On June 16-18, 2023, we celebrated the 350th anniversary of the 1673 expedition by Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette’s landmark expedition that led to the claiming of the entire land and water mass interior of what we now know of as America for Louis XIV, King of France.
A group of individuals reenacted and commemorated the achievement that Jolliet and Marquette accomplished to open up and expand the kingdom of New France by making stops during their voyage during the June 16-18, 2023 event.
The 350th Anniversary was featured in many local and state media publications. Check out these great resources available for everyone to view of this past event.
Videos:
Newspaper Articles: Courier Press
In the weeks leading up to the 350th Expedition Anniversary of the expedition of Marquette and Jolliet in Prairie du Chien on June 16-18, 2023 the Courier Press will be highlighting the history of Marquette and Jolliet and the events that will be taking place over the three day celebration.
Historic overview of the travels of Marquette and Jolliet…READ MORE
Online Articles: Wisconsin State Journal
Explorers had Indigenous Help
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN — The celebration here will be centered on St. Feriole Island, a historic, flood-prone spot along the Mississippi River that was an active fur trading stop and later home to the Dousman House, a grand hotel constructed in 1864 to serve railroad passengers traveling to and from Milwaukee. But before there was a railroad, hotel, Fort Crawford and Europeans in search of beaver pelts, this was home to Indigenous tribes.
So when the 350th anniversary of Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet’s expedition is commemorated later this week, there will be a conscious effort to recognize the Native American people who have called this area home for thousands of years. This would be long before the French Jesuit missionary and a French Canadian explorer paddled through Wisconsin in search of a water route from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean…READ MORE
Online Articles: Out & About Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien Celebrates Historic Travelers
This summer, Prairie du Chien and Crawford County will once again pay tribute to a pair of adventurers who changed the course of history with their travels.
From June 16-18, visitors to the area can experience a voyageur encampment, Native American performances, and numerous other events designed to illustrate the region’s rich history…READ MORE