Giacomo Costantino Beltrami (1779 – January 6, 1855) 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). In Minnesota, Beltrami (in Polk County) and Beltrami County are named for him. He had an extensive network of notable figures for friends and acquaintances, including members of the powerful Medici family. Early life Beltrami was born in the city of Bergamo in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, the 16th of 17 children. His exact birth date is unknown because a fire destroyed baptismal records in 1793. 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. The republic was then an extension of France, and Beltrami worked his way into the Napoleonic government after becoming a Mason. Years later, when the Marche region again came under purview of the papal government, he was questioned for his activities. Beltrami was married to the sister of Count Pietro Bastogi, a notable Italian railway financier. In 1809, Beltrami became the friend of Giulia Spada de Medici. When she died at the age of 39 in 1820, he put together a collection of writings in her honor. He was distraught by her death, and this, combined with questions about his background during French occupation, led him to travel abroad. He visited a number of cities in Europe, reaching Liverpool, England in 1822. From there, he sailed to the United States; after two months at sea he arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in December 1822 or January 1823. Exploring North America In the U.S. he also began visiting a number of cities. He eventually began a voyage down the Ohio River with the intention of following it to the Mississippi and then south to New Orleans, Louisiana. While on board he met with the prominent United States Indian agent, Lawrence Taliaferro, who was planning to travel upriver on the Mississippi. Beltrami soon became obsessed with the idea of finding the river's source. In 1823, the two later joined with Stephen H. Long as they traveled upriver to Fort Saint Anthony. Beltrami followed Long and Taliaferro as they went about exploring and mapping, and interacting with the local Native American tribes. In July, after