EXPLORERS IN OKLAHOMA

SPAIN  …area was just another territory of New Spain…

SPAIN  1539—Francisco Vazquez de Coronado  Governor of Nueva Galicia  Searched for Seven Cities of Cibola  Travelled through Oklahoma  Met Wichita (Quivira)  Observed Apache

SPAIN  1541—Hernando de Soto  Started trip in Cuba  Travelled Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers  Established Spanish flag over Oklahoma

SPAIN  The Spanish sought  TREASURE (Gold)  The Spanish left behind  Religion (God)  HORSES  DISEASE

FRANCE  1682—René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle  Claimed Mississippi watershed for France  Included Oklahoma  Named the area “Louisiana” after Louis XIV

FRANCE  1718—Jean-Baptiste Benard de la Harpe  Met Wichita  Established trading post on the Red River  French traders  Settled easily with Native Americans  Intermarried frequently  Established Oklahoma’s first industry—the fur trade

FRANCE  The French sought  Wealth through trade  The French left behind  Dependence on trade goods  Place names

UNITED STATES  Purchased Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million (5 ½ cents/sq mi; today about $450 billion)  Set up forts to protect border with New Spain  Sought FRONTIER

UNITED STATES  1804—Lewis and Clark  Explored northern/western parts of Louisiana Territory  Focused attention AWAY from southern part of Louisiana Territory

UNITED STATES  1806—Zebulon Pike  Sent to chart the Arkansas and Red Rivers  Wandered into New Spain  Arrested/imprisoned  Reported on a “great American desert” in the Southwest

UNITED STATES  1820—Stephen Long  Sent to explore/chart rivers  1 st scientific survey of the region  Labeled his maps of OK with the term “Great American Desert”

EXPLORERS IN OKLAHOMA