Marquette, Jacques (1637-1675)

(Left)The Jesuit priest, Jacques Marquette, was born in Laon, France. He is best known for helping Louis Jolliet discover the Mississippi in 1673, although his own objective was to find more Indian nations to convert to Christianity. Sculptor: Alfred Laliberté

Jolliet, Louis (1645-1700)

(Right) Louis Jolliet was born in Québec. On behalf of the King of France, he took possession of the Great Lakes area and, accompanied by Marquette, discovered the Missis- sippi in 1673. Together, they travelled down the river and discovered that it flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. Their trip covered 2,000 km, reaching the present- day border between Arkansas and Louisiana. Louis Jolliet was a cartographer and hydrographer to the King, and a teacher of hydrography at Québec. He also explored the northern regions, from Hudson Bay to Labrador. Sculptor: Marc-Aurèle De Foy Suzor-Coté

June 2014 Photo 090d2