Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, searched and found the waters of the Mississippi River. They were the first white men to follow the course of the river. Jacques Marquette was a Catholic Missionary, and explorer. He was born in Laon, France. In 1666 he learned Indian Languages in Quebec , Canada. Around 1637 he met up with Louis Jolliet. Marquette preached among the Illinois Indians until his death in 1675. Louis Jolliet was a French-Canadian explorer. Jolliet was born near Quebec City. In 1669 to 1671 Jolliet explored a lot of the Great Lakes Region. During that time he became a great map maker and he also worked as a fur trader. When Jolliet was on Lake Michigan, his canoe turned over and all his precious maps and journals of his trips were lost. Later he drew some maps from memory. Then at the age of 55, Louis Jolliet died.

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