Year(s) Listed: • 2009 |
City/Town: • Shawnee |
Location Class: • Commercial • Government |
Built: 1828 | Abandoned: 1978 |
Status: • Endangered • Burned Down |
Contributor: Kansas Preservation Alliance |
Located at the mouth of the Kaw River, this historic site in Johnson County, Kansas, was home to the first trading post, train station stop and post office for the former Monticello Township (now Shawnee). Established in 1828 by Frederick Chouteau, the site first served as a fur trading post and ferry stop along the Kaw River. When railroad travel became popular in the late 1800s, Chouteau Station provided a stop for mail service, shipment and passenger service for Monticello Township on the Kansas City, Topeka and Western Railroad. Later, the township’s third post office was established at Chouteau Station. A two story, wood-framed structure, serving as the postmaster’s residence and marking a physical location for Chouteau Station was destroyed by fire in 1978; only the limestone foundation of the structure remains. The history of this site and the remaining limestone foundation is in danger of being lost by development of the area. The Monticello Historical Society is working to place an interpretive sign at the site to remind residents of the rich history of the site.