Jean Baptiste Louis Franquelin's Map of Louisiana, 1684, illustrates the careful recorded extent of France's Louisiana and its progress of western discovery. Published following the French possession of the territory, it outlines the boundaries of the newly acquired lands claimed by Louis XIV. The map is compiled from knowledge gained from the exploration of Robert de La Salle and Louis Jolliet in the interior of North America. His mapping of Louisiana bolstered French claims to the region. Who was Jean Baptiste Louis Franquelin? Born in France in 1650, Franquelin moved to Quebec in 1671 to trade. However, he soon focused on mapmaking and became a royal hydrographer in 1686, and the first official cartographer in Canada, whose work included detailed manuscripts of New France between 1674 and 1708. …show more content…
Important to note about this early map is that it depicts place names that have been existence to this day. The origin of many of the names can be found in rivers, for example, Chekagou (Chicago), Illinois (both a lake and a river), Misconsing (Wisconsin), Cansa (Kansas), Ohio and the Ouabache (Wabash). Common Native American tribal names that also represent particular rivers can be identified, including the Zages (Osages), the Tchacta (Choctaw), les Ci-Ca-Ça (Chickasaw), the Tounica (Tunica) and the Acansea (Arkansas).Did you know that Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to come in contact with the Osage tribe? As great traders, they established a strong fur trading link with the