Ponce de Leon
Friday, February 21st, 2014Did you know that in Pre-Columbian times, Key West was inhabited by the Calusa people? They had a steady reign of the island until the first European visit in 1521 when Juan Ponce de Leon, Spanish explorer and conquistador, led an expedition to what we now call Florida. After Ponce de Leon’s visit, Florida increasingly became more of a Spanish territory of fishing and salvaging; a small military garrison was even established there. It is said that Ponce de Leon was looking for the Fountain of Youth in Florida!