Hernando de Soto: Spanish Explorer Who Discovered the Mississippi River in 1541

Hernando de Soto (c. 1500–1542), a Spanish conquistador, led the first European expedition deep into the southeastern North American interior (1539–1543). His 600-man army landed near Tampa Bay, Florida, and marched through present-day Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas.

Mississippi River Discovery

In May 1541, de Soto's expedition reached the Mississippi River near present-day Memphis, Tennessee. They crossed it (likely near Sunflower Landing, MS) on rafts, becoming the first documented Europeans to see and cross the "Great River." De Soto died of fever in May 1542 near the river (possibly in Arkansas or Louisiana); his men buried him in the river to conceal his death from Native Americans.

Legacy

• First European exploration of the Southeast interior.
• Documented numerous Native American chiefdoms (Coosa, Cofitachequi, Casqui, Pacaha).
• Introduced pigs, horses, diseases—devastating indigenous populations.
• Failed to find gold or a passage to China; expedition collapsed.
• Survivors (311) reached Mexico in 1543 via rafts down the Mississippi and Gulf coast.

De Soto's journey reshaped European knowledge of North America and initiated centuries of disruption for its peoples.