Three Things: Great Lakes Map Edition

What? A Three Things post on a Wednesday?! It has been a fairly unorthodox past few days for us here at Hazel & Wren (more on that next week), but today I’m delighted to bring a very special Three Things edition, curated by our friend over at the Minnesota Historical Society, Pat Coleman.

This Saturday at 2:00 pm, you’ll find Pat at the Twin Cities Antiquarian & Rare Book Fair (located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds) sharing Midwest map gems and wisdom during the age of exploration. Today, he’s giving us a sneak peek at three such maps.

Writers, crack open those notebooks (or word docs) and write some words on the Great Lakes. Or maps. Or exploration. Or all of the above! And then head over to the Book Fair this weekend (details below) for some in-person inspiration.

Nicholas Sanson, “Le Canada, ou Nouvelle France…” 1656.

Says Coleman: The Sanson map was the first to show the existence of five Great Lakes. Note that Superior and Michigan are open ended to the west and south since it was still unclear where and how far the body of water extended.

Vincenzo Coronelli, “Partie Occidentale du Canada…” 1688.

Says Coleman: Thirty-two years after Sanson, thanks to information from explorers such as Father Hennepin, French cartographers knew with a high degree of accuracy what the Great Lakes looked like. The source of the Mississippi River was still pure conjecture.

Jacques Nicolas Bellin, “Partie Occidentale de la Nouvelle France…” 1755.

Says Coleman: By the mid-18th century, there were few secrets about the geography of the Great Lakes, so a fabulous French map maker, Bellin, made a few things up. For the next one hundred years these fictional islands in Superior appear on maps.

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The 23rd Annual Twin Cities Antiquarian & Rare Book Fair 2013
Progress Center, Minnesota State Fairgrounds

Friday, June 28  3 pm–8 pm
Saturday, June 29  10 am–4 pm

$7 Opening Night, $5 Saturday, free parking