Re-Interpreting Champlain's Map of 1632: The Great Lakes. Robert J. Thaler, Saginaw Valley State University, Department of Sociology, University Center, MI 48710 A renewed examination of Samuel de Champlain's famed map of 1632 suggests that it is a far more accurate representation of Michigan and the Great Lakes area than has heretofore been acknowledged. Most previous interpreters have been misled by their lack of familiarity with details of Michigan's inland and coastal landscapes, as well as by distortions of scale and longitudinal direction common in maps of this era. Analysis of Native American legends, and seventeenth-century archaeological sites in the Great Lakes region, tend to confirm many aspects of the map which were previously questioned or unrecognized. The sources of Champlain's information at this early date remain unknown, but could indicate a French presence in Michigan earlier than is generally accepted.
