French Explorer: Robert LaSalle Placard

In the early 1500s, France was trying to find a shorter route to the Indies by traveling north around America.  This route they were looking for was called the Northwest Passage.  In looking for this Northwest Passage, the French were able to lay claims to land in North America. 

Earlier French explorers had traveled to North America and explored parts of Canada including the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, and Montreal.  While exploring this territory the French discovered a resource that they felt was very valuable, furs.  The French realized that the animals found in this region could be trapped and skinned; and when the fur was sold, it would bring a large profit. 

As the fur trade increased, so did the need for a relatively simple way to ship the pelts from the northern wilderness to the southern ports and European markets.  This was established in 1682 when Robert La Salle traveled down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and claimed the entire Mississippi River Valley for King Louis XVI.  La Salle named this region Louisiana in honor of the French King.  The French now had access to a wide variety of lakes and rivers that extended from northeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.  The French were able to use the St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes, Ohio River, and Mississippi River to transport their precious cargo.