical Marker

The Chouteau's were one of the most prominent families of early American Missouri. They largely had a monopoly on trade with Native American groups near St. Louis for many years and the Chouteau Trading Post was established near the height of their power. Founded and initially led by second generation Missouri Chouteau, Francois, this post changed locations several times but always remained within the modern day Kansas City area. Francois went on the play a large role in some of the initial farming and real estate developments of Kansas City.

3. The French and the Lewis & Clark Expedition Historical Marker

With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the fledgling United States was expanding into former French territory. After being sent to explore the newly American territory, Lewis and Clark employed several Frenchmen native to the territory as guides, trappers, boatmen, and translators. Most of the Frenchmen along for the journey were recruited around St. Louis, and turned back after the group wintered in Mandan land in the Dakota territories. Other French trappers and frontiersmen joined up with the expedition along the way. The marker is placed right next to the Lewis and Clark : Corps of Discovery Statue in downtown Kansas City.

4. Etienne Veniard - Sieur de Bourgemont Historical Marker

Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont was one of the most influential North American explorers of the first half of the eighteenth century. A former poacher and outlaw, he was the first man to officially chart the western Missouri territory for France. Bourgmont was well known for his close relationships with the Native American people groups in the Louisiana Territory and largely responsible for facilitating the 1725 Native American delegation to Paris. The location of this marker overlooks the Missouri River near the confluence of the Kansas River, where the Kaw tribe called home.

5. Kansas City's Old Square Historical Marker

Prior to the bustling city following the construction of the stockyards and railroads, this site near the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers was a hub for commerce and trade. Located between the original French village of Chez les Canses and Francois Chouteau's Trading Post, this location was once the center of Gabriel Prudhomme's land, who was an early resident of the Kansas City area. Prudhomme owned and operated some of the first businesses in the Square, including a tavern and general store. Little remains of the original structures of Kansas City's original marketplace as they were subject to many floods over the years. City Market continues to offer an array of merchants, eclectic shops, and dining.

6. The "French Bottoms" - Early Day Kansas City Historical Marker

Commonly referred to as the West Bottoms, the French Bottoms was the general location of the French speaking village of Chez les Canses, the first permanent White settlement in the modern day Kansas City. First settled in 1799, the village only stood for a few decades before being washed away by a flood in 1844. Into the late 1800s, this area became a commercial hub with the newly built Union Depot and stockyards. This historical marker was removed in 2018 for new construction at this location and is awaiting a permanent home.

7. Historical Marker: The Old French Cemetery

This marker indicates the location of a cemetery that existed here from at least the 1830s to 1877. It is referred to as the Old French Cemetery because most of the graves were of the early Kansas City pioneers, who were French in origin. Near this location was the St. Francis Regis church, which served as the main religious and social center for the community. Around 1877, the city's growth forced the cemetery to close; the graves were removed and re-interred in the Mount St. Mary's Cemetery.

8. Chouteau’s Church (St. Francis Regis) Historical Marker

Constructed out of logs in 1835, the original church at this location was built by French speaking villagers living in the small farming village of Chez les Canses, the first permanent colony which became Kansas City. Originally called St. Francis Regis, this wooden structure was demolished in 1857 to make way for a new brick building to house a new church. Construction was overseen by Irish priest and civil engineer Father Bernard Donnelly, who hired hundreds of Irish laborers for the project. The church was deemed a cathedral in 1880 and additions were completed in 1883, including the iconic gold dome. This brick church continues to operate today as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

9. Old French Kansas City Historical Marker

Kansas City was first officially incorporated as a town in 1850, but for several decades prior it had been an area of settlement for Frenchmen. Traders in St. Louis and along the Mississippi River had long used the Missouri River as a westward route to trade goods with the Native Americans. Kansas City sits at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers and is a natural crossroads of traffic, making it ideal for settlement. French people's presence in the region long outlasted the French state's presence which mostly left by 1763.

10. The French and the Santa Fe Trail Historical Marker

The Santa Fe Trail was a land and water route between the main vein of the Mississippi River and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The original trailblazers were Frenchmen, sent from the French holding of Louisiana to establish North American trade between Spain and France. The river borne section of the trail ends at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers, near modern day Downtown Kansas City. This marker is located in the heart of Westport, a major trading hub and disembarking point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails.

11. The French and the Osage Historical Marker

Located in original Osage Nation territory, this historical marker was placed in Kansas City by The Chouteau Society to commemorate the influence of the French relationship with the Osage in the Kansas City area. The French first arrived in the area in the 1700s and as a result of successful trade, the Osage became a dominant force. After multiple wars, the establishment of Fort Osage, and increased farming, the French tradesmen moved northward in the early 1800s.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

French History of Kansas City

Created by Charles Allen on July 28th 2022, 11:08:03 pm.

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Description

Long before Kansas City was a bustling American midwestern metropolis, it was a colonial frontier claimed by the French crown as part of the Mississippi River’s drainage basin. The French used the vast territories under their nominal control to exploit natural resources for profit, namely fur. French traders traveled deep into the North American territories along the Mississippi and its tributaries in order to establish forts and trade posts to trade with Native American tribes who controlled the lands France claimed. This relationship where Native American lands claimed by France lasted from the mid-seventeenth century up to the mid-eighteenth century when France lost or sold all their claims to North American territory save for the small fishing settlements on the islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon. This historically significant French heritage of the region was researched and shared in the Kansas City area by the work of the Chouteau Society. Originally organized in 1984, this group of volunteers worked to preserve the memory of Missouri’s French past by placing a series of eleven markers around the Northern Kansas City area. Two of the markers are in Westport and not included on this tour in order to reduce the length of this tour, which was designed to offer both a concise introduction and a short drive. The markers on this trail feature both English and French inscriptions, and they cover various important topics and locations around Kansas City related to early French traders, settlers, and entrepreneurs. The Chouteau Society ceased operation in 2008, but thankfully, their work has continued through the work of the Jackson County Historical Society.

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