Henri Joutel facts for kids
Henri Joutel (born around 1643 – died 1725) was a French explorer and soldier. He is most famous for writing down what he saw during the last trip of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle to North America. Joutel's writings give us a lot of early information about the middle part of North America, including its nature and the people living there.
Henri Joutel's Big Adventure
Joutel was born in a city called Rouen in France. After working as a soldier, he joined La Salle's important trip to the New World. He became the leader of La Salle's main base in the southern part of the new French lands, called Fort Saint Louis (Texas).
During this trip, things went wrong. The expedition's ships were lost, and La Salle died. In 1687–88, Joutel took charge. He led the remaining members of the group on a long journey back to France. They traveled north by land and river, going through the Illinois Country all the way to New France (which is now part of Canada).
The Journal's Importance
After his big adventure, Joutel went back to France. He worked as a guard at the city gates of Rouen. Even though an important government official, Louis de Pontchartrain, asked him to go back to America, Joutel chose not to.
However, Joutel did share his detailed journal. This journal was very helpful! It was even used during the Iberville expedition. This expedition finally created a lasting French settlement near the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1699. Joutel's journal helped future explorers understand the land and its people better.
See also
In Spanish: Henri Joutel para niños
