Le Page Du Pratz

Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz (c. 1695–1775) was a French ethnographer, historian, naturalist, and engineer best known for his 'Histoire de la Louisiane,' a detailed three-volume work on early colonial Louisiana published in 1758.[1][2] Born likely in the Netherlands and raised in France, he arrived in Louisiana in 1718, established a plantation near Natchez and on Bayou St. John, studied Native American cultures, flora, and fauna, and returned to France in 1734 after sixteen years.[3][5][7] He served in the French Army's dragoons prior to his colonial venture and contributed extensively to knowledge of Louisiana's Indigenous peoples and natural history.[1][6]