First White Man Dies in America

Pierced with the arrows of the native Caloosa tribe, this Spaniard met his demise on a foreign shore in June, 1513. Not much is known about this unnamed Conquistador - more is known about the tribe that killed him. The Caloosa were exceptionally fierce and skilled warriors and were, by all accounts, more physically endowed than their Spanish counterparts. Today, there are no Calusa left as they were trapped on Key West and massacred by Seminoles (who had been armed by the British). The man whom this plaque honors remains a small footnote in the long history of the European conquest of the Americas. (Submitted by Ruth Hallam)