Midwest Exploration

Part of the upper Midwest was once called the Northwest Territory. This vast area was home to many Amerind tribes. In 1673, the first European explorers (Marquette and Jolliet) explored the upper Mississippi River. Their voyage took them along the western shore of Lake Michigan, into Green Bay, down the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi. They paddled the Mississippi River to the Arkansas River. Their return trip took them up the Illinois River, the Des Plaines River, through the Chicago Portage, and the Chicago River and back into Lake Michigan. Later, La Salle continued the exploration of the Mississippi River to its' mouth and claimed a huge territory for France. In time, the French built forts throughout the Great Lakes at Detroit, Duluth, Niagara, Pittsburgh, Mackinaw and down the Illinois River. This was at a time well before English settlers had passed through the Cumberland Gap to settle the Ohio Valley and Kentucky. French Voyageurs traveled as far as the Rockies, naming the Grand Tetons near today's Yellowstone Park. The Great Lakes and the St Lawrence, Ottawa and many other river systems were the French men's super highways. The wealth they gathered were the skins of wild animals, especially Beaver, that flourished in the interior. The economy of New France depended on these skins arriving in Montreal and Quebec each year. The native peoples trapped, prepared and traded these skins for metal knives, tools, kettles, blankets, guns, gunpowder, brandy and many other trade goods. Tons of these animal skins were shipped to France most years where they were processed into felt and made into stylish hats.