La Salle
La Salle, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de (1643-1687), French explorer in
North America, who navigated the length of the Mississippi River and claimed
the Louisiana region for France.
La Salle was born on November 22, 1643, in Rouen, France, and educated
by the Jesuits. In 1666 he immigrated to Canada, was granted land on the
St. Lawrence River, and became a trader. From 1669 to 1670 he explored
the region south of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and he later claimed to have
discovered the Ohio River in 1671. In the course of his explorations in the
wilderness, La Salle became familiar with indigenous languages and
traditions. Because of his capabilities, French colonial governor Louis de
Buade, comte de Palluau et de Frontenac, appointed him commander of
Fort Frontenac, then being built as a trading station. In 1674 La Salle was
sent to France as Frontenac's representative to justify the building of the......
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