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Rene de La Salle was born in France on November 24, 1643. He went to Jesuit schools. He then became a priest. He set sail for the unexplored regions of Canada. In Canada, La Salle set up a fur trading post. He was convinced there was a trade route through the rivers and lakes of the Western frontier, that would reach the Orient. He failed to find that trade route. In 1669 he sold his land and headed out to explore the Ohio region. In 1677 he had grown bored of his fur trading and asked Louis XIV for authorization to explore the western parts of New France. On April 9, 1682 La Salle claimed all of the Mississippi Basin for all of France and named it Louisiana. On March 20, 1687 La Salle was assassinated. |
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