The "St. Louis River" might, from its name, be a fair-sized
stream, but "Colbert" sounds like the name of a river about twenty miles
long, forty feet wide at the mouth, and five feet deep at the very
middle.
La Salle intended to build a fort at a point sixty leagues above the
mouth of the river, but his expedition met with disaster upon disaster,
until at last he was assassinated in Texas, when setting out on foot to
seek help from Canada. In 1699 came Iberville, the Canadian, exploring
the river and fixing on the site for the future city. Iberville
established settlements at old Biloxi (now Ocean Springs) and Mobile,
but before he had time to make a town at New Orleans he caught yellow
fever at Havana, and died there. It therefore remained for his brother,
Bienville, actually to establish the town, and New Orleans is
Bienville's city, just as Detroit is Cadillac's, and Cleveland General
Moses Cleveland's.
Bienville's settlers were hardy pioneers from Canada, and presently we
find him writing to France: "Send me wives for my Canadians. They are
running in the woods after Indian girls." The priests also urged that
unless white wives could be sent out for the settlers, marriages with
Indians be sanctioned.
Having now a considerable investment in Louisiana, France felt that a
request for wives for the colony was practical and legitimate.
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