Le Vasseur with a stock of goods worth $6,000, which he used in trading with the Indians for furs.
"[1] Le Vasseur travelled to Bunkum, Illinois in 1818, where he established a trading post for the American Fur Company.
Le Vasseur "bought a tract of land from Me-she-ke-ten-o",[2] and "became the first permanent non-Native American settler of the area.
"[3] When the Potawatomi left the Bourbonnais area in 1838, La Vasseur persuaded many Québécois to migrate to the region.
"[4] His obituary stated that "In politics he was a Republican; he had no patience with the defenders of the slave power," noting that he was known both for his hospitality and his friendship with the leaders of the Potawotami tribe.