The French colonized all throughout the rivers and lakes in North America. The French and Indian War happened in large measure as the Brits pushed inland towards Pittsburg and ran into the French, who were not there in great numbers. The fur trade is actually what the French were big in. From New Orleans, to Louisville Kentucky, Dunkirk NY, up into Canada, the French had scattered settlements. Lots of French names in our area of the country. The Griffon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Griffon was a French ship