Erica Dale, age 12, of Coeur d' Alene, Ida., for her question:
WHO WAS PONCE DE LEON?
Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition to reach what is now Florida. He was looking for an imaginary spring called the Fountain of Youth.
The Fountain of Youth spring supposedly restored youth to old people who bathed in or drank its water. For many years, people had told wonderful stories about this magical body of water.
Although Ponce de Leon never found the fountain, he became one of the first explorers to claim part of the North American mainland for Spain. He also conquered what is now Puerto Rico and governed the island for three years.
Ponce de Leon belonged to a noble family in Spain and served as a page in the court of King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I. In 1492 he fought with the Spanish troops that drove the Moors out of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain.
In 1493, Ponce de Leon sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to America. He became a soldier in the settlement that the Spaniards founded on Hispaniola, in the West Indies. From 1502 to 1504 he led the Spanish forces against the Indians in Higuey, the eastern province of Hispaniola. He defeated the Indians and was appointed governor as a reward.
Ponce de Leon left Hispaniola in 1508 to explore what became Puerto Pico. He discovered gold and also conquered the entire island within a year. He became governor in 1509 and rose to be one of the wealthiest and most powerful Spaniards in the New World.
Ring Ferdinand gave Ponce de Leon permission to find and colonize an island called Bimini. This imaginary island was said to be the site of the Fountain of Youth. Indians had'described the marvelous fountain. Their stories were similar to an old European legend.
According to medieval folklore, the spring on the island of Bimini was the Water of Life in the Garden of Eden, which supposedly lay in the Far East. The early Spaniards thought America was in the Far East.
In 1513, Ponce de Leon led an expedition in search of Bimini. He explored the area of the Bahamas and visited several islands that had been unknown to Europeans.
In April, 1513, Ponce de Leon landed in Florida, which he thought was another island, and he claimed it for Spain. According to a story, he named the land Florida because of the many flowers that grew there. The Spanish word Florida means "full of flowers."
Another story says Ponce de Leon chose this name because he arrived there during the Easter season, which Spaniards call Pascua Florida.
Ponce de Leon landed near the site of present day St. Augustine. He sailed down the coast and explored almost the entire eastern shoreline and southern tip of Florida.
The explorer's search for the Fountain of Youth led him partway up Florida's western coast. Then in June, 1513, he decided to return to Puerto Rico. During the voyage back, he landed on what is now Yucatan, which he thought was Bimini.
In 1521, Ponce de Leon sailed from Puerto Rico with two ships and 200 men and enough supplies to establish a colony. He landed on the west coast of Florida where he was attacked by Indians and wounded by an arrow. He died in Cuba where he had been taken with a few other survivors after the aborted landing.