Noel Le Vasseur (December 25, 1798 – December 12, 1879) was a fur trader and merchant born in St. Michel d`Yamaska, Canada and died in Bourbonnais Grove, Illinois. In 1816, he became a voyageur. "John Jacob Astor furnished Mr. Le Vasseur with a stock of goods worth $6,000, which he used in trading with the Indians for furs." Le Vasseur travelled to Bunkum, Illinois in 1818, where he established a trading post for the American Fur Company. The post was placed under the supervision of Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, and when Hubbard left in 1827, Le Vasseur took over as his replacement. Le Vasseur also married Hubbard's ex-wife, Watseka (also called Watch-e-kee), the namesake of Watseka, Illinois He had three children with her, and learned to speak the Potawatomi language. In 1832, Watseka left