Most of Chouteau was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listings are the Farmers and Merchants Bank and the Territorial Commercial District. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1910.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chouteau is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chouteau’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chouteau’s 18.8 sits above most of its state (78% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Chouteau’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Chouteau, originally called "Cody's Creek", became a stop on the Katy railroad in 1871. It soon became a thriving cattle town. The name was changed to Chouteau after the creek that flows north of town that was named for French fur trader Auguste Pierre Chouteau from the Chouteau family. Auguste created the first permanent white settlement in present-day Salina, 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Chouteau.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Chouteau, census by census
Between 400 and 2,097 people in every census since 1910.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chouteau’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Chouteau’s post office has been open since 1941. Another post office, Choteau, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Choteau
1871–1941
Chouteau
1941–today
18701950today
1cemetery inside Chouteau
Chouteau West
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Chouteau’s history
What year was Chouteau founded?
The Chouteau post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Chouteau rank for history?
Chouteau is more historic than 28% 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 Chouteau?
Two places: the Farmers and Merchants Bank (listed 1983) and the Territorial Commercial District (1983).
How old are the homes in Chouteau?
4% of Chouteau’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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