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The De Soto National Memorial is near Tampa Bay and was authorized on March 11, 1948. I wondered if this was
just a place designated as his landing site but a little research seems to indicate he did land at this location
in May, 1539. Entrance to parking lot of
Entrance to grounds around visitor center
De Soto as depicted in a sort video about him and his exploration of current southeast and south central United states.
An arcabuz, a Spanish musket, displayed in the little museum at the visitors center.
The De Soto Trail Monument. It 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
de Soto expedition. The site was turned over to the National Park Service in 1948.
A hut built resembling what the Native Americans used in 1539. It is probably used for talks by park rangers.
Another display on the grounds, a partial completed Native American canoe.
A nature trail behind the visitor center. A trail mainly through mango trees - red, white and black varieties.
The red mango seems to be the most important; it has the ability to begin growing in shallow sea water and over
many years produce soil from growth and decay for other trees and vegetation to utilize.
Along the trail one may encounter cutouts of Native Americans or spanards as they would appear in 1539.
Looking back at De Soto's Point.
The Hernando de Soto Catholic Memorial, also known as Holy Eucharist Monument, (and a statue) were first exhibited
at the Royal Academy of Free Arts in Madrid, then at the New York World's Fair in 1965, followed by the Manatee
County Fair in 1966 and 1967. It was placed at this site in 1967. Due to vandalism the statue of de Soto was moved to
the South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium in nearby Bradenton, FL.
The Memorial Cross was erected here in 1995 and is dedicated to all the priests serving in Florida, beginning
with the twelve priests and friars who accompanied the 1539 De Soto expedition.
Gumbo Limbo tree in front of the visitor center. The Gumbo Limbo trees do not grow much farther north than this
location. They can not tolerated freezing temperatures.
Spanish moss on trees around the parking lot. Spanish moss does quite well in southern Florida.
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