Explorer: Robert La Salle New SS book pgs: 196, 242, 248 Old SS book pgs: 191, 203-204

Purpose Question: Who? (Who was the explorer) Write the following question words on your paper. By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to answer these questions about the explorer. These will be collected and graded. Who? (Who was the explorer) What? (What was he best remembered for- greatest accomplishment) When? (year of exploration) Where? (area or place he explored/ who did he claim the land for) Why? (Why did he go on this voyage?)

Background Information: In 1673, the Governor-General of France sent an expedition of 7 men over to the new world to explore the rivers and lakes of what is now the Great Lakes region. They too were looking for the Northwest Passage. Along the way, the explorers met many different Native Americans from this region. The Native Americans helped the explorers build canoes and taught them how to make snowshoes for walking in deep snow. The Native Americans told them about a big river to the west. They called it Mississippi, which means “big water”. The Frenchmen were eager to use the river to reach new lands where they could set up trading posts. They were also hoping that the river would flow to the Pacific Ocean- the Northwest Passage. As the group traveled, they drew maps of the Mississippi. After traveling almost 1,000 miles south the men realized this river could not be the Northwest Passage. They turned around and headed back north.

Facts about La Salle Nine years later, a ________explorer named Robert La Salle set out to travel all the way down to the mouth of the Mississippi River. In the winter of _____, La Salle set out on his voyage from the St. Lawrence River. French 1681

Map of La Salle’s route

He led an expedition of 20 French people and about 30 Native Americans. To reach the Mississippi River from the St. Lawrence River, the group had to put their canoes on sleds and drag them over snow and frozen streams. They finally reached the Mississippi in February of 1682 and began rowing downstream.

Long live the king France Two months later, in April of 1682, the expedition reached the mouth of the Mississippi river (into what we call now the Gulf of Mexico). With excitement after successfully completing his voyage, the group yelled “_____________________!” They claimed the entire Mississippi River (including all of it’s *tributaries) and all of its surrounding land for ________. He named this area Louisiana, for King Louis XIV of France. *a tributary is a river or stream that flows into a larger river Long live the king France

La Salle’s Journal:

At the time, Robert La Salle had no idea of just how large this area was. This now meant the “New France” was a vast empire. Look on pg. 204 of old SS book to see the large area of Louisiana.

The La Belle: Robert La Salle’s ship In 1686, on a dark and stormy night, the small ship La Belle sank in an unknown bay in a little explored land, off what is today the coast of Texas. It was 300 years later before a team of archeologists discovered the sunken ship. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lasalle/

Back to Purpose Question: Before we started, you wrote the question words: who, what, when, where, and why, on your papers. Use the information you learned during this lesson to answer those questions. You will turn these in to me when you finish.