485 years ago...

Panfilo DeNarvaez, a Spanish Explorer, landed here to explore and expand colonial New Spain into North America. I have to admit I have driven by this site thousands of times (living here for over 40 years!) and have launched boats from this park many times, and I have never read a single word on this sign. I have just now found out who in the world was Panfilo De Narvaez and what did he do!

Florida is the first state to celebrate a 500 year Anniversary. On April 3, 2013, it will be 500 years when the Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce De Leon landed on Florida's soil to claim it for Spain. I have been reading up on that bit of history and it then occurred to me that just down the street another explorer had landed. De Naraez landed 15 years after De Leon here at an Indian village. He should have landed somewhere else. He started with 5 ships and 600 men, but with storms was down to 300 men. He quickly grew tired of the hostile natives (and he could not find gold!) and marched north and faced the more powerful Apalachee Indians. By the time, he realized he needed to flee, he was down men and had to build rafts to get to Mexico. They perished in storms and only 4 men survived!

So a bit of Florida history from a woman who might have been sleeping in history class one day.!