Father Marquette statue (+43.049, -91.151)

In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to see and explore the upper Mississippi River. Marquette is prominent in Great Lakes history. He helped found Jesuit missions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace). While there, he heard rumors of a large river to the west. He joined an expedition of Louis Joliet to find it. They took canoes along the edge of Lake Michigan to Green Bay, traveled up the Fox River to its source, portaged to the Wisconsin River, then followed it to where it emptied into the Mississippi. This junction is just downstream of present-day Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. In 1910, St. Mary’s Academy in Prairie du Chien erected a statue of Marquette on a pillar. It later was moved to the grounds of the Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce (along highway US-18), near the banks of the Mississippi River. Curiously, Marquette is facing east, so he has his back to the river.

The plaque at the base of the monument is labeled “Father James Marquette, S.J. who discovered the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, June 17, 1673.”

 

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Marquette www.wisconsinhistory.org 1920 photo

Holland, Michigan Centennial Park (+42.787, -86.108)
The Tulip Time Festival has been held since 1929, with the exception of the World War II years. New tulip bulbs are planted each year along the streets. Klompen (wooden shoes) dancers perform for the audiences. In my lifetime , I had never been to Holland for Tulip Time events, until this month! This year, we saw the Klompen dancers practicing their dances. One girl had her poplar wood shoe break in half, so ended up dancing in her socks. It was a worthwhile experience. There is much more to the festival, but at least I have had a start…

In the northern part of Holland, in a former swamp along the Macatawa River, is Windmill Island. It is the home of a 250 year old authentic Dutch windmill from the Netherlands which was moved to Holland in 1964. The windmill was fixed up, and is currently used for grinding grain. Tours are available. In the second photo, you get an idea of the size when you see the people on the deck that goes around the mill.  My picture is overexposed to show some of the varieties of tulips that are in the fields.

References:
http://www.tuliptime.com
http://www.cityofholland.com/windmillislandgardens
www.cityofholland.com/windmillislandgardens

Grand River, Riverside Park (+43.000, -85.672)
A good place to start the 43rd parallel journey is close to home, at the Grand River. This is the largest river in Michigan, and much of its lower watershed is close to the 43rd parallel. Riverside Park (a.k.a. Comstock Riverside Park) is obviously by the side of the river, upstream from downtown Grand Rapids. It is a popular destination for North Enders. More will follow about the park later. Suffice it to say that the Canada Goose population also enjoys Riverside.

I have always enjoyed reading maps and studying geography.  We learned about the Equator, North and South Poles, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Prime Meridian and International Date Line.   We knew that the 45th Parallel was halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, and were proud that it went across Michigan near the tip of the peninsula just north of Traverse City (where M-37 ends).

However, it was not until a few years ago that I realized how much of my personal life has been spent near the 43rd Parallel. Every house I have lived in is within a quarter degree of this line; in fact, my current residence is within 250 meters of the line.

I hope to explore more of the world along the 43rd Parallel. I will try to limit this blog to locations ranging from 42.5 degrees North to 43.5 degrees North. This gives a band of 69 miles width around the world, which should give plenty of choices to explore. My goal is to personally see some of this geography, and to share what I learn.