Details

The 1744 Bellin-Charlevoix map of the Great Lakes was a significant cartographic achievement. It constituted one of the most pioneering and trendsetting depictions of this region on the market. The map stands out in the cartographic history of Canada/New France because it, on one hand, offered unparalleled accuracy and detail, but on the other, instigated a cartographic myth that would resound for generations. The apocryphal elements introduced by this map did not just affect geographic conceptions of this region but also directly impacted the confrontations between British Canada and an emergent American republic.

Measuring 18 by 11 inches, Bellin’s map presents a meticulously detailed view of the Great Lakes region. All five lakes are fully delineated, including the complex systems of tributaries that feed into them. Other anchoring points, such as fortifications, Native American villages, and missions, are generously intermixed with a speculative topography. Among the most notable features are four spurious islands in Lake Superior labeled Philippeux, Pontchartrain, Maurepas, and St. Anne. Despite not reflecting any observed reality, these islands would play a significant role in delineating the United States’ border with Canada (see context section).

In addition to introducing non-existent islands in Lake Superior, the map includes early mentions of important American toponyms, such as Detroit and Chicago. While these would develop into iconic American cities over the coming centuries, at this stage, they were little more than landing sites for riverine trade. Their inclusion underscores Bellin’s cartographic expertise, but for us, their presence also echoes a greatness still to come.

Context is Everything

The map was prepared by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin for inclusion in Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix’s seminal work from 1744: Histoire et description generale de la Nouvelle France. Charlevoix was a Jesuit missionary and traveler whom the French Crown had commissioned to undertake an exploratory mission to the French territories in North America. Charlevoix traveled extensively throughout New France, but we know from his writings that he never visited Lake Superior. Even so, he ingeniously invented the four fictitious islands as a tribute to his main patron, the Count of Maurepas.

When Bellin was provided with Charlevoix’s extensive notes to compile this map, he faithfully incorporated the four islands – partly because Charlevoix claimed them to be extremely rich in minerals. Being one of France’s foremost cartographers, Bellin’s reliability was considered unimpeachable – especially in New France. The non-existent islands were adopted by other great 18th-century mapmakers, including John Mitchell, in his seminal 1755 Map of the British and French Dominions in North America.

This map was a guiding document behind the Treaty of Paris (1783), formally ending the Revolutionary War. The treaty delineated a new border between the United States and British Canada and used the fictitious Philippeaux Islands as a marker for that border. While this eventually would lead to renewed strife over territorial boundaries, one cannot attribute carelessness to Mitchell for using Bellin’s map as a template. Indeed, Charlevoix’s descriptions of New France continued to be among the best descriptions of North America for generations.