Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (1685-1749) was a French-Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer
In 1728 he was appointed commandant of the French posts on the north shore of Lake Superior. Between 1731 and 1737 he built several trading posts between Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg; in 1738 he travelled southwest to the area of the Missouri River in what is now North Dakota. He was responsible for opening a large area of the west to French traders.
Verendrye Electric Cooperative, a public utility in North Dakota, is named after him.