Father Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit priest, came to New France (now
Canada) as a missionary in 1666. He studied Indian languages, then established
missions at what are now Sault Sainte Marie and St. Ignace, Michigan.
In 1673, the governor of New France sent Louis Joliet to find the Mississippi
River and explore its course. The French hoped the Mississippi would provide a
trade route to Far East China. Because Father Marquette knew some Indian
languages and wanted to bring Christianity to more Indians, he accompanied
Joliet.
Traveling in two canoes, Marquette, Joliet and five other men left St. Ignace
on May 17. On July 17, they reached the Arkansas River. The Indians there told
them that white men lived further south. Then, they knew the river was not a
route to the Far East, and that the other white people were probably Spanish
settlers. They returned north, arriving at Green Bay in September. The journey
had taken five months and covered more than 2,500 miles. Photo:
The Michigan Historical Marker in St. Ignace marks the mission Fr. Marquette
founded in 1671.
The Father Marquette Memorial overlooks the
Straits of Mackinac from the north. The Memorial and the Sanilac Petroglyphs in
Michigan's Thumb are part of the Michigan Historical Museum System.
