Red Banks

Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
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	SE 1/4 Sec 32, T25N R22E, Brown County. Wayside commemorating Jean Nicolet's arrival in Wisconsin in 1634, on State Route 57 about 7 miles northeast of Green Bay. Widening of Highway 57 has eliminated direct access. The statue was reached, for a while by a turnoff where County A intersects Highway 57, but the statue was so hard to reach that it was later moved.
	Statue of Jean Nicolet on the escarpment near Red Banks. Widening of the highway cut of access to this wayside and the statue is now at Wequiock Falls Count Park.
"Many of the explorers who followed Columbus were more interested in finding an easy route to Asia than they were in exploring and settling this continent. In 1634 Jean Nicolet, emissary of Gov. Samuel de Champlain of New France, landed at Red Banks on the shore of Green Bay about a mile west of here. His mission was to arrange peace with the "People of the Sea" and to ally them with France. Nicolet half expected to meet Asiatics on his voyage and had with him an elaborate Oriental robe which he put on before landing. The Winnebago Indians who met him were more impressed with the "thunder" he carried in both hands as he stepped ashore firing his pistols. Nicolet reported to his superiors that he was well entertained with "sixscore beavers" being served at one banquet, but it was the pelts and not the flesh of the beaver that were to be highly prized by those who followed him."

Silurian Escarpment at Red Banks


	Above: Views of outcrops near the Nicolet statue Road cut on County A just northeast of the monument.

Created 22 September 2000, Last Update 29 April 2011

Not an official UW Green Bay site