The 1544 "De Soto" Map
of La Florida
Today's Southeastern US
Alonso de Santa Cruz
General Archive of the Indies, Seville, Spain

The creation of this map was guided by the accounts of survivors of the ill fated De Soto exploration who returned only the year before it was drafted.

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De Soto's crossing of the Blue Ridge
Taken verbatim from the account of
Rodrigo Rangel

The next day, Friday, they went to Xuala, which is a town on a plain between some rivers ...on Saturday Baltasar de Gallegos arrived there with many sick and lame, and they needed them healthy, particularly since they now had the mountains before them. In that Xuala it seemed to them that there was better disposition to look for gold mines than in all that they had passed through and seen in that northern part.

Tuesday, on the twenty-fifth of May, they left from Xuala and crossed that day a very high mountain range, and they spent the night in a small forest and the next day, Wednesday, in a savannah where they endured great cold, although it was already the twenty-sixth of May; and there they crossed, in water up to their shins, the river ... of Spiritu Sancto

The next day they spent the night in an oak grove, and the following day, alongside a large creek, which they crossed many times; and the next day messengers came in peace, and they arrived early at Guasill. ... Monday, which was the last day of May, the Governor left from Guasill and went with his army to an oak grove alongside a river, and the next day they passed through Canasoga and spent the night in the open. And on Wednesday they spent the night alongside a swamp, and this day they ate a very great number of mulberries. The next day, Thursday, they went alongside a large creek next to the river that they had crossed in the savannah ... and now it was large. The next day, Friday, they went to a pine forest and a creek, where Indians from Chiaha came in peace and brought corn. And the next day, Saturday, in the morning, the Spaniards crossed the very broad river, across a branch of it, and entered in Ciaha, which is on an island of the same river.

Saturday, the fifth of June, was the day that they entered in Chiaha; and since from Xuala all their travel had been through a mountain range and the horses were tired and thin, and the Christians likewise fatigued, it was advisable to halt and rest there ...

The Route of De Soto
across the Blue Ridge

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Most modern scholars agree that De Soto crossed the blue Ridge into the Tennessee River Valley on his expedition in the last week of May and the first week of June, 1540. Further, all agree that the waters of "Spiritu Sancto" refer to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Addtionally, it is plain that the river described in which Chiaha was located, if the accounts are accurate, has to be the Upper Tennessee or French Broad River (the same river). The question now is by what route did De Soto travel between Xuala and Chiaha.

Charles Hudson the foremost scholar today of the "route" of DeSoto, and of the later expeditions of Juan Pardo in 1566 and 1567, has adopted, since 1997, the "Nolichucky River Route" in his writings. This route was first proposed by the Archaeologist Robin Beck of the University of Alabama who, during his graduate work at the University of North Carolina, revealed that he had discovered a site with Spanish artifacts at his family's farm on the upper Catawba River. From his work, and the work of others at this site, the Berry Site, it has been proposed that this may be the location of the fort built by Pardo in 1566, Fort Suan Juan. Since Pardo seems to indicate that this fort was built at the same location as De Soto's Xuala, the "Nolichucky Route" was proposed as the only possible route across the Blue Ridge that could make this site "fit" the contemporary accounts of De Soto's men.

On this web site I will discuss in detail, presenting along the way original documents and pictures, the way this route "fits" with the descriptions left by the four contemporary authors whose accounts of the De Soto expedition are known, and also the discuss the later expeditions of Juan Pardo, a Sergeant with De Soto who survived to return as a Captain with his own expedition in 1566, 26 years after his first visit to the Blue Ridge, and how he may relate to this route. From these considerations I hope to show that the "Nolichucky" route for De Soto can only be "proven" by (1) establishing that the Berry Site is indeed Fort San Jaun and not just a village in which some Spaniards visited or lived for a while, and (2) that if this is Fort San Juan, that Fort San Juan at Juada (as Pardo calls Xuala) is at the exact same geographic location as the Xuala where De Soto crossed the mountains 26 years earlier.

Since neither of these points has been established (and maybe never can be) I will examine alternative routes proposed by others, and examine their "fit" with the descriptions of the contemporaries. In this process I will present on line much of the original translation of many of the contemporary works, an extensive bibliography of sources and provide links to a large number of websites that contain information related to these expeditions in general.

This discussion of De Soto and Pardo ranges from the geography of the areas involved, and the archaeological sites known today to the prehistory of the Native Americans involved, and how the passing of these explorers may have adversely affected their cultures. These changes run the gamut from "catalyst for political change" to a study in the effects of "biological warfare". The discussion touches on the way the "routes" have been determined over the years, and the fallacies and rewards of a study of the names used in the accounts as they relate to historical names known to early settlers who came 150 years after the expeditions.

Finally, I present my own version of the route of De Soto over the Blue Ridge, based on information gleaned as a layman about the issues involved. This route I propose is based on my experience as a life long resident of the area through which I have De Soto traveling, and as an avid hiker in those areas throughout my life. This is coupled with my interpretation of the contemporary accounts and the information available to me concerning the archaeology of the area.

My motives for doing this web site are many, but my primary motivation has to do with this new "Infomation Age". As a Computer Engineer for many years I use the Internet as a tool for research of all kinds. As the partner of a wonderful spouse who works in a University Library I have access to almost any book on any subject I desire. My desire to revisit a favorite story of my youth, the story of De Soto and his travels through Western North Carolina, led me to discover many things had changed since my early sixties education. It seems that what I was taught as a fact had now changed! I began to research both books and the Internet and found that the scholarly works available, those carefully studied and documented materials produced by experts, were not the stuff of an Internet search. On the Internet in bold strokes, presented mainly for students, were alternate theories presented as fact. Only with in-depth searches, after I knew what I was looking for, could I find a presentation of the views that are commonly accepted in Academia. This doesn't speak well of the power of the Internet as an educational resource, and yet it is unavoidable that in tommorrow's world (and probably today's) that the Internet will be a major means for Student and Layman Research. And what are these will these students and interested laymen find?

My experience in developing Genealogical web pages has led me to the concept of presenting a web site that allows the user access to original records and documents. In this way I attempt to present my views and opinions, and yet at the same time present as many of the background research items as feasable. In such a manner I attempt to make the site both a vehicle for my views, and an independent resource for all that have interest in the subject. I HOPE to create debate, so I welcome your opinions, and especially your contributions of materials and commentaries. -Bob Jones

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