Museum of the Coastal Bend > Educational Programs

A LINE ABOUT TIME

Students will identify and define important dates and events during the Age of Exploration.

Objectives (TEKS): 4.2 History The student understands the causes and effects of European exploration and colonization of Texas. 7.1 History The student understands traditional historical points of reference in Texas history. HS US History The student will identify and explain the reasons for and effects of physical, human, and political geographic patterns and boundaries. HS Geography The student will describe the human and physical characteristics of the same place over time and how human perceptions of place change society.

Materials: Strip of adding machine paper, copy of data sheet with important dates (below), note cards, and glue.

Background: Native American groups occupied the Texas coast as early as 10,000 BP. Native Americans were present when European explorers arrived on shore. French explorers led by La Salle sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, a gulf that the Spanish controlled. The Spanish were threatened by the establishment of the French settlement of Fort St. Louis, hurried to attack the settlement, and then later established missions and presidios in Texas.

Student Activity: Students will be assigned a culture (Karankawa, French, or Spanish). Students will read and discuss events from their cultural perspective. Next they will list events on note cards and color their event (Karankawa - green, French - blue, Spanish -red). Students will paste cards on the class timeline (adding machine tape).

Student Product: Class timeline that illustrates the events during the Age of Exploration.

Closure: The class will review the timeline together. A representative from each cultural group will relate each event as it is added in chronological order.

Assessment/Evaluation: Ask each student to write a short paragraph about who had the best claim to the land at Fort St. Louis at Garcitas Creek.

KARANKAWA (green)
500 Karankawa lived along the coast hunting with bows and arrows and fishing for food. They lived in lean-to structures and made pottery.
1528 Cabeza de Vaca and several other Spaniards shipwrecked on Galveston Island. They were the first Europeans the Karankawa saw. The Karankawa kept the Spaniards as slaves for several years.
1685 January La Salle and several other Frenchmen came ashore near Matagorda Island. Their ship, the Belle, remained in the bay and the Karankawa visited as guests.
1685 March Frenchmen entered the Karankawa camp and the Indians left. The Frenchmen took blankets and canoes. The Karankawa believed war had been declared and killed several Frenchmen.
1688 December Karankawa Indians captured Fort St. Louis and killed most of the people. Several French children were protected by the Indian women and adopted into their tribes.
1890 Most Karankawa had migrated to Northern Mexico and were not recognizable as a tribe.

FRENCH (blue)
1682 After exploring Canada, La Salle traveled down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico where he claimed territory for King Louis XIV.
1685 February The Belle entered Matagorda Bay. On the voyage from France pirates had seized the Saint-Francois. The L'Aimable ran aground and Le Joly returned to France.
1685 August Construction of Fort St. Louis began on Garcitas Creek, Victoria County.
1686 January the Belle wrecked in a storm.
1687 January La Salle and thirty men left the fort to walk to French settlements along the Mississippi River to get assistance for the colony. His men assassinated La Salle in March
1687 Six survivors traveled to Illinois and returned to France.
1702 Mobile was established as a French settlement by Iberville.

SPANISH (red)
1492 Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean Islands and claimed the land for Spain.
1521 Hernando Cortez conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan and named the territory New Spain.
1539 Coronado led 300 Spanish through New Spain and into Texas searching for gold and silver.
1680 First Spanish mission was built in Texas at El Paso.
1689 April Alonso de Leon searched for the French. De Leon found Fort St. Louis after it was destroyed by the Karanakawa. De Leon and his men buried eight iron cannon and burned the fort. In East Texas De Leon found Pierre Talon living with the Tejas (Caddo) Indians. Later De Leon found Marie Madelaine, Lucien, and Robert Talon living with the Karankawa.
1691 General Teran led an expedition through Texas. Teran found Jean Baptiste Talon and Eustache Breman and returned to New Spain with them.
1722 Presidio La Bahia was established along Garcitas Creek by Marquis de Aguayo
1749 Presidio La Bahia was moved to Goliad.

• FOUND: A CLUE TO THE PAST (PDF)
• VIP (very important people): PAST AND PRESENT (PDF)
• SETTLEMENTS ALONG THE COASTAL BEND (PDF)
• A LINE ABOUT TIME (PDF)
• SCAVENGER HUNT (PDF)
• ARCHEOLOGISTS UNCOVER STRATA (PDF)
• RESOURCES FOR TEACHING & LEARNING MORE (PDF)