La Salle’s Doomed 17th Century French Colony on the Texas Gulf Coast
In 1684, the famed explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle embarked from France to establish a military settlement on …
Tim Seiter
Historiography of the Karankawa Indians
This article is a history of the historical works about the Karankawa Indians of the Texas Gulf Coast. Recently, the …
Joseph María, the Most Prominent Karankawa Chief During the Karankawa-Spanish War (1778-1789)
There exists a multitude of eminent Karankawa men and women in history: Mateo, Jose Luis María, Manuel Alegre, Prudencia, Llano …
Why are the Karankawas maligned as savage cannibals?
In 1767, Fray Gaspar José de Solís toured the faltering missions of Texas. When he visited the mission of Nuestra …
Nicholas de La Mathe: Handbook of Texas Entry
(Written for Handbook of Texas, July 2019) LA MATHE, NICHOLAS DE (?-?). Nicholas de La Mathe lived as an Indian trader, …
Who Rescued and Enslaved Simars de Bellisle?: Part Two
A surprising number of historians consider the Native Americans that saved and later enslaved de Bellisle to be the Karankawas.[1] …
The Marooning of Francois Simars de Bellisle on the Texas Gulf Coast: Part One
In 1719, off the coast of Galveston, the French Maréchal d’Estrées ran aground due to the negligence of her captain: …
Interview with Dr. Orellano Norris: “General Alonso de León’s Expeditions into Texas, 1686-1690”
In 2018, I interviewed the wonderful Dr. Lola Orellano Norris about her book, General Alonso de León’s Expedition Diaries into …
Cabeza de Vaca Probably Did Not Land On Galveston Island
(originally published on Karankawas.com June 25, 2017) When the 1526 Panfilo de Narváez expedition devolved into desperation in modern-day Florida, …