When the Spanish presidio ceased to exist, the site of the French settlement was forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1996 and the area is now an archaeological site. In 1721, the Spanish built a fort over the ruins of the failed French colony, Fort St. Louis in 1721.
Full Answer
What is the history of Fort St Louis?
HISTORY OF FORT ST. LOUIS. Under the leadership of the famous French explorer, La Salle in 1685, an attempt was made to establish a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River near present day New Orleans. However, due to serious navigational errors, La Salle and his ships found themselves near present-day Matagorda Bay on the Texas coast.
What happened at Fort St Louis?
An alligator slips into Garcitas Creek near the site of the Fort St. Louis. The reptiles wreaked havoc on the colony, killing at least one settler and even eating pumpkins from streamside gardens. La Salle among the Cenis (Caddo) in East Texas, painting by George Catlin.
What was the purpose of the settlement of Fort Sam Houston?
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. Enlarge to see other locales pertinent to the story.
What is the location of La Salle's settlement?
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.
Why did the French settlement at Fort St. Louis Fail?
Due to a combination of inaccurate maps, La Salle's previous miscalculation of the latitude of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and overcorrection for the currents, the expedition failed to find the Mississippi.
Why was Fort St. Louis important?
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.
What happened to Fort St. Louis?
When a Spanish expedition arrived in April, 1689, they found a fort in shambles and the remains of three of the French settlers. They burned what remained of Fort Saint Louis in an attempt to eradicate all traces of the French presence.
When was Fort St. Louis destroyed?
Fort Louis or Fort Saint Louis was a French fort that stood in Pondicherry on the eastern coast of India. The fort was built around 1701 by François Martin and completed posthumously around 1706. A canal separated the native and European settlements. It was destroyed by the English in 1761.
Why was Fort Louis a threat to Spain?
It was a threat because Fort St. Louis was apparently in New Spain land. They (Spain) didn't want the French to take over. It was a rival.
How did Fort St Louis affect the future history of exploration and settlement in Texas?
How did Ft. St. Louis affect the future history of exploration and settlement in Texas? Answer: When Spanish explorers discovered the French effort to establish a foothold in Texas, they realized that unless they built more settlements in Texas themselves, the French might take over the area from them.
What was Fort St. Louis made of?
Situated on a high point on the banks of Garcitas Creek, the small French settlement later to be known as Fort St. Louis consisted only of a two-story building made of salvaged ship timbers, a chapel, and some small jacal structures.
Who was the Fort St. Louis named after?
Louis the XIVLa Salle now with only one ship, the Belle, left [and] scouted out the bays, also the Lavaca Bay, and located a site at the head of Lavaca Bay up one of the rivers[,] (the Garcitas), a few miles, for his settlement and named the settlement Fort St. Louis for the King of France, Louis the XIV.
Who established Fort Saint Louis?
Fort Saint Louis was established in 1685 by French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. His expedition brought 180 French colonists to the mouth of Garcitas Creek on Matagorda Bay in February 1685.
What is STL known for?
Missouri's second-largest city, St. Louis, is known for its beer, baseball, and The Blues hockey team, especially after its 2019 Stanley Cup win. But the city has more to offer than just a few late night sports games and some brews.
What city in Texas was mostly settled by the French?
The most successful of French colonization projects was that of Henri Castro, who in September 1844 founded Castroville, west of the line of the frontier. From 1843 to 1846 Castro brought a few more than 2,000 immigrants to Texas and was instrumental in establishing Quihi, Vandenburg, and D'Hanis.
Where is Fort Saint Louis located?
Fort Saint-Louis is located in Martinique at Fort de France: it is a Vauban style military fort, classified as a historical monument since 1973. Visible from the Bay of Carénage, the fort is located on the water's edge on the Island of Flowers.
What city in Texas was mostly settled by the French?
The most successful of French colonization projects was that of Henri Castro, who in September 1844 founded Castroville, west of the line of the frontier. From 1843 to 1846 Castro brought a few more than 2,000 immigrants to Texas and was instrumental in establishing Quihi, Vandenburg, and D'Hanis.
Where did La Salle built fort Saint Louis?
Starved Rockfounding by La Salle …following year La Salle built Fort-Saint-Louis at Starved Rock on the Illinois River (now a state park), and here he organized a colony of several thousand Indians.
What Indian tribe destroyed Sieur de La Salle's Fort St Louis?
The Indians deserted the village because a recent outbreak of smallpox had killed most of the tribe. In late April, 1689, Léon found the remains of La Salle's settlement, Fort Saint Louis, on Garcitas Creek about five miles above its mouth....Document Number:AJ-019Citable URL:www.americanjourneys.org/aj-019/4 more rows
Where is fort Saint Louis located?
Fort Saint-Louis is located in Martinique at Fort de France: it is a Vauban style military fort, classified as a historical monument since 1973. Visible from the Bay of Carénage, the fort is located on the water's edge on the Island of Flowers.
What did Joutel say about the fort?
Joutel derides the account of a later writer that a fort was built and put in a state of defense. This, he says was purely imaginary, for “there was only the house . . . , having eight cannon at the four corners, . . .without cannonballs, and . . . when we left there was nothing else in the nature of a fort.”.
What factors influenced the content of La Salle's account?
Two factors influenced the content of his account: his loyalty to La Salle that prevented his writing anything that might be disagreeable to the leader; and his military training that led him to consider only persons of rank.
Why did Joutel crawl on his knees?
The huntsmen crawled on hands and knees to get within range, only to have the animals catch their scent and scatter. At the end of a long and tiring day, his knees raw from crawling, Joutel came upon the still-warm carcass of an animal that had fallen out of his line of vision.
Why did La Salle board the Belle?
With the settlement fairly well established, La Salle planned to board the Belle to seek a way to the Mississippi, still believing a branch of the big river emptied into the bay complex where he had placed the people. Intending to move his colony to the Mississippi when he found it, he loaded the Belle with provisions the colonists depended on for their existence, even to a litter of six-week-old pigs. Then, leaving Joutel in charge of the post, he departed on the last day of October 1685.
Where did La Salle move his family?
Once La Salle had settled on the site for his temporary colony, the major undertaking became moving people and property from “Grand Camp” on Matagorda Island. La Salle remained at the new site on the Rivìere aux Boeufs (River of Beefs; modern-day Garcitas Creek). In early June 1685, Grand Camp was vacated except for Joutel and thirty men. They were to load the remaining property on the Belle ,which was to be unloaded near the mouth of Lavaca Bay and taken then by canoe or the Belle ’s shallop. Seventy colonists, meanwhile, undertook a grueling 50-mile march up the west shore of Matagorda Bay. This group included Madam Talon and her 10-month-old baby, Robert, born during the crossing. The mother had her two daughters, ages 12 and 13, to relieve her of carrying the infant. The toddler Lucien, age 3, trotted alongside, aided by his two older brothers, who were 6 and 10. (No mention is made at this point of Lucien Talon pére.)
How many colonists were there on the Matagorda Bay?
Seventy colonists, meanwhile, undertook a grueling 50-mile march up the west shore of Matagorda Bay. This group included Madam Talon and her 10-month-old baby, Robert, born during the crossing. The mother had her two daughters, ages 12 and 13, to relieve her of carrying the infant.
What was the struggle for shelter?
The Struggle for Shelter. Housing was the urgent need. The nearest suitable timber for building was a league away; there were no carts or draft animals to move it. La Salle, nevertheless, put men to work felling trees and squaring logs while others stood guard against Indians.
How many people were left at Fort St Louis?
La Salle lived here at Fort St Louis tell [sic] the 7th January 1687. And at that time only about 40 person [s] were left at the colony. All having died of disease or killed off by the Karankawa Indians. [They were] a very fierce tribe who lived along the coast and never did stop fighting La Salle.
How long did La Salle live in Fort St Louis?
It was two hundred and seventy years ago when La Salle disembarked from the Belle, his only remaining ship, and started the settlement. This settlement was intended to be a permanent colony by the French in the New World and was to be used at a later time for a jumping off place by the French in an effort to oust the Spaniards from Mexico. Between some two and three hundred Europeans lived at this site. La Salle himself lived here from 1685 to the spring of 1687. He was murdered in that year by some of his own companions. The colony lasted after the death of La Salle two more years but by then all of the inhabitants were either dead from disease, had deserted, or were killed off by the Indians. When the settlement was found by the Spaniards in 1689 it was in total ruin. See historical and reference note on old Fort St Louis at end of narrative. June 25 1955 DRAWINGS
What ship did La Salle use to scout out the bays?
La Salle now with only one ship, the Belle, left [and] scouted out the bays, also the Lavaca Bay, and located a site at the head of Lavaca Bay up one of the rivers ] (the Garcitas), a few miles, for his settlement and named the settlement Fort St. Louis for the King of France, Louis the XIV.
What was La Salle's state ship?
And in crossing the bay the Aimable, which was his state ship, was wrecked and lost in the Matagorda Bay. La Salle and his naval officer, Beaujeu, could not agree and here on the Matagorda Bay ] Beaujeu took the Jolly [sic] and sailed away.
How long did La Salle live?
La Salle himself lived here from 1685 to the spring of 1687. He was murdered in that year by some of his own companions. The colony lasted after the death of La Salle two more years but by then all of the inhabitants were either dead from disease, had deserted, or were killed off by the Indians.
Where did La Salle land?
La Salle missed the Mississippi and came on to land on the Matagorda Bay near where the old town of Indianola used to be. Of the 4 ships in his expidition [sic], one, the St. Francis was captured by the Spaniards on his entering into the gulf.
Why did La Salle fire a shot?
Nearing the plotters camp, La Salle fired a shot to let them know that he was coming [and] this warned them of his approach and gave them time to secret themselves along the path which he would take in his approach to the camp. 2 shots from the cane brakes brought him down, lifeless.
Who set Fort St. Louis on fire?
He overcame the guards and set Fort St. Louis on fire. The fire consumed everything, including the church. Charles La Tour moved his headquarters to Fort La Tour where in April 1645 d'Aulnay would again attack. See Fort La Tour .
When was Fort Lomeron built?
Construction on Fort St. Louis would not begin until June 1630 and would not be complete until December 1830.
Who organized the Company of New France?
In 1627 the King of France (Louis III) and Cardinal Richelieu (French Prime Minister & Foreign Secretary of France) organized the Company of New France. Soon after Charles La Tour wrote to the King and Richelieu explaining that English and Scottish forces had plans to take over all of Acadia and that he needed a stronger fortification to hold them off.
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.
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.
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.