The entire chapter will be online on the Iowa History Site ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STORIES OF IOWA For BOYS AND GIRLS CHAPTER II THE DISCOVERY OF IOWA More than two hundred and fifty years have passed since white men first saw the land that is now Iowa. On June 17, 1673, two bold Frenchmen with five companions in two canoes floated out on the broad Mississippi from the mouth of the Wisconsin River. Across the Father of Waters they saw the high, wooded hills and deep valleys of the region near the present town of McGregor, Iowa. One of these Frenchmen was Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest; the other was Louis Joliet, a fur trader and woodsman. The five companions were rugged oarsmen or voyageurs who paddled the canoes. One month had passed since these men had set out from the distant mission at St. Lgnace on the Straits of Mackinac. For years rumors had come to New France about a great river to the west. Some thought it might flow into the Pacific Ocean, or the South Sea. Others believed that it emptied into the Gulf of Mexico. Count Frontenac, the governor of New France, sent Joliet to discover this river and to map its course. Marquette received permission to go with him to teach religion to the Indians. We learn about this trip from a journal kept by Marquette. All the notes written by Joliet on the journey were lost when his canoe upset on the way back to Quebec. Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ IAGENWEB: Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm Gerischer Family Web Site: http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/