1541day.year
Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River (then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
On May 8, 1541, explorer Hernando de Soto glimpsed the great Mississippi River near modern-day Walls, Mississippi.
During his 1541 North American expedition, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto approached the mighty river later named Mississippi. On May 8, he and his men reached the banks near present-day Walls, Mississippi. De Soto’s account recorded the vastness of the waterway and its importance for indigenous trade networks. This moment marked one of the earliest European sightings of North America’s largest river. Though his expedition continued to traverse the Southeast, the sight of the 'River of the Holy Spirit' captured European imagination. De Soto’s journey contributed to European understanding of the continent’s geography and native cultures.
1541
Hernando de Soto
Walls, Mississippi
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda