Fort St. Louis

[cleusk]

Marking the entrance to the France section, a replica of Fort St. Louis represented the age of French exploration and colonization. René Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle established the original fort in 1685 along the Lavaca River near Matagorda Bay and named it after the ruling king. Settlers and soldiers alike abandoned the place four years later after suffering raid after raid from the native Indians.

The replica, built from seven truckloads of rough timber, stood fifteen feet high. Three long poles attached to each other formed a door-like frame at the gate entrance. A long, oval wooden sign hung from the top reading "Fort St. Louis" in white letters. Inside the fort, a tall lookout post stood across from an old, weathered cannon. A wide, wooden stairway inside the post allowed kids to peer over the wall and view the river below. The entrance road split into two directions at this juncture. The pathway heading right led to the Modern America section while the other went to the star attraction.