How the Great State of Texas Almost Became French

Today is International Museum Day, a day to raise awareness that "museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. (ICOM) 

In other words, museums are cool. 

In   #InternationalMuseumDay #InternationalMuseumDay2021

We have always loved visiting The Bullock Texas State History Museum, downtown Austin, Texas. (Or what we locals call the Bob Bullock Museum.) If you want the scoop about Texas history, it's the place to go!

And there is a LOT of history in Texas, the state that has flown six flags: Spain (1519–1685; 1690–1821), France (1685–1690), Mexico (1821–1836), the Republic of Texas (1836–1845), the Confederate States of America (1861–1865), and the United States of America (1845–1861; 1865–present). 

(Continue reading to find out how about the Bullock Museum's distance learning program, open to homeschoolers!)

While the museum focuses on Texas History, visitors will find traveling or other special exhibits on the main floor. During a visit in 2015, we had the opportunity to see a new permanent display: the rescued wreckage of a 300-year-old French ship, La Belle, excavated off the Texas coast by the Texas Historical Commission. La Belle sunk in 1684 when French explorer La Salle failed at his attempt to establish a colony in the Gulf of Mexico.

Visitors could watch the ship being assembled in real-time. 

We explore the exhibit and saw original items that were found in the ship's hull during excavation, including colonial household items, a bronze cannon (see below photo), navigation tools, weapons, and trade goods.

History of the voyage

In 1684, French King Louis XIV sent explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, across the ocean with four ships to North America. La Salle was to land at the mouth of the Mississippi River, establish a colony and trade routes and locate Spanish silver mines. The plan was never realized.

La Salle landed with 180 colonists (including women, children, and many youths barely out of their teens. The first living structure built was a two-story structure of four rooms, built from hewn logs and timbers salvaged from La Salle's wrecked supply ship, Aimable. It was to serve as a look-out point for the new settlement, which from journals of La Salle's brother, was called fort St. Louis. However, there are no other records of "Fort St. Louis," other than an account stating that the lookout had 8 cannons but no cannonballs. 

The colony suffered from exposure, disease, bad treatment, and poor diet, and their number dwindled to less than half in six months. From October 1685 to January 1687, La Salle left the colony on three occasions to explore. It was during his first long absence that the remaining ship, Belle, wrecked in Matagorda Bay, leaving the colony marooned. During Christmas 1688, the Karankowa Indians fell on the colony, killing all and taking women and children with them. 

For La Salle, in a series of remarkable circumstances, La Salle lost ships to pirates and disaster, sailed past his destination, and was murdered by his own men.

Read more history of the Landing of La Belle from Texas Highways Magazine and the Texas State Historical Association. 

A display model of La Belle and how she would have looked.

When Belle wrecked in a storm and sank to the muddy bottom of Matagorda Bay, it rested undisturbed for over 300 years. In 1995, archaeologists located the 17th-century ship. They began a decades-long and often unprecedented process of excavating, recovering, and conserving the ship's hull, along with more than 1.6 million artifacts. (information from the museum website)

Watch how they discovered and excavated La Belle in the Gulf of Mexico! 

A permanent exhibit

The museum is now the permanent home of La Belle. Artifacts are the property of France from the collection of the Musée National de la Marine, courtesy of the Texas Historical Commission.

When you visit, you will experience the new and exciting additions, including:

• Augmented Reality – interact with La Belle and experience the ship life-size and under sail from various angles and vistas.
  
  
• Multi-sensory film -  Shipwrecked is an experience of the journey of the La Belle with special effects that being the voyage right to your seat.

 

Distance learning opportunity

Homeschoolers can take a virtual visit to the Bullock Museum to learn Texas history!

Distance Learning Programs are for elementary and middle school audiences with these options:

• Join the Texas History Tuesday Livestream with a Museum Educator;
  
  
• Sign up for a regularly scheduled live interactive distance learning program with a Museum Educator (follow instructions to register);
  
  
• Watch a recording of some past programs (including one about La Belle).

For more information on La Belle, visit the landing page at the Bullock Museum website.  

#BullockMuseum