Maps
When French explorers began serious exploration of the Great Lakes in the 17th century, maps soon followed. Through a combination of artistry, the scientific method, and the occasional flight of fancy to fill in a void, mapmakers labored to create charts and finished maps that would please their royal employers as well as, define and cement France's North American Empire. The Clarke Historical Library is privileged to hold many French maps from both the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as an extensive collection of other maps of Michigan, the Northwest Territory, and the Great lakes.
By studying early French maps, it becomes clear that commerce and trade routes were very important to the French. For European traders, good maps that identified the safest and quickest routes over land and water often meant the difference between profit and failure, or even between life and death. As the fur trade progressed, the profit it produced helped increase French settlement. The French success in the fur trade inspired the British and the Dutch to compete for a share of the profits. This atmosphere only fueled the desire for more and better maps of the Great Lakes region.
Despite the best efforts of experienced cartographers, errors were made and cartographic progress was often slow. Many areas were initially too difficult to explore and so were left blank by some mapmakers. Other cartographers filled in blank spaces by using partial data or flights of fancy as this late 18th century map documents with its portrayal of great mountains in central Michigan and large, mysterious islands in Lake Superior.