Explorers: Texas History

What were the first explorers looking for when they came to the Americas?

• new restaurants

• Gold, God, and Glory

• happiness

Who claimed central North America for France?

• Rene-Robert Cavalier de La Salle

• Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

• Francisco Vazquez de Coronado

Why didn’t La Salle build a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River?

• La Salle wanted Spain's land.

• La Salle wanted to live nearer his friends.

• La Salle made a mistake and ended up heading towards the coast of Texas rather than Mississippi.

What eventually happened to the French settlement at Fort St. Louis in eastern Texas?

• The settlers died and the fort was destroyed.

• It is still active today.

• It was damaged by a hurricane.

Which explorer was the first to reach present-day Texas?

• Christopher Columbus

• Alonso Alvarez de Pineda

• La Salle

In 1528, this Spanish explorer wrote about his experiences in a journal that historians used to discover his accomplishments.

• Cabeza de Vaca

• Juan de Onate

• Fray Olivares

In 1540, who gathered more that 300 Spaniards to set out and find the seven cities of gold?

• Francisco Coronado

• Cabeza de Vaca

• Henry Hudson

This explorer led an expedition along "El Camino Real" into present-day New Mexico in 1598.

• Christopher Columbus

• Juan de Onate

• Esteban

In 1682, this French fur trader explored the Mississippi River all the way down to the Gulf Coast and claimed it for France.

• La Salle

• Coronado

• Jose de Escandon

Which Explorer went looking for the "cities of gold" but found only simple adobe brick houses?

• La Salle

• Coronado

• Columbus