Jean Nicolet facts for kids
Jean Nicolet (born around 1598, died 1642) was a brave French explorer. He was known for exploring important places like Lake Michigan and Green Bay. He was also the first European to step foot in what is now the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Nicolet was a coureur des bois, which means a "runner of the woods." These were independent fur traders and explorers in North America.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Jean Nicolet was born in Cherbourg-Osterville, France, in the late 1590s. His family was part of the Catholic Church. He was friends with famous explorers like Samuel de Champlain. Nicolet came to Canada to join Champlain's plan. This plan trained young French men to be explorers and traders. They did this by living among Native Americans. The French were setting up a fur trading business.
Arrival in Quebec
In 1618, Nicolet moved to Quebec. He worked as a clerk for the Compagnie des Marchands. This company had a special right to trade furs. Nicolet's job was to learn the languages of the First Nations people.
To learn their languages, Nicolet lived with the Algonquins on Allumette Island. This island was along the important Ottawa River fur trade route. When he returned to Quebec in 1620, he was sent to live with the Odawa and Algonquin people near Lake Nipissing. He stayed there for nine years. During this time, he ran a store and traded with the local Native peoples.
Nicolet had a daughter named Euphrosine-Madeleine. When Quebec was taken by the English in 1629, Nicolet and his daughter went to live with the Huron people for safety. He worked against English interests until the French regained control of Quebec.
Exploring Wisconsin
Nicolet is famous for being the first European to explore Lake Michigan. In 1634, he became the first European to explore what is now Wisconsin. Jean Nicolet landed at Red Banks, near modern-day Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was looking for a way to reach Asia.
Nicolet and other French explorers had heard from Native contacts about the people living along these shores. They were called the Ho-Chunk. Some French people mistakenly thought this meant "People of the Sea." In the Ho-Chunk language, it actually means "people of the big voice." The Ojibwe people called them "Winnebago," meaning "people of the fragrant waters." The French translated this as "Puants," which was a rude name. Nicolet did not know this. He thought these people must be from or near the Pacific Ocean. He hoped they would lead him to China.
Nicolet became a French ambassador to the Ho-Chunk people. He wore colorful robes and carried two pistols. This was to show his importance. The Ho-Chunk people liked his special display. With some Ho-Chunk guides, Nicolet traveled up the Fox River. He then carried his boat over land to the Wisconsin River. He traveled down the Wisconsin River until it started to get wider. He was so sure he was near the ocean that he stopped. He went back to Quebec to report his discovery of a way to the "South Sea." He did not know that he had just missed finding the upper Mississippi River.
Death
Jean Nicolet died when his boat overturned. This happened during a storm on the Saint Lawrence River.
Legacy
Jean Nicolet is remembered in many ways:
- The town of Nicolet, Quebec was named after him.
- Nicolet Area Technical College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin has his name.
- Nicolet High School near Milwaukee is named after him.
- A statue of him was put up in 1950. It is now at Wequiock Falls County Park, near where he is believed to have landed.
- A 1910 painting at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin shows Nicolet's landing at Red Banks.
- The Nicolet National Bank is named after him.
- The Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin has his name.
- Nicolet Beach in Peninsula State Park, Wisconsin, is named after him.
- Nicollet Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, has his name.
- There is a high school named after him in Nicolet, Quebec. It is called L'École Secondaire Jean-Nicolet.
Images for kids
-
A statue of Nicolet, built in 1951, is located in Wequiock Falls County Park in Brown County, Wisconsin.
See also
In Spanish: Jean Nicolet para niños
