Louis XIV's Western North American Territorial Claims (1678)

Timeline

1. 1678Niagara Falls to the Illinois River · south of the Great LakesRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, traveled south from the Niagara region, pushed inland along the Illinois River, and made contact with the local Illinois Confederation Indians, preparing the way for a French forward outpost on the upper Mississippi.
2. 1678Fort Crèvecœur (on the Illinois River) · IllinoisThe expedition built Fort Crèvecœur on the Illinois River as a base for controlling trade in the river valley and advancing down the Mississippi. La Salle claimed the entire Mississippi basin as French territory in the name of Louis XIV and planned to build an armed merchant vessel to ply the river.