When was dry tortugas founded

Located 70 miles off the shores of Key West, the Dry Tortugas is a group of seven small islands and isles that provide travelers with some of the best and most pristine snorkeling opportunities in the Caribbean. The Dry Tortugas have a unique role in the history of the United States in part thanks to its massive fort, Fort Jefferson. Fort Jefferson is the largest coastal fort in the entire country with over 16 million bricks making up its structure and taking up a total of 11 acres out of Garden Key's total of 16 acres.

The fort was built on the islands of the Dry Tortugas due to their proximity to the Florida Straits, a passage way that was used very frequently. In Garden Key , the first structure built was the lighthouse that was used to warn sailors. In is when the construction of Fort Jefferson began. The construction of the fort was long and arduous and, even after 30 years of work and construction, the fort was never fully completed. The long process was in part due to the number of bricks that had to be delivered by boat for the construction of the fort.

The island we visit is called Garden Key. The first construction on Garden Key, in , was a lighthouse to warn sailors of rocky shoals. However the United States believed it could control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic bound Mississippi River trade by fortifying the Tortugas.

Construction of Fort Jefferson began in and continued for over 30 years. The fort contains over 16 million bricks, making it the largest brick building in the western hemisphere, and covering 11 of the islands 16 acres. Despite the structure's enormity, and the years of work that went into building it, the fort was never finished. During the Civil War, the fort was used as a military prison for captured deserters.

Dolphins join us alongside for a few seconds, as do sea turtles and flying fish, but the catamaran's speed is a formidable 25 knots, and we soon leave everything, including the sight of land, behind us.

The sense of adventure is palpable. As the catamaran's twin hulls slice through the water, it feels as if we are racing into the past. Like ancient mariners, we scan the horizon, straining our eyes for the first sign of land. Two and one-half hours out of Key West, several forms gradually begin to take shape on the horizon. I can't see anything.

Wait a minute. Yes, yes, I see them now! They must be the ones! He promptly named the islands Las Tortugas the turtles. Years later the appellation "dry" was added to warn others of the islands' lack of fresh water. Enchanting as they were from a distance, once ashore it soon became apparent that the islands were unfit for human habitation. Nonetheless, the strategic significance of the Dry Tortugas was recognized early in our nation's history.

The shipping lane through the Gulf of Mexico was confined to a narrow stream of deep water passing within cannonshot of the islands. Whoever controlled the Dry Tortugas also controlled the passage to and from America's heartland. Sharpened by fresh memories of the War of , the implications were of no small consequence to the federal government. Orders were given to begin constructing Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas in A hexagonal Union fort built using slave laborers, Fort Jefferson remains one of the largest masonry structures in the Western Hemisphere.

Constructed as a military fortress Fort Jefferson is named after the third president of the United States and was built during the mid 19th century as an effort to protect the Florida Coastline and the lucrative shipping channels between the Gulf of Mexico and the ocean. Between and the United States commissioned the largest all-masonry fort at the time but after 30 years with a shortage of supplies, sustenance and delayed construction during the Civil War left the fort incomplete.

The spacious harbor and location made this the perfect place for ships to resupply, repair damage or dock during storms. The Dry Tortugas was right along one of the most used shipping lanes of the time and became one of the United States Militaries greatest assets. While the islands themselves were easily avoided the ability for warships to maintain dock at the Dry Tortugas harbor proved to be a great military advantage.

The Fort was stocked armed heavily and guarded at all times with the capacity to engage and destroy enemy ships, assuming they were able to traverse the dangers of the shallow waters and reefs without sinking or crashing. Until its abandonment in the fort was used during the civil war as a prison and became known as the Devil's Island.