LA BELLE (LA SALLE’S LAST SHIP) RECOVERY OF THE LA BELLE, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION OF LA SALLE AND FORT ST. LOUIS (MATAGORDA, TEXAS. FRANCES FIRST CLAIM TO TEXAS TERRITORIES

On a stormy day in 1686 a French ship named La Belle sank in Matagorda Bay, Texas. It was part of an expedition led by explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. La Belle had sailed from France with three other ships and about 300 people to establish a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Because of poor planning, inaccurate maps, and bad luck, the expedition actually ended up in Texas, some 400 miles away from its intended target. Along with its passengers, La Belle carried a wide range of supplies to start a new colony. These supplies included woodworking tools, gunpowder, cannon balls, bottles, cups, plates, and more. La Salle’s expedition seemed destined for disaster. On the way, one ship was captured by pirates in the Caribbean. Then another ship ran aground and was lost, and a third returned to France. Only the supply ship La Belle was left. Despite losing all their ships, the colonists tried to set up a new colony, Fort St. Louis. La Salle and some of his crew left the struggling colony in search of the Mississippi. However, in 1687, La Salle was murdered by one of his own men. Those left behind at the colony did not do well. They had little food, and many colonists were sick. Some were killed by local Indians. When La Belle ran aground and sank, they lost many of their remaining supplies and any chance of returning to France. By 1687, only 20 colonists remained alive at Fort St. Louis. In the end, the French attempt to build a colony failed.

LA BELLE Remains of the La Belle recovery operations. ayer_embedded&v=NWgmPoWtiyg

LA BELLE CANNON During the excavation of the La Belle shipwreck, scientists discovered that the ship carried three ornate bronze cannons in her hold. These cannons would have been critical to the defense of a new colony. The cannons’ handles were shaped like dolphins, a popular motif in the 1600s. Each cannon also bore two distinctive crests—the royal crest of King Louis XIV and the crest of the Count of Vermandois, an Admiral of France. Together, these distinctive marks helped scholars establish that the shipwreck discovered was indeed La Belle.

GLASS BEADS Because the purpose of La Salle’s expedition was to establish a colony, the settlers brought with them a wide range of very practical goods and supplies. However, some of these goods were brought not to use, but to trade with Indians. Trade goods included brass rings and pins, iron axe heads, bronze bells, and tiny Venetian glass beads like these, which the colonists hoped to trade for hides and furs.

CANDLESTICKS In the late 1600s, essential supplies for establishing a new colony included farming and woodworking tools, weapons and ammunition, and common household items such as plates, cups, and these brass candlesticks.