In 1763 Spain Owned land [ ] Of the Mississippi River

In 1763, Spain owned land west of the Mississippi River. Spaniards were the first people to visit the Lousiana region in 1541. However, it was the French who established a presence in this area in 1682. They claimed the entire Mississippi River basin. France controlled this area until 1763 when it ceded the land west of the Mississippi River to Spain. France was then defeated in the French and Indian war so she lost the territory east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain.