CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – The small Florida town of Punta Gorda has its share of strange sights, though visitors to the local Ponce De Leon Park might find something just as puzzling.
The park is located along Ponce Beach near the western end of the city, overlooking Charlotte Harbor. It sports a playground for children, a boat ramp, fishing piers, picnic pavilions, and even a mangrove boardwalk for nature enthusiasts.
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But perhaps most surprising to first-time visitors is the cavalcade of conquistador statues littered about the place.
The park is fittingly named after Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who led the first expedition from Europe to “La Florida.”
Ponce de León and his men landed on the east coast of Florida around 1513 — somewhere near present-day Melbourne Beach and St. Augustine — before adventuring around the peninsula.
His travels brought him up to the area near present-day Tampa, which is why the park stands as a testament to his exploits.
On the other side of the park, though, is a plaque that claims “La Florida” is where the “first White man” died in America.
The plaque reads as follows:
“On this day, May 24, ships were sent to seek a mainland colony site and to sound and chart the newly found ‘Bay of the Holy Spirit’ (Charlotte Harbor). For three weeks, explorations continued, seldom by land.
There were at least three meetings with the Caloosas; once they offered ‘guanin’ (low gold) and skins for trade and promised more. But in other meetings, fighting erupted, and ‘several Indians’ and one Spaniard were killed.
Thus, the first White man died in America, victim of Indian arrows, and the place of his death was called ‘Matanca’ (Pine Island).”
"FIRST WHITE MAN DIES IN AMERICA" plaque at Ponce de Leon Park
But is it really true that the first White man to die in America did so near Pine Island?
According to local historian Theresa Murtha, Ponce de León and his men indeed had some skirmishes with native tribes in the area. In fact, that’s how the explorer was ultimately killed.
“He came here twice: in 1513 and again in 1521,” Murtha told News 6. “When he came back in 1521, he was mortally wounded by the Calusa, but he did not die here. He went back to Cuba, and he died in Cuba, and then later was buried in Puerto Rico.”
Murtha added that “Matanca” refers to the strip of land leading up to Pine Island, and while there’s no concrete evidence about whether any of the Spaniards died during the conflict, it’s possible that one of Ponce de León’s men died.
However, even if it happened, he might not have been the first in America.
“We do believe now that there were other explorers like Spanish pirates prior to Ponce de León actually landing here...” she said. “There’s evidence that the Indigenous people were fearful of the Spanish, and they didn’t have any reason to be that other than there was evidence that (Spanish) were here, possibly capturing Indigenous people as slaves.”
As a result, it could be that there were other “White men” who came and died before Ponce de León’s group. But it’s still feasible that the attack on Ponce de León and his men netted the first casualty.
“Thinking about it, knowing that there were skirmishes — for sure,” Murtha explained. “(Ponce de León) was mortally wounded, so it’s quite possible that the first White man actually died here.”
Regardless, the plaque isn’t set to go anywhere anytime soon, and the park has plenty of other amenities to offer for guests.
For more information on available times, activities and events, visit the city’s website here.
Or for more stories about Central Florida’s strange history, heading to ClickOrlando’s “Florida Fables” page here.
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