The St. Louis Republic., 1900-08-12
TYPOGRAPHY ~ x =
La Sale, Explorer of the Misassippi.
and First Owner of Illinois.


~. a,,tborized him to establish posts in
the newly discovered country and to mako
grants arotind them. as at Fort trontenac.
and then added:
ceeded 1900 crowns. am now going 100
leagues southwest of this place 10 induce
the chicasss to follow the ShawanCes and
ether tribes. and settle like them at Fort
st. Louis. 1t remained only to settle French
coionists here, and this l have already
dome. / hope you will not detain them as
coureurs des bois when they come DOWN
to Montreal to make necessary purch lses.
1 am aware that have no right to trade
with the tribes who descend TO Montreal,
and shall not permit such trade TO my
mon: nor have ever issued licenses to that
effect. as my enemies say that have
done"
Despite this reasonable request on the
part of La Sale, the men whom he had
gent to Montreal ON business were detained
there.
So 1t was that the benefit which might
have accrued from the work Of one of ths
bravest of French colonizers was refused,
and New France lost the work OF a great
organizer and explorer.
Not TO be daunted by the ennity OF the
Governor at Montreal La Sale went to
Paris in 1883. He thus. unwittingly. took
a last leave of the wide and wild theater
a,
had played so conspicuous a part as an
explorer and negotiator with the Indians.
sometimes achieving signal triumphs, but
more often experiencing severe reverses OF
fortune. He proposed to the Minister OF
Marines and Colonies that he be allowed
to establish a fortified colony on the river
Colbert or Mississippi some sixty leagues
above its mouth. and to make 1t the prin-
cipal depot for the trade of the great river
King, Louis XIV. in this enterprise. which
was granted. The little fleet. consisting OF
four vessels, sailed from Rochelle, France.
In July, 1854. There was difficulty in find
ing the mouth of the Mississippi. They
finally landed on the coast of Texas, near
Matagorda Bay. Misfortune settled upon
La Sale. Many of those who accompanied
him were vicious and unworthy. The COM
r.ander had great difficulty in cheering the
dropping spirits of the would-be colonists.
a fort was built which La Sale gave his
favorite name of st. Louis.
In 1855 La Sale and his brother, with
some fifty well-armed men, started to
seek the mouth of the Mississippi overland
1t was on this expedition that La Sale
was murdered by some wretched members
of his own party, March 10, 1887. He was
buried where he fell. and the priest who
accompanied him raised a cross over his
grave. This priest. Father Douay. was
the only eyewitness to the murder.
The precise locality of his gloomy trage-
dy. or succession of tragedies, cannot now
be determined. 1t is said to have occurred
on small tributary of the Trinity. since
1t was only about three days slow Journey
from thence to the main trunk of that
river. But Mr.. Sparks. in his Life of La
Saile,' says. 'the place was probably on
one of the streams flowing into the Brazos
from the east-perhaps forty or fifty miles
NJ "a
Texas"
This violently ended. at the age OF 43
years and months, the extraordinary ca
reer of Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Sale:
man celebrated alike for his daring and
discoveries. his merits and misfortunes
Although shy, proud, cold and austere In
his general department, says Mr.. Wallace
La Sale was not incapable of inspiring
strong attachments among those to whom
he gave his confidence, and who had the
penetration to discern the lofty bearings Of
his genius. He required every sacrifice at
the hands OF the men in his employ. but he
hlnseit led the way in every difficulty and
every danger. He was something of an en-
thusiast. and about his various schemes
ana enterprises there was mu-h that ap-
peared visionary and impractcabie; yet
such was his persevering energy that hs
succeeded in many things where others
would have faltered and failed. and his
the Mississippi was largely due to circum-
stances beyond his personal control.
In no one particular was his superiority
over his contemporary explorers more
manifest than in his intercourse with the
aborisines OF the country. whom he every
where made subservient to his designs. He
was greatly respected by the Indians
throughout the Mississippi Valley This
was attributable not only to his liberal and
conciliatory policy In dealing with them.
but to his grave and taciturn manner.
which cornported well with their own ideas
of dignity and decorum. 1t is worthy OF
remark. in passing, that he nearly always
Travelled with a train Of ecclesiastics. show.
Ing preference for the Recollets They
| went not merely as missionaries to convert
the heather, but to assist him in his enter.
prises and write up his doings, and were
among his most efficient and faithful coz
ad1utorsI He was not a prudent and sue
cessful business man; his transactions al
| an Indian trader and fur dealer, though, on
a large scale. were usually attended with
loss. and he died hopelessly insolvent,
His ambition was fame-fams as a dis
coverer and explorer of new and unknown
lands. For the qualification of this passion
he sacrificed his means, his comfort. his
health and finally life itself. His plans
were too extensive and complex for his re-
sources or credit. and even his unconnon
energy and fortitude could not always coua
with the enmities and jealousies that wers
constantly arrayed against him. Neyerths.
less. he stands in the history of the period
as the foremost pioneer in North America
Moreover. he was the first chartered owner
and occupant Of Illinois, and the first to
establish European settlement on her soil.
physically, as well as intellectually. La
Sale seemed born to command. He was of
q tall and martial figure. and appears 10
| have inherited a vigorous constitution.
! which. however, was considerably impaired
| by sickness and hardships in his later wears
His picture represents him with fine oval
face. and high open forehead. From his
Norman lineage he derived his pluck and
tenacity OF purpose, qualities that nearly
allied him to the ruling class of England.
he was never married, and left no offspring
| to perpetuate his name and fame. He died
| martyr to his own ambition and the glory
! OF france. He was one of those great actors
| on the stage of our earlier continental his
| tory, about whom men write and converse
| while he sleeps in an unknown and un-
| marked grave. 1t has been said of him
| that "he was as brave as the bravest. "a
| pure as the purest, and as unfortunate as
! tine most unfortunate"
| NEW nh (tLyEDty I-1yrr-r,C,