Joseph Nicollet

Joseph Nicolas Nicollet (July 24, 1786 – September 11, 1843), also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French geographer, astronomer, and mathematician known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s. Nicollet led three expeditions in the region between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, primarily in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

Before emigrating to the United States, Nicollet was a professor of mathematics at Collège Louis-le-Grand, and a professor and astronomer at the Paris Observatory with Pierre-Simon Laplace. Political and academic changes in France led Nicollet to travel to the United States to do work that would bolster his reputation among academics in Europe. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1842.

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. They were also among the first to depict elevation by hachuring and the only maps to use regional Native American placenames. Nicollet's Map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi was published in 1843, following his death. Nicollet Tower, located in Sisseton, South Dakota is a monument to Nicollet and his work and was constructed in 1991.

Early life and education

Nicollet was born at Cluses in Savoy. He was very bright, showing aptitude in mathematics and astronomy that earned him a scholarship to the Jesuit college in Chambéry. He began teaching mathematics at age 19. He arrived in Washington, D.C., where he met with scientists and government officials, discussing scientific surveys of the country. The party was composed of John C. Frémont, who was appointed by the War Department to assist on the expedition in lieu of a military escort, Joseph Renville Jr., and Joseph LaFromboise, an agent for the American Fur Company who was half French, half Native American. On July 4, 1838, the expedition arrived at Pipestone Quarry, where the party members carved their initials on a rock.

Third expedition In his third and final expedition, guided by Louison Freniere, Nicollet retained the assistance from Frémont and was joined for part of his journey by the Jesuit Missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet. On this and on his second expedition, botanist Charles Geyer took extensive notes cataloging the area's native plants. On July 11, 1839, the second leg of his trip set out from Fort Pierre for Devil's Lake, North Dakota. From there, Nicollet travelled back across the Coteau des Prairies to Fort Snelling.

Legacy

Later in 1843, a book containing much of his work, Map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi, was published. and the city of Nicollet, all located in Minnesota.

In 1991, the Joseph N. Nicollet Tower and Interpretive Center was constructed in Sisseton, South Dakota near the path Nicollet had taken from Devil's Lake back to Fort Snelling on his final expedition. A banker and Sisseton resident became fascinated with Nicollet's story and work after reading Joseph N. Nicollet on the Plains and Prairies, a translation of Nicollet's journals, and raised $335,000 from seven local donors to build the monument. The 80-foot tall tower with 96 steps was primarily built of Douglas-fir from Idaho with concrete pillars and steel bolts. From the top, six counties in three states (South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota) can be seen, including a view of the Laurentian Divide, the Coteau des Prairies, and the ancient glacial valley that Nicollet mapped. The Interpretive Center houses 2,400 square feet of classroom space and exhibits, including Nicollet's map and a mural of Nicollet's meeting with Wanata, chief of the Yankton Dakota.