Giacomo Beltrami

Giacomo Costantino Beltrami (1779 – January 6, 1855[1]) was an Italian jurist, author, and explorer, known for claiming to have discovered the headwaters of the Mississippi River in 1823 while on a trip through much of the United States (later expeditions determined a different source).

[2] He had an extensive network of notable figures for friends and acquaintances, including members of the powerful Medici family.

He apparently had a fair amount of schooling in literature, law, and other subjects before leaving to become a soldier for the Cisalpine Republic in 1797.

While on board he met with the prominent United States Indian agent, Lawrence Taliaferro, who was planning to travel upriver on the Mississippi.

He eventually split from their expedition in August, when the group had reached Pembina, and instead set off with some Ojibwe Indian guides on his personal quest to find the source of the river.

He made the return trip downriver to Fort Saint Anthony and continued south to New Orleans, arriving in December.

By that time, Beltrami was on a voyage through Mexico where he collected Aztec objects, classified plants and animals, and observed the area's political system.

In 1834, Beltrami moved to Heidelberg, Germany and befriended Josef Anton Mittermaier, a notable jurist of the time.