Henri De Tonti
Tonti (or Tonty), Henri de (1650–1704), a French explorer. With the Sieur de La Salle, Tonti founded the first white settlements in the Mississippi Valley. He was born probably in Paris. While serving in the French army, Tonti lost his right hand in battle. He replaced it with a metal hand, for which he was later known as “the man with the iron hand.”
In 1678 Tonti was introduced to La Salle, and soon became his principal lieutenant. Later that year, he accompanied La Salle on an expedition to the New World. They stopped first in Canada and then sailed on to the Illinois country. Arriving there during the winter of 1679–80, Tonti and La Salle built Fort Crèvecoeur, the first French fort in the West, near the present site of Peoria. In 1680 Tonti was left in charge of the fort, but hostile Indians forced him to abandon it. After many hardships, he was reunited with La Salle. Together they journeyed down the Mississippi to its mouth, claiming the region for France in 1682.
In 1683 Tonti was entrusted with the command of Fort St. Louis, which he and La Salle had built the previous year at Starved Rock on the upper Illinois River. For several years, he lived among the Illinois Indians, winning their respect and confidence. He was responsible for attracting settlers, traders, and missionaries to the Illinois country. On a trip down the Mississippi in 1686, Tonti founded the first French settlement in the lower Mississippi Valley, on the Arkansas River. In 1702 he joined the French explorer d'Iberville to aid French settlement near the mouth of the Mississippi.