Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle

Born in Rouen, France, on November 22, 1643, Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle came to Canada in 1668, founded a first settlement near Montreal, led several expeditions on the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Illinois rivers, and completed the exploration of the Mississippi in 1682. On July 24, 1684, he sailed from France to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi, landed at Matagorda Bay on February 15, 1685, and established Fort St. Louis there. While on his way to Canada, he was murdered near the Trinity River on March 19, 1687. Described by Francis Parkman as a gentleman but not a courtier, a proud independent yet timid nature, and an explorer of bold vision and untiring energy, La Salle was also credited with a colony on Matagorda Bay that gave the United States its first claim to Texas as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Texas · United States