Dry Tortugas was established to protect the island and marine ecosystems of the Dry Tortugas, to preserve Fort Jefferson and submerged cultural resources such as shipwrecks, and to allow for public access in a regulated manner. The rich cultural heritage of the Dry Tortugas all begins with its location 70 miles west of Key West, Florida.

Discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513, the Dry Tortugas were named after the large population of sea turtles living in the island’s surrounding waters. “Tortugas” means turtles in Spanish, and Ponce de Leon himself caught over 100 sea turtles during his time on the island.

Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park of the United States located about 68 miles (109 km) west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, in the United States. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the several Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of …

Despite great fishing, outstanding snorkeling and birding, and fascinating human history, the Dry Tortugas have simply been beyond the reach of most people. Still, recreational use is accelerating dramatically, and there are clouds over this otherwise cloudless paradise.

One of the largest of America's 19th century coastal forts, Fort Jefferson is one of the central features of the seven "Dry Tortugas Islands" in the Gulf of Mexico. The construction of the fort began in 1846 and was planned and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

2020年5月6日 · Dry Tortugas National Park, located 70 miles west of Key West, houses the 19th-century Fort Jefferson. Pirates, prisoners, and a deadly epidemic haunted Florida’s Dry Tortugas. Now it’s a...

2025年1月1日 · Almost 70 miles west of Key West, Fla., lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. With the surrounding shoals and water, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park, an area noted for bird and marine life and shipwrecks.

Ponce de Leon discovered the Dry Tortugas in 1513 when he caught over 100 sea turtles there. Subsequently the islands were referred to as the “Tortugas” (turtles). During the 1600s and 1700s the area around these islands was used by pirates as a …

The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León discovered the islands in 1513 and named them for the tortoises (Spanish tortugas) that abounded there. Later mariners added the accurate adjective dry. A lighthouse was constructed on Garden Key in 1825, and another was built on the largest key, Loggerhead, in 1856.

2024年3月22日 · Located just 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, this remote and stunning national park is home to a rich history dating back centuries. From its origins as a military fort to its transformation into a pristine natural sanctuary, the story …