The Jolliet-Marquette expedition, 1673

This scholarly monograph was published in 1927 as a critical reassessment of the 1673 expedition led by Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette. Francis Borgia Steck, a Franciscan historian, sought to challenge the prevailing historical consensus of the time, which heavily favored the prominence of the Jesuit missionary Marquette. Steck’s research scrutinized the primary source materials and the editorial modifications of the official journals, arguing for a more nuanced understanding of Jolliet's leadership and the specific trajectory of the exploration.

The work emerged during a period of intense historical revisionism regarding the exploration of the Mississippi River. Steck’s approach was academic and polemical, aiming to restore Jolliet’s professional standing against the clerical narratives that had dominated the historiography for centuries. While the book was received with significant debate within historical circles for its challenging stance on established Catholic accounts, it remains a foundational, albeit controversial, text for those studying the complexities of New France exploration.