On a frigid, stormy day in February of 1686, a small French sailing 
ship lost control and ran aground in Matagorda Bay. Pounded in 
the Texas bay by gale-force winds and storm surges, La Belle 
slipped beneath the water and sank to the bottom, where she 
would remain for centuries.

    More than 300 years later, Texas Historical Commission 
archeologists discovered La Belle's resting place. Using cutting-
edge technology and scientific innovation, investigators excavated 
the shipwreck and salvaged from its watery grave more than a 
million artifacts, including bronze guns, muskets, trade beads, 
axes, rings, bells, dishes, medicines—everything a New World 
colony needed for survival.

    Authors James E. Bruseth and Toni S. Turner use vivid 
photographs and engaging descriptions to share the excitement of 
discovery as they piece together both the ship and its tragic story. 
For those interested in history, archeology, or the quest for clues to 
the past, From a Watery Grave tells a riveting tale of nautical 
adventure in the seventeenth century and reveals modern scientific 
archeology at its best.

_________________________________________________________

JAMES E. BRUSETH is director of the archeology division at the 
Texas Historical Commission, which sponsored the excavation of 
La Belle. Bruseth directed the excavation and serves as the 
project's principal investigator. TONI S. TURNER is a freelance 
writer and fund-raiser who assisted in many aspects of the recovery 
of the shipwreck. Both authors live in Austin.



What people are saying about this book

“ . . . stunning graphics and illustrations . . . easy to follow text. 
This is a primary example of what public outreach should be, 
providing the reader a book that not only educates but also fosters 
a quest for more information. . . . The historical context and 
overview of the site are invaluable . . . The authors also do an 
outstanding job of explaining the nuances of organizing an 
archaeological project of this size. . . . The descriptions of the 
artifacts and conservation efforts are also excellent. . . . every 
archaeologist and casual reader of maritime history should own 
this magnificent volume, a true example of scholarly research and 
public outreach at its best.”—International Journal of Naval History,
August 2007

"The Texas Historical Commission and Texas A&M University 
Press have provided a visually spectacular work reporting for the 
general public the preliminary findings and interpretations of the 
archeological and historical investigations of the wreck of the Belle,
one of La Salle’s ships sunk in Matagorda Bay. . . . The graphics 
are stunning . . ."—Southwestern Historical Quarterly

". . . excellent—a wonderful mix of good scholarship, interesting 
storytelling, and stunning illustrations."—Expedition Winter, V. 
48, no. 3, 2006

". . . can be recommended unreservedly to both the general reader 
and the nautical specialist."—Nautical Archaeology, Fall 2006

"From a Watery Grave: Discovery and Excavation of La Salle's 
Shipwreck, La Belle is a book that professional and avocational 
archeologists and historians alike will find delightful . . . From a 
Watery Grave: Discovery and Excavation of La Salle's Shipwreck, 
La Belle is a fun read for a wide range of the public interested in 
history, archeology, or just an exciting story."—The Kansas 
Anthropologist, December 2005

"From a Watery Grave is a very fascinating adventure story . . . a 
sumptuous volume worthy of the events it describes."—The Dallas 
Morning News, August 2005

"Authors Bruseth (archaeology division, Texas Historical Commission) 
and Turner (La Belle excavation project fund-raiser) present the 
fascinating story of the 1995 discovery and 1996-97 excavation of La 
Belle, the French ship lost in Matagorda Bay, TX, in 1686. In February 
1686, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, on  his expedition to establish 
a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi in the New World, lost control of 
the ship La Belle in the Gulf of Mexico, where it sank to the bottom of 
the bay. The authors provide an informative, succinct history of La Salle's 
expedition that places the voyage in the context of late 17th-century world 
events, vividly describing the exciting discovery of the sunken ship and 
many of the nearly one million artifacts found by archaeologists. The 
projects received extensive media coverage (a NOVA documentary, a 
Texas Historical Commission documentary, coverage by all the major 
media), so this important contribution to archaeology is essential for all 
university archaeological collections and Texas public and school 
libraries."—Dale Farris, Groves, TX (from Library Journal)

"From a Watery Grave represents a solid and lasting triumph of nautical 
archaeology. James E. Bruseth and Toni S. Turner tell the amazing 
story of how a dedicated team of scientists and researchers rose to the 
challenge of preserving the fragile remains of La Salle’s 300-year-old ship 
La Belle—from the innovative planning and building of the coffer dam to 
enable excavation on 'dry' land through the dismantling, transporting, and 
reassembly of the ship’s hull. Truly an astounding analysis of the rarest 
of finds . . . the report stands as a high-water mark to be striven for in all 
such efforts in the future."—Robert S. Weddle, author of The Wreck of 
the Belle, the Ruin of La Salle