(Left panel)
De Soto Trail
1539-1540
You are standing along the historic route of the conquistador Hernando de Soto and his expedition through the Florida Native American territories in his quest for gold and glory. . . . — — Map (db m126570) HM
Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the landing of Panfilo de Narvaez, intreped [sic] Spanish Explorer and his four hundred brave companions The first white men to set foot upon the shores of Tampa Bay April 15, 1528. Erected April . . . — — Map (db m33796) HM
Treasurer of the ill-fated Panfilo de Narvez expedition, was first to write of the discovery of Tampa Bay, April 17, 1528, calling it "Bahia de la Cruz, the best harbor in the world."
After the disastrous trek through Florida the . . . — — Map (db m216412) HM
The Seminole Nation fights for their identity and their homes.
This war was fought while Florida was still a Spanish colony; it passed to the Americans in 1821. — — Map (db m193910) HM WM
This American Liberty Elm was named after "The Liberty Tree: Our Country's First Symbol of Freedom." On the morning of August 14, 1765, Boston awakened to discover two effigies suspended from an elm tree in protest of the hated Stamp Act. From . . . — — Map (db m215495) HM
On April 25, 1757, as they explored the Hillsborough River (Rio De San Julian Y Arriaga) and searched for pine trees for ship masts, Don Francisco Maria Celi, Captain of the Spanish Royal Fleet, and 19 armed members of the expedition camped in this . . . — — Map (db m100983) HM
Late in July, 1715, a hurricane destroyed a fleet of eleven or possibly twelve homeward bound merchant ships carrying cargoes of gold and silver coinage and other valuable items from the American colonies to Spain. About 1500 men, women, and . . . — — Map (db m14306) HM
Creek Town of the Spanish Era
Ekanachatte ("Red Ground") was an important Creek Indian town that stood here at Neal's Landing Park during the latter half of the 18th century and the first two decades of the 19th.
This site was known as . . . — — Map (db m201244) HM
It’s October 3, 1539…
Hernando de Soto’s army has crossed a large swamp to the east of here and is attacked by Apalachee warriors –
Our cavalry proved useless against this attack, as the trails are too narrow. We were forced to . . . — — Map (db m126590) HM
A wide diversity of people have traversed this spot on the St. Johns River, starting with the ancient tribes and Timucuan and Mayacan Indians. The St. Johns River was named one of fourteen American Heritage Rivers because of its importance to the . . . — — Map (db m188477) HM
Side A
Miss Eugenia Washington, great grandniece of President George Washington, was one of 3 Founders of National Society Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America, June 7, 1898; Washington, D.C. in the year of the Spanish American . . . — — Map (db m183552) HM
Daily life for Spaniards at San Luis was not unlike that in other Hispanic communities. Shoemakers and tailors plied their trades. Off-duty soldiers drank wine, played at cards or dice, and stringed guitars or similar stringed instruments known as . . . — — Map (db m239318) HM
The Apalachee were a matrilineal society. Inheritance and authority were passed down through the mother's family. Related groups were also combined into clans with each member belonging to the mother's clan. After marriage, the husband relocated to . . . — — Map (db m239379) HM
The dwelling frame to your right represents the shape and size of a typical Apalachee home. Although the Apalachee were skilled carpenters, their own dwellings were relatively simple. Most activities were conducted outside, with homes reserved for . . . — — Map (db m239388) HM
Living on the hilltop where the plaza and public buildings were located was an honor most likely reserved for the village's leaders. They attended daily meetings in a council house where community affairs were discussed and planned.
By . . . — — Map (db m239272) HM
Apalachee militias provided the bulk of the province's military power. Apalachee received training in the use of firearms from Spaniards. They served as sentries, some held military titles, and they always outnumbered Spanish soldiers on raids. . . . — — Map (db m239355) HM
Most of the Apalachee who were not killed outright or enslaved moved north into British territory. Others migrated west to Pensacola and Mobile. A small number moved eastward eventually settling around St. Augustine. Once dispersed in 1704, the . . . — — Map (db m239362) HM WM
It’s October 11, 1539…
Near here, Captain Juan Añasco of Hernando de Soto’s army has entered the Apalachee village of Aute -
The village is deserted, but we have found a small supply of corn. My men captured several Indians. One is . . . — — Map (db m126592) HM
By outward appearances, life in the Spanish village was European in nature. However, since Spanish soldiers commonly married Apalachee women, native wives continued some Indian traditions in their homes. Apalachee women perceived marriage to . . . — — Map (db m239322) HM
Beginning in 1702, British Carolina Governor James Moore began a full-scale attack on Spanish Florida aimed at St. Augustine and the missions along the Atlantic coast. Early in 1704, Moore mounted a campaign against Apalachee.
The strongly . . . — — Map (db m239357) HM WM
Cassina, commonly called black drink, was a dark brew loaded with caffeine. It was popular with Spaniards and Apalachee alike.
Black drink could only be served in the council house unless the chief granted special permission to serve it . . . — — Map (db m239269) HM
On March 3, 1540…
Led by Hernando de Soto, the army departed these Apalachee lands to continue their expedition northward. They crossed the present-day Flint River and then traversed the Mississippi River several times –
From here, . . . — — Map (db m126596) HM
Side 1
In 1633, the province of Apalachee in Spanish Florida received its first full-time resident missionaries. The Franciscan Mission of San Pedro y San Pablo de Patale which was located about one hundred yards north of this marker was . . . — — Map (db m79569) HM
From the 1650s when San Luis was first established, its military garrison had some type of casa fuerte or blockhouse. However, a full-scale fort was not constructed until the 1690s when the threat of British attack became imminent.
The . . . — — Map (db m239353) HM
Relatively easy access to the St. Marks River port of call enhanced San Luis' trading industry. Supplies could be unloaded at St. Marks River and, using small boats, could be brought to within 1.5 miles of the mission. Similarly, surplus goods . . . — — Map (db m239253) HM
Prior to European contact, the Apalachee used bone stone, shell, clay, plant fibers, and wood for most of their needs. The Spanish traded manufactured goods to the Indians. Iron tools, popular among the Indians for their durability, replaced bone, . . . — — Map (db m239378) HM
It’s October 5, 1539
Hernando de Soto’s army has reached the nearby village of Calahuchi -
We passed through fertile lands covered in large fields of corn - maize. While we marched, Apalachee warriors moved through the . . . — — Map (db m126589) HM
Mission San Luis was one of more than 100 mission settlements established in Spanish Florida between the 1560s and 1690s.
Between 1656 and 1704, more than 1400 Apalachee Indians and Spaniards lived at the mission. San Luis was a principal village . . . — — Map (db m239247) HM
The first Europeans known to have explored Tallahassee accompanied Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. His entourage of over 600 soldiers, laborers and priests spent the winter of 1539 in a nearby Apalachee village before continuing their journey . . . — — Map (db m211624) HM
This marker is on the western boundary line of the land selected by Major General the Marquis de Lafayette and granted by the United States Congress to him in 1825 in appreciation of his services during the Revolutionary War. The grant contains 36 . . . — — Map (db m79528) HM
Former home of Catherine Daingerfield Willis, great-grandniece of George Washington and widow of Achille Murat, Prince of Naples and nephew of Napoleon. During the Second French Empire she was recognized as a princess and financially assisted by . . . — — Map (db m79560) HM
This marker is on the western boundary line of the land selected by Major General the Marquis de Lafayette and granted by the United States Congress to him in 1825 in appreciation of his services during the Revolutionary War. The grant contains 36 . . . — — Map (db m100567) HM
It’s October 6, 1539…
Hernando de Soto established his winter encampment here, at Anhayca, a principal Apalachee Village
”On Sunday, October 25, [De Soto] arrived at a town called Uzela, and on Monday, at Anhayca Apalachee . . . — — Map (db m126591) HM
On September 30, 1539…
Hernando de Soto’s army crossed into the land of the Apalachee. Its borders ran from southern Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Aucilla River to the waters of the Ochlockonee.
A Complex Culture
Part of . . . — — Map (db m126588) HM
Having borrowed a canoe from some Indians, I visited a very grat and most beautiful fountain or spring which boils up from between the hills about 300 yards from the river, throwing up great quantities of white small pieces of shells & white shell . . . — — Map (db m191194) HM
It’s September 23, 1539…
Conquistador Hernando de Soto and his men have reached a large river, the present-day Suwannee –
My nose is broken, and we are weary from battle. We will rest here for two days before crossing. Envoys of . . . — — Map (db m126587) HM
Less than a mile to the north lies Passage Key, marking the southerly entrance into Tampa Bay. Since Ponce de Leon explored this coast in 1513, this island has served to guide ships into the great bay beyond, called by early Spanish explorers . . . — — Map (db m72420) HM
This Spanish Camp was built to resemble De Soto’s base camp at the Indian village of Uzita. Under Captain Pedro Calderon’s command, approximately one hundred soldiers, sailors, and horsemen operated “Camp Uzita” as a supply port, with instructions . . . — — Map (db m217057) HM
Near here Hernando DeSoto 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. — — Map (db m125358) HM
In Panama with Pedrarias
Hernando de Soto, second son of a country hidalgo, or minor noble, was born around 1500 in the Extremadura region of Spain. At age 13, he left home to seek his fortune in the New World. After proving he had . . . — — Map (db m126567) HM
Trained in horses and arms, nineteen-year-old Hernando Desoto first traveled to Peru, the land of the Inca, in 1520. Sixteen years later, rich with plundered gold, he returned to Spain in triumph.
This man, “dry of words and stern . . . — — Map (db m217048) HM
Although the origin of the tabby ruins is not known for certain, William H. Shaw is credited with its construction soon after settling here in 1843. The Shaw family lived and worked here until a Seminole Indian uprising in 1856 drove them to Key . . . — — Map (db m125369) HM
Late in the afternoon of May 29, 1539, DeSoto's armada of nine ships rode at anchor in a deep Florida bay. Decks and holds were heavily burdened with 700 men, 350 horses, packs of bloodhounds and Irish greyhounds, a herd of pigs and a profusion . . . — — Map (db m217049) HM
DeSoto was not the first conquistador nor the last to be licensed by the Spanish king to conquer and settle Florida. Three previous attempts had ended in disaster.
The Crown risked little in authorizing private exploration. Under the terms of . . . — — Map (db m217054) HM
Bountiful Waters
Early peoples living along the warm waters of this coast harvested the vast bounty of the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding lands. They built villages with intricate canals, lagoons, and mounds made of shell and earth. Early . . . — — Map (db m126565) HM
A Name for Himself
On May 29, 1539, Hernando de Soto’s fleet of 9 ships passed here, carrying over 700 men, as well as women, children, and slaves. For De Soto, this was the realization of a long-awaited dream. In 1533, after participating . . . — — Map (db m126564) HM
It’s August 11, 1539…
Hernando de Soto has taken a small force of 60 cavalry and 100 foot soldiers north through Timucuan territory towards the land of the Apalachee -
I have entrusted Captain Moscoso to lead the army north, while I . . . — — Map (db m126580) HM
It’s July 29, 1539…
De Soto’s weary and starving army arrives at the village of Ocale -
We found the village abandoned but full of food and supplies. I ordered my men to rest and then gather enough provisions for the next several . . . — — Map (db m126579) HM
Who were "Americans" first? At least several hundred years before Crackers migrated from England and Scotland to the USA, and then wandered down the eastern seaboard to Florida in the 1800s Well before the Seminoles sought refuge in Florida . . . — — Map (db m167206) HM
Signed by John Hancock, President and attested by Charles Thomas, Secretary of the Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
Written by Thomas Jefferson, it proclaimed that the American Colonies were no . . . — — Map (db m198744) HM
Jean Ribault led nearly 200 French settlers from Spain’s established colony near present day St. Augustine north along the St. John’s River.
Their mission was to claim an area near present-day Jacksonville and drive out the territory’s . . . — — Map (db m198351) HM
Great Britain’s Union Jack was flown over Florida representing the combined kingdoms of England and Scotland.
The Red Cross of St. George, the patriot saint of England, and the white Scottish cross of St. Andrew form the Union flag.
The . . . — — Map (db m198350) HM
"Your majesty: In order to protect your interests [land and gold] in La Florida, we must discover or construct a passage across this peninsula." The Essence of an Historic Communication by Spanish Explorer Pedro Menendez Aviles to Spain's King . . . — — Map (db m166901) HM
In colonial times patriots often gathered by designated trees to sow the seeds of revolution and freedom. Such trees came to symbolize American liberty. This oak tree is dedicated to the people of Marion County as a living tribute to our founding . . . — — Map (db m198137) WM
Three miles to the east on September 23, 1696, the British barkentine Reformation foundered off Jupiter Island. The 24 survivors included a party of Quakers bound from Jamaica to Pennsylvania. Leader of the Quakers was Jonathan Dickinson who . . . — — Map (db m14311) HM
Mount Elizabeth Mound was constructed approximately 4,000 years ago during the Late Archaic Period by Florida bands who selected this site for a ceremonial shell midden-mound. It was occupied 4,000-800 years ago by ancient peoples who first . . . — — Map (db m106567) HM
For 235 years, this iron cannon lay on the bottom of the sea only 13 miles from where you are standing. Archeologists removed the cannon from the shipwreck site of HMS Fowey in 1983. A British warship, HMS Fowey sank in 1748 after . . . — — Map (db m245789) HM
Indians lived at the mouth of the Miami River (200 yards southwest of this spot) for more than 15 centuries before White men came. The principal town of the Tequesta Indians, including six mounds used for dwelling, burial, and religious rites, was . . . — — Map (db m88322) HM
Brickell Point has been host to many cultures and witness to a number of historical milestones.
The powerful Tequesta Indians made their main village at the mouth of the Miami River for over two thousand years. Abundant natural resources . . . — — Map (db m65645) HM
A modern adaptation of the Alcazar de Colon home of the Columbus family in Santo Domingo: the arms are copied from the Tomb of Columbus in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. The brick above is from the Alcazar, built in 1510 by the Viceroy Diego . . . — — Map (db m134657) HM
These anchors sank with the ships Atocha and Santa Margarita in 1622. Each anchor weighs approximately 2,200 lbs. For almost 400 years, they lay on the ocean floor. The iron in the anchors survived, but the wood did not. The wooden . . . — — Map (db m245826) HM
Key West got its name from a combination of cultures and languages. Early Spanish explorers named the island “Cayo Hueso” which translates in English as “Bone Island”. The Tiano of Cuba call a small island “cayo”. The English call it “cay” and the . . . — — Map (db m224197) HM
Before 1492, Cuba was populated by at least two distinct indigenous peoples: Taino and Siboney (some consider these populations to be Neo-Taino Nations). These two groups were prehistoric cultures in a time period during which humans created . . . — — Map (db m243874) HM
John Simonton was a native of New Jersey, with business interests in Mobile, New Orleans, Cuba and Key West. Around 1818, he saw that the Harbor of Key West would become an important seaport when the United States acquired Florida from Spain in the . . . — — Map (db m223755) HM
In 1811, the town of Fernandina was platted according to the Spanish Law of the Indies, which prescribed how the site for a Spanish settlement should be selected, and how the town should be laid out in classical grid form. This law also stated . . . — — Map (db m144882) HM
This site was part of an indigo plantation belonging to the estate of John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont. After Lord Perceval’s death in 1770, his executors sent Stephen Egan to manage the East Florida estate. Under Egan’s supervision, Egmont became . . . — — Map (db m106652) HM
During the Spanish and English periods of Florida history, many large tracts of land were granted primarily to induce settlement. All that remains of the Don Domingo Fernandez Spanish Grant is the family cemetery and this park. Royal title to . . . — — Map (db m33394) HM
On this bluff overlooking the Amelia River, Fort San Carlos was completed by the Spanish in 1816. The fort was made of wood and earthworks and was armed with eight or ten guns. As the Spanish Empire disintegrated, Fort San Carlos became increasingly . . . — — Map (db m33360) HM
Site of the Battle of Amelia, September 13, 1817. On this hill, Spaniards erected a battery of four brass cannon, with about 300 men, supported by two gunboats. They shelled Fernandina, held by Jared Irwin, adventurer and former Penna. congressman. . . . — — Map (db m33343) HM
This land high above the Amelia River was a campsite for Indians in pre-historic times, as early as 2000-1000 B.C. In the early history of the state, it assumed military importance because of the fine protected harbor on the northern boundary of . . . — — Map (db m33349) HM
Side 1
During Florida's British Period (1763-1783), the small trading hamlet of Mills Ferry was established here on the St. Marys River. Mills Ferry was first chronicled in the early 1770s by William Bartram. He noted that the Seagrove & . . . — — Map (db m93857) HM
The Province Bell was the name first used to describe me. I was ordered from the English bell foundry of Whitechapel in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Assembly. I was to be part of the celebration which would commemorate the 50th anniversary of William . . . — — Map (db m76520) HM
Under the boughs of the original Liberty Tree in Boston in 1765, patriots, calling themselves “The Sons of Liberty,” gathered to protest the imposition of the Stamp Act. In the years that followed, almost every American town had a . . . — — Map (db m76711) HM
The original Liberty Tree, a stately elm, was a rallying point for pre-revolutionary activities. The open space under its branches was called "Liberty Hall" and a flag pole was erected through its branches with a hoisted flag the symbol for . . . — — Map (db m242969) HM
Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 24, 1783 and died in Santa Marta, Columbia, on December 17, 1830.
Liberator of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and founder of Bolivia.
"Without equality, all freedoms and all . . . — — Map (db m166045) WM
It’s July 17, 1539…
Hernando de Soto’s army has moved further north to the shores of this large lake –
We have decided to name the lake St. John. Those of us in the cavalry have just returned from scouting ahead. We searched the . . . — — Map (db m126572) HM
It’s July 19, 1539…
Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s army has turned northward –
We have found several Indian villages in this area. Many are abandoned but stocked full of harvested corn.
”The next day they came to the . . . — — Map (db m126566) HM
It’s July 18, 1539…
Hernando de Soto’s army has crossed the nearby grasslands they call the green desert –
We could find no water in this lush green environment. Due to the intense summer sun, many of our men have succumbed to heat . . . — — Map (db m126573) HM
Menendez, Spanish Governor of Florida, after building fort at St. Augustine (1565) came to this site in 1567 and persuaded the Indian Chief Tocobago and his 1500 braves who lived here, to accept Christianity. Menendez erected a blockhouse for a . . . — — Map (db m46671) HM
On Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1539, Hernando de Soto sailed into Tampa Bay and named it “Bahia Espiritu Santo” (Holy Spirit Bay). A decade later it is believed that the famed Dominican missionary, Father Luis de Cancer, was martyred . . . — — Map (db m44277) HM
On May 18, 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the shores of what is now Tampa Bay, landing near these mineral springs used by the native population for nearly 10,000 years. Believing he had found the legendary Fountain of Youth somehow . . . — — Map (db m216413) HM
Presented to the city of Lake Wales through the efforts of Mr. William J. Pelissier and Miss Elizabeth D. Quaintance, this cannon, removed from the frigate USS Constitution during the 1927 restoration, was originally dedicated by the Lake Wales . . . — — Map (db m218953) HM
Site of the colony of Denys Rolle, English philanthropist. The settlement, composed of 200 indentured servants from the streets of London, was founded in 1767. It did not prosper and the settlers scattered. Negro slaves were imported to tend cattle, . . . — — Map (db m56656) HM
Natives lived on the St. Johns River Northwest Florida was home to Native Americans for some 15,000 years. About 7,000 years ago, they began settling along the St. Johns River. French and Spanish explorers arrived in what is now Palatka in the . . . — — Map (db m131067) HM
In 1774, while coasting past a Seminole settlement on the riverfront
of what is now Palatka, William Bartram wrote in his book, Travels:
"There were 8 to 10 habitations facing the river. Some of the youth were naked up to their hips in . . . — — Map (db m240766) HM
(side 1)
Landing at What is Now Palatka
“I suddenly saw before me an Indian settlement or village…
There were eight or ten habitations…Some of the youth were naked up to their hips in the water, fishing with rods and lines, . . . — — Map (db m220230) HM
In the late 1700s, the British government under King George III imposed harsh taxes and laws on the residents of its American colonies. The Continental Congress was formed as a response to this in 1774 by men who would become the founders of United . . . — — Map (db m173862) HM
1 • Ponce de León Live Oak Planted on November 27, 2001 in memory of Eunice R. Rabette. The Ponce de León Live Oaks grow near the spot at Port Charlotte, Florida, where the explorer first came ashore in April 1513. 2 • Treaty Live . . . — — Map (db m214873) HM
Over 1,000 years ago, the Timucua (tee-MOO-quo) people established villages in this area. They fished, hunted, and grew crops such as maize, squash, and beans. By the 1700s, the Timucuans began to disappear as they succumbed to war and disease . . . — — Map (db m55389) HM
In front of you beyond the marsh grass, flows the Matanzas River, an arm of the ocean beginning just to the south at Matanzas Inlet. Even in its earliest colonial days, this river was an important water approach to the Spanish town of St. Augustine, . . . — — Map (db m230272) HM
Old World Showdown (English)
One of the first colonial conflicts between European nations happened near here in 1565. Spain had already claimed Florida when France established Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville. This . . . — — Map (db m127497) HM
In 1766 on the banks of the St. Johns River at Little Florence Cove, William Bartram attempted to farm a 500-acre land grant. Bartram had spent much of the previous year exploring the new British Colony of East Florida with his father, John Bartram, . . . — — Map (db m48683) HM
The King's Road, an overland highway constructed during Florida's British Colonial period (1763-1784), once traversed the Double Bridges property at this location. The road spanned Pellicer Creek, Hulett Branch, and swamp wetlands over a system of . . . — — Map (db m224253) HM
Here where the St. Johns River narrows, was a natural crossing used by Indians, and later by the Spaniards, in pushing west. A Spanish fort, built in 1700, protected the crossing and trail that led to Apalache, near Tallahassee. From 1836 to 1870, . . . — — Map (db m64001) HM
One of the principle economic activities during the First Spanish Period (1565-1763) was cattle ranching. Beginning in the middle of the 17th Century, Spanish governors issued large tracts of land to prominent families, hoping to encourage the . . . — — Map (db m230097) HM
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