French Flag Letterbox
Six Flags Over Texas Series
| Placed By: |
Silver Eagle |
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| Date: |
01/02/03 |
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| Nearest Town: |
Port Lavaca |
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| County: |
Calhoun |
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| Terrain Difficulty: |
Easy (flat, 50 yards RT) |
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| Status: |
alive (04/26/08) |
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Texas Under France: 1685-1690
Planning to expand its base from French Louisiana, France took a bold step in 1685, planting its flag in eastern Texas near the Gulf Coast. Although claimed by Spain, most of Texas had no Spanish presence at all; the nearest Spanish settlements were hundreds of miles distant. French nobleman Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle founded a colony called Fort St.Louis near Indianola, Texas. But the effort was doomed by a series of calamities: shipwreck, disease, famine, hostile Indians and internal strife resulting in La Salle's murder by one of his own company. By 1690, France's bold claim to Texas had evaporated. Another version of the French flag is the 23 fleur-de-lis flag on a field of white. 
Today Indianola is just a ghost town, but a statue of La Salle was placed there to remember where he first set foot in Texas.
Directions:
Port Lavaca is located about 120 miles southwest of Houston and can be reached by going southwest on Hwy. 59 to Victoria, then south on Hwy. 87. From Port Lavaca, go south on Hwy. 238 for 6 miles, then south on Hwy. 316 about 11 miles to Indianola, then bend right for another mile to the monument.
Clues:
From the La Salle monument, go to the picnic table south at 170 degrees. From there, go southwest at 220 degrees for 25 paces toward a clearing with shells by the water. To your right under some bushes is a cement block. Under its southeast corner lies the box covered with shells. Please re-cover when done.
NOTE: Always take adequate precautions (such as prodding with a stick and/or wearing gloves) before reaching into dark crevasses and holes in the wild. Before you set out read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.
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Last updated on 04/27/2008