Written by Donald E. Sheppard
Drawings: Cheryl Lucente

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According to Hernando de Soto's Secretary, © 1993, University of Alabama Press "On Tuesday, the sixth of September (1541, DeSoto's army) departed from Coligua (Kaskaskia) and crossed the (Mississippi) river another time (into Ste. Genevieve)..." precisely on Full Moon. They would encounter five different Tribes of Native Americans before leaving Missouri on the next Full Moon.

After fording the Mississippi River, most of the well rested army hiked as far as the flats of east Farmington before stopping for the night.

"...and on Wednesday (September 7th) they crossed some mountains and went to Calpista (the Ironton area), in which there was a spring of water from which very good salt is made, cooking it until it cakes (stragglers caught-up to the army at Pilot Knob). On the following day, Thursday, they went to Palisma (over the mountain pass at Lesterville), and on Saturday, the tenth of September, they came forth to sleep at a body of water (the Current River, having camped in the fields of Bunker the night before)."

Another eye-witness describes the army's journey, "We traveled for five days (from Kaskaskia) and reached the province of Palisema (which extended from Lesterville to the Current River). The house of the chief was found (probably near the mountain refuge of Centerville) with coverings of colored deerskins drawn over with designs, and the floor of the house was covered with the same material in the manner of carpets. The chief left it so, in order that the governor might lodge in it as a sign that he was desirous of peace and his friendship, but he did not dare remain. The governor upon seeing that he was away, sent a captain with horse and foot (soldiers) to look for him. The captain found many people, but because of the roughness of the land (the highest mountains in Missouri) they captured only some women and young persons. It was a small and scattered settlement and had very little corn (there's nowhere to grow it). On that account, the governor left it immediately (choosing to camp farther down the trail on Bunker's Plateau)."

DeSoto's Secretary continues, "...and on Sunday (September 11th) they arrived at Quixila (Summersville) and rested there on Monday (they pastured the horses all day in the huge fields toward Mountain View), and they went on Tuesday to Tutilcoya (Willow Springs)."

The other officer says, "He came upon another settlement called Tatilcoya (Willow Springs), taking with him the chief who guided them to Cayas. From Tatalicoya it is a distance of four days journey to Cayas (near Branson)." Another officer says, "...we went to some scattered villages that were called Tatilcoya. Here we found a large river (North Fork of White River), and afterward (the following Spring in Arkansas) we saw that it flowed into the great river (the Mississippi). We had information that on this river upstream was a great province called Cayas. We (the scouts) went to it and found that it was all scattered population, though heavy, and several excursions were made (during their stay in Missouri). The land is very rugged with mountains." DeSoto tracked south of, and parallel to, Highway 66 between St. Louis and Springfield. The Indian trail he followed crossed fewer rivers but more mountains along that path. Most of Missouri's Indian population lived north of Desoto's Trail, however; his horsemen raided their villages as his army advanced.

DeSoto's Secretary went on to say, "...on Wednesday (we marched) to a town alongside a large river (between North Fork of White River and Bryant Creek), and on Thursday they spent the night alongside a swamp (at the head of Beaver Creek). And the Governor went in advance with some on horseback (the other horsemen were busy raiding as far north as Springfield), and he arrived at Tanico (Forsyth, just below Taneyville); and the next day the army went (down Beaver Creek) to the same province of Tanico, which was very scattered but very abundant in supplies (all would join DeSoto within several days near Forsyth). Some wanted to say that it was Cayas, a large and palisaded town that was widely known (especially to DeSoto's army), but they never were able to see or discover it, and afterward (that winter in Arkansas) they told them that they had left it behind at the side of the river..." the White River. They were camped at today's Jacksonport when they got that intelligence from the Indians. The place referred to as the mythical "Cayas" was probably West Plains. DeSoto's army had missed it by only fifteen miles during their 12 day, 170 mile journey across Missouri from Ste. Genevieve to Forsyth. Scouts were distracted to the north when DeSoto passed West Plains.

The other witness goes on to say, "The governor abode in the province of Cayas (Southwestern Missouri) for a month. During that interval the horses grew fat and throve more than after a longer time in any other region (of North America) because of the abundance of corn and the leaf thereof, which is, I think, the best that has been seen. They drank from a very warm and brackish marsh of water, and they drank so much that it was noticed in their bellies when they were brought back from the water (salt occurs naturally just upstream of Branson; Table Rock Dam restricts the brackish flow in White River today). Thitherto, the Christians had lacked salt, but there they (the Indians) made a good quantity of it in order to carry it thence to other regions to exchange it for (buffalo) skins and blankets. They gather it along the river, which leaves it on top of the sand when the water falls. And since they cannot gather it without more sand being mixed with it, they put it into certain baskets which they have for this purpose, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. They hang the baskets to a pole in the air and put water in them, and they place a basin underneath into which the water falls. After being strained and set on the fire to boil, as the water becomes less, the salt is left on the bottom of the pot. On both sides of the (White) river, the land had cultivated fields and there was an abundance of corn (the first Europeans to homestead Western Missouri would settle at Forsyth). The Indians did not dare to cross (the river's big bend from Branson) to the place where we were. When some appeared, some soldiers who saw them called to them. The Indians crossed the river and came with them to the place where the governor was. He asked them for their chief. They declared that he was friendly, but that he did not appear. Thereupon, the governor ordered that the chief be told to come and see him and to bring a guide and interpreter for the region ahead, if he wished to be his friend; and that if he did not do that, he would go to fetch him (probably from the large Swan Creek Valley north of Forsyth) and his hurt would be greater. He waited three days, and seeing that he did not come, went to look for him, and brought him back a prisoner with one hundred and fifty of his Indians.

He (the governor) asked him whether he had knowledge of any great chief and where the most populated land was. He (the chief) said that the best populated land thereabout was a province situated to the south ("...upriver [Turkey Creek] we would come upon a well-provisioned province..." according to another eye-witness), a day and a half away, called Tulla (Harrison, Arkansas, 36 miles from Forsyth), that he could give him a guide, but that he did not have the interpreter, for the speech of the Tulla was different from his (Tula probably spoke the Caddo Indian language); and because he and his forebears had always been at war with the lords of the province, they had no converse, nor did they understand each other."

"Thereupon the governor set out for Tulla with men of horse and fifty foot (soldiers - up Turkey Creek Ravine) in order to see whether it was a land through which he might pass with all his men. As soon as he arrived and was perceived by the Indians, the land was summoned. When 15 or 20 Indians had gathered together they came to attack the Christians. On seeing that they (the Christians) handled them roughly, and that when they took to flight the horses overtook them, they climbed on top of the houses, where they tried to defend themselves with their arrows; and when driven from some (of the housetops) would climb on top of others; and while they (the Christians) were pursuing some (of the Indians), others (of the Indians) would attack them (the Christians) from another direction. In this way, the running lasted so long that the horses became tired and could no longer run. The Indians killed one horse there and wounded several. Fifteen Indians were killed there, and captives were made of forty woman and young persons; for they (the Christians) did not leave any Indian alive who was shooting arrows if they could overtake him. The governor determined to return to Cayas before the Indians should have time to gather themselves together. Thereupon, that evening, after having marched part of the night, in order to get some distance from Tulla (and out of Turkey Creek Ravine), he went to sleep on the road (in Hollister near Branson), and reached Cayas (Forsyth) the next day."

Another witness says of DeSoto's escape from Tula, "It seemed to the governor that it was not good to halt there (at Tula) that night, because he had very few people, and he returned by the road, on which we had come, to a clearing in a lowland that the (White) river made (at Hollister), having crossed a bad pass of the mountain range because there was fear that the Indians might take us at the pass..." of Turkey Creek's dangerous Ravine.

DeSoto's Secretary concludes, "On Wednesday, the fifth of October (Full Moon), they left from the site of Tanico or Cayas (Missouri) and arrived on Friday at Tula..." Harrison, Arkansas"

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