Louis Jolliet is a Canadian Explorateur , born the September 21st 1645 close to Quebec, died between the May 4th and the October 18th 1700 on northern bank of the Fleuve the St. Lawrence.

Discoverer of the the Mississippi with the father Jacques Inlays, it is the first famous explorer born with the Canada from the history from the News-France.

Youth

Wire of Jean Jolliet of the Company of the Hundred-Associates and of Marie d' Abancourt, Louis Jolliet undertakes his studies with the Séminaire of Quebec at the 10 years age. Its first wish being to become member of the clergy, it receives the minor orders on August 16th, 1662. As it has a certain musical gift, it is promoted officer of music to the College. Later, he will become the first organist of the cathedral of Quebec.

In 1666, the census qualifies it like " clerk of église". July 2nd of the same year, it supports a thesis of philosophy in the presence of Monseigneur de Laval, of the governor Rémy de Courcelles and of the intendant Jean Talon.

At that time, its religious vocation starts to beat wing. In July 1667, it leaves the Séminaire and, a few weeks later, embarks for France where it remains especially in Paris and La Rochelle. In 1668, it is of return to Quebec where it decides to become trafficker after having bought goods of draft to the tradesman Charles Aubert of Chesnaye.

Genesis of the voyage

Jean Talon, which has in heart the development of the economy of News-France, heard of the the Mississippi and believes that alliance with the Indians of this area could bring long-term dividends. In 1672, it decides to send Louis Jolliet to his discovery. The boldness and the determination of the young man are thus already known at that time. With the autumn, the intendant leaves Quebec for France but proposes all the same his candidate with the new governor Frontenac who accepts it without hesitating.

Jolliet, which adheres to the project with enthusiasm, has a problem from the beginning because it knows that the State will not subsidize its forwarding. It thus founds a business firm with some businessmen of the colony, of which his/her Zacharie brother. The incomes of the new company will be used to defray the costs of the voyage.

December 8th, 1672, Jolliet is with Michillimakinac, the angle of the Lake Hurons, Supérieur and Michigan. It gives to the Jesuit Jacques Marquette a letter of the father Claude Dablon ordering to him to join forwarding. The father accepts with pleasure, more especially as he knows the languages of several Indian tribes of the area.

With discovered of the Mississippi

The two men spend the winter 1672-1673 to organize the final preparations. They leave in May 1673, the troop being made up of seven men and two boats. They move initially towards the west, skirting northern bank of the Lake Michigan then the Western bank of the Baie of Puants (Green Bay). After having made stage with the Saint-François-Xavier mission, they descend the Rivière to the Foxes to the village from the Mascoutens. There, they learn the existence, three miles further, of an affluent of the the Mississippi. They thus make bearing to the river Meskousing (today river Wisconsin).

It is in it downward that they reach the Mississippi on June 15th. Until now, they made 800 kilometers including nearly 200 on the Wisconsin. During ten days, they continue towards the south without meeting heart which lives. They arrive at their first Indian village, with the mouth of the Iowa. It is about a tribe of Illinois which receives them.

In September 1673, they are the first white to cross the Rivière Chicago. Then they discover the mouth of the rivers Missouri and Ouabouskigou (Ohio). With the mouth of Ohio, they already traversed nearly 2000 kilometers. They do not dare to further continue, the Indians becoming hostile. Inlay does not understand their language but knows that they make trade with the Spaniards. Fearing to fall between their hands, they decide to turn back. The voyage thus finishes in on this side current border of the Arkansas and Louisiana. There remained to them 1100 kilometers to be traversed before reaching the mouth of the Mississippi.

The voyage of the return is carried out as from mid-July. Jolliet and Marquette reach the Saint-François-Xavier mission mid-October. The explorer spends the winter 1673-1674 to Sault-Holy-Marie where it recopies the notes of his voyage. Unfortunately, on its return in the colony, in May 1674, it makes shipwreck in the Sault-Saint-Louis, upstream of Montreal. He manages to draw some but its newspaper and its personal papers disappear in the floods. Some time later, its copies are destroyed at the time of a fire with Sault-Holy-Marie, with the result that there does not remain any more any detailed report of this historical voyage.

Jolliet is installed on Coast-North

October 17th 1675, Louis Jolliet marries Claire-Francoise Byssot, 19 years, girl of François Byssot and Marie Couillard. It wishes to be established with the country of the Illinois, but it receives a refusal of Jean-Baptiste Colbert. In 1678, it receives a ground in the area of Seven-Islands where it settles.

In 1679, Frontenac gives the responsability it to go to the Hudson Bay in order to try to tie commercial links with the Indians of north and to inquire into their contacts with the English who are installed there. It goes there while borrowing the Saguenay and the Lac Midsummer's Day. It meets the English governor of the place there, Charles Baily, which receives it with honor because it heard of his forwarding on the Mississippi. It returns, persuaded that the English make there the “more beautiful trade of Canada”.

The same year, Jolliet is made concede the grounds of the archipelago Mingan where he proposes to establish fisheries of Morue S, marine wolves and whales. The years which follow, it spends the summer to Anticosti, building a residence there on the Rivière with Oil, there dealing of its grounds and its trade, and returns to Quebec for the winter. It makes build a fort. In 1690, the fleet of William Phips seizes its boat, confiscates its captive goods and fact his wife and her mother-in-law.

Last years

In 1694, Louis Jolliet explores the coast of the Labrador which it describes and cartography. Its document, preserved, contains sixteen cartographic sketches of which the first description of the littoral between the course Charles and Zoar.

In 1697, the explorer obtains his certificate of hydrograph. If it spends the hot season to work on its grounds of Coast-North, it returns to Quebec to the autumn to teach there its matter with the College of the Jesuits. He dies on a date not specified between on May 4th and on September 15th, 1700. He is the first inhabitant of the News-France, born in the colony, to be itself made known internationally alive sound.

Notoriety

• an old cross bar transformed into cruising ship on the Fleuve the St. Lawrence based in Quebec bears its name.

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