Fort De La Boulaye Site facts for kids
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Fort De La Boulaye
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 Location in Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Phoenix, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, U.S.A. |
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| Built | 1699–1700 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000378 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
Fort De La Boulaye Site, also known as Fort Mississippi, is where an old French fort once stood. It was built in south Louisiana between 1699 and 1700. The French built it to show they owned the Mississippi River and its large valley. However, Native Americans later made the French leave the fort by 1707.
This important site was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960. This was because it played a big part in the history of French settlement in the area. Louisiana had already put up a historical sign there. It said: FORT de la BOULAYE First white settlement in present-day Louisiana, erected by Bienville in 1699 on this spot (then the bank of the Mississippi), prevented Britain's seizure of the Mississippi Valley.
Contents
A Look Back: The Story of Fort De La Boulaye
Finding the Mighty Mississippi
In 1698, a French explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville led a trip. His brothers, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville and Antoine Le Moyne de Châteauguay, joined him. Their goal was to find the mouth of the Mississippi River again. This was tricky because the river's end has many small waterways called bayous.
Building Fort Mississippi
In 1699, the French started building a fort. They called it Fort Mississippi. It was on a small hill about one kilometer from the river. This spot was on the east bank, about twenty kilometers south of where New Orleans would later be built. The fort was finished in 1700.
It was made of wood, like a stockade. Six cannons were set up to protect it. The fort's job was to guard the area from attacks. It also kept the English and Spanish from trying to take control. The fort was later renamed Fort de la Boulaye. Louis Juchereau de St. Denis was put in charge of it.
Life at the Fort and Its End
By 1707, the Caddoan tribe, a group of Native Americans, were not happy. They didn't like the soldiers being there. They made the French soldiers leave the fort. The soldiers moved to the French settlement of Biloxi. Only the officer Juchereau de St. Denis was allowed to stay. He was friends with the Caddo people.
French troops would sometimes visit the fort after that. In 1714, Juchereau de St. Denis was given a new mission. He was sent to protect the western borders of Louisiana (New France). There, he built another fort called Fort des Natchitoches.
By the mid-1700s, Fort de la Boulaye was no longer used. Over time, strong tropical storms destroyed the fort completely.
Discovering the Past
In the 1900s, archaeologists studied the area. They found the exact spot where the fort had been. They discovered pieces of the wooden walls and building logs. They also found burned poles and even a cannonball. Because of these findings, the site was named a National Historic Landmark.
