About Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas
The islands were first discovered by Spaniard Ponce De Leon in 1513 and named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) due to the abundance of sea turtles. The word "Dry" was soon added to mariners' charts to warn of the lack of fresh water. The first construction on Garden Key in 1825 was a lighthouse to warn sailors of rocky shoals. Construction of Fort Jefferson began in 1846.The United States knew it could control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic bound Mississippi River trade by fortifying the Tortugas. Construction continued for over 30 years but the fort, which covers 11 of the Key's 16 acres, was never finished. |
|
|
During the Civil War
the fort was a military prison for captured deserters. It also held
the 4 men convicted of complicity in President Abraham Lincoln's
assassination in 1865, the most famous being Dr. Samuel Mudd. The
Fort was plagued with construction problems and Yellow Fever
epidemics. The invention of the rifled cannon made the fort
obsolete, as its thick walls could now be penetrated. The Army
finally abandoned Fort Jefferson in 1874. In 1908 the area became a
wildlife refuge to protect nesting birds from egg collectors. In
1935 Fort Jefferson was proclaimed as a National Monument but it was
not until 1992 that Dry Tortugas reached it's current status as a
National Park. There is now a self guided tour of the Fort set up by
the National Park Service, tour time is approx. 45 minutes. 
Beautiful birds
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Call
1-888-362-3474 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
