De Soto Trail Monument
N 27° 31.430 W 082° 38.643
17R E 337635 N 3045533
This monument commerates the landing, trail, and history of Hernando De Soto. It is located in the De Soto National Memorial, run by the National Park Service.
Waymark Code: WM2968
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 09/25/2007
Views: 87
A billboard nearby has more information along with the text on the monument itself.
The De Soto Trail Monument was placed here by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America. The granite monument was dedicated on May 30, 1939, during the 400th anniversary of the landfall of the Hernando De Soto expedition. In 1948 the monument and surrounding acreage were donated to the National Park Services.
The text on the monument reads: "Near here Hernando De Soto with his men landed May 30, 1539 and began his march westward to the Mississippi river. This marker commemorates the 400th anniversary of his arrival on the shores of Florida."
Per the website listed below.
On a sweltering day in May of 1539, Hernando de Soto and an army of over 600 soldiers splashed ashore in the Tampa Bay area. They arrived in nine ships laden with supplies: two hundred and twenty horses, a herd of pigs, a pack of vicious war dogs, cannon, matchlock muskets, armor, tools and rations. It was everything they would need to execute the order of King Charles V: sail to La Florida and "conquer, populate and pacify" the land.
But this expedition would never yield the gold and treasure these men so desperately sought. Instead, they marched from one village to the next, taking food and enslaving the native peoples to use as guides and porters. Hopes were dashed, fortunes squandered, and hundreds of lives lost on this calamitous journey. The de Soto expedition would change the face of the American Southeast forever, and cause Spain to drastically reevaluate her role in the New World. Ultimately, it was the first hand accounts of survivors, describing the native cultures and the richness of the land, which became the journey's enduring legacy.
The mission of De Soto National Memorial is to preserve the controversial story of this four year, four thousand mile odyssey and interpret it's significance in American history. Visitors can attend living history demonstrations, try on a piece of armor, or walk the nature trail through a Florida coastal landscape similar to the one encountered by conquistadors almost five hundred years ago.
Marker Number: N/A
Date: May 30, 1939
County: Manatee
Marker Type: Other
Sponsored or placed by: The National Society of Colonial Dames of America
Website: [Web Link]
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