The document summarizes Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle's expedition to establish a French colony near the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1684. La Salle built Fort St. Louis after missing the river's mouth and landing in Matagorda Bay. However, the colony struggled with hunger, disease and Indian attacks. By 1689, the Karankawa Indians had destroyed the fort after most of the colonists perished. This established France's claim to Louisiana but was later found abandoned by the Spanish.

1. Chapter 6: The Spanish Missions Section 2: The French Challenge

9. Cannons excavated at site of Fort St. Louis