One Story Told by Seven Texas Museums

In early February of 1686 a small French ship,the Belle, went down in the murky waters ofMatagorda Bay on the Texas Gulf Coast. Withthe ship went a famous explorer’s dreams anda king’s ambition to expand his empire in theNew World.

The La Salle Odyssey, a series of exhibits inseven museums, tells the story of this ill-fatedexpedition and the remarkable discovery andexcavation of the Belle and Fort St. Louis 300years later.

any thanks to the followingmajor contributors for their generous

support of the La Salle Odyssey.

The 77th Texas Legislature

J.P. and Mary Jon Bryan Foundation

The Cullen Foundation

The Fondren Foundation

The Hillcrest Foundation

The Houston Endowment, Inc.

ISTEA — Texas Department of Transportation

Carolyn Bennett Jackson

M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation

Robert and Helen Kleberg Foundation

The Meadows Foundation

Mobil Exploration and Producing US, Inc.

Dennis O’Connor

The O’Connor and Hewitt Foundation

Kathryn O’Connor Foundation

Earl C. Sams Foundation

Shell Oil Company Foundation

The Summerlee Foundation

The Trull Foundation

CORPUS CHRISTI MUSEUMOF SCIENCE AND HISTORY

TEXAS MARITIMEMUSEUM

LA PETITE BELLEHOMEPORT & MUSEUM

MATAGORDACOUNTYMUSEUM

CALHOUN COUNTYMUSEUM

MUSEUM OF THECOASTAL BEND

FORTST. LOUIS

WRECKOF THEBELLE

TEXANAMUSEUM

LaSalleOdyssey

Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History1900 N. Chaparral St., Corpus Christiwww.ccmuseum.com • 361/826-4650

Texas Maritime Museum1202 Navigation Circle, Rockportwww.texasmaritimemuseum.org • 361/729-1271

Texana Museum403 N. Wells, Edna361/782-5431

Calhoun County Museum301 S. Ann St., Port Lavacawww.calhouncountymuseum.org361/553-4689

Museum of the Coastal BendVictoria College2200 E. Red River, Victoriawww.museumofthecoastalbend.org • 361/582-2511

Matagorda County Museum2100 Ave. F, Bay Citywww.matagordacountymuseum.org979/245-7502

La Petite Belle Homeportand Palacios Area Historical MuseumCommerce St., Palacioswww.palaciosmuseum.org • 361/972-3960

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www.thc.state.tx.us

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isit all the museums ofthe La Salle Odyssey to get thecomplete story.

Not just any ship, the Belle belonged to RobertCavelier, Sieur de La Salle, leader of an expedi-tion for France’s Louis XIV. It contained all hisremaining supplies. Ultimately, the expeditionwould end in disaster and the deaths of almosteveryone involved, including La Salle himself.

Each of the museums in the La Salle Odysseyexplores part of the saga, and each containsartifacts never before seen by the public.

Birth ofan expedition

As part of Louis XIV’s planto enlarge his territory inNorth America, La Salle’sfour ships set sail for theNew World in 1684. This

exhibit includes displays about the unusual design ofthe Belle and the skill of the shipwrights who built her.

Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History,Corpus Christi

Daily life on board the Belle

La Salle sailed too farsouthwest and missed hisintended destination, themouth of the MississippiRiver. This exhibit explores

the science, art and mystery of navigation in La Salle’stime, and also offers a unique glimpse into crewmembers’ lives. Among the items on display are ascale model of the Belle, sailors’ personal belongingsand 17th-century medical instruments.

Texas Maritime Museum, Rockport

The NativeAmericans

who watched theFrench come ashoreWhen La Salle landednear Matagorda Bayin today’s Texas, the

Karankawa people of the Gulf Coast were thereto meet him. The French brought glass beads,brass bells, jewelry and axes as trade items.However, the French-Indian relationship wouldsoon turn deadly.

Texana Museum, Edna

The clashof empires

in 17th-centuryNorth AmericaCannon balls, gun flintsand personal effects ofFrench and Spanish

colonists are among the artifacts that attest to thestruggle between Spain and France for power inthe New World.

Calhoun County Museum, Port Lavaca

La Salle’sdoomed colony

on the Texas coastLa Salle built a smallsettlement near MatagordaBay called Fort St. Louis.By 1689, Karankawas had

killed or captured the last of the settlers, and LaSalle’s own men had murdered him. This museum’sexhibit includes eight cannons that defended thecolony, a settler’s journal and exhibits about the TexasHistorical Commission’s excavation of Fort St. Louis.

Museum of the Coastal Bend, Victoria

Theextraordinary

excavation thatuncovered the BelleTexas HistoricalCommission archeologistsdiscovered the Belle

shipwreck in 1995 and excavated it from thebottom of Matagorda Bay inside a giant cofferdam.On display in this museum are a diorama of part ofthe excavation and artifacts from the ship, includinga bronze cannon and navigational instruments.

Matagorda County Museum, Bay City

A fullyfunctioning,

seagoing replicaof the BelleBuilt to half-scale, La PetiteBelle serves as the La SalleOdyssey’s traveling ambas-

sador, bringing the fascinating story to every port shevisits. Near her homeport is a museum exhibit aboutthe crucial role the community of Palacios played inthe discovery and recovery of the Belle.

La Petite Belle, homeport in Palacios andPalacios Area Historical Museum, Palacios

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Excavation of the Belle at the bottom of Matagorda Bay.