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1540
Coronado’s Expedition
Coronado was serving as governor of an important province in New Spain when he heard reports of the so-called Seven Golden Cities located to the north. In 1540, Coronado led a major Spanish expedition up Mexico's western coast and into the region that is now the southwestern United States. -
Period: 1540 to
Spain claims Nebraska the first time.
This is when Francisco de Coronado came to Nebraska and claimed it for Spain. This claim ended when Villasur went to Nebraska in an attempt to stop the French from trading on their land and got killed. -
Jacques Maerqette’s Expedition
Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet set out on a voyage that would take them thousands of miles into the North American interior, confirming that it was possible to travel by water from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and initiating some of the first white settlements in the region. -
Period: to
France Claims Nebraska The First time.
This started when France claimed it in 1682. France lost the Seven Year War, so they gave the land to Spain. -
Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont comes to Nebraska
Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont reached the mouth of the Platte. He named it the "Nebraskier River," using an Oto word that means "flat water." Bourgmont had been in North America for 27 years and was a remarkable soldier, trader, and explorer. -
Villasur’s Expedition
The Villasur expedition was the deepest official penetration of the Great Plains by Spanish explorers. -
Period: to
Spain Claims Nebraska The Second Time
This happens when France loses the Seven Year War to Britain. But for once, Spain and France were on a team, so they lost together to the British. France was bitter about the loss, so they decided to secretly give the territory to Spain rather than have the British take it. The Spanish lose it when they realize that they don't like having to control it from that far away. So, they traded it to France for some other land closer to home. -
Period: to
France Claims Nebraska The Second Time
This happens when France gains control of the Great Plains. Napoleon sold it to America in the Louisiana Purchase because he was scared that they would conquer it anyway and he wouldn't gain anything off of it. -
Lewis and Clark’s Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) was a federally funded venture to explore the North American West. The expedition's principal objective was to survey the Missouri and Columbia rivers, locating routes that would connect the continental interior to the Pacific Ocean. -
Zebulon Pike’s Expedition
Zebulon Pike, the U.S. Army officer who in 1805 led an exploring party in search of the source of the Mississippi River, sets off with a new expedition to explore the American Southwest. Pike was instructed to seek out headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers and to investigate Spanish settlements in New Mexico. -
Period: to
United States adds Nebraska
The United State lets Nebraska into the Union.