Dry Tortugas National Park

On our honeymoon we went to three national parks, Biscayne, Everglades and Dry Tortugas.  Ponce de Leon named the island because of its complete lack of fresh water and its abundance of sea turtles (Tortugas means turtles). Ponce de Leon landed here looking for the fountain of youth, in 1513.  Dry Tortugas consists of seven islands 70 miles west of Key West.  It is closer to Cuba than to the American mainlands.  The only way to get there is by boat or by sea plane.  It's a popular snorkeling location surrounded by protected coral reef home to large sea turtles and rare birds' nesting grounds.  Sooty terns call these islands home, the only place in America where they nest.  They were thought to be in much danger during the BP oil spill, oil came very close to destroying these islands.

In 1846 construction on Fort Jefferson began.  It was meant to protect the United States during the civil war and also to deter pirates.  Hundreds of ships became stranded because they couldn't tell how shallow the water was due to the reefs.  The fort was later used as a prison and most famously imprisoned Dr. Mudd, the doctor that set John Wilkes Booth's leg after he shot President Lincoln.  During a yellow fever outbreak Dr. Mudd helped many prisoners and guards and was eventually pardoned by President Andrew Johnson.  Dr. Mudd didn't go far, he lived out the rest of his life in Key West.

In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated the fort as Fort Jefferson National Monument.  In 1992 the fort and all the Tortugas islands were renamed Dry Tortugas National Park and added to the registry.  Anyone can camp at the first come first serve campground for $3 per person and a $5 park pass.  There is no fresh or running water on the island so you must bring your own and you must carry out all of your waste.

Fort Jefferson remains as the Western Hemisphere's largest masonry structure and is comprised of over 16 million bricks.  Some of these bricks came from as far as Maine.  The history behind the fort and the islands is almost never ending!

Here are some of my favorite photographs:

The highlights are definitely the architecture and the Caribbean blue waters!