European Exploration to 1700: Spain's Loss, France's Gain
Mardi Gras - Iberville and the small group found the mouth of the Mississippi River. They also found items La Salle had left as markers and established a camp, naming it Camp Mardi Gras.
Iberville traveled up the Mississippi north of present-day New Orleans through the swamps, then coming to a part of the river with bluffs for an east bank. There the Frenchmen spied the large red pole put there by Indians to mark the line between Indian hunting grounds. The red stick, or baton rouge in French, became a marker also used by European explorers as a land mark for what is now the city of Baton Rouge.
North of the red stick they found a bend in the river where it had established a new channel. They named this spot Pointe Coupee, cut point in French. From here they continued and met the Houma Indians at their village near the present site of the infamous Angola prison. The Indians were friendly and helpful to the exploration team.
This exploration up the Mississippi River had taken about three weeks. Iberville decided it was time for the leaders and soldiers to begin the return journey to rejoin the others on the island.
The Houma Indians said that they knew a shortcut and offered to act as guides. Iberville split his groups in half. Half went with him and the Indian guides. He put his brother, Bienville, in charge of the others to go back the way they had come. The Houma Indians led Iberville's group down bayous and across lakes, Lake Pontchatrain and others. The two teams arrived back at Ship Island at the same time, however, as the shortcut had been strewn with downed trees and limbs from a recent hurricane.
For a permanent settlement, Iberville chose a location near the present city of Biloxi, Mississippi, and in April 1699 construction of Fort Maurepas began. In May Iberville returned to France to report to Louis XIV and get more supplies. Bienville remained in Louisiana to do further exploration.
Soon after Iberville left, the English showed an interest in the area. An English warship was sent from their Carolina colony to explore and look for a good place to establish a colony. Bienville and French soldiers making another exploration up the Mississippi came upon the ship. Bienville's leadership ability was tested. He ordered the small French vessel to go alongside the English warship. Once there
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