Hernando de Soto

Hernando de Soto, a brave leader, a skilled fighter and an excellent strategist, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River. De Soto first sailed to the New World in 1514, where he became the first governor of Panama and gained fame helping conquer the rest of Central America. Author Jeff C. Young relates tales of de Soto's bravery, and his brutality, as he set out to make a name for himself exploring Central America and helping fellow Spaniard Francisco Pizarro conquer Peru. Young tells the story of de Soto's crowning achievement, his discovery of the Mississippi River in 1541, as he scoured the southeastern United States for gold and the elusive passage to Asia that so many explorers of the era sought.