Early History. Clip: Special | 5m 34s Video has Closed Captions | CC. The Fox River was a vital travel route for Wisconsin’s First Nations and French explorers. Aired 05/03/2023 | Rating TV-PG ...

The upper Mississippi was charted in the 1670s by two French explorers, Jolliet and Marquette. Their feat set the stage for America’s westward expansion – for good and ill.