Image Credit: Scott Seagraves
Year Erected: 1990
Marker Text: In May 1539 Hernando de Soto landed in Florida with over 600 people, 220 horses and mules, and a herd of swine reserved for famine. Spurred by his participation in Francisco Pizarro's successful conquest of Peru, the King of Spain granted de Soto the rights to explore, then govern, southeastern North America. After wintering in Tallahassee, the de Soto expedition set out on a quest for gold, which eventually spanned four years and crossed portions of nine states. The first recorded European exploration of the interior of the Southeast, over 300 members died on the expedition, including de Soto in 1542. This expedition forever impacted the Native Americans, who were infected with Old World diseases, killed in battle, enslaved, made destitute, and sometimes befriended. Many scholars believe that this was the general area where the de Soto expedition visited in April 1540. The inhabitants of the Altamaha chiefdom ferried the Spanish across a large river in dugout canoes. The expedition next traveled northeastward and visited the Ocute chiefdom.
Tips for Finding This Marker: At the tourism office, on Hancock Street in Milledgeville.
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