ROBERT LA SALLE

WHO WAS ROBERT LA SALLE?

• He was born in 1643
• Lived in France with priests
• Became a wealthy fur trader
• French explorer
• Wanted to become a priest
• Crew members killed him in Texas in 1687 when he was 44 years old
• He spoke the Native Indian language of the area he explored

WHAT DID LA SALLE DO?

• He started as a fur trader in Canada
• His work led him to explore the Mississippi River
• He went to find two great rivers - the Mississippi and Ohio
• He claimed all of the land along the Mississippi River for the king of France
• Built many forts and colonies and ruled them
• He never found the mouth of the river to the gulf of Mexico

WHERE DID LA SALLE EXPLORE?

• In 1681 he led a group of explorers down the Mississippi River towards the Gulf of Mexico
• Explored many new areas of the New World
• He built colonies from Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico
• He traveled from France to Quebec

WHEN DID LA SALLE EXPLORE?

• He left France in 1665
• Sailed to Canada in 1666
• He made many exploring trips during years 1671to1673
• He did not return to Montreal until late 1670
• He claimed a large part of the New World for France

WHY DID LA SALLE GO EXPLORING?

• He returned to France to do more explorations in 1677 for money
• Went exploring because he wanted great adventures
• He was determined to find a water passage to the east through North America
• He was such a good fur trader that the King of France rewarded him by sending him to find the Mississippi River and build colonies along them

WHAT TOOLS DID LA SALLE USE TO EXPLORE?

• On his ship he had food fresh water, sleeping places, maps compasses and telescopes
• The Griffon was used to carry and trade goods
• He did his explorations in a big ship called the Griffon

HOW DID LA SALLE IMPACT THE WORLD?

• He is known for being the first person to explore the whole Mississippi River
• He is remembered as a great explorer because he built a lot of colonies

THE END