Historical Collections Of Louisiana Vol 1

Author : B. F. French
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781331141143
Total Pages : 474 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Historical Collections of Louisiana, Vol. 1 written by B. F. French and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-11 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Historical Collections of Louisiana, Vol. 1: Embracing Many Rare and Valuable Documents Relating to the Natural, Civil and Political History of That State; Compiled With Historical and Biographical Notes All that extensive tract of country, formerly known by the name of Louisiana, bounded on the east by the Rio Perdido, west by the Rio del Norte and stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, embracing the present disputed country of Oregon, was claimed by France, by right of contiguity, discovery and settlement, as a part of her territorial possessions in North America, in the seventeenth century. As early as 1673 the discovery of the Mississippi river was accomplished by Father Marquette and Sieur Joliet, who explored it to the Indian village of the Kappas, on the Arkansas river; and there, having satisfied themselves that it emptied into the Gulf of Mexico, to the west of Florida, they set out for Canada on the 17th of July. Sieur Joliet returned to Quebec to announce the discovery, while the holy father tarried by the way to preach the gospel to the Miamies of the lake. For two years he toiled to convert the heathen, and expound to them the mysteries of the Catholic faith. Coasting the lake from Chicago to Mackinaw, on his holy mission. he landed on the banks of a stream, now bearing his name, which flows into Lake Michigan, and erected an altar. He then requested to be left alone and, while offering up solemn thanks and supplication, he fell asleep to wake no more. "A light breeze from the lake sighed his requiem, and the Algonquin nation became his mourners." Thus perished the discoverer of the river Mississippi. But the honor of perfecting the exploration of the Father of Waters, and the taking possession of the country which he named Louisiana, was reserved for the most extraordinary man of his age, Robert Cavelier De La Salle. He was a native of France; and when the attention of Europe, in the seventeenth century, was directed to the colonization of North America, he turned his steps thither. Under the patronage of Louis XIV., he explored the great lakes of the North; and subsequently returning to France, he was rewarded for his services with a title of nobility, and a grant of lands around and including Fort Frontenac. He then returned to Canada, and occupied himself in rebuilding his fort, and pursuing his discoveries to the West. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.