The Louisiana Purchase and Westward Expansion

The Louisiana Purchase and Westward Expansion — page 9
14 THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE AND WESTWARD EXPANSION Pierre Le Moyne sieur d’Iberville A French Canadian naval hero and explorer Iberville was commissioned in the 1690s to locate the mouth of the Mississippi and to establish a fort in order to secure the claim made by La Salle In 1699 he explored the north ern coast of the Gulf of Mexico rediscovering the mouth of the Mississippi He set up a fort at what is now Ocean Springs Mississippi near Biloxi This became France’s foot hold in Louisiana A year later he established a second fort near the site of present day New Orleans and in 1702 he built a new fort on the Mobile River The success of these defense projects persuaded Louis XIV to begin colonizing Louisiana Iberville was accom panied on his Louisiana expedition by his brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne sieur de Bienville Following