De Soto

https://www.nps.gov/deso/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Soto_National_Memorial De Soto National Memorial, in Manatee County 5 miles (8.0 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. The memorial includes 26 acres (11 ha), where the Manatee River joins Tampa Bay. It has 3,000 feet (910 m) of coastline; eighty percent of the area is mangrove swamp. In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries, craftsmen, and clergy made landfall in Tampa Bay. They were met with fierce resistance of indigenous people protecting their homelands. De Soto’s quest for glory and gold would be a four year, four thousand mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease, and discovery that would form the history of the United States. Driving Directions: From I-75 Take exit 220 SR 64/Manatee Ave, Gulf Beaches exit. Travel west on SR 64 for approximately 12 miles to 75th St. W. Turn right onto 75th St. W. travel north approximately 2 miles to the northern terminus 75th St. W. turns into De Soto Memorial Hwy and dead ends into the park. De Soto National Memorial Visitor Reception Tent The De Soto National Visitor Reception area is located on the sidewalk outside of the Visitor Center. Visitors can receive information such as program and tour times and signups, trail maps, brochures, and the parks Junior Ranger Activity Book. Tent may be closed due to in climate weather and high sustained winds. Driving Directions: From I-75 Take exit 220 SR 64/Manatee Ave, Gulf Beaches exit. Travel west on SR 64 for approximately 12 miles to 75th St. W. Turn right onto 75th St. W. travel north approximately 2 miles to the northern terminus 75th St. W. turns into De Soto Memorial Hwy and dead ends into the park. De Soto Monument Reenactor Bill Boston on his horse Dixie in front of the De Soto Monument. Reenactor Bill Boston on his horse Dixie in front of the De Soto Monument. De Soto and the Junior Ranger De Soto Tim Burke greets on of the parks Junior Rangers De Soto Tim Burke greets on of the parks Junior Rangers Sunset at De Soto Sunset at the Park The Sunsets on another day at De Soto NM Art in the South Florida Parks Learn about the significance of art in the National Park system and see three selections from the South Florida National Parks. A three-panel woodcut print showing the diversity of the Big Cypress swamp by artist Molly Doctrow. National Park Service supports groundbreaking Indigenous fisheries management study Joining an international research team for a study published in journal Nature Communications, National Park Service (NPS) archeologists provided valuable research for a new global study finding that Indigenous groups sustainably harvested massive amounts of oysters over hundreds and sometimes thousands of years with minimal impact before European colonizers arrived. Two people mapping an oyster mound. Success at the 2023 Girl Scout Convention and Boy Scout National Jamboree Read about the two major Scouting events that took place in July 2023 - the Girl Scout Convention held in Orlando, Florida and the Boy Scouts Jamboree held in Beckley, West Virginia. Phenom by Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts Jamboree Guide to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Southeast Region Collection This finding aid describes the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Southest Region Collection, part of the NPS History Collection.