De Soto Discovers the Mississippi River
Hernando de Soto and his expedition became the first Europeans to encounter the Mississippi River in May 1541, near present-day Memphis, Tennessee. De Soto named it the Rio de Espiritu Santo (River of the Holy Spirit). He had landed in Florida in 1539 with 600 men and spent two years marching through the Southeast, fighting Native American communities, spreading disease, and searching for gold. He crossed the Mississippi and continued west into Arkansas before turning back. De Soto died of fever on the riverbank in May 1542. His men sank his body in the river to prevent Native Americans from discovering that the man who claimed to be immortal had died. The surviving 300 members of the expedition built boats and floated down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
May 8, 1541
485 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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