up with a huge collection of early maps. His books and maps are now standard sources on the Spanish era. However, he was relatively uninterested in the Soto landing debate. He said Soto "probably" landed at Gadsden Point in Tampa Bay, Cale was near Suwanee River and Anahica close to Tallahassee.

Archeologist and historian T.H. Lewis prepared an abridged translation of Oviedo containing the Ranjel account for publication in a 1900 issue of the "American Antiquarian." This source convinced Lewis that Soto landed in Charlotte harbor, entering from the south through Carlos Bay. The river of Mococo is Myakka River and Tocaste he believes to be on an island in the Great Marsh just south of the high country in Polk County. The Apalache town of Anhica is placed near Ochesee on the Apalachicola River at a spot known to the Seminole Indians as Spanna Walka (Spanish Camp).

Shortly after this, Theodore Maynard also took up the new theory in his book "De Soto And The Conquistadores." He concurs that the landing place was in Charlotte Harbor and identifies the River of Deer as the Suwanee.

Col. John R. Fordyce, on a map he prepared in 1932 based on his own researches and those of James Crame and John Swanton, set the Soto landing on the east side of Tampa Bay near the south entrance. The trail is then carried up to Tallahassee keeping fairly near the coast.

Up to this time, the historians had been con-tent to state their opinions regarding the route of Soto, without feeling it necessary to document their views.

As the 400th anniversary of Soto's landing approached, however, scholars turned increasing attention to the question. Debates arose about every step of the expedition during its 4-year sojourn in nine southern states. Tampa promoters were particularly anxious to fix location of the Bay Of The Holy Spirit, confident it was Tampa, so that a World Fair could be built around the historic event.

After considerable lobbying, Tampa boosters persuaded the U.S. Congress to appoint a commit-tee of specialists and appropriated $100,000 for a study of the Soto route.

Chairman of the De Soto Expedition Commission was John R. Swanton who had previously concluded the landing was on the extreme south shore of Tampa Bay. Existing literature on the subject, and reports by individual members on segments

of the march, were quickly gathered.

The final report of the commission was published in 1939, but the Great Depression had already killed fund raising efforts for a Tampa World Fair.

Rather than settling the question of Soto's landing and subsequent route, the commission report furnished fuel for new fires of dispute.

Many authors suspected that the case for a Tampa Bay landing was foregone upon appointment of a chairman who had already decided that point for himself. Significant maps were omitted and supportive documents selectively quoted -- deficiencies attributed to haste in preparing the final report. Nevertheless, the report of the De Soto Expedition Commission was the best effort up to that time to pull together a comprehensive analysis of the controversy. It is still a thoughtful reference for Soto investigators.

The argument for Soto's landing in Tampa Bay appears to have been put together entirely by Chairman Swanton. Many historians find his choice of clues, and deductions from them, per-suasive. In order to give the Tampa Bay theory full rein, that part of the commission report dealing with Soto's landing is given here in detail:

DE SOTO COMMISSION REPORT

According to most of the Tampa theories regarding De Soto's landing, he entered deeply within the bay and disembarked at some point on Old Tampa Bay or Hillsborough Bay.

The validity of these hypotheses hinges in the first place on our interpretation of the movements of the fleet between May 25, when explorers sighted land, and May 30 when they began to disembark. It is only on the supposition that they spent this time sailing up Tampa Bay that any theory of a landing near Tampa can be based.

According to one theory, De Soto landed on some part of Pinellas Peninsula on the north side of Tampa entrance.

If we accept this hypothesis we must assume that although the flotilla entered the bay from the south side, it immediately crossed over to the north. It it had borne north, however, it should have gotten into the main channel almost immediately. Thereafter it would have had no difficulty in making its way across to the north side and proceeding at least as far as the shoals opposite St. Petersburg, if not to the deep water south of Interbay Peninsula.