Show ANNIVERSARY A TODAY'S On March 19 1687 Rene La Salle the greatest of French explorers was vas shot by two of his followers while exploring the Mississippi La Salle came to America at the age of at 23 and became a trader in furs and the posse possessor or of a tract of land landIn In Canada After a a. voyage of exploration ex- ex exploration exploration ex ex- from Lake Erie to Lake Superior and down the Mississippi 1 he took possession of the land around the Gulf of Mexico called in Louisiana Louis Louls- lana iana in honor of the French king and went to France to get men and means to colonize it On his return La Salle failed again to find the Mississippi and wandered from place to place until nearly all his followers were dead ead At last giving up hope of reaching the land laud he was seeking he set out for Canada with a small company in 1687 On the way two of his men shot him La Salle was the discoverer of the Ohio and the first e explorer of the greater part of the Mississippi river |