Jacques Marquette

"Jacques Marquette was a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan. In 1673, he joined Louis Jolliet on an expedition to discover and map the northern portion of the Mississippi River. He was also the first European to encounter several Native American tribes, such as the Illinois, Kaskaskia, Peoria, and Sioux. He learned their languages and cultures and preached the Christian faith to them. He died of dysentery near Ludington, Michigan, in 1675. His remains were later reburied at his original grave site in St. Ignace in 1677."