Opened August 2^nd, 2003 at the Texas Maritime Museum, the first exhibit of The La Salle Odyssey, tells the story of Robert La Salle’s French expedition to Texas in 1684.  This is the most recent permanent exhibit to open at the official maritime museum of Texas. The highlight of the Texas Maritime Museum exhibit is the 1:12 scale model of Robert La Salle’s flagship La Belle.

We also present a view of the lives of the sailors and the hardships they faced on their journey from France to the New World. Unique objects such as navigational dividers and a seventeenth century nocturnal give us a glimpse of the navigation of the period that landed La Belle and her crew over 400 miles west of her intended destination.

The Texas Maritime Museum is part of the La Salle Odyssey, a coalition of eight institutions, seven museums and a half scale model of the Belle, located in six counties. The Texas Maritime Museum was the first museum of the coalition to open their exhibit.  The La Salle expedition is so large a chronicle that each museum will only tell a portion of the larger story.  Visitors to one exhibit can then explore the remaining seven museums or see the half scale model of La Belle.