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‘Mysteries of LaBelle' outlined by Bruseth, ship's lead archaeologist
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| Dr. Jim Bruseth returned to the Texas Maritime Museum Friday as the keynote speaker. His topic this trip was “Mysteries of LaBelle.” Photo by MIKE PROBST |
Dr. Jim Bruseth, director of the archeology division at the Texas Historical Commission, and deputy state historic preservation officer, was the keynote speaker Friday at the Texas Maritime Museum speaking about “Mysteries of LaBelle.”
Bruseth had been the keynote speaker at the opening of the exhibit for the La Salle Odyssey at the Museum in 2003. It was the first organization to share the coveted artifacts from the ship the La Belle.
Bruseth's knowledge about La Belle and her artifacts is vast. He served as project director of the excavation and recovery of La Salle's ship, in Matagorda Bay, in 1996-97.
The La Belle was discovered in 12-foot bay waters. A cofferdam was built around the site and the water was pumped out. Bruseth said the cofferdam worked beautifully.
“It allowed us to excavate as one would on land,” he said.
More than one million artifacts were recovered.
Bruseth said La Salle originally wanted to build a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but ended up further west, and was eventually killed by his own men as he tried to make the overland trip back to Canada.
King Luis XIV looked at building the fort at the mouth of the river as a “stepping stone” toward the invasion of Spanish gold/silver mines in present-day Mexico.
He said there were 2,000 gold coins on the ship when sunk, but there were none on La Belle when excavated.
There was, however, a Roman silver coin dated AD 69.
“How a Roman coin ended up on a French ship on the coast of Texas is a mystery I'll never solve,” said Bruseth.
The archeologist also noted France did not want to participate in the funding of the excavation, but they wanted La Belle and all contents once the job was completed.
An international treaty, hammered out for political reasons with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, gives France sole ownership of the La Belle and her contents, but the United States gets to retain it all on U.S. soil in perpetuity - just one of several mysteries shared by Bruseth.
Bruseth had been the keynote speaker at the opening of the exhibit for the La Salle Odyssey at the Museum in 2003. It was the first organization to share the coveted artifacts from the ship the La Belle.
Bruseth's knowledge about La Belle and her artifacts is vast. He served as project director of the excavation and recovery of La Salle's ship, in Matagorda Bay, in 1996-97.
The La Belle was discovered in 12-foot bay waters. A cofferdam was built around the site and the water was pumped out. Bruseth said the cofferdam worked beautifully.
“It allowed us to excavate as one would on land,” he said.
More than one million artifacts were recovered.
Bruseth said La Salle originally wanted to build a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but ended up further west, and was eventually killed by his own men as he tried to make the overland trip back to Canada.
King Luis XIV looked at building the fort at the mouth of the river as a “stepping stone” toward the invasion of Spanish gold/silver mines in present-day Mexico.
He said there were 2,000 gold coins on the ship when sunk, but there were none on La Belle when excavated.
There was, however, a Roman silver coin dated AD 69.
“How a Roman coin ended up on a French ship on the coast of Texas is a mystery I'll never solve,” said Bruseth.
The archeologist also noted France did not want to participate in the funding of the excavation, but they wanted La Belle and all contents once the job was completed.
An international treaty, hammered out for political reasons with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, gives France sole ownership of the La Belle and her contents, but the United States gets to retain it all on U.S. soil in perpetuity - just one of several mysteries shared by Bruseth.
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cheri palmer wrote on Mar 15, 2009 10:38 PM: