Benoist Troost

Benoist Troost (born Benedictus Troost; also Benoît Troost, Benoit Troost; November 17, 1786 – February 8, 1859) was an Americanized Dutch geologist, medical doctor, and American pioneer. He was one of the 14 founders of the American frontier town of Kansas, Missouri which became Kansas City, Missouri, with its namesake street Troost Avenue.

Early and personal life Benoist Troost was born to Catholics Everardus Josephus Troost and Anna Cornelia van Heeck on November 17, 1786, in 's-Hertogenbosch. He was the younger brother of Gerard Troost.

In 1813, Troost married Rachel Tage, the sister of his brother's wife, Margaret. Though with historically uncertain medical credentials, he was reputedly a medical steward in Napoleon's army. and 1845. In 1846, he married Mary Ann Troost, the niece of his friend and fellow pioneer William Gillis. That year, he bought five lots of land as one of the 14 co-founders of the Town of Kansas Company. From 1849 to 1850, at the peak of the California gold rush, he and Gillis built the village's first hotel on the river levee, named Troost House and later renamed Gillis House.

In 1854, he founded the Kansas City Enterprise newspaper. In 1857, he incorporated the city's first Chamber of Commerce. He died on February 8, 1859, in William Gillis's mansion in Kansas City, Missouri.

Legacy Benoist Troost is the namesake for Troost Avenue, Troost Park, and Troost Lake Park in Kansas City.