1. Robert de la Salle By : Anna Deam

2. Robert de la Salle was a nobleman from France. In 1666 he sailed to New France. He was a fur trader and new lots of Indians that told him about a river that flowed south to the Golf of Mexico.

3. La Salle had to borrow money to finance his expedition. He named the mouth of the Mississippi River for the French King.

4. La Salle planed to establish a sea route from France to the Mississippi River. Then he went to France and received the kings permission.

5. In 1684 La Salle sailed to America with 200 settlers. They spent 6 months crossing the Atlantic, then missed the mouth of the Mississippi by 500 miles to the west.

6. La Salle made a colony there on the coast of Texas. They became starving and convinced he was crazy his own men murdered him.

7. La Salle ended up claiming the entire Mississippi valley for France. During his sails he learned many Native American languages.

8. Bibliography: Social Studies Alive! Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute, 2010. 66-67