- De Soto in Georgia State Historical
Marker
- Located at Tourism Office on Hancock St. west of
Wilkinson St., Milledgeville, Ga.
(Text)
DE SOTO IN GEOGIA
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. Fired by his success in Pizarro's
conquest of Peru, De Soto had been granted the rights, by the
King of Spain, 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. This
was the first recorded European exploration of the interior of
the Southeast. Over 300 members died on the expedition, including
De Soto in 1542. This tremendous effort forever changed the lives
of the Indians 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 April
3-8, 1540. The Indians of the Chiefdom of Altamaha ferried the
Spanish across a large river in dougout canoes. The expedition
next traveled northeastward and visited the town of the paramount
chief, Ocute.
005-30 GEORGIA HISTORIC
MARKER 1990
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