French Cannon

In his search for the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1685, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ended up instead in present day Matagorda Bay, Texas. After his main supply ship, l’Aimable, had run aground, his team set up a temporary camp and salvaged everything they could from the wrecked ship. Eight cannons were recovered and taken to the camp.

As La Salle continued to search for the Mississippi River on foot, disease, harsh weather, limited food supplies, poor conditions, and occasional conflict with Indigenous people took a toll on the settlers and soldiers in the expedition. In 1687, while on another scouting expedition for the river, La Salle was murdered by his own men. Around Christmas of 1688, the remaining colonists at Fort St. Louis were killed in conflict with their Karankawa neighbors. Only five children survived, saved by the Karankawa women, and raised within the Tribe.

The Spanish became aware of the French colony in 1687–1688. Upset with French incursions into territory they claimed, the Spanish sent out expeditions to look for the French colonists. In 1689 General Alonso de León discovered the remains of the French camp, including the eight cannons from l'Aimable. He recorded the cannons' location on a map in his 1690 report. The Spanish tore down and burned the structures, buried the eight cannons, and took any useable items with them back to Mexico City.

Over 260 years later, archaeological excavations in the 1950s found hundreds of artifacts on the Keeran ranch in Victoria County. An analysis of those artifacts done in the 1970s determined some items were French and dated to the late 1600s, indicating a possible tie to La Salle's expedition. In 1996 eight iron cannons were excavated from the Keeran ranch. The cannons were of varying sizes including three 3-pounders, three 4-pounders, and two 6-pounders; they weighed from 700 to 1,200 pounds each. More importantly, they matched the cannons on de Leon's 1690 map. This discovery confirmed that the cannons were from l'Aimable and that the Keeran Ranch was the location of La Salle’s camp, which had come to be known as Fort St. Louis.

La Salle's colony, though small and short lived, had a lasting impact on the history of Texas. It was home to the first Christian chapel in Texas, and the first European birth in Texas. The presence of the French colonists and soldiers caused the Spanish to search for their camp. This led to the Spanish mapping the gulf coast of Texas and establishing missions and presidios in south and east Texas.

Though over 330 years old, l'Aimable's eight cannons are in excellent condition. Iron usually corrodes in soil, but these cannons were protected from moisture and oxygen by the dense clay soil of Victoria County. One of the 4-pound cannons is on display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. The other seven cannons are on display at the Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria.