Historic figure remembered This marker commemorating Nicolet's landing in the vicinity of Green Bay in 1634 was put up in 1909 (submitted photo). The historical society plans to restore a forgotten marker By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle The exact location of Jean Nicolet's first steps in Brown County in 1634 is debated, but the Brown County Historical Society won't let one of the possible sites go to developers. Nicolet, according to the historical society, is thought to have been the first European explorer to set foot on the shores of Green Bay. According to Wendy Barszcz, the historical society's executive director, Nicolet's landing marks the vicinity of the oldest settlement in what was to become Wisconsin. Land was recently donated to the historical society so it can create a lasting monument to Nicolet and the site. "We are not ever going to let it go back to ruins," said Larry De Groot, project commitee member. "I cannot think of anything in Brown County that is more historically significant." Nicolet was born in France but moved to Canada in 1618 as an employee for the Company of New France, a body holding the rights to French assets in North America, according to a 1984 article written by Jerrold C. Rodesch in Voyageur Magazine. Nicolet learned the Algonkin and Huron languages, becoming a valuable interpreter to Native American tribes. As a mediator, he was asked by New France to resolve conflicts between the Winnebago and Huron Indians. Surprisingly, Nicolet's coming to Green Bay via the Fox River was not discovered by historians until the late 1880s when works by Benjamin SultŽ and Consul W. Butterfield shared his story. Nicolet's personage meant various things to different historical figures. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke of Nicolet in a speech in Green Bay, hailing him as a pioneer figure conquering mother nature in pursuit of independence. Father Thomas J. Campbell, a Jesuit priest, remembered Nicolet as a simple trading post worker and a translator. Much of what is known of Nicolet was recorded by Jesuit priests. Additional land for the marker was donated by Marion Sickel, who purchased it from the town of Scott. As is, the land for the marker is partly comprised of grass and the remnants of the Red Banks Supper Club, which was destroyed by fire. It also houses an existing 1909 monument to Nicolet. Half of the site went untouched for about 20 years, De Groot said. The bay shore site will undergo changes in its first year, once enough funds are collected. Changes made to the property will consist of a parking lot for three cars, new landscaping, moving the existing 1909 monument to clear the only space for a driveway and installing signs on Nicolet Drive to guide drivers to the marker, according to De Groot. De Groot said he expects the current monument, a marble plaque resting on boulders joined by mortar, to fall apart upon moving it. The new marker, constructed with the original stones and same marble plaque, will replicate the old one as best as possible. However, De Groot said the historical society is determined not to let the land be made into a bait shop or waste away. Although the actual location where Nicolet first met the Winnebago Indians is debated, De Groot said he is convinced that Benderville, or Red Banks, is the general area where it occurred. The site is located one mile east of the intersection on State 57 and County A. The historical society has collected $700 in donations from various organizations, but De Groot said $14,000 is needed to complete plans for the first year. Funding for the marker must come from funds separate from those for the Hazelwood Historic House Museum and other historical society projects, such as its support for Voyageur Magazine, he said. To make a contribution for the marker, call the Brown County Historical Society at 920-437-1840 or mail a check designated for the Red Banks Project, to P.O. Box 1411, Green Bay, WI 54305-1411.