Bernard de la Harpe
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Bernard de la Harpe or rather Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe[1][2] (1683 in Saint-Malo-September 26, 1765) was a French explorer who is credited with the discovery of Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1722, la Harpe found two distinct rock formations on the south bank of the Arkansas River, naming the smaller La Petite Roche and the larger La Grande Roche. He based a trading post near the smaller formation, as a Quapaw Indian settlement was stationed there.
Bernard de la Harpe may have been the first explorer to discover Natural Steps, Arkansas. At the time, this area was occupied by a large Quapaw village.
In 1721, la Harpe created the earliest known map of Galveston Island and Galveston Bay at a time when he was unsuccessfully trying to establish a French presence in the area. That map or a copy of it is now in the possession of the Rosenberg Library in Galveston. In la Harpe's map, Galveston Island is not given a name but is easily identifiable.[3] According to the Handbook of Texas Online, la Harpe's ship, Subtile, had been destined for Matagorda, winding up in Galveston Bay only by mistake.^ [4] This early citing of (or even potentially landing on) Galveston Island is rarely mentioned in history books, in sharp contrast with other early well-accepted (Cabeza de Vaca) or even potential (La Salle)contacts between Europeans and Galveston Island.
[edit] Works
- Historical journal of the settlement of the French in Louisiana. ; Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe; Lafayette, University of Southwestern Louisiana 1971. OCLC 150458
- Journal historique de l'établissement des Français à la Louisiane ; Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe ; Nouvelle-Orléans : A.-L. Boimare, 1831. OCLC 15042608
- Carte nouvelle de la partie de l'ouest de la Province de la Louisia : sur les observations et decouvertes su Sieur Benard de la Harpe ; Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe; Carl I Wheat; Washington : Map Division, Library of Congress, 1913. OCLC 38763887
[edit] References
- ^ An explorer of Louisiana : Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe (1683-1765) par Marc de Villiers du Terrage; Samuel Dorris Dickinson; Ouachita Baptist University. Institute for Regional Studies. ; Arkadelphia, Ark. : Institute for Regional Studies, Ouachita Baptist University, 1983. OCLC 11123439
- ^ Un Explorateur de la Louisiane Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, 1683-1765 ; Marc de Villiers du Terrage, baron; Montréal : Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, 1988. OCLC 49133253
- ^ McComb David G. Galveston: A History. University of Texas Press, p5, p7.
- ^ "Bellisle, Francois Simars de". The Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbe42.html. Retrieved on June 4, 2009.
