DeSoto was Here

[Peeber]

I have been wanting to get these pics on here for a while. Background: De Soto stayed at an Indiana Village about 70 miles north west of here and is supposed to have sent 2 of his men and some Indians through this area to look for salt. While De Soto's visit is not well known there are stories of Indiana silver in the area and gold has been commercially mined further north. The first pic is of a stone face with one eye looking over the the right were there is a small cave about 100 yds away.

the next pic is of what I call an X in a cup, inside the right side of the cave.

In in the left of the cave is a large rock showing signs of a fire having been laid against it and having another X on its right tip.

behind the rock is a little bit more cave, mostly filled with dirt. Is it worth pulling the rock out and digging behind it? I have more pics but too much for one post.

 

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[Peeber]

I guess no one has any opinions on what these possible marks and signs. Everything I related in my first post about DeSoto is acurate. I don't know if the face or head in the rock is man made or a fluck of nature but it is there. I do know the X in the cup as I call it, is real and old, as the other Xs in the cave. I do know that there has been a campfire in the cave as the black smoke mark can still be seen on the large rock I have already pictured. These smoke marks can last for centurys. I have sifted the dirt a bit in the cave and found carcoal and flakes of iron. What gets me is the lack of any initials or names to be found in the rock. It seems we americans have a tendancy to put our names and initials into anthing we can if we hang around it for long. Look at all the tree and softer rocks carvings in the verious modern parks. Also look at the verious locations the people in the wagon trains mark up. So who would make these deep cut Xs in this cave but nothing else. So what does anyone think. Was someone trying to mark somthing? And belive it or not people, this is Indiana.

 

[Mr.Jody]

You better make sure that rock isn't holding anything up,or it may crack you on your cranium, or kill you either one.. !!Is this in Florida?I know of where there is/was a salt mine over by wakulla/taylor counties,
EDIT:::::::I just read the whole thing and see you say it is not in florida.

 

[Old Dog]

Peeber,

Welcome to T-Net

I would love to see more.
I have no doubt that there would be Spanish signs posted from up North,
it was only a matter of time.
I have had signs and pictures of signs sent to me from as far nort as Manitoba.
Which tells me they explored pretty far North.

Thom

 

[Peeber]

You better make sure that rock isn't holding anything up,or it may crack you on your cranium, or kill you either one.. !!Is this in Florida?I know of where there is/was a salt mine over by wakulla/taylor counties,
EDIT:::::::I just read the whole thing and see you say it is not in florida.

Thanks for the caution but the rock does not have contact with the roof of the cave so there does not appear to be a hazard of that.
Here is a picture I got by sticking my arm around the side of the rock.

It is interesting that Deer come into this shallow cave so maybe there is a large consentration of salt in this rock. You may be able to see some white and sparkles in this picture. I have a big A come along I can hook to a tree outside the cave and I think I am going to try pulling at least one corner of that rock out to get past. I doubt I find gold / silver but it will be interesting to find artifacts.

 

[Peeber]

I also thought it was interesting to note that when I looked back to the stone face there was a second stone face that had bigger eyes and was looking directly at the cave.


This is a picture of the X cut into the right hand tip of the rock in the cave. It is larger than the other Xs cut in the cave.

 

[Peeber]

Not a whole lot of comment coming in here. I don't care if you feel yeah or nay on what is shown here. Just interested in opinions. After reading other sights with possible treasure marks and signs it appears there is a bit of a chauvinistic attitude / interest in those things in the west / southwest.

 

[Old Dog]

Peeber ,

I think it awesome that you have found De Soto's trail where you are.
You have the story and the signs to back up what you post quite well.

I would look around for more info to see what else the Spanish were up to in your area.
the attitude / interest you speak of in the West and Southwest is probably because of the prevalance of the trails and signs .
I have for years encouraged the active documentation of the trails anywhere they are to be found,
your trail and subsequent finds are a wonderful addition to the history of the United States.
You have added to the wealth of knowledge that until you documented it was lost to time and was only a legend.

you should be commended for the effort.

Thom

 

[Peeber]

Thanks Thom, Attached is the sight I got the info from. It also covers some of De Soto's activity in Illinois.
http://1st-history-of-the.us/indiana1.html

 

[Old Dog]

I enjoyed the link.
It looks like you may be in a prime area to find good Spanish artifacts.
That always adds to a hunt .

Thom

 

[Peeber]

Ya, I would love some artifacts. I don't really believe I will find any "treasure". While there is gold north of the location that actually assayed richer than the California gold fields I doubt there were really any gold foundries as noted in the site. The Spanish methods of questioning about such things tended to get the answers they wanted rather than what was accurate. We will see what, if anything is in the back of that little cave when I get the rock out of the way.

 

[Old Dog]

Never hurts to bone up on the subject.
you could be on top of something that hasn't been looked for in your area yet.

You may be the only one looking too.
That's always a pluss.

 

[rangler]

Peeber,
Interesting info about DeSoto,
as far as the face formation - without a confirmation
mark, a hoyo, a second face, an animal,.a triangle, a shadow of interest, we can
only assume mother natures handiwork. The shapes that make the face outline
are smooth and flowing, more like nature than man, as this would be hundreds
of times more work for a monument builder. Now it is well known that the Spanish
did use natural formations to save themselves lots of toil, but to separate out the
background camouflage, they always used readily recognized confirmation signs
so that the ones supposed to dig up the goodies later on would have no problems
recognizing the Alpha Monument. The Kings rules were very strict and the old saying
"under the pain of Spain" meant off with their heads, so the ones who left valid mon
uments built them with care, as though their life depended on it!

Now that brings us to the X and the cup, as you call it..it is not a confirmation mark
by itself, and it could have nothing to do with the Spanish. That is not to say is out
of the question, but without any more typical marks, this X by itself does not a mon-
ument make!.

Do I think it is a Kings Fifth, I don't think so, but someone took the time to chisel that
mark and the two lines on either side of it..perhaps a quick burial of some goods, ten
paces, or ten meters, or ten feet from the rock....might be worth a metal detect.

If it were my site, I would not rule out anything with out more investigation. Number 1
would be more photos, at high noon, on bright summer day. You might remove some
moss and see what the camera will show..

in the vaguest of terms, with the tiniest of marks to go by, I might think about,
if nothing else, I might want to measure the mid point between the two X's. Those two lines
might stand for the two X's and the X might mean "here in the middle" Maybe bootleggers
cache? Maybe a local miser type guy, hide something, lots of possibilities.

The bottom line, even though I dont think the rock is altered by man, man could have used
it because it jumps out at you and that could be just enough for someone to locate
the spot again for - what they needed to bury - and recover later.
That is the way it looks to me from this angle anyway. Good luck and have fun and thanks
for all the data about De Soto, it was greatly appreciated!
rangler

 

[Peeber]

Thanks for the come back Ranger. I greatly appreciate the analysis. Actually your comments about the head kind of tend to back up some thoughts I have had. You have mentioned in other threads the size of the expeditions the Spanish have had. This trip mentioned in the De Soto data only consisted of 2 troopers and a couple Indians. A small expedition like this would probably not have the manpower to do larger specific monuments and would be likely to take advantage of enhancing natural things. Unfortunately a large flat slab about 15 yards from the "head" , toward the cave, recently sheared off the face of a cliff so any possible marks on it are now lost. We're talking something the size of a car.
Well thanks again and I will post things as they progress.

 

[Old Dog]

Another very good reason to document this stuff.
We all know it is history. But for it to be completely lost with no hint of documentaion...

Just seems criminal.

 

[bradyboy]

call me ignorant
I had no Idea Spanish exploreres traveled that far north from the southern shores
care to educate me?
Here, we have Fort Desoto park in Florida, not far from where I live
The same desoto?
Brady

 

[Old Dog]

Absolutely !!

 

[Peeber]

Thanks Thom, Attached is the sight I got the info from. It also covers some of De Soto's activity in Illinois.
http://1st-history-of-the.us/indiana1.html

Bradyboy, this site was listed earlier in the string but you may have missed it. It should educate you on some of De Soto's wanderings. It it surprising how much ground this old boy covered, but never made it home rich.

 

[bradyboy]

Thanks for the posting , I will have to look into
Brady

 

[Goodyguy]

My 2c,

The rock guarding the cave seems very out of place, someone may have put it there to keep out intruders.

Hopefully there is something valuable hidden in there.
Then again it could be just guarding the salt.
However, I'm pulling for treasure, Good Luck


Goodyguy~

*Added,
That rock could also be a pointer, see how it is notched at the back and pointed on the front.
Go 10 something in that direction and see what's there.
That rock was definitely put there by someone for some reason.