Who First Sailed Down The Mississippi River?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish

conquistador Hernando de Soto

Which explorer sailed down the Mississippi River?


René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle

, (born November 22, 1643, Rouen, France—died March 19, 1687, near Brazos River [now in Texas, U.S.]), French explorer in North America who led an expedition down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and claimed all the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for …

What did La Salle discover?

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was an explorer best known for leading an expedition down

the Illinois and Mississippi rivers

. He claimed the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV.

What are 3 facts about La Salle?

Quick Facts Full name Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle Nationality French Occupation(s) fur trader, explorer

Which country first sailed down the Mississippi River in North America and claimed it for themselves?

The Spanish, however, never gained a foothold in the region. Nearly a century and a half later, in 1682, the famous French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, descended the Mississippi to its mouth and by right of discovery promptly claimed the entire region for Louis XIV of

France

(reigned 1643-1715).

Why did Lasalle want Louisiana for France?

La Salle secured a contract for the colonization of lower Louisiana from Louis XIV in 1683. The plan was

to reach the Mississippi by sea and secure a permanent settlement upriver that would provide the French

with a strategic advantage over Spanish interests throughout the Gulf of Mexico.

What did Giovanni Caboto do?

John Cabot (or Giovanni Caboto, as he was known in Italian) was an Italian explorer and navigator who

may have developed the idea of sailing westward to reach the riches of Asia while working for

a Venetian merchant.

What was La Salle’s goal?

His mission and goal was

to explore and establish fur-trade routes along the river

. La Salle named the entire Mississippi basin Louisiana, in honor of the King, and claimed it for France on April 9, 1682.

How long did Robert de La Salle live?

René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle

1670-1687

| Virtual Museum of New France.

Who discovered Mississippi for the French?

The French era in Mississippi’s history began when

Rene-Robert, Cavalier de La Salle

, claimed the area for France during his famous voyage down the Mississippi River in 1682. He named the region “Louisiana” in honor of French King Louis XIV, but failed to solidify the claim by establishing a settlement.

How did Robert de La Salle impact the world?

Robert de La Salle was a French explorer of the early colonial period. He had a huge impact

on defining French interests in North America

and, at the same time that Britain was getting its first colonies established on the eastern seaboard, helped expand France’s empire across half the continent.

What was La Salle’s route?

He was sent by King Louis XIV (14) to

travel south from Canada and sail down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico

. He was the first European to travel the length of the Mississippi River (1682).

How did La Salle impact Texas?

The La Salle expedition shifted the focus of

Spanish interest

from western Texas to eastern Texas. The French began exploring this area, too. Men from La Salle’s colony became explorers and set up settlements in the South and Southwest.

Did La Salle Miss the Mississippi river?

La Salle returned to France in order to promote settlement in French-occupied territory. Returning to North America with 200 colonists, La Salle’s

expedition missed the mouth of the Mississippi River

and ended up landing on the coast of Matagorda Bay, Texas, in 1685.

How did the first settlers crossed the Mississippi river?

In. the early movement of settlers to Iowa, the Mississippi River played a double role. … Rivers proved to be an unfailing source of trouble.

The small streams were crossed by fording the larger ones by swimming the teams, wagons and all

.

Why didn’t the French explore east of the Mississippi river?

Due to a combination of inaccurate maps,

La Salle’s previous miscalculation of the latitude of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and overcorrection for the currents

, the expedition failed to find the Mississippi.

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.