Thirteen Rivers

by Ruth Davis

Thirteen The Last Voyage of La Belle is a historical novel based on the true saga of French explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and his colony.
 
Upon discovering in 1682 that the Mississippi River emptied into the Gulf of Mexico, La Salle claimed for France the entire river valley and all of its tributaries, including a large portion of present-day Texas and titled his empire La Louisiane to honor reigning French monarch, King Louis XIV. Hurricanes, pirates in the Caribbean, ship-wreck, betrayal, revenge, Indian war parties, kidnapping and murder are all illustrated in a chronicle of events only life itself could inspire. Marooned on the present-day Texas coast, the cast includes priests, soldiers, sailors, deserters, murderers and families including women and children, as well as Indian warriors and wizened chiefs. What became of four ships, La Belle , Le Joly , l’Aimable and Le S aint-Francois that left France in 1684 bound for La Louisiane with 280 people aboard? This is their story.
 

Genres: Historical Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2016

Reviews

[Carla Hostetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fictionalized account of the explorer LaSalle's last voyage, an attempt to find the mouth of the Mississippi and establish a colony along its banks. This tragic story is chock full of verified historical details based on a detailed journal of the adventure and the recent discovery of one of the ships involved. LaSalle sets out from France with four ships stocked with supplies, trade goods, and colonists, men, women, children, priests. Blown off course and losing one ship to pirates, the group comes to land on the Texas coast with no idea where they are. Though LaSalle makes forays to find his great river, some lose faith in the mission. Rebellion, Indian and supply troubles and shipwrecks crop up. While one group remains in behind in a small fort, LaSalle again sets outs little knowing there are thirteen rivers to cross until he can find the Mississippi. LaSalle is lauded for his peaceful overtures to many tribes along the way, but he often fails to connect with his underlings, treating them with arrogance. Even in a tiny colony, the class system is still in place and leads to trouble. This is a great book for those who love detail and vivid descriptions of sea and land in their historical novels. While aware of LaSalle's discovery of the Mississippi, I did not know his surprising fate.