Louis Jolliet, also known as
Louis Joliet (
September 21,
1645 – May 20 1700), was a
Quebecker explorer known for his discoveries in
North America. Jolliet and
missionary Father
Jacques Marquette, a Catholic priest, were the first Europeans to explore and map the
Mississippi River in 1673.
thumb|right|Jolliet's signatureEarly life
Jolliet was born in 1645 in a
French settlement near
Quebec. When he was five years old, his father died and his mother remarried a successful merchant. Joliet's stepfather owned land on the
Ile d'Orleans, an island in the
Saint Lawrence River in Quebec that was home to
native Americans. Jolliet spent much time on Ile d'Orleans, so it was likely that he began speaking
Native American languages at a young age. During his childhood, Quebec was the center of the French
fur trade. The Natives were part of day-to-day life in Quebec, and Jolliet grew up knowing a lot about them.
A good student, Jolliet attended a
Jesuit school, where he studied writing, mathematics, and
Latin. He was also a talented musician who played the
harpsichord,
flute, and
trumpet.
Discovery of the Mississippi
On May 17, 1673, Jolliet and Marquette departed from
St. Ignace with two canoes and five other
voyageurs of French-Indian ancestry (today's
Métis). They followed
Lake Michigan to the
Bay of Green Bay, then up the
Fox River, nearly to its headwaters. From there, they portaged their canoes a distance of slightly less than two miles through marsh and oak plains to the
Wisconsin River. At that point Europeans eventually built a small trading post,
Portage, named for its location. From there, they ventured on and entered the
Mississippi River near present-day
Prairie du Chien on
June 17.
The Jolliet-Marquette expedition traveled down the Mississippi to within 435 miles (700 km) of the
Gulf of Mexico, but turned back at the mouth of the
Arkansas River. By this point, they had encountered natives' carrying European goods, and they feared an encounter with explorers or colonists from
Spain. They followed the Mississippi back to the mouth of the
Illinois River, which they learned from local natives was a shorter route back to the Great Lakes. Following the Illinois and
Des Plaines rivers, they reached Lake Michigan near the location of modern-day
Chicago. Marquette stopped at the mission of St. Francis Xavier in
Green Bay in September, while Jolliet returned to Quebec to relate the news of their discoveries.
The party returned to the Illinois Territory in late 1674, becoming the first Europeans to winter in what would become the city of
Chicago. As welcomed guests of the
Illinois Confederation, the explorers were feasted en route and fed ceremonial foods such as
sagamite.
Plaque commemorating Jolliet in Chicago.
Later years
Jolliet married Claire-Francoise Bissot, who was Canadian. In 1680 he was granted the
Island of Anticosti, where he erected a fort and maintained soldiers. In 1693 he was appointed "Royal Hydrographer", and on
April 30,
1697, was granted the
Seigneurial system of New France seigneury (fiefdom) of Jolliet, southwest of Quebec City, making him a minor "lord", roughly the colonial equivalent of a hereditary
baronet with the title of "Sieur Jolliet" (Sir Jolliet). Louis Jolliet died around May 20 1700, being lost on a trip to one of his land holdings. His body was never found.
Jolliet was one of the first people of European descent born in North America to be remembered for significant discoveries. Though no authentic period portrait is known to exist, Jolliet is often portrayed wearing either typical frontiersman garb consisting of buckskins and fur hat or in sharp contrast, ensconced in the European nobleman's accoutrement his personal wealth and prestige would have commanded when living in colonial society.
Legacy
Louis Jolliet's legacy is most tangible in the Midwestern United States and Quebec, mostly through geographical names, including the cities of
Joliet, Illinois;
Joliet, Montana; and
Joliette, Quebec (founded by one of Jolliet's descendants,
Barthélemy Joliette). Variations in the spelling of the name "Jolliet" reflect spelling that occurred at times when illiteracy was common and spelling unstandardized. Jolliet's descendants live throughout Canada and the United States.
See also
- Sagamite, food eaten by Jolliet and Marquette on their trip to the Mississippi
