French Texas was the period of Texas history from 1685 until 1689. During this time, a French colony, Fort Saint Louis, existed near what is now Inez, Texas. Explorer Robert de La Salle intended to found the colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but inaccurate maps and navigational errors caused his ships to instead anchor 400 miles (644 km) west, off the coast of Texas near Matagorda Bay. The colony faced numerous difficulties during its brief existence, including hostile Native Americans, epidemics, and harsh conditions. Mindful of his original mission, La Salle led several expeditions to find the Mississippi River; instead, he explored much of the Rio Grande and parts of East Texas. During one of his absences in 1686 the colony's last ship was wrecked, leaving the colonists unable to obtain supplies from the French colonies in the Caribbean Sea. As conditions deteriorated, La Salle realized the colony could only survive with help from French settlements in Illinois Country. His last expedition ended along the Brazos River in early 1687 when La Salle and five of his men were murdered by rivals in the group. Although a handful of men reached Illinois, help never arrived. The remaining members of the colony were killed or captured during a Karankawa raid in late 1688. Although the colony lasted only three years, its existence established France's claim to possession of the region that is now Texas, and later supported the claim by the United States to the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Texas

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1777:

An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island, the largest coral atoll in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiritimati

1814:

The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Ghent

1865:

Six Confederate veterans of the American Civil War founded the Ku Klux Klan, which would later become a white supremacist group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan

1964:

The Vietcong bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two US Army officers, raising fears of an escalation in the Vietnam War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Brinks_Hotel_bombing

1968:

Astronaut William Anders of the NASA spacecraft Apollo 8, the first manned voyage to orbit the Moon, took the famous photograph known as "Earthrise" , showing the Earth rising above the lunar surface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise

1974:

Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, Australia, eventually destroying more than 70 percent of the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

unobtrusively (adv): In an unobtrusive manner; in a manner that is not noticeable or blatant http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unobtrusively

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another. --John Muir http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Muir