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De Soto National Memorial
De Soto National Memorial
De Soto National Memorial U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Memorial
Location: Nearest city: Coordinates:
Manatee County, Florida, USA Tampa, Florida 27°31′26″N 82°38′40″W / 27.52389°N 82.64444°W / 27.52389; -82.64444Coordinates: 27°31′26″N 82°38′40″W / 27.52389°N 82.64444°W / 27.52389; -82.64444 26.84 acres (10.86 ha) 1539 240,172 (2005) National Park Service October 15, 1966[1] March 11, 1948 66000078
Hernando de Soto They were executing the order of King Charles V to sail to La Florida and "conquer, populate, and pacify" the land. The expedition did not yield the gold and treasure these men sought. Instead, they marched from one village to the next, taking food and enslaving the native peoples to use as guides and porters. Hundreds of lives lost on this calamitous four year, 4,000 miles (6,400 km) journey. The de Soto expedition would change the face of the American Southeast forever, and cause Spain to 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.
Area: Built/Founded: Visitation: Governing body: Added to NRHP: Designated NMEM: NRHP Reference#:
De Soto National Memorial, 5 miles (8 km) west of Bradenton, Florida, commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States.
Historic recognition
The national memorial was authorized on March 11, 1948. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the national memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The mission of De Soto National Memorial is to preserve the controversial story of this
De Soto expedition
In May of 1539, Hernando de Soto and an army of over 600 soldiers landed in the Tampa Bay area. They arrived in nine ships laden with supplies: two hundred and twenty horses, a herd of pigs, war dogs, cannon, matchlock muskets, armor, tools, and rations.
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exploration and interpret its 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.
De Soto National Memorial
• The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
External links
• Official NPS website: De Soto National Memorial • Manatee County listings at National Register of Historic Places • Hernando de Soto Historical Society • DeSoto Seafood Fest • Photo Gallery of De Soto National Memorial
References
[1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Soto_National_Memorial" Categories: National Memorials of the United States, 1948 establishments, Archaeological sites in Florida, National Register of Historic Places in Manatee County, Florida, Spanish colonization of the Americas This page was last modified on 17 May 2009, at 17:08 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
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