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Robert La Salle. By: Mary Beth Russell and Brooke Pasquale. Robert La Salle. Robert La Salle was born in 1643 and died in 1687. He was a French Explorer. He went on 3 voyages. He was the first European to sail down the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
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Robert La Salle By: Mary Beth Russell and Brooke Pasquale
Robert La Salle • Robert La Salle was born in 1643 and died in 1687. • He was a French Explorer. • He went on 3 voyages. • He was the first European to sail down the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. • He went on a voyage to Louisiana. • He was looking to find a water route through North America linking the Atlantic and the Pacific. • When he was 23, his plans were to go to Canada to be a farmer. • He was shot in Eastern Texas by two of his men on March 20,1687.
The Griffon • It took early carpenters all the winter of 1678-79 • Indians called the Griffin “The Ship with Wings” • Carried a crew of 32 men. • At Green Bay, the crew loaded 12,000 pounds of fur onto the ship. • The Griffon was the first full sized ship to set sail in the Great Lakes. • The Griffin was set sail to Nigeria on September 18th and was never seen again.
Why He Went • He left for Canada to become a farmer. • He was granted a piece of land, that he eventually turned into a village. • He let the natives live there, and he quickly learned their language. • The natives told him about the Ohio river that flowed into the Mississippi. • He believed that the Mississippi river would flow into the Gulf of California, and he could find a western route to China.
First Expedition • On July 6, 1669. THEY SET SAIL. • During his expedition, he met Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette. • They are better well known as, the first white men to explore and map the Mississippi River • His expedition continued from there, and eventually he reached the Ohio River, which flowed up to Louisville, Kentucky.
Second Expedition • August 7,1679 he set sail with an Italian explorer Henri de Toni. • Began at Fort Conti. • Had to use a portage route to avoid the Niagara Falls. • Followed the Miami River until they got to Fort Crevecoeur. • La Salle left Toni in charge while he went back to Fort Frontenac for supplies. • The fort was later destroyed by mutinying soldiers.
Louisiana Expedition • Crew of 18 Indians and reunited with Toni. • Set sail in 1682 down the Mississippi River. • Name the Mississippi Basin La Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV. • 1683, he established Fort Saint Louis at Starved Rock in Illinois and left Toni in charge to go get supplies from France.
Our Resources • We got all of our information from http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/delasalle.htm\ • www.Google.com/search