Facsimile of the Autograph Map of the Mississippi or Conception River drawn by Father Marquette…

A 19th-century reproduction of Marquette’s foundational map of the Mississippi River.

In 1673, Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette and fur trader Louis Joliet embarked from present-day Michigan with five others to explore the Mississippi River. Traveling in two birchbark canoes, they journeyed down Lake Michigan, portaged to the Wisconsin River, and then entered the Mississippi. Their expedition reached the mouth of the Arkansas River, confirming the Mississippi flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, not the Pacific. Notably, Marquette meticulously documented their journey, including observations of the landscape, native peoples, and wildlife, culminating in a hand-drawn map of the region, the first to depict the Mississippi’s course with relative accuracy.

This 19th-century reproduction of Marquette’s map was lithographed by Sarony & Major for inclusion in John Shea’s Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi Valley (Clinton Hall, 1852). Distinctive features include Green Bay, the Fox River, and the Wisconsin River portage. Numerous Native American settlements are named, along with the Spanish territory of Florida.

Sources: Northern Illinois University; Smithsonian Institution