Texas History
Fort Burrows
3.5 - French Explorers
READ pgs 72-75
Main Idea:
Spain’s interest in the ‘new’ lands north of present-day Mexico was renewed
when France sent explorers into Texas.
Vocabulary:
Northwest Passage – the idea that a waterway flowed down the Mississippi River
to the Pacific Ocean
Mutiny – a revolt of soldiers or sailors against their leaders
Setting the Scene:
The Spanish claimed to own Texas. They had explored and found nothing of
interest. Specifically…GOLD. Maybe someday they would be more interested and
spend time in Texas, but for now they were more interested in other parts of their
territory.
Spain took little interest in the lands of Texas. Texas did attract other
Europeans, especially the French. The French controlled a colony far to the North present day Canada. They were still exploring North America and came to find Texas
via the mouth of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Spanish found the French interest in Texas, UNACCEPTABLE!!!. Now
that someone else shown interest in their land , Texas, Spain began to notice the value
of Texas. The Spanish claimed to own Texas. Spain was the first European nation to
claim land in the Americas
The French in North America
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The French never did find treasures of gold and silver, but they found furs
French explorers trapped and traded furs throughout much of North America
Along the way, they claimed land for France
French explorer La Salle searched for the Northwest Passage, a water route that
would provide a shortcut to Asia
At this time, France and Spain were at war
La Salle claimed for France all the land that drained into the Mississippi River,
including part of Texas
He named the land Louisiana, after the King of France, Louis XIV
La Salle planned to build a fort at the mouth of the Mississippi River; he wanted
to expand his trade empire and have a base for an attack on Mexico
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Texas History
Fort Burrows
La Salle’s Expedition
René Robert Cavelier Sieur
de La Salle.
In 1684, La Salle set sail
from France. His plan
was to build Fort St.
Louis near the mouth of
the Mississippi River. His
expedition faced many
problems:
• La Salle was difficult to get along with and argued
with his naval officers
• Pirates and shipwrecks plagued the expedition
• The Spaniards captured one of his four ships. La
Salle lost crew members and supplies
• One of the 1st written French documents discussed
Alligators
• One of La Salle’s men was killed by a ‘gator’
• La Salle’s BIG mistake – he sailed past the
Mississippi by more than 100 miles. He landed at
present day Matagorda Bay, Texas
• Fort St. Louis – 1685, built by La Salle in Texas,
not Louisiana near the Mississippi
• Soon, the Spanish learned about La Salle’s arrival
in their territory. They set out to find the French
intruders
• Since they did not know the territory they claimed
was theirs, it took them a year to find La Salle’s
fort
• The fort was deserted. However, the Spanish
realized that they would need to pay more
attention to Texas if they wanted to control it
La Salle’s Death – They were near the Trinity River. Food ran out. The group began
to quarrel. The men began to plot to kill La Salle’s nephew, who had deprived the men
of meat, La Salle’s footman, and La Salle himself. According to Henri Joutel, who
served under La Salle through the tragic days of the Texas colony until his death, wrote both
of his fine qualities and of his insufferable arrogance toward his subordinates. “Those men
who objected to La Salle’s leadership were led by Pierre Duhaut and a man named
Larcheveque. They first murdered the nephew with an ax. Learning of this, La Salle
advanced himself toward their camp. The first of the rebels spying La Salle at a
distance… advanced and hid himself among the high Weeds. La Salle saw
Larcheveque at a good distance from him, and immediately asked for his nephew
Moranget, to which Larcheveque answered, ‘That he was along the river.’ At the
same time the Traitor Duhaut fired his Piece and shot Monsier de La Salle thro’ the
Head, so that he dropped down dead on the spot, without speaking one word.”
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Texas History
Fort Burrows
La Salle’s - Fort St. Louis
Fort St. Louis
• Harsh living conditions made many
explorers sick
• The French had hostile relations with
the local tribe, the Karankawas
During La Salle’s search for a safer
location for the fort, his men staged a
mutiny, a revolt of soldiers or sailors
against their leaders. They murdered La
Salle in 1687.
1.
Fort St. Louis Destroyed
• La Salle had taken most of his ablebodied men with him on his search for
the Mississippi; after his death, they
ran away or were killed by Indians
• The Karankawas attacked the
vulnerable fort and took the five
remaining settlers captive
How did the Spanish react to La Salle’s settlement ?
A. they wanted to see how it was built
B. they were afraid of the French
C. they welcomed the new settlers
D. they wanted to drive the French out of Texas
2. What is a mutiny ?
A. a sailing party
B. a revolt of soldiers or sailors against their leaders
C. a type of ship used in battle
D. a legal peace agreement between two countries
3. Why did the French want to establish colonies in North America ?
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4. Why did La Salle build a fort in Texas ?
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