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FORT
ST LOUIS
The Life and Death of La Salle
by Archie
P. McDonald, PhD |
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A
remarkable Frenchman whose name I love to rattle off when lecturing
about early Texas history, Rene Robert, Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle,
made an impact on East Texas with his life and with his death.
First, "the life." La Salle led an expedition down the Mississippi
River to its mouth in the lower delta in 1682. There La Salle stuck
up the Bourbon fleur de lis and claimed and named all the land drained
by the river in the name of his sovereign, Louis. Then he returned
home to request permission to plant a colony near that site to anchor
French claims throughout the Mississippi Valley.
In 1685, La Salle returned to plant his colony, but either through
bad luck, poor navigation, or deceptive policy, he overshot his
target about 400 miles and landed instead in Matagorda Bay, primarily
to expand Spanish claims westward. I like the latter explanation
push French claims as far westward as possible at Spanish expense.
Certainly the Spanish took that attitude, as we shall see.
Anyway, once there,
La Salle stayed. After pushing up a small stream, he selected the
site for Fort St. Louis and ordered the others, who had remained on
the coast, to hasten thither and to build a fort. Eventually, after
much grumbling and arguing, which is what La Salle's colonists did
best, they completed six buildings and the one nearest a creek served
as a fort.
And they could argue. The problem stemmed from La Salle's recruiting
method, which was to bring too many "gentlemen" who refused to work,
and from La Salle's own abrasive personality. After their three boats
either returned to France or sank in the bay, La Salle agreed to lead
part of the men to seek relief from French settlements on the Mississippi.
Unfortunately, on the way, La Salle's men murdered him. Meanwhile,
the Spanish searched for the fort to destroy it, but when they found
it they learned that Indians had beaten them to the task. |
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Second,
"the death." Late in the 1960s, Ert J. Gum, a historian of France,
though born in Oklahoma, presented a paper to the East Texas Historical
Association. Based on reading French records, Gum said the La Salle
murder occurred somewhere in Oklahoma. Next meeting, former Rusk
County Judge Charles Langford presented a counter argument that
said the deed had been done in, well, in Rusk County.
I have always thought it best to leave the dubious honor of hosting
our region's first recorded homicide to the good citizens of Navasota.
After all, they went to the trouble and expense of erecting a statue
that says that the murder happened there. And I always believe what
historians tell me.
All
Things Historical >
May 2-8 , 2004 column
A syndicated column in over 40 East Texas newspapers
Published with permission
This column is provided as a public service by the East Texas
Historical Association. Archie P. McDonald is director of the Association
and author of more than 20 books on Texas.
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