December 1678

On December 18th, 1678, they arrived at Fort Frontenac near an Iroquois village. Fort Frontenac had four bastions on the northern side of the entrance to the lake, while small vessels were sheltered by the winds of the forest-fringed bay. The garrison occupied cabins within the palisades. A small meadow around the fort was occupied by Indians in their wigwams. During their time spent at the fort, M. de La Salle sent M. de La Motte and Father Louis Hennepin to Niagara in command of several Frenchmen to build a fort at the falls and see if there is a place above the falls that is suitable for constructing a vessel. M. de La Salle and twelve men in the meantime went on a twenty-ton vessel to traverse Lake Frontenac (Lake Ontario). The fort was changed to a palisaded house because the Iroquois were annoyed at the construction. The fort was to prevent Indians from fur trading with the English and the Dutch.

On December 24th, 1678, M. de La Salle ordered the pilot to coast along the south shore of Lake Ontario. However, the pilot neglected this order during the night, so they came near destruction upon a reef of rocks opposite the Isle de Quinte, where the Sulpician fathers have their mission. M. de La Salle saved the ship from sinking.

Within favorable winds on December 25th, 1678, they took a canoe opposite the river of Sonnontouans, to get some Indian corn at the village of the same name. Then, they continued their journey toward the Niagara River. The wind died down about 31 miles from the Niagara River, so they went by land. In the evening, they reached the Niagara River. Indians crossed over to them in their wooden canoes to receive them hospitably into lodges and gave them some fish to eat with Indian meal porridge, which Henri de Tonti thought was a weird meal. They gave up bread, wine, salt, and pepper for venison, fish, and Indian corn. During this time, Henri de Tonti mentions that the Indian shelter for the weather were lodges made up of bark stripped from the trees. Around midnight, they set off by the light of the moon to join M. de La Motte, who had a house built at a distance of about 7 miles from the Indian place. However, they did not see M. de La Motte because he went into hiding with Father Louis, the Recollet, and four Frenchmen.

On December 26th, 1678, M. de La Salle set out to look for a place above the Falls suitable for the building of a vessel. The place would be near Cayuga Island.