The *2013 annual conference of the Center for French Colonial Studies,
*co-organized by Jim Bruseth (Bob Bullock Texas State Historical Museum)
and Michael S. Nassaney (Western Michigan University), will be held
on November 22-24, 2013 in Austin, TX. The conference, which is
co-sponsored by the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Texas
Historical Commission, and the Friends of the Texas Historical
Commission, will bring together more than a dozen French colonial
scholars to examine *"The Lasting Legacy of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur
de La Salle from the St. Lawrence River Valley to the Gulf of Mexico."
*
*Flyer here: http://skiles.net/flyer.jpg*
René Robert Cavelier de La Salle is one of the best-known French
explorers in North America, particularly renowned for his exploits in
the Mississippi River Valley in the late 17^th century. His travels
throughout the continent from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico are well
documented and approach legendary status. His final adventure, that led
to his demise in east Texas in 1687, came about a year after his
remaining ship /La Belle/ sank in Matagorda Bay where it lay in its
watery grave until 1995 when Texas Historical Commission archaeologists
located the wreck and began its tedious and remarkable recovery.
Once removed from the ocean floor, the painstaking process of
conservation began and will culminate in an exhibit that is a
collaborative effort among researchers from several institutions to
bring the story of /La Belle /to a world-wide audience. In conjunction
with the preparation of the exhibit, the Bullock Museum has invited the
Center for French Colonial Studies to hold its annual conference in
Austin. The conference will consist of over a dozen presentations that
examine La Salle, his legacy, and his influence in North America from
historical and archaeological perspectives.
*Center for French Colonial Studies 2013 ProgramSt*
**
Friday, November 22
2-4 pm Tour of the /La Belle/ exhibit
6-7 pm Reception at the Bob Bullock Texas State Historical Museum
Saturday, November 23
8:30 Welcome and Introduction, Jim Bruseth (Guest Curator,
La Belle Exhibit, Bullock Texas State History Museum)
9:00 The World La Salle Envisioned: The Political
Significance of French Geographical Knowledge of the Elusive West, Paul
Mapp (College of William and Mary)
9:30 La Salle at Fort Frontenac, Jeff Seibert (Cataraqui
Archaeological Research Foundation, Kingston, Ontario)
10:00 La Salle's Legacy in the Illinois Country, Duane Esarey
and Mark Walczynski (Illinois State Archaeological Survey)
10:30 Break
10:45 La Salle's Michigan Dream Realized: Seventeenth-Century
Developments in the St. Joseph River Valley, Michael S. Nassaney
(Western Michigan University)
11:15 Old Mobile: Continuing French Efforts to Colonize the
Northern Gulf of Mexico, Gregory Waselkov (University of South Alabama)
11:45 La Salle's Legacy in the Lower Mississippi Valley of
North America, Patricia Galloway (UT-Austin)
12:15 Lunch
1:30 La Salle's View of Texas from the Mississippi, William
Foster (Independent Scholar)
2:00 The French Thorn Thrust into the Heart of America: The
Spanish Reaction to La Salle in Texas, Robert Weddle (Independent Scholar)
2:30 La Salle's Interaction with Native People in Texas,
Juliana Barr (University of Florida)
3:00 Break
3:15 /Navio Quebrado/ -- Spanish Archival Documents and the Archaeology
of /La Belle, /Bradford Jones(Texas Historical Commission)
3:45 French Colonial Arms in North America: Perspectives from
the Study of /La Belle, /Amy Borgens(Texas Historical Commission)
4:15 La Salle's Ghost: American Claims to Texas from the
Louisiana Purchase to the Republic of Texas,Frank de la Teja (Texas
State University)
5:00 Annual Business Meeting
5:30 Board Meeting
6:00 Reception followed by the Banquet and a special keynote
presentation by Jim Bruseth, From a Watery Grave to Museum Display: The
Story of La Salle's Lost Ship /La Belle/
Sunday, November 24
9 am-noon Tour of the French Legation
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