Louis Joliett

Great Lakes and the surrounding river canoeing Brázdil Jesuit missionary Joliett. He even discovered the waterway from the St. Lawrence River, across the Great Lakes to the Mississippi and its up to the Gulf of Mexico.
JOLIETT Louis (including Joliet) (* 21 9th 1645, Quebec, Canada, † between 5th and 4th 9th 15th 1700, one of the islands in the St. Lawrence River, Canada) - French Jesuit missionary and fur trader
Power interests in North America, France, which threatened the English competition, represented by the Hudson's Bay Company (founded 1670), supported in the 70 the 17th century Jesuits. On the shore of Lake Superior, and mission established by its founder Jean Claude Allouez in 1670 then went to the river Wisconsin. Another Jesuit nodal point routes in search of "The Great Water" (ie the river heading to the Pacific Ocean), which talked about the Indians, became a missionary station Sault Wed Marie rapids in the strait connecting Lake Huron and Horejsi.

 Jesuit on the water
From there came out in 1673 Joliett Louis, a member of the Society of Jesus, however, which focused primarily on the fur trade, which acquired from the Indians. He was probably the first European who sailed the canoe from Lake Superior all over Ontario (1668-1669). Accompanied by his companion of the Order of Jacques Marquetta wanted to find a "Western power", ie the channel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific. They went on their journey from the station on Lake Michigan Michitimackinac Jesuit mission in Green Bay.
Wisconsin continued upstream to the upper flow of the Mississippi, which they called the river Colbert. Sailed to its confluence with the Missouri, and Arkansas to Ohio and convinced that the powerful still the stream heading to the south, the territory controlled by the Spaniards. Therefore returned back into the mouth of the Illinois River, and after this returned in the fall of 1673 to Lake Michigan. Way and J. L. Jolietta Marquetta finished exploring the waterways of the St. Lawrence River, across the Great Lakes and the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
From Lake Michigan Joliett L. transferred his interests to Quebec and explored the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. In 1679 he went up the river Saguenay, he would like the Jesuit Charles Albanel (1616-1696) in 1671 used to travel to Hudson Bay. Just got to Lake Mistassini and later went on to explore the coast of Labrador (by 56 ° 11 'north latitude).