The Coronado Cross marks the spot where Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer, is said to have crossed the Arkansas River (called the St. Peter & St. Paul River) in search of the fabled “cities of gold” in 1541. Father Juan de Padilla held a mass of thanksgiving on the nearby hills, the first Christian service held in the interior of the continent, predating the landing of the Pilgrims almost 100 years. One mile east of Fort Dodge on Highway 400 (six miles east of Dodge City).