La Salle in Indiana

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, born in Rouen, France, in 1643 and died in 1687, emigrated in 1666 to New France near present Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He led explorations from 1679 to 1682 in search of trade, expanded empire for France, and reached the mouth of the Mississippi River. On April 9, 1682, he claimed the entire Mississippi River basin for France and named it Louisiana. In 1679, La Salle and his men came to present Indiana by traveling on the St. Joseph and Kankakee rivers. They canoed down the meandering Kankakee River through vast marsh-swamp-dune ecosystems that covered over 625 square miles and teemed with game including fish, waterfowl, and mammals. The Kankakee River forms part of the northern and northwestern boundary of Starke County.

Indiana · United States