Near Wickliffe in Ballard County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
The Prince of the French Explorers
⎯⎯⎯
French Explorers at the Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi
Photographed by Mark Parker, October 16, 2023
1. North Side of Marker
The Prince of the French Explorers
Commissioned by Louis XIV of France, the Sieur Robert de LaSalle, sweeping down the Mississippi with his flotilla of canoes, stopped in 1682 at this place, in his quest for the mouth of the Mississippi and an outlet for the French fur trade.
This river, called Ohio by the Iroquois and Quabache (Wabash) by the Algonquins, was proclaimed by LaSalle, April 9, 1682, to be the northern watershed of the New Province of Louisiana of the French Colonial Empire.
French Explorers at the Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
Accompanied by Pere Jacques Marquette, the Sieur Louis Joliet, commissioned by the French Government at Quebec to explore the Mississippi River, stopped on this bank in 1673, according to the "Jesuit Relations" by Thevenot. They were feasted by the Indians on buffalo meat, bear's grease and white plums.
Erected 1940 by Kentucky Historical Society. (Marker Number 46.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Exploration. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 9, 1779.
Location. 36° 58.204′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase. It is also in the American Midwest, in the South, in the Upper South, in the Ohio River Valley, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: King Mounds (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ceremonial Mound (about 400 feet away); Welcome to Wickliffe Mounds (about 400 feet away); Burial Mound (about 600 feet away); Private First Class Robert Monroe Hammonds (approx. 0.4 miles away); County Named, 1842 (approx. 0.4
Photographed by Mark Parker, October 16, 2023
2. South Side of Marker
Also see . . .
1. Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site. Discover Kentucky Archeology website entry (Submitted on May 2, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. La Salle. Wikipedia entry detailing the life and explorations of LaSalle. (Submitted on May 2, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 17, 2009
3. North Side of Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 17, 2009
4. South Side of Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 17, 2009
5. The Prince of the French Explorers Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 17, 2009
6. Wickliffe Mounds
Archeological excavations place the time of occupation of the mound site between 1100 and 1350 A.D., or well before the French explorations.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,442 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 20, 2023, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 2, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
