Identifier: storiesofamerica00gord (find matches)
Title: Stories of American explorers : a historical reader
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Gordy, Wilbur F. (Wilbur Fisk), 1854-1929
Subjects: Explorers America -- Discovery and exploration
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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in vain. He returned to FortMiami, where he spent the winter, and toward theend of May set out for Canada to get supplieswith which to make a third attempt to explore theMississippi River. THE THIRD AND SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT While searching for Tonti, who had escapedfrom the Iroquois Indians, La Salle proceeded tothe Mississippi River, by way of the Chicago andIllinois rivers. Thus far he had not succeeded in building avessel, and now he gave up the plan and decided togo down the Mississippi in canoes. In February,1682, his party, consisting of twenty-three French-men, eighteen Indian men, ten squaws, and threeIndian children, glided down the waters of thegreat river. In due time they arrived at the mouth of theMississippi. Here La Salle erected a column bear-ing the arms of France and a proper inscription.He also erected a cross, and amid the singing of Carnlicr th* Ln Salic 197 hymns and other formal exercises, took possessionof the country in the name of Louis, Kini*1 of * • I ^v- 4
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Salic took posM^ii.n of th«- country France. ITe called the country Louisiana, inhonor of the French monarch. 198 American Explorers LA SALLE PLANTS A COLONY La Salle was now ready to carry out the lastpart of his plan, which was the planting of a colonyat the mouth of the Mississippi River. In orderto accomplish this he returned to France, and inthe summer of 1684 sailed from that countrywith four ships bearing two hundred and eightymen, soldiers, priests, and mechanics, and also hav-ing whatever was needed to fit out a colony. Again trouble awaited him, for his fleet didnot succeed in finding the entrance to the Missis-sippi River. The vessels sailed past the mouth,and finally landed on the coast of Texas, fourhundred miles west of the Mississippi. Here La Salle built a fort and named it St.Louis. But during the summer, disease and suf-fering and hardship swept away over thirty of hismen. At last he and his colony were left withoutships, as two of the fleet had returned to Francean

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