The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-30
RELIC OF THE DIM PAST.
fernando de soto's Probable March Into
Kansas in 1919, in Search OF Cor
o,sdo-s Command.

I
| corning tie route of fernando de Soto-s
| search for the command Of Coronado that
! was wandering aimlessly somewhere on
/ what are now the great plains of Kansas.
| induced me TO look into the musty Spanish
| records of those remote times for some
| authentic evidence that the intrepid De
Soto was ever in Kansas; the result OF
which research is here presented:
II will be remembered by the student OF
| the early history OF our country, that
when Alvar Nunez (who had been a fol-
lower of the unfortunate Pamphiio de
| Narvaez. and who had been long thought
| dead landed in Spain, he gave such glow
| ing accounts of sFlorida and the neighbor-
| ing regions. that the whole kingdom was
| in a ferment, and many heart painted TO
| emigrate TO a land where the fruits were
perennial. and where it was thought
flowed the TABLED fountain of youth
Three expeditions TO that country had
already been tried: One undertaken II
| 1912, by Juan Ponce de Leon, formerly
companion of Columbus; another in $50,
by Varquez de Allyon; and another by
Pamphillo de Narvaez. All or these mao
signally failed: the bones of most of the
leaders and followers having been left
to bleach upon the soil they had come
to conquer
The unfortunate issue OF the former ex-
peditions did rot oDerate as a check upon
the aspiring mind OF De Soto, but the re-
ports of the danger and the trials which
were breathed through the land py the
few survivors served only as breeZes 10
fan the sails of ambition, and made him
J the more anxious 10 spring as an actor
upon the arena which had been the scene
of the discontinue and death of the
hardy chiyalry of the kingdom. He sought
an audience Of the emperor, and the latter
after hearing De Soto's proposition that
he would conquer the country known
as Florida at his own expense" Charles
V. conferred upon him the title of gov
ernor of Cuba and Florida
On the 9Th of April, 1888. De Soto sailed
from Spain with an armament OF ten yes
sells and a splendidly equipped army of
go chosen men. amidst 1.-The roar of can
mons and the inspiring strains of martial
music"
It is now within the province Of this
article TO follow De Soto through all his
terrible trials on the American continent.
that can be found in the libraries, as il
would require a volume TO relate them
here, but we find that some time before
April. 1912, five years after MS arrival
he was camped with his decimated army
on the Arkansas river far up towards
what is now Kansas, if not exactly within
if any credit is due 10 manuscripts and
volumes prepared by the early chroniclers,
who witnessed the scenes. that the Span
fish army of De Soto was first to discover
the Rocky mountains and the first TO set
foot on the soil Of Kansas, because he
could never have gotten the goal he
was striving TO reach (Which unfortu-
nately he never attaineO without going
by the way of the Arkansas river.
The chroniclers OF his disastrous Jour
ney toward the mountains write: The
entire route become a trail of fire and
blood" That he had many a desperate
struggle with the savages of the interior
of the continent, who were of gigantic
stature. and fought with heavy long
clubs. with the desperation OF demons
Such was their tremendous strength, that
one of these warriors was match for a
Spanish soldier, though mounted on a
horse, armed with sword and cased in
armori
After suffering defeat after defeat, los
ing many of his soldiers, and almost the
last remnant of his horses, in April. 15i1.
he bent his march toward the Mississippi.
where he determined to build two vessels
and send to Cuba for assistance.
1t was while on this retreat or return
march to the great river, that De Soto
discovered the Hot Springs of Arkansas.
His historian writes: and when they
saw the foaming fountain. they thought
they were the long-searched for fountains
of youth" which fame had reported exist
ed somewhere in the country, but ten of
the soldiers dying from excessive drink |
ing. they were soon convinced of their !
error"
If De Soto was really searching for a /
junction with Coronado, he was undoubt- /
edly at the time his temporary camp was I
on the Arkansas, far up that river, per- /
haps near its great bend-its exact local /
ity il is impossible TO determlne-but that /
he was not far from the great highway /
across the continent, later known as the !
"old Santa Fe trail" IS very plausible.
The one object of the leader Of the un- !
fortunate command, 10 which he evidently 4
bent all his energies, was to extricate his /
men from the dreadful environments OF |
their situation, and despairinS OF reach |
ing the gulf by the Mississippi. struck |
westward, hoping, as Cabeza de Eaca had |
done to reach Mexico overland.
It must be remembered that this west
ward march was after De Soto's death al
the Mississippi river, and was commanded /
by Luis de Moscoso, upon whom the
leadership fell His historian says:
They saw great chains OF mountains and
forests 10 the west. which the understood
were uninhabited."
a period of six months was consumed In
march TO the Rocky mountains,
but he failed 10 find Coronado, and the In
dams with whom he had such desperate
battles were undoubtedly the Osages and
Pawnees, or their immediate predeces-
sors.
Il IS prettv firmly established that at the
time Noscoso was camped on the Arkan
sas. the visiouist, Coronado. was some
where near where Wichita IS now lscated.
at the junction Of 81. Peter and s.. Paul
(The Little and Big Arkansas) That place
was the point Of separation between Cor
onado and a number Of his followers;
many going back 70 Mexico. while the
intrepid commander with as many as he
could induce TO accompany him, continued
easterly. stin in search OF the mythical
Ouivira.
In 1884. ? group az mounds were DIS
covered in Mcpherson county, on the farm
Of Mrs. !. D. N!lliken. These were thor
ouehly explored by the professors OF
Bethany college. Lindsbcrg, particularly
Professor J. y Udden, who found among
other interesting relics. piece OF chain
mall arncr. Now as these mounds have
no connection with that great system Of
mounds east OF the Mississippi. they are
of relatively recent date. They. how
ever, occur II groups OF t-irTf a - : .4'tl
obtaining IN The history o. al
mounds, whether the so-c4lied prehistoric
u the modern.
The relic OF Spanish exploration OF this
continent in the early days o. the Faro
lean OCCUPATION OF the country FOUND in
the Mcpherson county mound. IS made q
hard steel. and y undoubtedly part Of
the armor OF a Spanish solder either q
he command OF Cabeza de Naca, that q
De Soto. or o. Coronado. Co-onado's his
orian i VII Re re71srnbered. does lot