La Salle

LA SALLE

TIMELINE

1643 La Salle is born in France.

1669 Sets out to explore the Ohio Region

1677 Goes to France to seek official permission to explore western New France from King Louis XVI, the Sun King

1682 January – La Salle’s expedition starts its southward trek along the Mississippi. April – Discovers the mouth of the Mississippi and on April 9th, claims all lands drained by it, for France and named it Louisiana XIV.

1684 August – Approximately 300 people depart from France aboard four ships, the Belle, Le Joly L’Aimable and Saint-Francois. September – Spanish pirates seized the Saint-Francois and a few days later, most of the fleet arrives at Santo Domingo.. November –The remaining ships sail toward what they believed to be the mouth of the Mississippi.

1685 January – First landfall on Texas Coast. February – The Belle safely enters Matagorda Bay through what is now known as Pass Cavallo. L’Aimable runs aground trying to enter narrow channel. The bulk of supplies for the founding the colony are lost to the sea. March – Le Joly leaves for France. Approximately 180 people stay behind. La Salle sets out with 52 men in canoes to explore “Baye St. Louis” and to look for a suitable location for the settlement. April – A permanent location for the colony is found. Fort St. Louis construction begins. June – Seventy colonists depart from the island camp and head for Fort St. Louis. July – Joutel and his men, who had stayed at the island camp finally arrive at Fort St. Louis aboard the Belle. October – La Salle and 50 men go in canoes to search for the mouth of the Mississippi. The Belle follows with 37 men. No contact between the two groups for a month. December – Capt. Richaud and his men from the Belle, who were murdered in their sleep, are finally found by the land party.

1686 January – La Salle leaves again to explore another route. February – The Belle wrecked on a shoal during a storm. Many of the crew perish.

La Salle party returns to Fort St. Louis after being gone two months. May – Six survivors from the Belle reach Fort St. Louis in a canoe. The ship had run aground shortly after La Salle’s departure; they had remained on Matagorda Peninsula near the wreck for three months.

1687 January – La Salle leaves for Illinois with 17 men, leaving only 20 people behind at the fort. Illness and hostile natives already having claimed the rest. March – La Salle is assassinated near present day Navasota by Pierre Duhaut, Liotot and L’Archeveque. Three of his companions on the trek.

April – Spanish expedition of Rivas and Iriarte find the what remained of the Belle.

1688 December – Weakened by smallpox the colonists cannot repel an attack by the Karankawa. Indians capture Fort St. Louis. A few children taken captive, are later rescued by the Spanish

1689  April – Gen. Alonso de Leon’s expedition finds the remains of Fort St. Louis.

VOCABULARY LIST

1.             Archaeology

\Ar`ch[ae]*ol”o*gy\, n. The science or study of  antiquities, esp. prehistoric antiquities, such as the remains of  buildings or monuments of an early epoch,  inscriptions, implements, and other relics, written manuscripts, etc.
2.             Artifact

\Ar”ti*fact\, n. 1. A product of human workmanship; — applied esp. to the simpler products of aboriginal art as distinguished from natural objects.

3.             Buckle

\Buc”kle\, n. 1. A device, usually of metal, consisting of a frame with one more movable tongues or catches, used for fastening  things together, as parts of dress or harness, by means of a strap passing through the frame and pierced by the tongue.

4.             Calabash

\Cal”a*bash\, n. 1. The common gourd (plant or fruit). 2. The fruit of the calabash tree. 3.. A water dipper, bottle, bascket, or other utensil, made from the dry shell of a calabash or gourd.

5.             Cofferdam

\Cof”fer*dam\, n. A water-tight enclosure, as of piles packed with clay, from which the water is pumped to expose the bottom (of a river, etc.) and permit the laying of foundations, building of piers,   etc.

6.             Crucible

\Cru”ci*ble\, n. 1. A vessel or melting pot, composed of some very refractory substance, as clay, graphite, platinum, and used for melting and calcining substances which require a strong degree of heat, as metals, ores, etc. 2. A hollow place at the bottom of a furnace, to receive the melted metal. 3. A test of the most decisive kind; a severe trial; as, the crucible of affliction.

7.             Fire pot

(a) (Mil.) A small earthen pot filled with combustibles, formerly used as a missile in war.

8.             Fork
\Fork\, n. An instrument consisting of a handle with a shank terminating in two or more prongs or tines, which are usually of metal, parallel and slightly curved; — used for  piercing, holding, taking up, or pitching anything.

9.             Halbard

\Hal”berd\,  n. An ancient long-handled weapon, of which the head had a point and several long, sharp edges, curved or straight, and sometimes additional points. The heads were sometimes of very elaborate form.
10.          La Belle

Bark \Bark\,Barque \Barque\, n. 1. Formerly, any small sailing vessel, as a pinnace, fishing smack, etc.; also, a rowing boat; a barge. Now applied poetically to a sailing vessel or boat of any kind. –Byron. 2. (Naut.) A three-masted vessel, having her foremast and mainmast square-rigged, and her mizzenmast schooner-rigged. Barque longue (frigate). Nearly nothing is known of the ship type known as a barque longue, but it was such an insignificant little ship in the development of naval architecture. The Belle was surprisingly small: 51 feet long and 14 feet wide about the size of a modern shrimp boat

11.          Porringer

\Por”rin*ger\, n. a soup-basin. A porridge dish; esp., a bowl or cup from which children eat or are fed.

12.          Signet

\Sig”net\, n. A seal, especially one used officially to mark documents.

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