Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Louis Joliet, also known Louis Jolliet (September 21, 1645 - May 1700), was a Canadian explorer born in Quebec who is important for his discoveries in North America. (See French colonization of the Americas). He was taught at the Jesuit seminary but he left school in 1667 and set out for France. He and Father Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans to find the Mississippi River, in 1673. The city of Joliet, Illinois in the United States is named after him. Louis Joliet died some time in the month of May, 1700, being lost on a trip to one of his land holdings. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.