Who Were The Two French Explorers Who Found The Mississippi River?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,


JACQUES MARQUETTE & LOUIS JOLIET

were sent to explore the Mississippi River in 1673 and answer two questions: Was the Mississippi the long-sought water passage to the Pacific Ocean?

Which French explorer explored the Mississippi River?


Jacques Marquette

, byname Père (Father) Marquette, (born June 1, 1637, Laon, Fr. —died May 18, 1675, Ludington, Mich.), French Jesuit missionary explorer who, with Louis Jolliet, travelled down the Mississippi River and reported the first accurate data on its course.

Who were the first French explorers to explore the Mississippi River?

1673:

Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet

Which French explorer was the first to find the Mississippi?


René-Robert Cavelier
Nationality French Occupation explorer Known for exploring the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico Signature

Who was the first explorer to go down the Mississippi River?

On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador

Hernando de Soto

reaches the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever do so.

Why did Louis Jolliet explore the Mississippi?

Louis Joliet pursued

religious and musical studies

until deciding in adulthood to become a fur trader. In 1673, he embarked on a trip with missionary Jacques Marquette along the Mississippi River, ascertaining with Native American guidance that it led to the Gulf of Mexico.

What did Lasalle explore?

René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, (born November 22, 1643, Rouen, France—died March 19, 1687, near Brazos River [now in Texas, U.S.]), French explorer in North America who led an expedition

down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers

and claimed all the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for …

What social class were most French settlers?

The first seigneury owners were, for the most part, nobles and religious communities. Over time, as seigneuries were sold or inherited, they changed hands and were divided up. In the late eighteenth century, most of them were in the hands of

the middle class

, of people of French or British origin.

What were the French explorers called?


Samuel de Champlain

, the greatest of the French explorers, founded Port Royal (1605) and Québec (1608). Jean Nicolet (Nicollet), a companion of Champlain, explored Lake Michigan and surrounding areas in the 1630s. Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette conducted explorations of the Mississippi Basin in 1673.

Who explored Quebec?


Samuel de Champlain

, French explorer and founder of the city of Quebec, statue by Paul Chevré, 1898; in Quebec city. Champlain and eight others survived the first winter at Quebec and greeted more in June.

Why did France send explorers to what is today Canada?

The French first came to the New World as explorers,

seeking a route to the Pacific Ocean and wealth

. Major French exploration of North America began under the rule of Francis I of France. … In 1534, Francis sent Jacques Cartier on the first of three voyages to explore the coast of Newfoundland and the St.

Who founded Quebec?

Permanent European settlement of the region began only in 1608, when

Samuel de Champlain

established a fort at Cape Diamond, the site of present-day Quebec city, then called Stadacona. A half century later the French settlement had a meagre population of some 3,200 people. Samuel de Champlain.

Why did Lasalle claim Louisiana for France?

La Salle secured a contract for the colonization of lower Louisiana from Louis XIV in 1683. The plan was

to reach the Mississippi by sea and secure a permanent settlement upriver

that would provide the French with a strategic advantage over Spanish interests throughout the Gulf of Mexico.

How did settlers cross the Mississippi?

In. the early movement of settlers to Iowa, the Mississippi River played a double role. … Rivers proved to be an unfailing source of trouble. The

small streams were crossed by fording the larger ones by swimming the teams, wagons and all

.

Why is it called Mississippi River?

The word Mississippi

comes from Messipi, the French rendering of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or Algonquin) name for the river, Misi-ziibi (Great River)

. The Mississippi River water source is fed by Lake Itasca in Northern Minnesota and flows all the way down into the Gulf of Mexico.

Did La Salle meet Indians?

IN

MARCH, 1682

, during his epic voyage of discovery down the Mississippi River, La Salle visited the Natchez Indians near the modern city bearing their name.

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.