Ulric Ellerhusen's frieze around the fifth-floor level of the capitol, illustrates various aspects of Louisiana history and life. Unfortunately, many details in the frieze can only be appreciated up close, and much of the frieze simply cannot be seen from the ground. This first section of the frieze, on the left side of the front wall of the Capitol, depicts the early history of Louisiana, and is in chronological order from right to left.

La Salle:
Robert de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River and claims the river basin for France. He names the territory "Louisiana" in honor of Louis XIV.

Iberville and Bienville:
The Le Moyne brothers are depicted on Ship Island, their base for exploration of the Gulf Coast in February 1699. Iberville holds a telescope, and their ship Badine can be seen in the background.

Settling the Louisiana Territory:
Next to a trapper and a group of farmers stands Antoine Crozat, the first to promote the settlement and economic development of Louisiana. A pioneer family builds a log cabin.

Bienville plans the city of New Orleans:
Bienville and engineer Adrien de Pauger plan the city of New Orleans in 1721. In his hand Bienville holds a map that clearly shows the crescent bend in the Mississipi River.

The arrival of the Casket Girls:
The "Casket Girls," named for the small trunks in which they carried their belongings, were respectable young ladies sent from France in 1727 to find husbands. They are shown being receied by the Ursuline nuns, who housed them in their convent until they married.

Bienville as Governor:
Beinville is shown as royal French governor of Louisiana, a post he held for most of the period from 1701 to 1743.