Staking a Claim

During the sixteenth century, France sought to expand its empire as Spain, the world's leading power, already held a foothold in the Americas and was gaining riches through trade and plunder. France's first attempt to establish a permanent claim in the present-day United States of America was at La Caroline. The strategic importance of the Saint Johns River was evident when French explorer Jean Ribault claimed this area for France by erecting a column on the river's south bank in 1562, and the waterways of the Timucuan Preserve have continued to sustain society in a variety of ways.

Jacksonville, Florida · United States