The Choteau post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Old Agency (1875), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,043 in 19202020 census: 1,721142 years
How historic is Choteau?
B
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Choteau post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Choteau’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Choteau is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Choteau’s overall grade.
Montana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Montana town has 12.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Choteau’s 6.8 sits near the middle of its state (46% of Montana towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Choteau’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Choteau is named after French fur merchant, trader and explorer Pierre Chouteau Jr., who is also the namesake of Chouteau County, Montana. Fort Pierre, South Dakota, and Pierre, South Dakota, are also named after Chouteau. Originally a trading post established by A. B. Hamilton in 1873, the town was platted in 1883.
In 2008, school authorities in Choteau made national news headlines by canceling a speaking engagement by Nobel laureate climate researcher Steve Running, who was scheduled to speak to local high school students.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Choteau. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Choteau sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Choteau.
Every building
Choteau, building by building, 1910–1921
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1910Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Choteau
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone
Choteau’s post office has been open since 1884. Another post office, Old Agency, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Old Agency
1875–1884
Choteau
1884–today
Chouteau
1884–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Choteau Junction
Gone or out of use
Saint Stephens Episcopal Churchchurch
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Choteau’s history
What year was Choteau founded?
The Choteau post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Choteau rank for history?
Choteau is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Choteau?
One place: the Teton County Courthouse (listed 2006).
How old are the homes in Choteau?
27% of Choteau’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.4 points), against a typical 13% for a Montana town; the median home was built in 1954.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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