GRIFFON,

GRIFFON, first sailing vessel on the upper Great Lakes, was built in 1679 by Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, above Niagara Falls to transport men and supplies between Niagara and his projected Illinois colony. In August of that year, the Griffon carried La Salle, accompanied by Father Louis Hennepin, to Green Bay, from which the ship was sent back to Niagara laden with furs for La Salle's creditors. Vessel and crew disappeared on the voyage, and their fate remains a mystery. Frequent reports of the discovery of its remains have been published, but all have lacked substantial foundation; the numerous pictures of the Griffon are likewise fictional.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MacLean, Harrison J. The Fate of the Griffon. Toronto: Griffin House, 1974.

M. M. Quaife / a. r.

See also Explorations and Expeditions: French ; La Salle Explorations ; Mackinac, Straits of, and Mackinac Island .

griffon (griffon vulture) Carrion-eating bird of prey of Eurasia and n Africa, with gold or sandy-brown plumage. It is gregarious and nests in large flocks. Length: 1m (3.3ft). Family Accipitridae; species Gyps fulvus.