René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was a French explorer and fur trader in North America. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, and the Mississippi River. He is best known for an early 1682 expedition in which he canoed the lower Mississippi River from the mouth of the Illinois River to the Gulf of Mexico; there, on April 9, 1682, he claimed the Mississippi River basin for France after giving it the name La Louisiane, in honor of Saint Louis and Louis XIV. One source states that "he acquired for France the most fertile half of the North American continent". A later, ill-fated expedition in 1684 to the Gulf coast of Mexico gave the United States a putative claim to Texas in the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803; La Salle was assassinated during that expedition.
Robert LaSalle builds the Le Griffon, the first known ship built on the Great Lakes.
On August 3, in the year 1678, Robert LaSalle builds the Le Griffon, the first known ship built on the Great Lakes. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 3, one of 432 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on August 3, 1678 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 12 July 2026.
On This Date in History 432
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