Priest's log cabin was first structure at site which became Chicago

Pere Marquette was an explorer and cartographer, but, first and foremost, he was a Jesuit priest and missionary for the Roman Catholic Church.

“Pere” is the French word for “Father.” So Pere Marquette is the French churchman, Father Jacques Marquette, who explored the interior of the American continent in the second half of the 17th century in connection with his efforts to convert the American Indians. His impact was felt widely, as indicated by the many landmarks and institutions which bear his name.

In the Great Lakes region, tributes to Marquette constitute a long list, including the city of Marquette, Michigan, a lake and a river, a highway and a national forest, a railroad, a university, lots of streets, a state park on the Mississippi River near Grafton, Illinois, a hotel in Peoria, and a credit union.

Father Marquette established the earliest European settlements in Michigan, at Sault Ste. Marie in 1668 and at St. Ignace in 1671. St. Ignace was named in honor of the founder of the Jesuit order, Ignatius Loyola. 

Marquette University, founded in 1881 by the Jesuits, is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with graduate and undergraduate studies and a Jesuit male prep school. In 1909, Marquette became the first Jesuit university in the world to officially admit women students.

The priest lived among the Great Lakes Indians for nine years, from 1666 to his death in 1675. During that period, Marquette mastered several native languages and helped fellow explorer Louis Jolliet map the Mississippi River. 

Perhaps Marquette’s most significant settlement, from a geo-political standpoint, was on the shore of Lake Michigan in what is now Illinois. His log cabin and Jesuit mission site, the first buildings for what would later be known as Chicago, were established on this date, December 4, in 1674.

He returned to Illinois In October 1674 to live and preach among the Kaskaskian tribe. When winter came on, he could not reach his destination. Rather, he wintered near present day Chicago. 

Pere Marquetteís primary purpose was the saving of souls. In the process of this mission, he developed settlements which became cities in their own right, far beyond the specific evangelistic purpose which led to their founding.

The work of this one missionary reminds us of the humble surroundings of Jesus’ life and how his Advent led to expansion of Christianity beyond all human expectations.

Verse for Today

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear on this website, in keeping with Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.