Joseph Nicollet
Encyclopedia
Joseph Nicolas Nicollet also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French
geographer
and mathematician
known for mapping
the Upper Mississippi River
basin during the 1830s.
Nicollet was born in Cluses
, Savoy
, France. He was very bright, showing an interest in mathematics
and astronomy
, and becoming a math teacher
at the age of 19. Starting in 1817, he worked at the Paris Observatory
with the mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace
. Afterward, he worked as a mathematics professor
at the Collège Louis-le-Grand during the 1820s.
Following financial difficulties in France, Nicollet emigrated
to the United States
in 1832. First living in New Orleans, Louisiana
, he later moved up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri
.
Nicollet led three expeditions exploring the Upper Mississippi, mostly in the area that is now Minnesota
, but parts of North
and South Dakota
as well. The first took place in 1836–37 and was largely funded by St. Louis's wealthy Choteau family. In it, Nicollet explored the Mississippi to its source of Lake Itasca
and the nearby Mississippi tributary
, the St. Croix River
. Following acceptance of a position with the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1838, Nicollet led a surveying mission from Fort Snelling to the Pipestone
region in southwestern Minnesota and southeastern South Dakota in 1838, and led another mission in 1839 to further explore the region between the Mississippi River and the Missouri River
. In these latter expeditions, he had assistance from John C. Frémont
and the Jesuit Missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet
. De Smet used skills learned from Nicollet to make his own maps of the Missouri River basin. Nicollet's efforts were hampered by the sinking of the Steamboat Pirate
in April 1839, which was carrying supplies for his expedition.
After the expeditions, Nicollet left the Minnesota area to go to Washington, D.C.
He worked on consolidating the information collected during the expeditions and fully intended to return to the area, but failing health led to his death in Washington in 1843. Later that year, a book containing much of his work, Map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi, was published. The maps in the book were highly accurate and covered a region more than half the size of Europe
.
Nicollet's name is applied to several places in the region he explored, including Nicollet Island
, Nicollet Avenue
in Minneapolis
, Nicollet County
and the city of Nicollet
, all located in Minnesota
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
known for mapping
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
the Upper Mississippi River
Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of Cairo, Illinois, United States. From the headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, the river flows approximately 2000 kilometers to Cairo, where it is joined by the Ohio River to form the Lower Mississippi...
basin during the 1830s.
Nicollet was born in Cluses
Cluses
Cluses is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Citizens are known as Clusiens. The commune is situated in the Arve Valley, on the river which bears the same name...
, Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
, France. He was very bright, showing an interest in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, and becoming a math teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
at the age of 19. Starting in 1817, he worked at the Paris Observatory
Paris Observatory
The Paris Observatory is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world...
with the mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace
Pierre-Simon Laplace
Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace was a French mathematician and astronomer whose work was pivotal to the development of mathematical astronomy and statistics. He summarized and extended the work of his predecessors in his five volume Mécanique Céleste...
. Afterward, he worked as a mathematics professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the Collège Louis-le-Grand during the 1820s.
Following financial difficulties in France, Nicollet emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1832. First living in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, he later moved up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Nicollet led three expeditions exploring the Upper Mississippi, mostly in the area that is now Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, but parts of North
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
as well. The first took place in 1836–37 and was largely funded by St. Louis's wealthy Choteau family. In it, Nicollet explored the Mississippi to its source of Lake Itasca
Lake Itasca
Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake, approximately in area, in the Headwaters area of north central Minnesota. The lake is located in southeastern Clearwater County within Itasca State Park and it has an average depth of 20–35 feet , and is 1,475 ft above sea level.The Ojibwe name for...
and the nearby Mississippi tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)
The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...
. Following acceptance of a position with the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1838, Nicollet led a surveying mission from Fort Snelling to the Pipestone
Pipestone Region
The Pipestone Region is an area in southwestern Minnesota. The area was named for its supply of pipestone a type of limestone which local Indians carved into pipes. The area is also noted for quartzite quarries. The area is one of several distinct regions of Minnesota.The Dakota were early...
region in southwestern Minnesota and southeastern South Dakota in 1838, and led another mission in 1839 to further explore the region between the Mississippi River and the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. In these latter expeditions, he had assistance from John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
and the Jesuit Missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet
Pierre-Jean De Smet
Pierre-Jean De Smet , also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus , active in missionary work among the Native Americans of the Midwestern United States in the mid-19th century.His extensive travels as a missionary were said to total...
. De Smet used skills learned from Nicollet to make his own maps of the Missouri River basin. Nicollet's efforts were hampered by the sinking of the Steamboat Pirate
Pirate (steamboat)
The Steamboat Pirate was an early American expeditionary supply vessel that sank on the Missouri River near what is now Bellevue, Nebraska in April 1839 after snagging. The sinking of the steamboat was witnessed by Pierre-Jean De Smet and lamented by Joseph N. Nicollet, who was depending on its...
in April 1839, which was carrying supplies for his expedition.
After the expeditions, Nicollet left the Minnesota area to go to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He worked on consolidating the information collected during the expeditions and fully intended to return to the area, but failing health led to his death in Washington in 1843. Later that year, a book containing much of his work, Map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi, was published. The maps in the book were highly accurate and covered a region more than half the size of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Nicollet's name is applied to several places in the region he explored, including Nicollet Island
Nicollet Island
Nicollet Island is an island in the Mississippi River just north of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, named for cartographer, Joseph Nicollet. DeLaSalle High School and the Nicollet Island Inn are located there, as well as three multi-family residential buildings and twenty-two restored...
, Nicollet Avenue
Nicollet Avenue
Nicollet Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and three of its suburbs. It passes through a number of locally well-known neighborhoods and districts, notably Eat Street in south Minneapolis and the traffic-restricted Nicollet Mall in the city's downtown.It began as a military road...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Nicollet County
Nicollet County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,771 people, 10,642 households, and 7,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 11,240 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
and the city of Nicollet
Nicollet, Minnesota
Nicollet is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,093 at the 2010 census.It is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, all located in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Further reading
- Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, The journals of Joseph N. Nicollet: a scientist on the Mississippi headwaters: with notes on indian life, 1836-37 (Minnesota Historical Society, 1970).
- Martha Coleman Bray, Joseph Nicollet and his map (American Philosophical Society, 1980).
- Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, Edmund C. Bray, and Martha Coleman Bray, Joseph N. Nicollet on the plains and prairies: the expeditions of 1838-39, with journals, letters, and notes on the Dakota Indians (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1993).
External links
- Nicollet, Joseph Nicolas, retrieved January 25, 2004 from Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- Nicollet Project Website at St. Olaf College.
- Report Intended to Illustrate of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi River, retrieved May 29, 2009 from Google Book SearchGoogle Book SearchGoogle Books is a service from Google that searches the full text of books that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October...
. - Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, Geologist by Martha Coleman Bray from Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 114, No. 1 (Feb. 16, 1970), pp. 37-59 retrieved August 3, 2009 from JSTOR