1641-00-00: (French Buccaneers Establish Settlements in the Northwest of the Island, Expanding From Tortuga Onto the Mainland and Beginning the Process of Fr…

1641-00-00: (French Buccaneers Establish Settlements in the Northwest of the Island, Expanding From Tortuga Onto the Mainland and Beginning the Process of French Territorial Claim): In 1641, French buccaneers began establishing settlements on the northwestern mainland of the island, expanding beyond their Tortuga base. These were rough frontier outposts of men who hunted wild cattle, traded in hides, and occasionally engaged in piracy. Their presence, however, established the de facto French occupation of the western part of the island that would later be formalized by treaty.