'French Explorers Burying Leaden Plates' illustration   Save
Printed Material
Description: Illustration of French expedition led by Joseph Pierre Celoron de Bienville, here depicted burying a lead plate. On these plates were pronouncements laying claim to the Ohio Country in the name of the king of France. At the places where major rivers joined the Ohio, the party stopped and buried one of the tablets. On a nearby tree, a metal plaque was placed, asserting the claims of France and stating that the tablet lay nearby. This practice of burying plates first began in Europe in the Middle Ages and was a common way to show landownership. In total, De Bienville is believed to have buried six plates. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04622
Subjects: Ohio History--Settlement and Early Statehood; Ohio--History; Land settlement--Ohio; Explorers;
Places: Printed Material