Rene Cavelier De La Salle lands in Matagorda Bay, the French explorer was born 1643 and died 1687. In 1684 King Louis XIV wanted thee French explorer to travel to the Rio Grande and take over the Spanish mines. La Salle telling the King a lie, told him the Mississippi was farther north La Salles intentions where to set up a colony along the Mississippi River Valley.

La Salle leaves France in1684 for the Mississippi, with four ships setting sail. while en route to the New World the expedition lost a very important supply ship. The expedition landed farther west than expected in Matagorda Bay, what is now called Houston Texas. Landing in the Matagorda Bay another ship is lost as it runs aground, having to fight off indians who where taking supplies from the wrecked ship, one of the ships heads back to France.

La Salle and the expedition is stranded in Texas, building a fort at the Lavaca River 20 men from the expedition set out to explore. In 1686 reportedly a drunk sailor wrecks the last ship, trying to follow the Lavaca River to the Mississippi River, trying to make it to the French missions around the Great Lakes.

The expedition loses all but 8 men who return to the fort, on a second try La Salle and 17 others try a 2nd time, leaving 25 men at the fort. After a few months 5 men from the 2nd group kill La Salle near Novasota on March 19, 1687. The 25 men left at the fort died at the fort the remaining made it ti Montreal in 1688.

~THE WOOD BUTCHER~