
By Mary Giorgio
Robert de La Salle was a Frenchman renowned for his exploration of North America. Traveling from Canada, he traversed the United States all the way down to present-day Louisiana. In 1679, those travels took him through present-day Indiana, making him one of the first Europeans to explore the Hoosier state.
LaSalle was born in Rouen, France, on November 22, 1643. Eager to explore the new world, he joined the Jesuits and set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1666. LaSalle arrived in New France, near present-day Montreal, Canada, in 1667.
