INTRODUCTION A LOST HISTORY French explorer Sieur de La Salle lived during the seventeenth century near the end of the Age of Exploration This was a time when Europeans explored and colonized parts of what they called the New World La Salle explored the Great Lakes region the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico He is probably best known for giving the Louisiana territory its name Biographer Francis Parkman wrote that La Salle kept journals and made maps of his expeditions These journals and maps are examples of primary sources information created by those who witnessed an event Historians use primary This engraving of Sieur de La Salle was created in the nineteenth century long after La Salle died It is not considered a primary source I QU
Henri Joutel accompanied La Salle on his final journey before he died in 1687 Joutel wrote this journal about the voyage and about La Salle's death sources to understand and describe historical people places and events Some of La Salle's letters survived But most of his other personal records were lost Other maps and firsthand accounts as well as artworks and objects from his ships still exist though These items fill in some of the blanks in La Salle's life and help us better understand and more accurately report on his role in history SLE
BD ROVEN A seventeenth century engraving shows the city of Rouen at the edge of the Seine River CHAPTER 1 SIEUR DE LA SALLE S EARLY DAYS La Salle was born into a Roman Catholic family in 1643 in Rouen Rouen was the capital of Normandy France His parents were Catherine Geest and Jean Cavelier Cavelier was a rich trader and landowner La Salle had several siblings including an older brother named Jean La Salle's name at birth was René Robert Cavelier Due to his family's wealthy status he would gain the title Sieur de La Salle as an adult It means gentleman from La Salle La Salle was his family's estate near Rouen As a boy La Salle attended a school run by the Jesuits members of a Catholic religious order He took lessons in
This seventeenth century colored engraving depicts a Jesuit priest working with young children in France astronomy math languages mapmaking and religion He planned to become a priest He was a good student and took vows to start his training as a priest at the age of seventeen But he became restless By P Thomas Conjer S J ein Engeländer wird Glatta the age of twenty two La Salle bens halber aus Engeland vertriben fobaffet bers nab vil Gutes in Srandretch und ſtirbec aliba zi had a change of heart about Bafton den 24 Senner 1639 im 77 ſeines Alters being a priest He'd read about 153 explorers traveling to distant lands He wanted to take part in such adventures La Salle wanted to make his own way in the New World like the French explorers Samuel de Champlain and Jean Nicolet So he left the Jesuit order In 1666 he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for New France a French colony in North America The colony covered parts of modern Canada and the Great Lakes region Soon La Salle arrived in Montreal and met up with his brother Jean who had become a Sulpician priest The Sulpician order helped found Montreal Jean had moved there about a year before His mission was to convert First Nations peoples to Christianity SIE
