Description: (French Geographer, Astronomer and Mathematician Known for Mapping the 'Upper Mississippi River' Basin During the 1830s)
Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, a French geographer, astronomer, and mathematician, conducted three expeditions in the 1830s to map the Upper Mississippi River basin in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota. His accurate maps corrected previous mistakes, introduced elevation representation through hachuring, and were the first to incorporate Native American place names. Nicollet's work significantly influenced future American interior mapping, and he was later commemorated with Nicollet Tower in South Dakota.