In the 1850s a reporter named Henry Stanley went to find one of the most famous missionary/explorers in history, Dr. David Livingstone, who had disappeared into the jungle. Stanley became the first man known to have followed the Congo river across Africa to its mouth. He proved that there were many miles of navigable river above the waterfalls. His discoveries interested King Leopold of Belgium. The king hired him to build a road around the waterfalls and trading posts along the river itself. In this way, the king gained control of the river basin. In 1885, Leopold used his control of the river to claim all of the Congo as his own private land.