Noel Le Vasseur was a trader and merchant

Merchant

A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...

 born in St. Michel d`Yamaska, Canada and died in Bourbonnais Grove, Illinois

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Bourbonnais is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,256 at the 2000 census, but it was estimated to have grown to 19,119 in 2009...

.

In 1816, he became a voyageur

Voyageurs

The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...

, eventually moving to Bunkum, Illinois

Iroquois, Illinois

Iroquois is a village in Concord Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States, along the Iroquois River. In the 2000 census, the village had a population of 207.-Geography:Iroquois is at 40°49'40" North, 87°35'1" West ....

 in 1818, where he established a trading post for the American Fur Company

American Fur Company

The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...

. The post was placed under the supervision of Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard

Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard

Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard was an American fur trader, insurance underwriter and land speculator. Hubbard first arrived in Chicago on October 1, 1818 as a voyageur...

, and when Hubbard left in 1827, Le Vasseur took over as his replacement. Le Vasseur also married Hubbard's ex-wife, Watseka

Watseka

Watseka or Watchekee was a Potawatomi Native American woman, born in Illinois, and named for the heroine of a Potawatomi legend. Her uncle was Tamin, the chief of the Kankakee Potawatomi Indians....

, and had three children with her. In 1832, she left to go west when the Indians were removed from the area. He remained at the Bunkum post until 1835. In 1837, he married Ruth Bull of Danville, Illinois

Danville, Illinois

Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...

. Following her death in 1859, he married Elenor Franchere of Chicago, Illinois in 1861.

When the Potawatomi left the Bourbonnais area in 1838, La Vasseur persuaded many Québécois

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

to migrate to the region. These efforts have given him the epithet "Father of Kankakee."