Joseph Nicollet was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1842.
14 Facts About Joseph Nicollet
2.
Joseph Nicollet's maps were among the most accurate of the time, correcting errors made by Zebulon Pike, and they provided the basis for all subsequent maps of the American interior.
3.
Joseph Nicollet Tower, located in Sisseton, South Dakota is a monument to Joseph Nicollet and his work and was constructed in 1991.
4.
Joseph Nicollet was very bright, showing aptitude in mathematics and astronomy that earned him a scholarship to the Jesuit college in Chambery.
5.
Joseph Nicollet hoped to boost his reputation among European academics through his work in the US.
6.
Joseph Nicollet intended to make a "scientific tour" of the country and had a goal of using his expertise to accurately map the Mississippi River Valley.
7.
Joseph Nicollet arrived in Washington, DC, where he met with scientists and government officials, discussing scientific surveys of the country.
8.
Joseph Nicollet traveled to New Orleans, from where he intended to proceed to St Louis, Missouri, but due to a cholera outbreak, travel by steamboat was practically halted.
9.
Joseph Nicollet departed Fort Snelling by canoe on July 29,1836, accompanied by Chagobay, an Ojibwe chief, his nine-year-old son, and a half-French guide named Brunia.
10.
Joseph Nicollet explored the Mississippi to its source of Lake Itasca and the nearby Mississippi tributary, the St Croix River.
11.
De Smet used skills learned from Joseph Nicollet to make his own maps of the Missouri River basin.
12.
Joseph Nicollet's efforts were hampered as the Steamboat Pirate carrying his supplies sank in April 1839.
13.
On September 11,1839, Joseph Nicollet returned to Washington, DC where he worked on consolidating the information collected into the Report to the Senate.
14.
Joseph Nicollet fully intended to return to Minnesota to continue his work, but failing health led to his death in Washington in 1843.