Robert Cavalier De La Salle

This 1889 statue of Robert Cavalier De La Salle stands in Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois. It was commissioned by Lambert Tree.

La Salle stands with his proper right leg bent at the knee and his right foot resting on a step. His proper left hand is on his hip. He is armed with a pistol and a sword hangs behind him on his proper left side. He has long hair and wears high leather leggings. La Salle (1643-1687), originally from France, moved to Canada and later explored the Great Lakes. He led the expedition that found the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1682. La Salle became governor of Louisiana and in 1884 headed an expedition to establish a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi. La Salle was later assassinated when his men mutinied. --  SIRIS