Memorial Trail, DeSoto National Memorial, Bradenton, FL
**DeSoto National Memorial** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 66000078, date listed 10/15/1966
5 mi. W of Bradenton
Bradenton, FL (Manatee County)
The De Soto National Memorial commemorates the landing of Hernando De Soto in Florida in 1539. Locally called Shaw's Point, it was established by the United States De Soto Expedition Commission in 1939 as the general area in which De Soto disembarked. In 1948, the National Park Service acquired 30 acres of Shaw's Point to establish the De Soto National Memorial.
Although there is no agreement among reputable historians that the Point was the actual landfall of the De Soto expedition, it is generally accepted that Shaw's Point, situated at the mouth of the Manatee River, would have been a convenient landing place. De Soto himself made no reference to the landing point, but went on to describe the immediate wooded area as swampy and thick with vast and lofty forests.
Presently, the De Soto National Memorial encompasses 30 acres of landscaped area and tidal mangrove swamp. The swamp does not contain a "virgin" mangrove growth of 400+ years of replenishment; almost all growth is only 31-36 years old or less. The water's edge is naturally buttressed with different types of surface materials and a ridge of deposit shell atop the beach face. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg...
Memorial Trail, DeSoto National Memorial, Bradenton, FL
**DeSoto National Memorial** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 66000078, date listed 10/15/1966
5 mi. W of Bradenton
Bradenton, FL (Manatee County)
The De Soto National Memorial commemorates the landing of Hernando De Soto in Florida in 1539. Locally called Shaw's Point, it was established by the United States De Soto Expedition Commission in 1939 as the general area in which De Soto disembarked. In 1948, the National Park Service acquired 30 acres of Shaw's Point to establish the De Soto National Memorial.
Although there is no agreement among reputable historians that the Point was the actual landfall of the De Soto expedition, it is generally accepted that Shaw's Point, situated at the mouth of the Manatee River, would have been a convenient landing place. De Soto himself made no reference to the landing point, but went on to describe the immediate wooded area as swampy and thick with vast and lofty forests.
Presently, the De Soto National Memorial encompasses 30 acres of landscaped area and tidal mangrove swamp. The swamp does not contain a "virgin" mangrove growth of 400+ years of replenishment; almost all growth is only 31-36 years old or less. The water's edge is naturally buttressed with different types of surface materials and a ridge of deposit shell atop the beach face. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg...