Jolliet & Marquette’s Discovery of Chicago – Lecture Series

“Jolliet & Marquette’s Discovery of Chicago”
Presented by John Langer and Gary Mechanic

Rediscover the lives and legacy of the 17th Century French explorer Louis Jolliet and Jesuit missionary Father Jacques Marquette. Friends of the Chicago Portage tour guides John Langer and Gary Mechanic explore the lives and journeys of Jolliet & Marquette as we celebrate the 350th anniversary of their epic discovery of the Mississippi River and the Chicago Portage. John and Gary are veteran Friends of the Chicago Portage tour guides. John grew up in the area of the Portage, lives in Villa Park and is a local realtor. Gary is a 3rd generation Chicagoan, the founder of Friends of the Chicago Portage and producer of this lecture series.

Friends of the Chicago Portage will present four free public history lectures in its 2023 Lecture Series celebrating the discovery, location and development of the Chicago Portage. Accomplished local authors, historians and storytellers will explore the colorful history of how the passage of a pair of Frenchmen though the Portage 350 years ago led to the birth of a city, and how subsequent improvements created Chicago. All four lectures will begin at 1 p.m. on the last Saturday of January – April, at the Lyons Public Library located at 4209 Joliet Ave., in Lyons.