Innersting Folks

I've been doing some reading up on the history of my region, and it really interesting what you come across. What's kind of disappointing is the number of mistakes you find in history books. A LOT. So who do you believe? Well, as I read more and more about my region, it gets to a point whereyou can tell if somebody is full of shit or not. It kind of comes to that feeling sometimes unfortunately.
Anyway, one of the most prominent families in determining events in my state was the LaClede/Chouteau family that founded St Louis. So I'm reading a book called Before Lewis and Clark: The Story of the Chouteaus.

Its one of those stories that makes you want to live back then. These folks were
French and basically controlled all ofthe trade west of the Mississippi River before and for a long time after the Louisianna Purchase. When Spain came into power, they had to deal with Manuel Lisa but they ended up just outcompeting him. Their relations with the Native Americans is what affected Oklahoma so much and one fact is true in our history that can't be overlooked: when these folks and others like them ran things west of the Mississippi, we didn't have Indian problems. They lived side by side for over a hundred years and rarely was there trouble. And they were remote as shit.

Anyway, if that sort of stuff floats your boat, check it out. These guys were some go gettersI

BKB