The La Vérendryes: Family of Explorers

After

La Vérendrye died on December 5th, 1749, as he was planning another voyage. Before he died, he was given the greatest French honour, the cross of Saint-Louis.

Looking back, the exploration of La Vérendrye and his sons may not seem great, but at that time no one understood how far it was from New France to the Pacific Ocean. Their discoveries made people begin to realize how huge North America was.

To the Bitter End
Pierre de La Vérendrye never gave up his dream of finding the western sea. He was planning another search when he died at age 64.

	In 1913, some school children found a plaque buried near the town of Pierre, South Dakota in the U.S.A. It had been buried by La Vérendrye's sons, Francois and Louis-Joseph.

La Vérendrye plaque Copyright/Source