<P> René - Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle built the sailing ship , Le Griffon , in his quest to find the Northwest Passage via the upper Great Lakes . Le Griffon disappeared in 1679 on the return trip of her maiden voyage . In the spring of 1682 , La Salle made his famous voyage down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico . La Salle led an expedition from France in 1684 to establish a French colony on the Gulf of Mexico . He was murdered by his followers in 1687 . </P>
who led an expedition in search of the northwest passage for the french
René - Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle