Spain was the first European nation to claim lands in the Americas. Still, others were not far behind. The English built colonies along the eastern coast of the present-day United States. In 1607, the English founded their first permanent settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. Others soon followed.

The French also claimed territory in North America. In the early 1600s they built settlements along the St. Lawrence River in present-day Canada.

French Exploration and Trade The French never found much gold in North America. Yet they did find a different sort of treasure—furs. These pelts were highly valued in Europe. French explorers and traders spread out over vast areas seeking trade with American Indians. Along the way, they claimed land for France.

In 1673, French explorers were looking for a water route to the Pacific Ocean. For a time, they thought that the Mississippi River might flow to the Pacific and provide a shortcut for trading with Asia. Explorers called this rumored shortcut the Northwest Passage. The river, of course, turned out not to flow to the Pacific. In spite of this disappointment, one man still saw great promise in the river. This was René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

Conflicting Territorial Claims La Salle was a man of great vision. He imagined a great trading empire stretching along the Mississippi. In 1682 he began a plan to realize this vision.

Beginning in what is now Illinois, La Salle traveled down the river all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. There, he claimed for France all the vast land that drained into the Mississippi. He named the land Louisiana, after the French king Louis XIV. La Salle’s claim included part of Texas, which was also claimed by Spain.

La Salle then planned the next phase of his scheme. He would build a fort near the mouth of the Mississippi. La Salle saw the fort as a way to expand his trade empire. It would also serve as a base from which to strike at the Spanish in Mexico. (At the time, Spain and France were at war.) To reach the place to build the fort, he planned to sail from France, through the Gulf of Mexico to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

La Salle set sail from France in 1684. He led a group of four ships and 280 people. Almost from the time it left port, however, the expedition faced problems.

One problem was La Salle himself. For all his genius and vision, he could be very difficult to get along with. He often argued with the naval officers. Conflicts such as this caused many difficulties. Pirates and shipwrecks also plagued the expedition.

The expedition suffered a serious setback when Spaniards captured one of the four ships. The loss of sailors, colonists, and supplies greatly weakened the expedition. The encounter also gave the Spanish clues about La Salle’s plans.

Building Fort St. Louis The final disaster struck when La Salle’s expedition mistakenly sailed past the Mississippi River by more than 100 miles. Instead, La Salle hit land at present-day Matagorda Bay, Texas. During this landing, another ship, La Belle, wrecked.

La Salle did not realize how far away from the Mississippi he actually was. Believing the river was near, he chose to bring his party ashore and begin his search from there. The group built a fort along Garcitas Creek, which became known as Fort St. Louis.

Life was miserable at the fort. Many of the explorers were already sick, and the harsh living conditions made them sicker. In addition, the Karankawa Indians who lived in the area were hostile to the newcomers. There were killings on both sides.

La Salle Faces a Mutiny Realizing the dangerous position of his fort, La Salle went in search of the Mississippi. The mighty river would enable him to return to Canada for help.

Turning east, he traveled to the Trinity River, perhaps as far as the Neches River. On one of these eastward explorations, La Salle’s own men finally staged a mutiny. A mutiny is a revolt of soldiers or sailors against their leaders. In March of 1687, they murdered La Salle.

Destruction of Fort St. Louis La Salle had taken most of the expedition’s able-bodied men with him on his search for the Mississippi River. Many of them ran away or died in Indian raids. (An alligator killed one man.) Following La Salle’s murder, the remaining members of his exploring party ran off in different directions. None returned to Fort St. Louis. This left the fort vulnerable to attack.

Sometime in late 1688 or early 1689, the Karankawas attacked the French fort. The Indians killed almost all of the settlers. There were only five frightened survivors. The Karankawas took them away as captives.