Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-square mile park is mostly open water with seven (now four) small islands. Accessible only by boat or seaplane, the park is known the world over as the home of magnificent Fort Jefferson. By fortifying this spacious harbor, the United States maintained an important “advance post” for ships patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida. Nestled within the islands and shoals that make up the Dry Tortugas, the harbor offered ships the chance to resupply, refit, or seek refuge from storms. The location of the Tortugas along one the world’s busiest shipping lanes was its greatest military asset.
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Facts from the Tour Guide
See more here.
Facts from the Tour Guide
- deep water port in the Gulf and served as a haven during storms
- directly positioned to take advantage of the Gulf Stream
- 6 million bricks with most walls reaching 8 feet thickness
- 2,000 arches
- all material (except water and sand), labor and food had to be brought in by boat
- 450 canons - any attacked would be met by 150 smaller canons firing every minute
- Ft Jefferson was also a prison
- its most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth.
