La Salle Monument
On a quiet stretch of Texas Highway 316 in Indianola, a figure rises up above Matagorda Bay. Staring out to sea, sword in hand, is the Sieur de la Salle, Robert Cavelier, as if he's just come ashore and is surveying his new home. Erected in 1936, a La Salle monument sits on the shore next to the waters where the Karankawa lived and hunted and first saw the French, where La Salle came ashore, where two of his vessels sank, and where the Texas Historical Commission set up its massive cofferdam and unearthed the remains of La Salle's grand expedition. The monument is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Watch the following videos to learn more about the excavation of La Belle and the almost 2 million artifacts found in Matagorda Bay. These videos were produced for inclusion in the La Salle Odyssey mobile tour.