The following Entries are associated with this Time Period. We invite you to read them and learn more about the Era of Exploration on KnowLA.
Caddo Nation
Caddo people began to inhabit the Red River valley approximately 2,500 years ago. Around that time, the ancestors of the southern Caddo began to settle in permanent villages, build the first mounds, cultivate plants, and develop the use of ceramics. Continue »
Early Exploration
Before the first colonial settlement in 1682, Spanish and French explorers visited the territory that would become Louisiana. Continue »
French Colonial Louisiana
The period of French colonial control of Louisiana dates from 1682 to 1800. Continue »
Lépinay, Jean-Michel de
Jean-Michel de Lépinay served as the fifth governor of Louisiana from 1717 to 1718. Continue »
La Salle, Renee-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de - Expeditions
Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle led two expeditions in search of the Mississippi River's outlet to the Gulf of Mexico for France under King Louis XIV. Continue »
Natchitoches Settlement
The Natchitoches settlement, founded in 1714, is the oldest in the Louisiana Territory. Continue »
Native American Literature (Louisiana)
Native American culture has influenced the place we now call Louisiana for at least six thousand years. Today, Louisiana is still rich in Native culture, including being home to four federally-recognized tribes: Chitimacha, Tunica-Biloxi, Coushatta, and Jena Band of Choctaw. Continue »
