Joseph Chorette drowned in the unnamed river on July 10, 1795. Trudeau returned to St. Louis and wrote an account of the expedition in his Journal. It has been suggested that the French fur trader, Joseph Chorette, gave his name as well as his life to the newly discovered river. The family name has the variants, Choret, Charet, and Charette in old documents. There are several theories as to the origin of the name, Chariton.
Most accounts agree that the name originated from a French word or name.
The Trudeau expedition may not have been the first venture by white men to this point on the Missouri. However, if not Trudeau and Chorette, the first adventurers were French fur traders who pushed their boats up the river in the late 1700's. These hunters and trappers were untamed men who didn't try to tame the wilderness. They camped briefly, then paddled back downstream, boats loaded with pelts. The deep woods remained quiet, untouched for a time.