Nicolet, Jean

Nicolet, Jean (zhäN nēkôlā`), 1598?–1642, French explorer in the Old Northwest. He came to New France with Samuel de Champlain in 1618. In 1634, under the direction of Champlain, he took a notable voyage west in search of the Northwest Passage, exploring Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and the Fox River. He was drowned on a trip to Trois Rivières.

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Nicolet, Jean

(born 1598, Cherbourg, France—died Nov. 1, 1642, Sillery, Que., Can.) French explorer in North America. In 1618 he traveled to New France, where he lived with Indian tribes. He learned several Indian languages and became the interpreter for the French colony at Three Rivers (1633). He journeyed into Huron territory, canoeing with several Indians through the Straits of Mackinac to became the first European to see Lake Michigan (1634). He later explored the region of present-day Wisconsin.