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Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:

The Chouteau Family's Impact on Missouri

Illustrated river waves in white
Presented by Keith Nelson
Chouteau Fountain
A short history presentation on the early years of the Chouteau family who were the most prominent fur traders in Missouri. It will touch on their involvement in the Lewis & Clark Expedition, treaties with the Native Americans, and Francois Chouteau's trading posts in the Kansas City area.
Sculpture Concept

This painting is the concept drawing for the sculpture, to be completed by Kwan Wu, which will be installed at the Chouteau and Native American Heritage Fountain.

www.kwanwusculpture.com/

The program will follow-up with an introduction of the Francois Chouteau & Native American Heritage Fountain project to be constructed near Chouteau's first trading post in Clay County, Missouri.
Keith Nelson is a seventh generation Clay Countian who lives in Kansas City's Northland. He is on the board of directors for the Clay County Archives & Historical Library. A community activist, Keith is Co-chair of the Chouteau Fountain Founders and is currently raising funds to construct the Francois Chouteau & Native American Heritage Fountain along Chouteau Parkway in the Northland. The fountain will honor Kansas City's founding Father, Francois Chouteau and the Native Americans he traded with on the banks of the Missouri River.

 

Meet Your Presenter

Big Muddy Speaker Series

Keith Nelson

, Co-chair of the Chouteau Fountain Founders

Keith Nelson is a seventh generation Clay Countian who lives in Kansas City's Northland. He is on the board of directors for the Clay County Archives & Historical Library. A community activist, Keith is Co-chair of the Chouteau Fountain Founders and is currently raising funds to construct the Francois Chouteau & Native American Heritage Fountain along Chouteau Parkway in the Northland. The fountain will honor Kansas City's founding Father, Francois Chouteau and the Native Americans he traded with on the banks of the Missouri River.

Related Presentations

Resources & Links

The Big Muddy Speakers Series in Kansas City

is hosted by these wonderful partners!

Thanks to all of our venue hosts for making this possible! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series is also held monthly in Rocheport and St. Charles.

Recordings of Presentations

Kansas City Digital Video has been recording Big Muddy Speaker Series presentations. These are available on their website at this link. Some contain synchronized powerpoint presentations. We will be posting these to the archived presentation pages on bigmuddyspeakers.org.

We are deeply saddened by our loss of KCDV's driving founder, Michael Morgan. Our hearts are with his family. Big Muddy Speaker Series will always be indebted to his vision, skill and selfless hard work.

Upcoming Presentations

Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy

November 10, 2026
Columbia, MO

Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.

See Event

Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality

November 11, 2026
St Charles, MO

Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.

See Event

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Missouri River Relief, the Big Muddy Speaker Series or any of the partners that support this public forum. The Big Muddy Speaker Series believes that hearing diverse perspectives is a crucial building block for an informed public.
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