Mackinac Island in Mackinac County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Nicolet Watch Tower

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2017

1. Nicolet Watch Tower Marker

Inscription. Nicolet Watch Tower

In Honor of
John Nicolet
Who in 1634 passed through the Straits of Mackinac in a birch-bark canoe and
was the first white man to enter Michigan and the Old Northwest

Erected on behalf of the
State of Michigan
By the
Michigan Historical Commission
And the
Mackinac Island
State Park Commission
1915

Erected 1915 by Michigan Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Exploration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1634.

Location. 45° 51.454′ N, 84° 36.406′ W. Marker is on Mackinac Island, Michigan, in Mackinac County. It can be reached from Arch Rock Road. Marker is located at entrance to the rock tower lake overlook, above Arch Rock. Marker is a metal tablet mounted on a cement pedestal. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mackinac Island MI 49757, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

and on the Straits of Mackinac.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Arch Rock (here, next to this marker); The Center of the Anishnaabek World (within shouting distance of this marker); Gitchie Manitou (within shouting distance of this marker); Sanilac Arch (within shouting distance of this marker); Arch Rock: Unsurpassed in Nature's Handiwork (within shouting distance of this marker); Dwightwood Spring (about 700 feet

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away, measured in a direct line); Fort Holmes (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Holmes (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mackinac Island.

Also see . . .
1. Jean Nicolet French explorer.
Jean Nicolet, (born 1598, Cherbourg, France—died Nov. 1, 1642, Sillery, Que., Can.), French North American explorer who was the first known European to discover Lake Michigan and what is now the state of Wisconsin. (Submitted on August 16, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Jean Nicollet: French Explorer and Negotiator.
Jean Nicollet [also spelled Nicolet] (1598 - 1642) was a French explorer, translator, and negotiator who was the first European to travel through the Great Lakes area, visiting Lake Michigan and what are now Wisconsin and Illinois, possibly reaching the Mississippi River. For many years, Nicollet lived among the Native Americans in what is now the Ontario, Canada, area. (Submitted on August 16, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Jean Nicollet 1634.
Nicollet is one of the most prestigious

Nicolet Watch Tower Marker (<b><i>wide view</b></i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2017

2. Nicolet Watch Tower Marker (wide view)

figures in the history of North American exploration. Since the late 19th century, he has been credited as being as the first European to have sailed around Manitoulin Island to enter Lake Michigan. However, a thorough analysis of the Jesuit Relations for 1640 and 1642-1643, the only sources that allow us to follow Nicollet’s progress to the American Northwest, suggests another itinerary: Nicollet probably carried on past Sault Sainte-Marie – where Étienne Brûlé had stopped – and discovered Lake Superior. (Submitted on August 16, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,170 times since then and 104 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.