← Explore on the interactive map
De Soto Crosses the Mississippi
In May 1541 Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reached and crossed the Mississippi, one of the earliest documented European crossings of the great…
Timeline
- 1541East bank of the Mississippi River · Mississippi River basinDe Soto's expedition marched north from the Florida interior to the east bank of the Mississippi, coming into contact and conflict with local tribes such as the Casas, and began preparing to cross.
- 1541Mississippi River crossing point · Mississippi River basinThe Spaniards and their Indian auxiliaries felled timber to build rafts, ferrying men, horses, and supplies across the wide channel within days, completing the first recorded European crossing of the Mississippi.
Sources
- Hernando de Soto https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hernando-de-Soto
- Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun: Hernando de Soto and the South's Ancient Chiefdoms — Charles Hudson (1997)