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Encyclopedia > Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location: Monroe County, Florida, USA
Nearest city: Key West, Florida
Coordinates: 24°37′43″N, 82°52′24″W
Area: 64,700 acres
  (61,480 federal)

261.83 km²
Established: January 4, 1935
Total Visitation: 64,817 (in 2005)
Governing body: National Park Service

Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. The park covers 101 mi² (262 km²), mostly water, about 68 statute miles (109 km) west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Monroe County is a county located in the state of Florida. ... Nickname: The Conch Republic, Southernmost City In The Continental United States Coordinates: Country United States State Florida County Monroe Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Morgan McPherson Area  - City  7. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... Dry Tortugas National Park is a United States National Park, located in the Dry Tortugas islands of the Florida Keys. ... Dry Tortugas overview map Dry Tortugas detail map Map of Garden Key with Fort Jefferson Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, from northeast The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about 113 km west of Key West, and 60 km... Palm trees in Islamorada The Florida Keys is an archipelago of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Nickname: The Conch Republic, Southernmost City In The Continental United States Coordinates: Country United States State Florida County Monroe Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Morgan McPherson Area  - City  7. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ...


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,[1][2][3] and is composed of over 16 million bricks. Marine biology is the scientific study of the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the ocean or any other body of water. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef. ... Look up Legend in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shipwreck of the SS American Star Shipwreck in the Saugatuck River mouth in Westport, Connecticut A shipwreck or sunken ship can refer to the remains of a wrecked ship or to the event that caused the wreck, such as the striking of something that causes the ship to sink, the... Treasure (from Greek θησαυρος; thesaurus, meaning a treasure of words, is a cognate) is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... Masonry in action; a Mason at work. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ...

Fort Jefferson
Fort Jefferson

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. Download high resolution version (1200x796, 1037 KB) Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas. ... Download high resolution version (1200x796, 1037 KB) Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas. ... The Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819 (formally titled the Treaty of Amity, Settlement, and Limits Between the United States of America and His Catholic Majesty, and also known as the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819, and sometimes the Florida Purchase Treaty) was a historic agreement between the United States and... Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish colony of Florida. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Commodore is a rank of the United States Navy with a somewhat complicated history. ... David Porter (February 1, 1780 – March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy. ... Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. ... West Indian redirects here. ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ...


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. A HDR image of a traditional lighthouse For other uses, see Lighthouse (disambiguation). ... The Garden Key Light, also known as the Tortuga Harbor Light, is located at Fort Jefferson, on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas, Florida. ...


In May 1829, Commodore John Rodgers stopped at the Dry Tortugas to evaluate the anchorage. Contrary to Commodore Porter's experience, Rogers was delighted with what he found. The Dry Tortugas, he reported, consisted of 11 small keys and surrounding reefs and banks, over which the sea broke. There was an outer and an inner harbor. The former afforded a safe anchorage at all seasons, and was large enough to let a large number of ships ride at anchor. Of more importance, the inner harbor combined a sufficient depth of water for ships-of-the-line, with a narrow entrance of not more than 120 yards. Rogers said that if a hostile power should occupy the Dry Tortugas, United States shipping in the Gulf would be in deadly peril, and "nothing but absolute naval superiority" could prevail. However, if occupied and fortified by the U.S., the Dry Tortugas would constitute the "advance post" for a defense of the Gulf Coast. John Rodgers (11 July 1772 - 1 August 1838), American naval officer, was born near present Havre de Grace, Maryland. ... In nautical terminology, a bank is a large area of elevated sea floor. ... Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...


A series of engineering studies and bureaucratic delays consumed the next 17 years, but the construction of Fort Jefferson (named after the third President, Thomas Jefferson) was finally begun on Garden Key in 1846. The new fort would be built so that the existing Garden Key lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's cottage would be contained within the walls of the fort. The lighthouse would continue to serve a vital function in guiding ships through the waters of the Dry Tortugas Islands until the current metal light tower was installed atop an adjacent wall of the fort in 1876. The original brick lighthouse tower was taken down in 1877. This article is becoming very long. ...

Fort Jefferson
Fort Jefferson

The design of the fort called for a three-tiered six-sided 420 heavy-gun fort, with two sides measuring 325 feet, and four sides measuring 477 feet. The walls met at corner bastions, which are large projections designed to allow defensive fire along the faces of the walls they joined. The heavy guns were mounted inside the walls in a string of open casemates, or gunrooms, facing outward toward the sea through large openings called embrasures. Fort Jefferson was designed to be a massive gun platform, impervious to assault, and able to destroy any enemy ships foolhardy enough to come within range of its powerful guns. Image File history File links Fj4wiki. ... Image File history File links Fj4wiki. ... The point of a bastion on a reconstructed French fort in Illinois. ... Categories: Fortification | Architectural elements | Stub ...


Living quarters for soldiers and officers, gunpowder magazines, storehouses, and other buildings required to maintain the fort were located on the parade ground inside the fort's massive brick walls. The Army employed civilian machinists, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, general laborers, the resident prisoner population, and slaves to help construct the fort. By 1863, during the Civil War, the number of military convicts at Fort Jefferson had increased so significantly that slaves were no longer needed. At the time, there were 22 black slaves employed on the project. Smokeless powder Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a propellant in firearms. ... It has been suggested that Drill (military) be merged into this article or section. ... Slave sale in Easton, Maryland The history of slavery in the United States began soon after Europeans first settled in what became the United States. ... This article is becoming very long. ...


Fort Jefferson's peak military population was 1,729. In addition, a number of officers brought their families, and a limited number of enlisted personnel brought wives who served as laundresses (typically four per company). There were also lighthouse keepers and their families, cooks, a civilian doctor and his family, and others. In all, there were close to 2,000 people at Fort Jefferson during its peak years.


The fort remained in Federal hands throughout the Civil War. With the end of hostilities in 1865, the fort's population had declined to 1,013, consisting of 486 soldiers or civilians and 527 prisoners. The great majority of prisoners at Fort Jefferson were Army privates whose most common transgression was desertion. The most common transgression of civilian prisoners was robbery. However, in July 1865 four special civilian prisoners arrived. These were Dr. Samuel Mudd, Edmund Spangler, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen, who had been convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Construction of Fort Jefferson was still under way when Dr. Mudd and his fellow prisoners arrived, and continued throughout the time they were imprisoned there and for several years thereafter, but was never completely finished. Mudd provided much-praised medical care during a yellow fever epidemic at the fort in 1867, and was eventually pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and released. By 1888, the military usefulness of Fort Jefferson had waned, and the cost of maintaining the fort due to the effects of frequent hurricanes and the corrosive and debilitating tropical climate could no longer be justified. In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... For other uses of Desertion, see Abandonment. ... Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd (December 20, 1833 – January 10, 1883) was a Maryland doctor implicated and imprisoned for aiding John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. ... Edman Spangler (August 10, 1825–February 7, 1875), also known as Edmund, Edward, and Ned Spangler, was originally from York, Pennsylvania, but he spent the majority of his life in the Baltimore, Maryland area. ... Samuel Arnold Samuel Bland Arnold (September 6, 1838-September 21, 1906) was involved in the group to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. ... Michael OLaughlen after his arrest for conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. ... killing and death of Abraham Lincoln From left to right: Major Henry Rathbone, Clara Harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, and John Wilkes Booth. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865–1869), succeeding to the presidency upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ...


In 1888, the Army turned the fort over to the Marine-Hospital Service to be operated as a quarantine station. On January 4, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who visited the area by ship, designated the area as Fort Jefferson National Monument. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1970. On October 26, 1992 the Dry Tortugas, including Fort Jefferson, was established as a National Park. The islands still do not exhibit any standing fresh water or even seasonal streams, hence the "dry" name. Owing to the potential difficulties of survival in such conditions, one of these islands was used as the location for filming a military survival film used to train aircraft personnel. Quarantine, a medical term (from Italian: quaranta giorni, forty days) is the act of keeping people or animals separated for a period of time before, for instance, allowing them to enter another country. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... FDR redirects here. ... This is a list of all the National Monuments in the United States. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The parks of the United States National Park system are one type of protected area in the United States and are operated by the U.S. National Park Service. ...


The park is roughly 70 statute miles (60 nautical miles) or 110 kilometers by boat west of Key West, and plays host to almost 80,000 visitors each year. The park is accessible only by seaplane or boat. Activities include snorkeling, picnicking, scuba diving, saltwater fishing and birdwatching. A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Nickname: The Conch Republic, Southernmost City In The Continental United States Coordinates: Country United States State Florida County Monroe Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Morgan McPherson Area  - City  7. ... The United States of America has a large and lucrative tourism industry serving millions of international and domestic tourists. ... A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery. ... A boat is a craft or vessel designed to float on, and provide transport over, water. ... A snorkeler amid corals on a coral reef near Fiji. ... Friends and family gather for a picnic in a public park in Columbus, Ohio, c. ... Scuba diving is swimming underwater while using self-contained breathing equipment. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering animals not classifiable as insects which breathe in water or pass their lives in water. ... Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds. ...


The most popular birdwatching event is the sooty tern nesting season on Bush Key between February and September, which involves an estimated 100,000 terns. Bush Key remains closed to visitors during the nesting season, but bird watchers with binoculars or telephoto lenses can watch the spectacle from Fort Jefferson. Other bird species in the park include the noddy, brown pelican, magnificent frigatebird, masked booby, roseate tern, brown booby and double-crested cormorant. Binomial name Sterna fuscata Linnaeus, 1766 The Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ... A basket style nest A nest is place of refuge built to hold an animals eggs and/or provide a place to raise their offspring. ... Porro-prism binoculars with central focusing Binocular telescopes, or binoculars, (also known as field glasses) are two identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (Binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. ... In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a lens whose focal length is significantly longer than the focal length of a normal lens. ... Genera Anous Procelsterna Gygis Noddies are members of the tern family Sternidae in the genera Anous, Procelsterna, and Gygis. ... Binomial name Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766 The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis †) is the smallest (42-54) member of the seven species of the pelican family. ... Binomial name Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) was sometimes previously known as Man OWar, reflecting its rakish lines, speed, and aerial piracy of other birds. ... Binomial name Sula dactylatra (Lesson, 1831) The Masked Booby, Sula dactylatra, is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Sula leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783) The Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Phalacrocorax auritus (Lesson, 1831) The Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a North American member of the cormorant family of seabirds. ...

Underwater artifact with sea life
Underwater artifact with sea life

Underwater artifact with sea life from http://www. ... Underwater artifact with sea life from http://www. ...

External links

References

  1. ^ http://floridakeys.net/news.cfm?newsid=1209 Floridakeys.net
  2. ^ http://www.floridakeysfishing.com/Fort%20Jefferson.htm Dry Tortugas National Park - A Unique Visit Back In Time
  3. ^ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0111/story.html#story_4 Trips: Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park


 

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