Pierre Gaultier de Varennes was born in Quebec in 1685, born to French parents. Pierre went on to become a French Canadian military officer and began a fur trading enterprise in the 1730’s. His brother Jacques-Rene became commander of the North Shore of Lake Superior some years before, which enabled Pierre to found trading posts in the region, along the Saint Lawrence River.
On this day, July 20th, in 1738, French explorer Pierre Gaultier discovers Lake Michigan. Pierre would become an explorer in addition to a businessman, as would his three sons. In Canada there are a number of places and monument named after him.
Lake Michigan is one of the five great lakes located in Northeast United States. The state that shares its name is believed to have its etymology from an Ojibawa word “mishigami,” which roughly translates to “great water.” Lake Michigan was widely used by traders, as it connected to the Saint Lawrence River, and to the Mississippi River, and ultimately to Mexico.