The Dry Tortugas are a group of small islands otherwise known as keys off the end of the Florida Keys. The islands were first discovered by Spanish explorer Ponce de León in 1513. The Dry Tortugas earned its name from the lack of fresh surface water on the land and its abundance of sea turtles. The area is composed of seven islets: Loggerhead Key, Garden Key, Bush Key, Long Key, Hospital Key, Middle Key, and East Key.
The Loggerhead Key is where the Dry Tortugas lighthouse currently stands. Garden Key houses Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas Park. There is also a lighthouse but it is no longer in use. Hospital Key was named for the hospital that took care of the inmates of Fort Jefferson when it was a prison. Middle Key is sometimes often below sea level and can disappear for weeks or months on end. Bush Key was formerly known as Hog Island for the hogs that were raised as meat for the prisoners. It is now the home of a large tern rookery. Former islands include the Southwest Key, Bird Key, North Key, and Northeast Key. The islands are continuously changing in size and shape because of the weather and nature of the land.
The area also has two known shoals that used to have navigational lights. Pulaski Shoal, or Pulaski Reef, is where the Pulaski Shoal light once was. Iowa Rock, which is partway between Garden Key and Hospital Key, had a light but it was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo.
The Dry Tortugas are only accessible by boat or seaplane. Transportation services can be found with Yankee Freedom II, Sunny Days, Sailboat Charter, or Key West Seaplane Adventures. The islands are well-known for their abundance of bird species. With over 299 species of birds, including the Sooty Terns, Brown Noddy, Masked Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Pelican, Roseate Tern, and Mourning Dove, the Dry Tortugas are a popular bird watching destination.
On Garden Key is Dry Tortugas Park. Dry Tortugas Park houses the unfinished Fort Jefferson, abandoned in 1874. Before then, it was used as a prison. The park is famous for its varied sea life, coral reefs, and shipwreck legends of buried treasure.
Fort Jefferson was designed to be a coastal impregnable fortress with heavy gun machinery and embrasures. It is the largest masonry structure this side of the globe and is made from over 16 million bricks.
Tourists come here often to enjoy the scenery and leisure activities like snorkeling, camping, saltwater fishing, bird watching, scuba diving, and picnicking. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the fort a National Monument on January 4, 1935 on his visit to the Dry Tortugas. The Dry Tortugas Park was shut down with many other national parks in 1995, but was not reopened until many Key West residents raised money to keep it open and protested.
The Dry Tortugas are a tropical and more isolated travel destination. Its quiet tourism keeps the islands a desired place of escape. With an abundance of wildlife, beaches, places to explore, and history to visit, the Dry Tortugas are the perfect destination for a unforgettable vacation.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
