Jason Lee Willis

Jason Lee Willis is a Minnesota author who has explored the lives of French explorers Joseph Nicollet and Pierre Charles LeSueur and Baron Lahontan in his books “Tales of the Blue Earth and The Alchemist Chronicles“ In this historical presentation, sponsored by the French–American Heritage Foundation of Minnesota (FAHF), Jason will discuss the life and times of Nicollet, who is known for mapping the upper Mississippi River basin in the 1830’s.

Date: May 1, 2025

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Place: Dupuis House at the Sibley Historical Site
1357 Sibley Memorial Highway, Mendota.

Cost: $15.00

May 1 Joseph Nicollet — French Geographer, Astronomer and Mathematician, presentation by author Jason Lee Willis at the Sibley Historic Site, 6:30 p.m. refreshments, 7:00 p..m to 8:00 p.m. presentation. Cost: $15. Register on FAHF website, or via QR code on email announcement, or mail check to our P.O. Box. Seating is limited.
May 3 Gammelgården Museum’s Annual Season Opening Day, in Scandia, Minnesota, from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. FAHF will represent one of the cultures that had immigrants in Minnesota during the 1850s-1880s.
June 20 Frances Anne Hopkins: Hudson Bay Company Wife, Voyageur’s Artist, presentation by author MaryEllen Weller-Smith at “Mendota After Hours” Sibley Historic Site, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Register online via dakotahistory.org/events.)
June 22 Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Sibley Historic Site, Noon – 4 p.m. (No registration needed, no cost to attend.)
August 3 St. John the Baptist Parish Festival, Dayton, MN, Noon – 5 p.m.
September 5 and 6 Osseo Minnesota’s Sesquicentennial (150-Year) Celebration

2025 EVENTS PROPOSED AND/OR IN PROGRESS

In Progress: Fall (Date / Time / Location TBD) Médard Chouart des Groseilliers and Pierre-Esprit Radisson — French Explorers and Fur Traders, presentation by Greg Cash

Proposed Rescheduled Event: NextGen Night Out (New date, time, and location TBD.)

Proposed: Danielle Enblom Presentation: Tremblay / Nadon Ancestral Connections Among Québec, Manitoba, Minnesota and the Métis Nation.

Proposed: Mark Dillon Presentation: Rev. E.B. Gauverau, and the former Beardsley, Minnesota, Church of St. Mary.

Proposed: Minnesota with a French Accent educational presentations.

We welcome your ideas and your participation.

2026 EVENTS PROPOSED AND/OR IN PROGRESS

Under Development, Highland Heritage Project, Mark Labine presentation at Celeste of Saint Paul, Date TBD

Jason Lee Willis

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