One can but surmise, as others have done, about names, dates,
and places in early history of Milton and Santa Rosa County. There are those
who have surmised that Narvaez (Panfilo de Narvaez) discovered Santa Maria
de Galvez (bay) and the penetrating points and peninsulas about October,
1528. There is than the usual evidence that they sailed within this bay
and landed on of the peninsulas and points projecting into this bay. It
is extremely doubtful that he used the name Pensacola, but for the territory
in general he probably used the term used by the "Indians" themselves Puerta
de Anchusi (Ochusee).
To this same bay, Santa Maria de Galvez, came Maldonado with a succor
fleet for Soto in October, 1540, but no settlement was made nor was one
intended at that time.
Some nearly twenty years later Don Tristan de Luna was commissioned by
His Majesty Charles V of Spain to organize an expedition for which he,
Charles V, had been petitioned by the Viceroy of Mexico and Bishop of
Cuba. Their purposes were set forth for the expedition:
- 1) to secure gold for the Emperor's treasury,
- 2) to extend the Emperor's dominions, and
- 3) to enlarge the membership and dominion of the Church (the Roman
Catholic Church).
Likewise on August 14, 1559 de Luna cast anchor somewhere within these
waters Bahia Santa Maria de Galvez. We believe that he actually anchored
within what is now known as Bahia Santa Maria de Galvez, since there is
such very strong evidence that he did so. We find, too, that he landed
and followed a "ridge route" to the northward crossing en route the trail
that had been followed by Soto some several years earlier. This would
point somewhat emphatically to the fact that he used what the local settlers
referred to as "The Three-Notch Trail" (not to be confused with the more
widely known "Three Notch Road" in Mississippi) since it would be the
only fairly logical route to follow, being the only ridge route with a
minimum of streams to cross - all of the other known early trails lacked
this feature or had other disadvantages. It has been well established
too that de Luna had aboard some of his ships some cattle which he left
en route and which became the nucleus of the later great cattle industry
of this area.
De Luna's settlement failed because, mainly the greed of his followers
would not let them work nor think of anything except gold; secondly, a
great hurricane nearly destroyed his fleet and spoiled much of his supplies;
thirdly, some of his contemporaries near to the Spanish court did not
want him to be successful and thereby gain favor of the Imperial Court
perhaps to their hurt, and finally, because of dissensions among his leaders.
Nonetheless, to this area must go the distinction for the first white
settlement in the continental United States. Here was heard for almost
three years the regular call to prayers, morning and evening, of the faithful
who followed the fortunes of de Luna.
The destruction of de Luna's first colony as well as the blotting out
of his hopes for further success was succeeded by a long period of quiet
in this area, which was not to be broken before 1693 when Don Andre de
Pes visited here. How far up the bay he came, what his purpose could have
been in coming, or even how long he stayed, we do not know. However, he
marks his visit by calling the whole area Santa Maria de Galvez.
Three years later, in 1696, Don Andre d' Arriola made a settlement at
the mouth of the bay. It could not have been rated very high as a colony
for it was peopled largely by the convicts from the other Spanish Colonies
of the New World.
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OTHER NATIONS THAN SPAIN
It was often evident that Spain did not think very much of her Florida.
It seemed to be that only when other nations cast their covetous eyes
on Florida, this peninsula of sunshine and youth fountains, that the Spanish
"dog in the manger" attitude was so evident. France, who based her claims
to Florida on the discoveries and explorations of La Salle, began casting
her eyes in this direction. It was not just chance, but rather a determined
effort to offset rumors of France's determination to establish a colony
on the Gulf, that decreed that Don Andres d' Arriola, for Spain, would
reach Santa Maria de Galvez in 1696, three years before Lemoine de lberville
(and his brothers Bienville and Sauville) in 1699. Had this order of arrival
been reversed there is little doubt but that the line separating Florida
from Louisiana would have been east of Perdido. As it was, since separate
members of the same House of Bourbon ruled both Spain and France, a seemingly
amicable agreement was reached making the Perdido River, the dividing
line between French-Louisiana and Span ish-F lorida. For many years the
two colonies lived at peace side-by-side and although there had been much
amity and friendship between Spanish-Florida and French-Louisiana, that
period like all other amicable periods, in which European nations have
been principal actors, came to an abrupt end. Two French vessels brought
to the French colony on April 13, 1719, the news that there had been a
state of war existing between France and Spain since December of 1718.
Therefore in May of 1719 the French in surprise attack captured Pensacola.
It is to be understood here that the capture of the principal city carried
with it the entire territory -West Florida. Also it is well to note here
that the handing back and forth that went on where West Florida was concerned
seemed to tend to make it sort of "fair-game" for a good many raids that
were to follow of which much has been said on the one side or the other
and of which more will be said here in other places.
Finally, in the same year the French by a combined land and sea attack,
with the help of Canadian Colonial troops, recaptured and burned Pensacola.
Five months later, February 17, 1720 by the terms of a final treaty of
peace, Pensacola was presumed to be restored to the Spaniards, but it
was not until January 1723 that the actual restoration was made - what
there was left to restore.
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SPAIN'S RESETTLEMENT
The towns of de Luna and d' Arriola successively disappeared. Governor
Metamoras had begun a settlement on Santa Rosa Island. That idea was followed
in the new settlement or resettlement of the Spanish. Accordingly Pensacola
in 1743 is pictured as being on the island.
Tragedy struck this ill-omened city again in 1754 when a terrible hurricane
destroyed most of the property and forced the people to move again, this
time across the bay to approximately the present site of downtown Pensacola.
This we should remember though, throughout it all, had been the same
town. It had moved, here or there, seeking a permanent location until
then, in 1754, it finally found the most desirable, the most satisfactory
place. To each of these locations, in turn, it had brought something of
the old, until even today there is a truly cosmopolitan spirit in the
old, yet new, city.
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