Original: February 20 -- René-Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle , intending to establish a colony near the mouth of the Mississippi River , lands with 200 surviving colonists at Matagorda Bay on the Texas coast , believing the Mississippi near ( Texas Handbook ) .
Simplified: February 20 - René-Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle lands with 200 surviving colonists at Matagorda Bay on the Texas coast intending to establish a colony near the mouth of the Mississippi River , believing it near .