Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Don Francisco Maria Celi, Pilot of the Spanish Royal Fleet, and crew, entered the river, naming it Rio de San Julian y Arriaga. They halted at "El Salto" - The Waterfall in the Hillsborough State Park. Near the present dam they erected a cross in a pine forest, their "El Pinal de la Cruz de Santa Teresa." This is the earliest known recorded exploration of this historic river.