From his early childhood in France, James Marquette longed to be a missionary and bring the knowledge of God to the American Indians. Shortly after his ordination in the Society of Jesus he was sent to Quebec in Canada where he learned the Indian languages and customs. A second desire, to explore the Great River, the Mississippi, was also fulfilled later when he and Louis Joliet were assigned to this dangerous mission. On the trip down the Mississippi they met with exciting adventures - hostile Indians, wild beasts, perilous waters and returned safely much to the awe and wonder of the superstitious natives.

Father Marquette, his health broken by his Mississippi voyage, was returning to his beloved Illinois Indians to teach them the truths of Christianity, when he died in the wilderness.

Of all the early explorers of America Father Marquette is probably one of the best known. The maps and notes he made of the Mississippi region were invaluable to the settlement of that section of the country.