René - Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle - wikipedia René - Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle This article is about the French explorer. For the French priest of that era with the same surname for whom La Salle University is named, see Jean - Baptiste de La Salle. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2010 ) René - Robert Cavelier A 19th - century engraving of Cavelier de La Salle ( 1643 - 11 - 22 ) November 22, 1643 Rouen, Normandy, France March 19, 1687 ( 1687 - 03 - 19 ) ( aged 43 ) present day Huntsville, Texas Nationality French Occupation explorer Known for exploring the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico Signature Memorial Plaque to de La Salle in Rouen René - Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de La Salle ( November 22, 1643 -- March 19, 1687 ) was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the entire Mississippi River basin for France. Contents 1 Early life 2 Family 3 Explorations 3.1 Fort Frontenac 3.2 Le Griffon and Fort Miami 3.3 Final expeditions 4 Legacy 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 7.1 External links Early life Robert Cavelier was born on November 22, 1643, into a comfortably well - off family in Rouen, France, in the parish Saint - Herbland. When he was younger, he enjoyed science and nature. As a man, he studied with the Jesuit religious order and became a member after taking initial vows in 1660. At his request on March 27, 1667, after he was in Canada, he was released from the Society of Jesus after citing `` moral weaknesses. '' Although he left the order, never took final vows in it, and later became hostile to it, historians sometimes described him incorrectly as a priest or a leader. Family Coat of Arms of René - Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle La Salle never married, but has been linked to Madeleine de Roybon d'Allonne, an early settler of New France. His older brother, Jean Cavelier, was a Sulpician priest. His parents were Jean Cavelier and Catherine Geest. Explorations Required to reject his father 's legacy when he joined the Jesuits, La Salle was nearly destitute when he traveled as a prospective colonist to North America. He sailed for New France in the spring of 1666. His brother Jean, a Sulpician priest, had moved there the year before. He was granted a seigneurie on land at the western end of the Island of Montreal, which became known as Lachine. ( This was apparently from the French la Chine, meaning China. Some sources say the name referred to his desire to find a route to China, though the evidence for this claim is unclear and has been disputed. ) La Salle immediately began to issue land grants, set up a village and learn the languages of the native people, mostly Mohawk in this area. The Mohawk told him of a great river, called the Ohio, which flowed into the Mississippi River. Thinking the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, he began to plan for expeditions to find a western passage to China. He sought and received permission from Governor Daniel Courcelle and Intendant Jean Talon to embark on the enterprise. He sold his interests in Lachine to finance the venture. In 1682, he named the area Louisiana after King Louis XIV of France. Fort Frontenac On July 12, 1673, the Governor of New France, Louis de Buade de Frontenac, arrived at the mouth of the Cataraqui River to meet with leaders of the Five Nations of the Iroquois to encourage them to trade with the French. While the groups met and exchanged gifts, Frontenac 's men, led by La Salle, hastily constructed a rough wooden palisade on a point of land by a shallow, sheltered bay. Originally the fort was named Fort Cataraqui but was later renamed Fort Frontenac by La Salle in honor of his patron. The purpose of Fort Frontenac was to control the lucrative fur trade in the Great Lakes Basin to the west. The fort was also meant to be a bulwark against the English and Dutch, who were competing with the French for control of the fur trade. La Salle was left in command of the fort in 1673. Thanks to his powerful protector, the discoverer managed, during a voyage to France in 1674 -- 75, to secure for himself the grant of Fort Cataraqui and acquired letters of nobility for himself and his descendants. With Frontenac 's support, he received not only a fur trade concession, with permission to establish frontier forts, but also a title of nobility. He returned and rebuilt Frontenac in stone. An Ontario Heritage Trust plaque describes La Salle at Cataraqui as `` ( a ) major figure in the expansion of the French fur trade into the Lake Ontario region, Using the fort as a base, he undertook expeditions to the west and southwest in the interest of developing a vast fur - trading empire. '' Henri de Tonti joined his explorations as his lieutenant. Le Griffon and Fort Miami Painting by Theodore Gudin titled La Salle 's Expedition to Louisiana in 1684. The ship on the left is La Belle, in the middle is Le Joly, and L'Aimable is to the right. They are at the entrance to Matagorda Bay In early 1679, La Salle 's expedition built Fort Conti at the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario. There they loaded supplies from Fort Frontenac into smaller boats ( canoes or bateaux ), so they could continue up the shallow and swiftly flowing lower Niagara River to what is now the location of Lewiston, New York. There the Iroquois had a well - established portage route which bypassed the rapids and the cataract later known as Niagara Falls. La Salle built Le Griffon, a seven - cannon, 45 - ton barque, on the upper Niagara River at or near Cayuga Creek. She was launched on August 7, 1679. La Salle sailed in Le Griffon up Lake Erie to Lake Huron, then up Huron to Michilimackinac and on to present - day Green Bay, Wisconsin. Le Griffon left for Niagara with a load of furs, but was never seen again. He continued with his men in canoes down the western shore of Lake Michigan, rounding the southern end to the mouth of the Miami River ( now St. Joseph River ), where they built a stockade in January 1680. They called it Fort Miami ( now known as St. Joseph, Michigan ). There they waited for Tonti and his party, who had crossed the Lower Michigan peninsula on foot. Tonti arrived on November 20 ; on December 3, the entire party set off up the St. Joseph, which they followed until they had to take a portage at present - day South Bend, Indiana. They crossed to the Kankakee River and followed it to the Illinois River. There they built Fort Crèvecoeur, which later led to the development of present - day Peoria, Illinois. La Salle set off on foot for Fort Frontenac for supplies. While he was gone, the soldiers at Ft. Crevecoeur mutinied, destroyed the fort, and exiled Tonti, whom he had left in charge. He later captured the mutineers on Lake Ontario, before rendezvousing with Tonti at St. Ignace, Michigan. Final expeditions Claiming Louisiana for France La Salle reassembled a party for another major expedition. In 1682 he departed Fort Crevecoeur with a group of Frenchmen and Indians and canoed down the Mississippi River. He named the Mississippi basin La Louisiane in honor of Louis XIV and claimed it for France. At what later became the site of Memphis, Tennessee, he built the small Fort Prudhomme. On April 9, 1682, at the mouth of the Mississippi River near modern Venice, Louisiana, he buried an engraved plate and a cross, claiming the territory for France. In 1683, on his return voyage, La Salle established Fort Saint - Louis of Illinois, at Starved Rock on the Illinois River, to replace Fort Crevecoeur. He appointed Tonti to command the fort while he traveled to France for supplies. On July 24, 1684, He departed France and returned to America with a large expedition designed to establish a French colony on the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the Mississippi River. They had four ships and 300 colonists. The expedition was plagued by pirates, hostile Indians, and poor navigation. One ship was lost to pirates in the West Indies, a second sank in the inlets of Matagorda Bay, and a third ran aground there. They founded a new Fort Saint - Louis, on Garcitas Creek in the vicinity of present - day Victoria, Texas. La Salle led a group eastward on foot on three occasions to try to locate the mouth of the Mississippi. During a final search for the Mississippi River, some of La Salle 's remaining 36 men mutinied, near the site of present Navasota, Texas. On March 19, 1687, he was slain by Pierre Duhaut during an ambush while talking to Duhaut 's decoy, Jean L'Archevêque. They were `` six leagues '' from the westernmost village of the Hasinai ( Tejas ) Indians. Duhaut was killed to avenge La Salle, while Jean L'Archevêque was killed in 1720 by Indians during the Villasur expedition -- coincidentally in an ambush beside a river. The Fort Saint Louis colony lasted only until 1688, when Karankawa - speaking Native Americans killed the 20 remaining adults and took five children as captives. Tonti sent out search missions in 1689 when he learned of the settlers ' fate, but failed to find survivors. There is some disagreement about accepting Navasota as the site of La Salle 's death. The historian Robert Weddle, for example, believes that his travel distances were miscalculated, and that he was murdered just east of the Trinity River. Legacy Statue of de La Salle located in Navasota, Texas Statue of La Salle in Lincoln Park, Chicago as seen in the January 1919 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Bronze plaque honoring LA SALLE, at Old Fort Niagara, NY. La Salle 's major legacy was establishing the network of forts from Fort Frontenac to outposts along the Great Lakes, Ohio, Illinois and Mississippi rivers that came to define French territorial, diplomatic and commercial policy for almost a century between his first expedition and the 1763 cession of New France to Great Britain. In addition to the forts, which also served as authorized agencies for the extensive fur trade, La Salle 's visits to Illinois and other Indians cemented the French policy of alliance with Indians in the common causes of containing both Iroquois influence and Anglo - American settlement. He also gave the name Louisiana to the interior North American territory he claimed for France, which lives on in the name of a US state. His efforts to encompass modern - day Ontario and the eight American states that border the Great Lakes became a foundational effort in defining the Great Lakes region. In 1995, La Salle 's primary ship La Belle was discovered in the muck of Matagorda Bay. It has been the subject of archeological research. Through an international treaty, the artifacts excavated from La Belle are owned by France and held in trust by the Texas Historical Commission. The collection is held by the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. Artifacts from La Belle are shown at nine museums across Texas. The wreckage of his ship L'Aimable has yet to be located. A possible shipwreck of Le Griffon in Lake Michigan is the subject of a lawsuit concerning ownership of artifacts. A more promising wreck has now been identified in the depths of northern Lake Michigan, divers Monroe and Dykster happened upon an ancient wreckage in 2011 while looking for Confederate gold. The bowsprit of their find includes what appears to be a carved wooden Griffin, similar to other examples of the French 17th Century. News of the find was not released to the public until December 2014, when it was published in the editor 's note of issue # 34 of `` Wreck Diver '' Magazine. Authentication of the find is expected to be painstaking, but forthcoming. The ghost town of Indianola, Texas near Matagorda Bay has a statue of La Salle. Many places were named in La Salle 's honor, as was the LaSalle automobile brand. ( See La Salle for a list of places, most of which were named after him ). Fort LaSalle at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario LaSalle, in Essex County, Ontario, south of Windsor on the Detroit River LaSalle, Quebec is a borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Avenue La Salle, located in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada. Lasalle Road, a prominent east - west road to the south of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. LaSalle County, Illinois, the city of LaSalle and the La Salle Speedway within it. LaSalle Parish, Louisiana LaSalle - Peru Township High School in LaSalle, Illinois has the mascot of the Cavaliers ( Cavs ) and Lady Cavaliers ( Lady Cavs ). La Salle Avenue in Waco, Texas. LaSalle Elementary School in Creve Coeur, Illinois, located near the site of Fort Crevecoeur. La Salle Street in Navasota, Texas. It also contains a statue given by the French Government in honor of the explorer. La Salle Avenue, a prominent downtown street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The La Salle Neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, the place where La Salle 's ship, Le Griffon, was built in 1679. The La Salle Expressway, a prominent roadway through Niagara Falls, New York and its outer suburbs. LaSalle Street, a major north - south thoroughfare in Chicago, leads directly to the Board of Trade, and is the center of Chicago 's financial district. LaSalle Avenue, a thoroughfare in South Bend, Indiana, which traverses the downtown area and carries a portion of U.S. Route 20 Business. LaSalle Park, Burlington, Ontario Robert LaSalle County Park, Door County, Wisconsin. The Door County Historical Society commemorates the site as a Robert de LaSalle landing place in 1679. Jardin Cavelier de La Salle in the 6ème arrondissement in Paris La Salle Hotel in downtown Bryan, Texas The La Salle Causeway, connecting Kingston, Ontario to neighbouring Barriefield, Ontario. La Salle Hotel, Chicago École secondaire publique De La Salle in Ottawa, Ontario Six Flags Over Texas opened with an animatronic attraction named La Salle 's River Adventure Ride. It closed in 1982, but a recreation of Ft. Saint Louis remains. La Salle Secondary School in Kingston, Ontario LaSalle Boulevard and Cavelier Road in Marquette Heights, Illinois, near Fort Crèvecoeur La Salle Park in Burlington, Ontario Notes Jump up ^ The Order prohibited a man taking final vows before the age of twenty - five. He was still considered a part of the Order as he was later barred to his inheritance. Jump up ^ Parkman, Francis ( 1869 ). `` Chapter 1 : Cavelier De La Salle ''. The Discovery of the Great West. France and England in North America. Vol. 3. Boston : Little, Brown and Company. p. 1. Jump up ^ Parkman ( 1869 ), p. 2, note 1 ^ Jump up to : Dupré, Céline ( 1979 ) ( 1966 ). `` Cavelier De La Salle, René - Robert ''. In Brown, George Williams. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. I ( 1000 -- 1700 ) ( online ed. ). University of Toronto Press. Jump up ^ Margry, Pierre. Découvertes et établissement des Français dans l'ouest et dans le sud de l'Amérique Septentrionale ( Discoveries and French Settlement in the West and South of North America ) ( in French ). Vol. 2. p. 88. Jump up ^ Dupré, Céline ( 1979 ) ( 1969 ). `` Roybon D'Allonne, Madeleine De ''. In Hayne, David. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. II ( 1701 -- 1740 ) ( online ed. ). University of Toronto Press. Jump up ^ Parkman ( 1869 ), p. 4 Jump up ^ Parkman ( 1869 ), pp. 6 -- 8 Jump up ^ Parkman ( 1869 ), pp. 7 -- 9 Jump up ^ `` The History of Fort Frontenac ''. The Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Plaque information : René - Robert Cavelier de La Salle at Cataracoui ''. Ontario Heritage Trust. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Fort Crevecoeur -- built in 1680 ''. Fort Crevecoeur Park and Campground. April 1, 2015. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Weddle, Robert S. ( October 30, 2011 ). `` La Salle 's Texas Settlement ''. Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Jump up ^ Tucker, Gene Rhea ( 2010 ). `` La Salle Lands in Texas : La Salle and the Historians ''. East Texas Historical Journal. 48 ( 1 ) : 40 -- 58. Jump up ^ Joutel, Foster & Warren ( 1998 ), p. 199 Jump up ^ Joutel, Foster & Warren ( 1998 ), p. 13 Jump up ^ Joutel, Foster & Warren ( 1998 ), p. 35 Jump up ^ `` La Salle Archeology Projects ''. Texas Historical Commission. August 4, 2015. Jump up ^ Parker, Dan ( 1996 ). `` Raising The Belle -- La Salle 's last ship ''. Corpus Christi Caller - Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2005. Jump up ^ `` Editor 's Note ''. Wreck Diving Magazine ( 34 ). December 2014. Jump up ^ Randall, Frank Alfred ; Randall, John D. ( 1999 ). History of the Development of Building Construction in Chicago. University of Illinois Press. p. 271. ISBN 0 - 252 - 02416 - 8. Jump up ^ `` La Salle 's River Adventure Ride Restrospective ''. Guide to Six Flags over Texas. Retrieved September 1, 2013. References Texts on Wikisource : Keiley, Jarvis ( 1913 ). `` René - Robert - Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ''. In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York : Robert Appleton Company. Whinery, Charles Crawford ( 1911 ). `` La Salle, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de ''. In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. Parkman, Francis ( 1892 ). `` La Salle, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de ''. In Wilson, James Grant ; Fiske, John. Appletons ' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York : D. Appleton. Joutel, Henri ; Foster, William C. ; Warren, Johanna S. ( 1998 ). The La Salle Expedition to Texas : The Journal of Henri Joutel, 1684 -- 1687. Austin, TX : Texas State Historical Association -- via Questia ( subscription required ). ISBN 0 - 87611 - 165 - 7. Further reading Justin Winsor ( 1884 ). Narrative and critical history of America vol. IV, pages 200 -- 246. Includes several maps drawn by La Salle. External links New France portal Texas portal Normandy portal Biography portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to René Robert Cavelier de La Salle. Profile and Videos -- Chickasaw.TV Museum of New France ( The Explorers ) : René - Robert Cavelier de La Salle 1670 -- 1687 René - Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle : North American Explorer The journeys of Rene Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle. Volume 1, Volume 2 ( hosted by the Portal to Texas History ) Cabeza de Vaca ; La Salle. published 1901, hosted by the Portal to Texas History. The Handbook of Texas Online : Renê Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle Detailed Account of La Salle in Texas La Salle 's Map of Texas from A pictorial history of Texas, from the earliest visits of European adventurers, to A.D. 1879, hosted by the Portal to Texas History. Sieur de La Salle -- The All - Star River Explorers ( University of Illinois Extension ) La Salle 's mark in Fort Wayne Texas Beyond History Le Griffon construction site in Niagara Falls New York VIAF : 12609996 LCCN : n50043391 ISNI : 0000 0001 2121 1366 GND : 118726609 SELIBR : 277758 SUDOC : 027406350 BNF : cb11945522k ( data ) NLA : 35286842 NDL : 00620964 NKC : xx0148231 BNE : XX1303330 IATH : w6863261 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title= René - Robert_Cavelier, _Sieur_de_La_Salle&oldid = 817654960 '' Categories : French explorers Explorers of Canada Explorers of the United States Murdered explorers 1643 births 1687 deaths People of New France People of Colonial French Louisiana French nobility French Texas Persons of National Historic Significance ( Canada ) People from Rouen Lycée Pierre - Corneille alumni 1660s in New France 1670s in New France 1680s in New France 1660s in Canada 1670s in Canada 1680s in Texas French explorers of North America 17th - century explorers 17th - century French people Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Articles needing additional references from March 2010 All articles needing additional references Biography with signature Articles with hCards Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from Appleton 's Cyclopedia Subscription required using via Pages containing links to subscription - only content All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from November 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Български Català Čeština Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Italiano עברית Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Polski Português Русский Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Tagalog Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 29 December 2017, at 19 : 38. 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Question: who explored the entire mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Answer: René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle