Visiting a Remote National Park – Dry Tortugas

The main reason we decided to visit the Florida Keys again was Dry Tortugas National Park. This National Park is a rather remote one – it’s located about 70 miles off Key West.  There are two ways to get there – by plane or by boat, with approved carriers.  We opted for the boat – ferry.  It took about 2 ½ hours each way to reach Fort Jefferson, which is the heart of Dry Tortugas, on Garden Key, one of the farthest island of the Florida Keys.

We took off early in the morning from Key West.  The day promised overcast skies, with a chance of rain, but it made for a lovely scene taking off.  One may wonder why there is a fort built so far from the mainland.  One of the reasons Fort Jefferson was constructed where it was is that there are shallow waters around it, and that made for a strategic refuge for ships traveling from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Seeing us off were some water birds – in this case, pelicans and seagulls or petrels.  It always amazes me when I see them fly across 70 miles of sea safely.  In history, before the building of Fort Jefferson began, maritime sailors used this area as safe harbor while transporting cargo and riches from the Mississippi River back to the Atlantic and then on to home, in Europe.

Approaching Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson, we could see that the fort truly encompasses just about the entire island.  It was a quick and easy docking and then we were off to explore.  And, due to the limited number of people who could be at the Park at one time, it was almost like we had the entire island, and National Park to ourselves and those on board our ferry boat.  Yes, there is another boat at the dock, but it was a National Park Service (NPS) boat, and not one that carried any tourists.

We decided to explore the outside of the Fort first.  Jeff thought it would be pretty neat to walk around the outside of the Fort on the moat wall.  In one area, the beach area next to the moat sort of encroached the moat wall.  Just off that beach area was a small area set aside for those folks who had camping passes.  Before we boarded the boat, back in Key West, I talked to a woman who was planning a 3-day camping trip, along with her husband.  She explained that they needed to bring ALL the supplies that they would need for the 3 days, as there’s no food vendor, fresh water, etc.  There is a boathouse near the camping area where the campers could use the restrooms and showers.  That bathhouse is truly there just for the campers.  They indicated that folks from the boat could use the showers to rinse off after snorkeling, but asked us to only use the restrooms on our boat.  The Dry Tortugas were given the name “dry” to indicate to others that there wasn’t and still isn’t naturally occurring fresh water on the island.

So, Jeff started off walking the moat wall.  However, when he got to the far end of one wall, he found that the moat wall was gone for a significant section – too large of a span to attempt to jump over.  I guess either Mother Nature or the NPS determined the Fort should not be walked around!

I previously mentioned the beach area next to the moat.  Here’s a look at the lovely turquoise water that surrounded Fort Jefferson and Garden Key.  Originally, we had thought about snorkeling, but based on the wave action, we decided to skip the snorkeling.  We’d sort of had our fill of snorkeling in rougher waters!

There were a number of birds at the Fort as well.  Some were smaller shore birds, but two of the larger birds were pelicans and frigate birds.  The frigate birds really seemed to be putting on a show, with some very aerobatic flying!  Or, maybe it was some sort of a mating ritual??

When we went inside the Fort, we walked through it all, except for the section that’s closed off because it’s the housing for the NPS staff assigned to Dry Tortugas.  There is an interesting bit of history about Fort Jefferson.  Although it was to be built as a defensive fort, it was never completed.  When the Civil War began, Florida tried to seize the Fort for the Confederate.  However, Union forces were there to defend the fort for the northern states.  So, the Fort never saw battle.  It was, however, used as a federal prison.  For the most part, Union soldiers were housed there when their crimes did not reach the level that called for the death penalty.  The most famous prisoner ever housed in the Fort was Dr. Samuel Mudd.  Dr. Mudd was one of the four conspirators sentenced to life imprisonment for the assassination of President Lincoln.  He helped treat John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg, and then failed to report that for 24 hours.  Of course, some say that he had no idea who John Wilkes Booth was and that when he did realize what he had done, he did admit it.  However, he was held in Fort Jefferson until he was pardoned by President Andrew Jackson.  When we were at the Fort, I met a woman who told me her name was Louise Mudhousen (or something like that).  At first, I didn’t understand what she was saying, but then realized her surname was Mudd-Housen.  She is a direct descendant of Dr. Samuel Mudd, and she allowed me to take her photo just outside of the Dungeon where Dr. Mudd was housed for part of his time in Fort Jefferson.

When Fort Jefferson was being built, construction supplies were brought in from as far away has Maine, and as close as Pensacola, Florida.  However, there was some construction material found even closer at hand, Water, sand, and coral was used in the concrete used to build Fort Jefferson.  And, in these photos, you can see bits of coral mixed into the concrete.  I especially like what looks to be a fossil in the lower image (lower left corner).  The red color in the upper image was just some plant debris that was lying on the concrete.

Here’s quite a nice shot of the inside of the Fort.  One of the common names for the area of greenery are the parade grounds, and it’s where the soldiers would gather each morning to receive their daily assignments. We were on the top level (3^rd floor, so to speak) of the Fort when I captured this image.

Here’s another image from the top level of the fort.  The number on this canon is 25, and it’s reflects that this is the 25^th canon of this style that was built, and it happened to be built in 1865.  By 1866, there were 175 canons total (of various styles) installed at Fort Jefferson.

Here’s another interesting image.  It looks like the canon has Loggerhead Key Lighthouse in its sights and is ready to fire upon it.  The cannonball could have reached the island, if they wanted it, too.  However, the canons were meant more to protect the Fort, and not allow invaders to reach the shore, so it’s highly unlikely it would have been aimed at the lighthouse!

Touring the fort was a great way to stroll through history.  You can see another canon on the right in this image, and on the left, the flag is flying as I looked out onto a bird sanctuary and rookery.  It’s one of the few places on the island not covered by the fort!

When we wandered along the 2^nd level of the fort, I loved the optics of this image.  It’s like a hall of arched doorways.  There didn’t appear to be any doors for these entryways.  They led from one canon (or space for one) to another.  My guess is that this is where the men who were not firing the canons could walk.

Here’s the view from a place where a gun/canon could be fired that was located on the 1^st level.  The opening of the door for the canon has started to crumble over time with the effects of the sea and salt.  Still, it does provide a nice view of the moat and ocean beyond.

This last image is of a boat known as the Chug.  It was called that due to the sound it made, as the engines ran and it “chugged” across the waters.  This is NOT a relic from the Civil War, but it is a relic of times more recently past, when Cubans would use whatever type of boat, raft, etc., to try to get from Cuba to any place on US soil, including Fort Jefferson.

Enjoy!