The French called it Le lac supérieur, meaning only that geographically it lay above Lake Huron, but in size Lake Superior stands above all other freshwater lakes in the world. The intrepid Frenchman Brulé discovered it around 1622. During the 1650's and 1660's French fur traders such as Radisson and Groseilliers, and Jesuits such as Fathers Allouez and Ménard, explored this great inland sea. Within 250 years fur-laden canoes had given way to huge boats carrying ore and grain to the world.