Dry Tortugas
Key West, Florida
The Florida islands are known for their rich history of sea turtles, sunken treasures, and the presence of one of the world's largest coastal brick fortresses.
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon discovered a group of coral islands inhabited by sea turtles. He named them "Las Tortugas," which means "the turtles," and reportedly survived 160 of these animals during his voyage through the high seas. Later on, the islands were named "Dry Tortugas" to caution sailors about the lack of fresh water in the area.
Following de Leon's discovery, the Dry Tortugas was included on Spanish ship maps for merchants and explorers travelling to and from the Gulf Coast. The Dry Tortugas quickly became a well-travelled shipping route 70 miles west of the Florida Keys, strategically between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Dry Tortugas Passage was well-known among travellers but also notorious for causing hundreds of shipwrecks due to its seasonal shallow waters and dangerous weather. It was even referred to as the "ship trap". Today, many treasures remain underwater, including seventeenth-century ship remains, cannons, and glassware.
Although the Dry Tortugas has many treasures, Fort Jefferson is considered the most valuable. After Spain acquired Florida in 1822, the United States built a naval station to fight piracy in the Caribbean. The U.S. Navy ultimately chose the Dry Tortugas as the location for their fortress, reasoning that if a hostile power took control of the islands, it could endanger U.S. shipping on the Gulf Coast.
After seventeen years of intensive planning, Fort Jefferson began construction on Garden Key Island in 1847. The blueprints planned for an almost impenetrable hexagonal castle with a gigantic 420 heavy-gun platform. The fort had two sides measuring 325 feet and four measuring 477 feet. The structure was 45 feet above sea level and was entirely enclosed by a wall and a 70-foot wide moat. Fort Jefferson was never completed despite a thirty-year building period. Despite this, it was erected with 16 million bricks, making it one of the largest coastal forts ever constructed.
The fort was also utilised as a prison during the Civil War, primarily for Union deserters. The most notable inmate, however, was Dr Samuel Mudd, who was convicted of conspiracy in President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. After killing President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth jumped from the theatre box, shattered one of his legs, and fled to Dr Mudd's farm, where he was treated.
Dr Mudd was sentenced to life in jail and transferred to the isolated stronghold in 1865. A yellow fever outbreak erupted at Fort Jefferson two years later. The outbreak claimed the lives of several people, including the fort's lone doctor. Dr Mudd consented to fill in as a replacement, which saved countless lives. As a result, the troops began a petition for Dr Mudd's release, which President Andrew Johnson granted barely four years into Dr Mudd's life sentence.
The Army abandoned the fort in 1874. Later, it was utilised as a coaling station, a quarantine facility for the Marine-Hospital Service from 1888 to 1900, and it was also used in the Spanish-American War. President Roosevelt designated it as a National Monument in 1935. It is now part of the Dry Tortugas National Park. The Dry Tortugas are one of America's most isolated and least frequented national parks, accessible only by boat or aircraft.
