DeSoto's Western Trails
by Donald E. SheppardDeSoto's Secretary says, "On Wednesday, the nineteenth of October (1541), this army and the Governor departed from Tula (West Plains, Missouri), and they spent the night at two huts, and the next day, Thursday (they entered Arkansas, with No Moonlight), at another hut, and on Friday at another, in which Hernandarias de Saavedra, who had been wounded at Tula, had a convulsion and died; and he died like a Catholic nobleman, commending his soul to God. The next day, Saturday, they went to Guipana (Guion), which is among some mountains, next to a river (the White River), and from there they went as far as they could to sleep, and all that [land] is mountainous from Tula on."
Another of DeSoto's officers writes, at that point, "They said that Autiamque was six days journey away and that another province called Guahate (Little Rock) lay a week's journey southward - a land plentifully abounding in corn and of much population (around Toltec Mounds, another native village near Little Rock); and here we went east and traversed these mountains and descended to some plains, where we found a village suited for our purpose (Jacksonport), because there was a town nearby (Newport) that had much food, and it was on a large river (at the White and Big Black Rivers' junction) that flowed into the great river (the Mississippi) by which we left (America). This province was called Viranque..."
The last entry in DeSoto's Secretary's Journal; "The next day they came out of the mountains and entered the plains..." at Batesville "...on Monday, the last day of the month (of October, 1541, mid-November on our Gregorian Calendar), they arrived at a town that is called Quitamaya (today's Magness), and on Tuesday, the first of November, they passed through a small village (to the Big Black River), and on Wednesday, the second of November (on Full Moon for the light it afforded a dawn raid on this giant Indian village), they (crossed Big Black River and) arrived at Utiangue (Jacksonport, 25 miles downstream from Batesville), which is a very well populated savanna of attractive appearance." Utiangue Village ran along the east bank of Big Black River; the savanna, which Inca says "was situated on on a fine plain with two streams on either side," was the 600 acre pasture nearly circled by the White River at today's Jacksonport.
Another officer says, "They found considerable corn hidden away (stored) as well as beans, nuts, and dried plums, all in great quantity. They seized some Indians who were collecting their clothing, and who had already placed their women in safety (on news of DeSoto's approach). That land was cultivated and well peopled. The governor lodged in the best part of the place (on the sandy hill of Jacksonport) and immediately ordered a wooden stockade to be built about the place where the camp was established at some distance from the houses (of Newport on White River's east bank), so that the Indians without might not harm it (the army's camp) with fire. Having measured off the land by paces, he allotted to each the amount that was proper for him to build, in proportion to the number of Indians they had. Thereupon, the wood was brought in by them (from the river bank of the nearby Indian village; thereby opening the land so horsemen could patrol it), and within three days the stockade was built of very high timbers set close together in the ground and with many boards placed crosswise. Near the village flowed a river of Cayas (the Current River, which feeds the Black then White Rivers at Utianque) and, below, it was densely populated..."
DeSoto would spend most of the Winter of 1541-42 at Jacksonport. His men reported, "The general and his captains having seen the village, which was large and had good houses containing plenty of food and was situated on a fine plain with two streams on either side of it that had plenty of grass for the horses, and seeing that it was enclosed with a wall (on the north side), decided to winter there..." as did the Confederate Army of Arkansas 320 years later, at precisely the same place. Jacksonport would become both Armys' headquarters for that reason, but the city of Newport would replace Jacksonport as a big agricultural center on the Mississippi River Embayment with the coming of railroads in the nineteenth century.
DeSoto's men continued, "It snowed hard during that winter in this province, when there was an interval of a month and a half in which they could not go out into the country because of the deep snow. With their plentiful supply of wood and provisions (and women), however, they had the best winter of all that they spent in La Florida (North America)." Scouting forays were made during which DeSoto learned that most of the Mississippi Embayment was a gigantic lake, and not a bay of the Gulf of Mexico.
Prior to 1698, much of northeastern Arkansas was occupied by the Michigamea, a tribe of the Illinois Confederation. In Algonquin their name means "big lake," referring to the enormous lake that existed in the area prior to the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811. That swamp is drained by Oak Donnick Floodway which often fails to drain it today (2011). DeSoto would lead his army south, down the White River, away from Jacksonport before the Spring Flood.
At Jacksonport, the King's Agent with DeSoto says, "Here we spent the winter. There were such great snows and cold weather that we thought we were dead men. In this town died the Christian who had been one of Narvaez's men, whom we had found in the land and taken along as interpreter..." (Juan Ortiz, who had served DeSoto for 3 years from the time he was rescued in Florida. Ortiz, always by DeSoto's side, would translate Spanish into the language of a neighboring tribe to the one he had been held captive in for a dozen years before DeSoto had rescued him. That Indian would translate to the next, who lived in close proximity, then he to the next and so on through a dozen interpreters, or more, and, finally, to the Indian of the district DeSoto happened to be in at the time; all of whom were held captive by DeSoto for language translation in provinces beyond. A few native "merchants" were encountered along the way who could speak the languages of many tribes, thereby eliminating the need for certain go-betweens, who DeSoto released unharmed.
"We left from here at the beginning of March, since it appeared to us the fury of the cold weather had abated, and we traveled downstream (on the White River), where we found other well-populated provinces with a quantity of (much needed) supplies..." DeSoto would trade the only trinkets he had left from Spain, the bells on his horses which where otherwise used to terrify Natives during dawn raids along his way. There were too many Natives in that neighborhood to start a war over food when his army was cold, sick and hungry on an escape trail.
Another officer says, "On Monday, March sixth of the year 1542, the governor set out from Autiamque to go in search of Nilco (beyond Arkansas Post), which the Indians said was near the great (Mississippi) river, with the intention of reaching the sea (the Gulf of Mexico) and obtaining aid of men and horses; for he now had only 300 fighting men and 40 horses, and some of them lame... because of lack of iron they brought them along all unshod; In Autiamque died Juan Ortiz (mentioned above), which the governor felt deeply, for without and interpreter, not knowing where he was going, he feared lest he enter a region where he might get lost... From Autiamque, it took the governor 10 days to reach the province called Ayays," over very low land. Ayays began at Brinkley; the Cache River [Chief's River] was the provincial boundary). Another officer says, "...we traveled downstream along the river, where we found other well-populated provinces (Newport, Augusta, De View, Cotten Plant, Brinkley, Clarendon, Holly Grove and Marvell/St. Charles) with a quantity of supplies..." "(DeSoto) reached a town (just west of Marvell, the Territorial Headquarters during the Louisiana Purchase; all land in Arkansas is titled in relation to Marvell's location) near the river which flowed through Cayas and Autiamque..." The White River's crossing place was between Marvell and St. Charles for centuries. "There he ordered a raft to be constructed, by which he crossed the (White) river. After crossing, such weather occurred that he could not march (south from St. Charles) for four days because of the snow..." and the hardship of crossing the flooded White River without Indian assistance or a Moon to light the long crossing.