Historical Maps

1300-1400: The Ojibway Migration Map

This is the route that the Ojibway people took from the east prior to the arrival of the Europeans. They took this route to fulfill the prophecy about finding "Food on the Water" or Wild Rice. The last and final place that they rested was Madeline Island where Father Baraga would end up serving most of his mission among the Ojibway people. Chequamegon Bay is located just south of Madeline Island.

Subsistence Patterns in the Great Lakes Regions

Locations where Wild Rice could be found when the Ojibway people relocated to the Lake Superior Region

Indigenous Peoples of North America, 1500 CE

Maps 101 Description of Indigenous Peoples of North America.

1500's: Mi'kmac Villages in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence

These are the names of the Mi'kmaq villages that that were in the region that Jacques Cartier explored.

1500's: Ojibway (Algonquin) & Iroquois Indian Nation Distribution

The yellow markers are the Ojibway (Algonquin) nations, the green are the location of the Iroquoian nations and the red are the locations of the Iroquois Indians,

1535: Jacques Cartier Voyages

Jacques Cartier was a French Explorer who was one of the first explorers to map the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence. The Mi'qmac tribe of the Ojibway Nation lived out in this region. It is here that the first French flag was staked laying claim to the land in this region. This region would soon be known as "New France".

1535: Villages during Jacques Cartier's explorations

These are the names of the villages at the time in that region which would later be called "Montreal" and "Quebec".

Samuel de Champlain's 1632 Map

This is Samuel de Champlain's 1632 Largest and Most Accurate Map at that time depicting the Gulf of St. Lawrence all the way to Lake Superior. This was obtained from RareMaps.com

1634: Jean Nicolet's Expedition

Jean Nicolet was sent by Chaplain to explore the Great Lakes Region. He was the first to go to Sault Ste. Marie.

1636-1698: Jesuit Missions viewed from the north

Looking to the south in this map from Canada, one can see the locations of the missions that were being set up by the Jesuit Priests in the 1600's. The first missions started in the New York/Quebec region. The priests then migrated along the route that the Ojibway people took until they started to set up missions around Lake Superior. Father Baraga would end up in this region close to 150 years after these missions were set up. You can click on the link below to see the legend for this map in a different window.

1641-1660: Father Rene Menard Canoe Voyage

Father Rene Menard canoed through the Ojibway lands. These were the three journeys that he made by canoe.

1666: Father Claude-Jean Allouez Map of Lake Superior

This image was created by Father Claude-Jean Allouez in 1666. It shows the connections between Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.