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French exploration

For Gilbert Grosvenor, running National Geographic was a legacy, motivated by a passion to leave the world a better place.

Etienne Brulé was one of the great explorers—the first white man to see Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Superior, the first to set foot in Michigan. Why have you never heard of him?

Growing up in the Great Lakes region of North America, I developed an early appreciation for the European explorers who had long ago traveled the waterways of my home.

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