Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry
Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. The park covers 101 square
miles, mostly water, about 68 statute mileswest of Key West in
the Gulf of Mexico.
It is famous for abundant sea life, colorful coral reefs and
legends of shipwrecks and sunken treasures. The park's
centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, a massive but unfinished coastal
fortress. It is the largest masonry structure in the Western
Hemisphere, and is composed of over 16 million bricks. The park
has almost 80,000 visitors each year. The park is accessible
only by seaplane or boat. Ferries leave from Key West.
Activities include snorkeling, picnicking, camping, scuba
diving, saltwater fishing and birdwatching.
Dry Tortugas National Park Name
The first European to see the islands was Juan Ponce de León,
who visited on June 21, 1513. Ponce de León caught 160 sea
turtles there and subsequently referred to the islands as the
"Tortugas" (turtles). They are called Dry owing to the absence
of surface fresh water on the island.
Dry Tortugas National Park History
In late December 1824 and early January 1825, about five years
after Spain sold Florida to the United States for $5 million,
U.S. Navy Commodore David Porter inspected the Dry Tortugas
islands. He was on the lookout for a site for a naval station
that would help suppress piracy in the Caribbean. Unimpressed
with what he saw, he notified the Secretary of the Navy that the
Dry Tortugas were unfit for any kind of naval establishment. He
reported that they consist of small sand islands a little above
the surface of the ocean, have no fresh water, scarcely enough
land to place a fortification, and in any case are probably not
solid enough to bear one.
While Commodore Porter thought the Dry Tortugas were unfit for a
naval station, others in the U.S. government thought the islands
were a good location for a lighthouse to guide ships around the
area's reefs and small islands. A small island called Bush Key,
later called Garden Key, was selected as the site for the
lighthouse, which became known as Garden Key Light. Construction
began in 1825 and was completed in 1826. The 65-foot lighthouse
was constructed of brick with a whitewashed exterior. A small
white cottage for the lighthouse keeper was constructed beside
the lighthouse.
Conch Republic
During the Federal government shutdown of 1995, Dry Tortugas
was closed along with all other national parks. Seeing this
as having a damaging effect on their tourism-dependent
economy, the residents of Key West, Florida raised money to
keep Dry Tortugas open. The effort was inspired by the
Smithsonian Institution, which raised private donations to
keep its museums open during the shutdown.
Failing to find anybody to accept the money to reopen the
park, Key West residents, under the auspices of the
satirical micronation Conch Republic, sent a flotilla of
civilian boats and fire department boats to Fort Jefferson
in order to reopen the national park. When officials
attempted to enter the fort, they were cited. The citation
was contested in court the following year, and the resultant
case, The United States of America v. Peter Anderson, was
quickly dropped.
