The French Build a Fort and a Colony

In the lower Mississippi River valley, the French chose the bluffs at the Natchez settlement as the site for a strong defensive fortification to block European intrusions from the south. After the peace terms that ended the 1716 conflict between the French and the Natchez tribe, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, required the Natchez to provide materials and labor to build Fort Rosalie, named for the Countess of Pontchartrain. The fort became the local seat of colonial government and was soon surrounded by French settlements and plantations. As the French sought a stable economy, they encouraged colonists to grow crops such as tobacco and indigo. Tensions between the French and the Natchez rose into violence throughout the 1720s, and when the French demanded additional land that included the White Apple village, an important settlement for the Natchez, the Natchez decided to take a stand.

Vidalia, Louisiana · United States