BRADENTON – De Soto National Memorial marks the spot where Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his army made landfall in Florida on May 30, 1539, overcame fierce resistance by indigenous people protecting their homeland, and began their expedition to the Mississippi River, where the explorer lost his life.
Also on the expedition were 12 Catholic priests, who are commemorated by the Memorial Cross, a Manatee River landmark since 1995, and the Holy Eucharist Monument, erected in the late 1960s.
Admission is free to the 27-acre national park at 8300 Desoto Memorial Highway.
- Cindy Lane | Sun
The Manatee River shoreline at De Soto National Memorial - Cindy Lane | Sun
Memorial cross at DeSoto National Monument - Cindy Lane | Sun
Dugout canoe - Cindy Lane | Sun
A 1939 monument commemorating the 400th anniversary of Hernando de Soto’s landing in Bradenton. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Conquistador helmets - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Holy Eucharist Monument stone carving from Madrid, Spain represents Baptism. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Wildflower at De Soto National Memorial - Cindy Lane | Sun
Spanish coat of arms - Cindy Lane | Sun
Wildflower at De Soto National Memorial - Cindy Lane | Sun
Carved conch shell - Cindy Lane | Sun
Scorpion's tail - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Holy Eucharist Monument “In memory of the 12 priests who accompanied the 1539 Spanish expedition and of the Native Americans who inhabited these shores.” - Cindy Lane | Sun
Spanish bayonet - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Holy Eucharist Monument stone carving from Madrid, Spain represents the Eucharist. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Mangrove in the Manatee River - Cindy Lane | Sun
Memorial Cross - Cindy Lane | Sun
A view of Emerson Point Preserve from De Soto National Memorial. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Spanish moss - Cindy Lane | Sun
