In the late 1600s the French, already in Canada, explored the Mississippi River to the point where it emptied into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the sout…
Full Answer
Why did the Spanish decide to re-occupy Texas?
The Spanish recognized that the French could become a threat to other Spanish areas, and ordered the reoccupation of Texas as a buffer between French settlements in Louisiana and New Spain.
What was the first French settlement in Texas?
The French colonization of Texas began with Fort Saint Louis, established in 1685 near Arenosa Creek and Matagorda Bay by explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle.
When did France relinquish its claim to Texas?
France formally relinquished its claim to its region of Texas in 1762, when it ceded French Louisiana to the Spanish Empire.
What led to the decline of the French colony in Texas?
French colonization of Texas. During one of his absences in 1686, the colony's last ship was wrecked, leaving the colonists unable to obtain resources from the French colonies of the Caribbean. As conditions deteriorated, La Salle realized the colony could survive only with help from the French settlements in Illinois Country to the north,...
What did the French influence in Texas?
The French who came to Texas in search of better social, political, and economic conditions contributed to the state in extending the frontier and in encouraging cultural development.
How did the French establish a settlement in Texas?
The French colonization of Texas began with the establishment of a fort in present-day southeastern Texas. It was established in 1685 near Arenosa Creek and Matagorda Bay by explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle.
How did the Spanish react to the French colony in Texas?
On October 25, 1693, Spain ended its first attempt to settle Texas. The missions had suffered many problems and had lost the support of the local people. Also, the French no longer appeared to be a threat in Texas. Deciding that the costs outweighed the benefits, Spain abandoned its Texas missions.
Who fought Spanish settlement of Texas?
From the late 1600s, Spain attempted to claim parts of Texas as its own by establishing perma- nent settlements there. However, Spain's efforts to colonize Texas were challenged by the French and by Native Texan groups.
What is French settlement in Texas called?
René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, established a French settlement on the Texas coast in summer 1685, the result of faulty geography that caused him to believe the Mississippi River emptied into the Gulf of Mexico in the Texas coastal bend.
Why did the Spanish build settlements in Texas?
In the 1600's Spain began building missions in Texas. Missions were a standard part of Spain's colonization process. New World, Spain was uneasy to leave their new colonies undefended. France the Spanish decided it was time to protect their claim .
When did the French control Texas?
French colonization of Texas (1684–1689) Although Álvarez de Pineda had claimed the area that is now Texas for Spain, the area was essentially ignored for over 160 years. Its initial settlement by Europeans occurred by accident.
What are two examples of Spanish influences Texas?
Spanish ranching as it was practiced in Texas formed the basis for the American cattle industry, which drew many of its original cattle from the mission herds. The Spanish also brought to the San Antonio valley a specialized method of farming that used irrigation.
What prevented the Spanish from settling Texas?
Fear of Indian attacks and the remoteness of the area from the rest of the Viceroyalty discouraged European settlers from moving to Texas. It remained one of the provinces least-populated by immigrants. The threat of attacks did not decrease until 1785, when Spain and the Comanche peoples made a peace agreement.
Who first settled Texas?
Sugar Land's roots extend back to the first 300 settlers who came to Texas in the 1820's with Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas.” The northern territory of Mexico, Austin negotiated a grant with the Mexican government to bring 300 colonists to settle a large area of land between the San Antonio and Brazos Rivers.
Why did the French establish fort St Louis?
Location of La Salle's settlement now known as Fort St. Louis. Established roughly 40 miles inland from where the French expedition landed on the Texas coast, the site was intended only as a temporary outpost for the colonists while La Salle continued searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Who settled in Texas first?
Spanish missionariesContents. Spanish missionaries were the first European settlers in Texas, founding San Antonio in 1718.
WHO began a settlement in East Texas?
Franciscan missionaries led by Antonio de San Buenaventura Olivares begin three missions: Los Adaes, La Bahia, and Mission San Antonio de Valero. Settlers arrive from the Canary Islands to form a new civil settlement, San Fernando de Béxar.
What Spanish influence was in San Antonio?
San Antonio Missions: Spanish Influence in Texas (Teaching with Historic Places) Most Americans know the clarion call "Remember the Alamo!". and have a hazy recollection that the "fort" originally had been built as a Spanish mission. What is less well known outside the Southwest is that the Mission San Antonio de Valero--the Alamo--was only one ...
Where did the Spanish missionary and military operations in Texas develop?
One base for Spanish missionary and military operations in Texas developed around San Antonio.
How did the Coahuiltecans become mobile raiders?
These tribes had become mobile raiders by taking advantage of the herds of wild horses that had developed from runaways from Spanish settlements. The Coahuiltecans were tattooed and wore a breechcloth or hide skirt, fiber sandals, and, in bad weather, a cloak of animal hide.
What were the missions of Spain?
The missions were directly involved in the military , religious, and cultural development of the Texas frontier, and they influenced policymaking across the entire Southwest. The contribution of the missions to agriculture and commerce–they strongly influenced the development of the cattle industry–was of critical importance to the growth of the state of Texas and the San Antonio region. The mission buildings constitute a unique record of the architecture, art, and sculpture of the Spanish colonial period in Texas.
Why was irrigation important in San Antonio?
The dry climate of southwest Texas made irrigation crucial for growing the crops that would determine the success of a new mission. Around San Antonio the Spanish used what was known as acequias (ah-SAY-key-ahs), a system of ditches that Muslims had introduced to Spain. Missionaries and Indians built seven gravity-flow ditches, five dams, and an aqueduct in order to distribute water from the San Antonio River over a 15-mile network that covered 3,500 acres of land.#N#Questions for Photo 5#N#1) Using Map 2, locate the Espada Aqueduct.#N#2) Why would the system have been an important part of mission life in San Antonio?
What was the impact of Spain's expulsion of Muslims and Jews?
Spain's expulsion of Muslims and Jews and its decision to support Columbus's voyage , both of which took place the same year, led to significant changes. In the Americas, Spain soon began to use its soldiers to extend its domain, find wealth, and spread the Catholic faith.
Who wrote the San Antonio Missions lesson plan?
This lesson plan was published in the early 1990s and written by Fay Metcalf, education consultant.
What did the French do in the 1670s?
In the 1670s and 1680s France probed further along the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi River [see EXPLORATION #2], planning a network of trading posts to establish dominance in the North American interior. In 1682 René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, journeyed down the Mississippi River to its mouth and, two years later with the support of King Louis XIV (thus "Louisiana"), sailed from France with nearly three hundred soldiers and settlers to build a settlement in the lower Mississippi valley. Unable to locate the river, La Salle built a small fort on the coast of Tejas at Matagorda Bay. From here he and his men explored north into Tejas and learned from the Indians of the intermittent Spanish presence, although they encountered no Spaniards themselves. When La Salle was murdered in 1687 by several of his own men, the expedition fell apart. Some of the French headed northeast to New France, some southwest to New Spain, and some remained at the fort which was attacked by the Karankawa Indians in the winter of 1688-1689.
When did the French return to the Gulf Coast?
In 1699 the French returned and founded settlements along the gulf coast east of Tejas, including Biloxi, Mobile and, in 1718, New Orleans. The Spanish, having abandoned the Tejas mission in 1693 due to floods, the threat of an Indian rebellion, and the temporary removal of the French presence, returned in 1716 to re-establish missions and to confront the growing French challenge on the coast. We recommend that you study the 1701 French map before reading the selections and peruse the 1769 Spanish map after your reading. (10 pages, excluding the maps.)
What was the role of Native Americans in the Caribbean?
In the rivalry among European nations in the Caribbean, Native Americans did not play a crucial role, having been decimated and subdued long before the rivalries ratcheted up. On the mainland of North America the situation was quite different: the Indians acted as the spoke of the wheel of ever-intensifying rivalries. Here we will follow (almost literally) the early competition between Spain and France for the land along the Gulf of Mexico we now call Texas and Louisiana. Specifically, we will follow their joint treks in southern Tejas in the late 1600s as they learn of each other's presence from the Indians.
History
Spain had claimed ownership of the territory in 1519, which comprised part of the present-day U.S. state of Texas, including the land north of the Medina and Nueces Rivers, but did not attempt to colonize the area until after locating evidence of the failed French colony of Fort Saint Louis in 1689.
Location
Spanish Texas ( Tejas) was a colonial province within the northeastern mainland region of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. On its southern edge, Tejas was bordered by the province of Coahuila. The boundary between the provinces was set at the line formed by the Medina River and the Nueces River, 100 miles (161 km) northeast of the Rio Grande.
Initial colonization attempts
This 1681 map of North America lists the Rio Grande as Rio Bravo, and shows the lack of information Europeans had of the area that is now Texas.
Conflict with France
During the early eighteenth century France again provided the impetus for Spain's interest in Texas. In 1699, French forts were established at Biloxi Bay and on the Mississippi River, ending Spain's exclusive control of the Gulf Coast.
Settlement difficulties
Shortly after Aguayo returned to Mexico, the new viceroy of New Spain, Juan de Acuña, marqués de Casafuerte, was ordered to cut costs accrued for the defense of the northern part of the territory. Acuña appointed Colonel Pedro de Rivera y Villalón to inspect the entire northern frontier.
Peace with France
Indians confirmed in 1746 that French traders periodically arrived by sea to trade with tribes in the lower Trinity River region. Eight years later, the Spanish learned of rumors that the French had opened a trading post at the mouth of the Trinity River.
Conflict with the Native Americans
In 1776, Native Americans at the Bahia missions told the soldiers that the Karankawas had massacred a group of Europeans who had been shipwrecked near the mouth of the Guadalupe River. After finding the remains of an English commercial frigate, the soldiers warned the Karankawa to refrain from attacking seamen.
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In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office.
Impeached: The Removal of Texas Governor James E. Ferguson
In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office.
What was the name of the French settlement in Texas?
La Salle's Texas Settlement. René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, established a French settlement on the Texas coast in summer 1685, the result of faulty geography that caused him to believe the Mississippi River emptied into the Gulf of Mexico in the Texas coastal bend. The settlement on the right bank of Garcitas Creek in southern Victoria County has been called Fort St. Louis, but in fact it had no name, only a description. La Salle himself referred to it as "the habitation on the riviére aux Boeufs [Buffalo River] near the baye Saint-Louis."
Why did La Salle leave the colony?
From October 1685 to January 1687 La Salle left the colony on three occasions to explore his surroundings. During his first long absence—a journey to the west—his one remaining ship, Belle, was wrecked in Matagorda Bay, leaving the colony marooned.
How many people were in the La Salle colony?
In February 1685 La Salle had landed 180 colonists at Matagorda Bay in Spanish-claimed territory. That number included half a dozen young women, two families with a total of seven children, and several youths scarcely out of their teens. The first house to rise on the Garcitas creek bank was a two-story structure of four rooms, built of hewn logs and timbers salvaged from La Salle's wrecked supply ship, Aimable. The roof was of the ship's planking covered with buffalo hides. Although this "main house" served as a lookout post, it was never considered a fort. Recent artists' portrayal notwithstanding, it is nowhere described in the historical record as a blockhouse. Five other houses, quarters for the colonists, had walls of vertical stakes set side by side in the ground and plastered with mud. Roofs were of buffalo hides or thatch. One of these was a chapel, the scene of the first Catholic religious service held in Texas outside the El Paso area. The first European child of record born in Texas is believed to have been christened there.
How many colonists did La Salle have?
In February 1685 La Salle had landed 180 colonists at Matagorda Bay in Spanish-claimed territory. That number included half a dozen young women, two families with a total of seven children, and several youths scarcely out of their teens.
What was the first house on the Garcitas Creek?
The first house to rise on the Garcitas creek bank was a two-story structure of four rooms , built of hewn logs and timbers salvaged from La Salle's wrecked supply ship, Aimable. The roof was of the ship's planking covered with buffalo hides. Although this "main house" served as a lookout post, it was never considered a fort.
What was the first child of record born in Texas?
The first European child of record born in Texas is believed to have been christened there. The grueling labor of establishing the colony, combined with exposure, disease, bad treatment, and poor diet, reduced the number of colonists by more than half within six months. From October 1685 to January 1687 La Salle left the colony on three occasions ...
Who was the historian of the La Salle expedition?
The expedition's historian, Henri Joutel, on leaving the settlement with La Salle, declared, "there was only the house . . . , having eight cannon at the four corners, unfortunately without cannonballs," and "when we left, there was nothing else in the nature of a fort.". As Joutel reveals, there was never a palisade.
What was the Spanish colonial era in Texas?
The Spanish Colonial era in Texas began with a system of missions and presidios, designed to spread Christianity and to establish control over the region. The missions were managed by friars from the order of St.
Why did Spain establish mission fields in Texas?
Following the Louisiana Purchase, Spain began to reinforce Texas in order to protect its Mexican colony from its new neighbor, the United States.
What was the name of the Spanish outpost in Texas?
Remains of an early outpost called La Bahía, which also included a presidio and missions, can be seen at today’s Goliad. And a settlement called Los Adaes served as the capital of Spanish Texas – in an area that is now a state park in Louisiana.
What happened to the capital of Texas?
When the French turned over Louisiana to Spain at the end of the French and Indian War, the capital of Texas was transferred to San Antonio. Some of the residents of Los Adaes eventually established Nacogdoches at the site of an abandoned Caddo settlement. Aside from these successful communities, the Spanish experimented with establishing mission fields for various Indian groups, including Apaches, but never with long-term success.
What was the role of the Spanish presidios?
As towns began to grow around the presidios and the missions, the presidios’ role evolved into protecting not only roads, but also the developing Spanish missions and settlements.
Where were the first Spanish missions?
The first Spanish missions were established in the 1680s near present-day San Angelo, El Paso and Presidio – areas that were closely tied to settlements in what is today New Mexico . In 1690, Spanish missions spread to East Texas after news surfaced of La Salle’s French settlements in the area. The Spanish settlers there encountered the Caddo Indians, who they called “Tejas” (derived from the Caddoan word “Tay-yas”, meaning friend).
What did European explorers and settlers bring to the Americas?
Throughout the Americas, European explorers and settlers brought disease and disruption to native peoples. In early settlements across the state, the Spanish engaged in a power struggle with local groups, with neither side ever declaring full victory over the other.
Overview
The French colonization of Texas began with the establishment of a fort in present-day southeastern Texas. It was established in 1685 near Arenosa Creek and Matagorda Bay by explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle. He intended to found the colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but inaccurate maps and navigational errors caused his ships to anchor instead 400 miles (640 km) to the west, off the coast of Texas. The colony survived until 1688. The present-day town of I…
La Salle expeditions
By the late 17th century, much of North America had been claimed by European countries. Spain had claimed Florida as well as modern-day Mexico and much of the southwestern part of the continent. The northern and central Atlantic coast had become the Thirteen Colonies, and New France comprised much of what is now eastern Canada as well as the central Illinois Country. The French feared th…
First settlement
On February 20, the colonists set foot on land for the first time in three months since leaving Saint-Domingue. They set up a temporary camp near the site of the present-day Matagorda Island Lighthouse. The chronicler of the expedition, Henri Joutel, described his first view of Texas: "The country did not seem very favorable to me. It was flat and sandy but did nevertheless produce grass. The…
Spanish response
Spanish pirate and guarda costa privateer Juan Corso had independently heard rumors of the colony as early as the Spring of 1685; he set out to eliminate the settlement but his ship was caught in rough seas and poor weather and was lost with all hands. Afterwards La Salle's mission had remained nearly secret until 1686 when former expedition member Denis Thomas, who had deserted in San…
Legacy
Only 15 or 16 people survived the colony. Six returned to France, while nine others were captured by the Spanish, including the four children who had been spared by the Karankawa. The children were initially brought to the viceroy of New Spain, the Conde de Galve, who treated them as servants. Two of the boys, Pierre and Jean-Baptiste, later returned to France. Of the remaining Spanish ca…
Excavation
In 1908, historian Herbert Eugene Bolton identified an area along Garcitas Creek, near Matagorda Bay, as the location of Fort St. Louis. Other historians, before and after Bolton, argued that the fort was located on Lavaca River in Jackson County. Five decades later, the University of Texas at Austin funded a partial excavation of Bolton's site, a part of the Keeran ranch. Although several thous…
See also
• France–Republic of Texas relations, 1839–1845
Further reading
• Lagarde, François, ed. (2003), The French in Texas: History, Migration, Culture, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, ISBN 978-0-292-70528-9
Overview
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. The term "interior provinces" first appeared in 1712, as an expression meaning "far away" provinces. It was only in 1776 that a legal jurisdiction called "Interior Provinces" was created.
Spain claimed ownership of the territory in 1519, which comprised part of the present-day U.S. st…
Conflict with France
During the early eighteenth century France again provided the impetus for Spain's interest in Texas. In 1699, French forts were established at Biloxi Bay and on the Mississippi River, ending Spain's exclusive control of the Gulf Coast. Although Spain "refused to concede France's right to be in Louisiana" and warned King Louis XIV of France that he could be excommunicated for ignoring the 200-year-old papal edict giving the Americas to Spain, they took no further actions to stop Fr…
Location
Spanish Texas (Tejas) was a colonial province within the northeastern mainland region of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. On its southern edge, Tejas was bordered by the provinces of Coahuila and Nuevo Santander. The boundary between the provinces was set at the line formed by the Medina River and the Nueces River, 100 miles (161 km) northeast of the Rio Grande. On the east, Texas bordered La Louisiane (French Louisiana). Although Spain claimed that the Red River form…
Initial colonization attempts
Although Alonso Álvarez de Pineda claimed Texas for Spain in 1519, the area was largely ignored by Spain until the late seventeenth century. In 1685, the Spanish learned that France had established a colony in the area between New Spain and Florida. Believing the French colony was a threat to Spanish mines and shipping routes, Spanish King Carlos II's Council of War recommended that "Spain needed swift action 'to remove this thorn which has been thrust into the heart of Ame…
Settlement difficulties
Shortly after Aguayo returned to Mexico, the new viceroy of New Spain, Juan de Acuña, marqués de Casafuerte, was ordered to cut costs accrued for the defense of the northern part of the territory. Acuña appointed Colonel Pedro de Rivera y Villalón to inspect the entire northern frontier. Beginning in what is now California in November 1724, Rivera spent the next three years inspecting the northern frontier, reaching San Antonio in August 1727. His reports of Los Adaes, …
Peace with France
Indians confirmed in 1746 that French traders periodically arrived by sea to trade with tribes in the lower Trinity River region. Eight years later, the Spanish learned of rumors that the French had opened a trading post at the mouth of the Trinity River. In September 1754, the governor, Jacinto de Barrios y Jáuregui sent soldiers to investigate, and they captured five Frenchmen who had been living at an Indian village. To dissuade the French from returning, Spain built the presidio of San …
Conflict with the Native Americans
In 1776, Native Americans at the Bahia missions told the soldiers that the Karankawas had massacred a group of Europeans who had been shipwrecked near the mouth of the Guadalupe River. After finding the remains of an English commercial frigate, the soldiers warned the Karankawa to refrain from attacking seamen. The soldiers continued to explore the coast, and reported that foreign powers could easily build a small settlement on the barrier islands, which …
Conflict with the United States
The Second Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the American Revolution and established the United States of America. The treaty extended the new country's western boundary to the Mississippi River and within the first year after it was signed 50,000 American settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountains. As it was difficult to return east across the mountains, the settlers began looking toward the Spanish colonies of Louisiana and Texas to find places to sell their crops. Sp…