INTRODUCTION. 



SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OP GEOLOGY IN MICHIGAN. 



Before entering upon the consideration of the subjects strictly 

 belonging to this Report, a brief notice of what has heretofore 

 "been done in developing the Geology of Michigan, will undoubt- 

 edly be acceptable to the people of our State. 



The explorations and discoveries of the Jesuit Missionaries, 

 prosecuted for many years along the borders of the great Lakes, 

 may be passed over as. too remotely connected with the history 

 of Geology in Michigan, to justify their introduction into the 

 present report. The record of the wonderful labors and suffer- 

 ings of these early christian missionaries, may be found embod- 

 ied in the numerous volumes of a work entitled, " Relations de 

 oe que s'est passe de plus remarquable aux Missions des peres 

 de la compagnie de Jesus, en la Nouvelle Prance."* A con- 

 densed sketch derived from this source, is given in Foster and 

 Whitney's " Report on the Geology and Topography of a portion 

 of the Lake Superior Land District, in the State of Michigan, 

 Part I." 



The existence of copper in considerable quantity, upon the 

 shores of Lake Superior, had all along attracted the attention 

 of the Missionaries. The first mention made of the occurrence 

 of this metal is found in the Relation for 1659-60. The first 

 mining enterprise of which we have any account, was superin- 



*A copy of this remarkable and rare old work is in the possession of Judge Campbell, Prof. 

 of Law in the University. Other sources of information relative to this period are " Travels 

 Of the Jesuits into various parts of the world," &c. Vol. n., Loudon, 1762. " Early Jesuit 

 Missions in North America," by Rav. William Ingraham Kipp ; New York, 1847. " Lettres 

 •diuantes et curieuses," &c. Tome premier, pp. 637-818, Paris, 1846. For a knowledge of 

 these works, lam indebted to Prof. White. Much further information may he found in the 

 M Histoire de la Nouvelle France," and " Thevenot's Relations de divers Voyages Curioux," 

 and " Recueil de Voyages," Paris, 1681. 



