Why did Lasalle name Louisiana?
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was an explorer best known for leading an expedition down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. He claimed the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV.
Why did La Salle name his estate Le Chine?
The China Obsession No sooner had young La Salle arrived than he was granted a piece of land in the western part of the island of Montreal. He became so obsessed with the search for a route to the Orient that his seigneurie (estate) became jokingly known as ‘La Chine’ (French for China.)
How did the La Salle expedition get its name?
On April 9, 1682, at the junction of the bird-foot delta near the Gulf of Mexico, La Salle claimed the river and its drainage basin for King Louis XIV, hence the name “Louisiana.” In addition, he named the river Colbert in recognition of his patron and French finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
Why did La Salle go to lower Louisiana?
La Salle secured a contract for the colonization of lower Louisiana from Louis XIV in 1683. The plan was to reach the Mississippi by sea and secure a permanent settlement upriver that would provide the French with a strategic advantage over Spanish interests throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
Where did Robert Cavelier de la Salle claim Louisiana Territory?
On April 9, 1682, La Salle placed an engraved plate and a cross at the mouth of the Mississippi River, officially claiming the Louisiana Territory for France. In 1683 La Salle established Fort St. Louis at Starved Rock in Illinois and left Tonti in charge while he returned to France to resupply.
Who was the Sieur de la Salle in 1680?
Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. During the 1680s, René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, led two expeditions in search of the Mississippi River’s outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet preceded La Salle by a decade, though they only went as far as the Arkansas River before returning to Canada.