Palacios Area Historical Association
"City by the Sea Museum"
The La Salle Shipwreck - La Belle Excavation
La Salle Shipwreck Excavation
According to both the Smithsonian and the Texas Historical Commision, the Belle (found in 1995) was one of the most important shipwrecks ever discovered in North America. The excavation was conducted inside an octagonal cofferdam in Matagorda Bay more than fifteen miles off the shores of Palacios, Texas. 
After 300 years, the wreck of the beautiful French ship, La Belle, yielded clues to the explorer's last voyage. The excavation lasted almost a year and produced an amazing array of finds, including the hull of the ship, three bronze cannons, thousands of glass beads, bronze hawk bells, pottery, and even the skeleton of a crew member. The one million artifacts represent a kit for building a 17th-century European colony in the New World.
In April, 1995, the Texas State Historical Commission began an effort to unearth the wreckage of the La Belle in Matagorda Bay, from beneath sand and silt 12 feet below the water's surface about 12 miles northeast of Port O'Connor. Hundreds of individuals, corporations, foundations, and other organizations contributed to the ultimate success of the La Salle Shipwreck Project. Many individuals and organizations from around the area made valuable contributions to the project of uncovering La Belle artifacts.
Palacios - Headquarters
Palacios, Texas be- came headquarters for the excavation after the City officials there embraced the project and offered a number of incentives. The most important being a rent-free headquarters building located directly on Matagorda Bay, provided by the Matagorda County Navigation District Number One.
The building had several boat slips and a docking facility that accommodated the thirty-two-foot-long vessel, the R. V. Anomaly. It was large enough so that the crew's accommodations was built upstairs with the project laboratory located downstairs. It allowed the crew to be close to their work at all times.
The townspeople of Palacios donated time, furniture, equipment, and other necessities. The city provided, in addition to the headquarters building, fresh water free of charge. A great number of people generously volunteered their time to the field project. 
Each day four to six volunteers were selected to work with the professional crew to screen artifacts, build vats to hold artifacts, or undertake a myriad of other tasks. Roberta Ripke (Palacios) became the volunteer coordinator, undertaking the task of scheduling volunteers as requests to work on the wreck poured in from across the country.
La Salle Odyssey
After the excavations were finished, a coalition of museums in the counties surrounding Matagorda Bay developed an innovative plan to exhibit the artifacts. They formed what is known today as the La Salle Odyssey. Seven museums in six counties: Matagorda, Jackson, Victoria, Calhoun, Aransas, and Nueces make up part of the history of La Salle.
The City by the Sea Museum is proud to be a member of the La Salle Odyssey Project. Each museum tells a segment of the story of French explorers in Texas, captained by Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, in their own unique way.
- Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, Corpus Christi, Texas : Presents both the beginning and end of the La Salle Story
- Texas Maritime Museum, Rockport, Texas : Sailing to the New World in the 17th Century was a marvelous, but dangerous adventure.
- Museum of the Coastal Bend, Victoria, Texas : Presents the story of the first French settlement on Texas soil, Fort Saint Louis. MCB is the main site of artifacts from the archaeological dig recently completed at the site of Fort St. Louis.
- Calhoun County Museum, Port Lavaca, Texas : Odyssey travellers will learn about French colonial Texas.
- Texana Museum, Edna, Texas : Meet the native Texans who watched the French come ashore
- The City by the Sea Museum (Home port during the Belle Excavation) and La Petite Belle, Palacios, Texas: The homeport of La Petite Belle. Built at half-scale, she is a fully functional seagoing vessel.
- Matagorda County Museum, Bay City, Texas : Discover the events the led up to the La Belle's, La Salle's ill fated ship, recovery.
Be sure to see all of the La Salle exhibits.
Read more about the discovery and excavation of La Salle's Shipwreck, La Belle "From a Watery Grave" by James E. Bruseth and Toni S. Turner (on sale at the City by the Sea Museum).