Seaplanes of Key West fly daily to
Dry Tortugas National Park and Historic Fort Jefferson
 A
unique seaplane adventure featuring low altitude sightseeing, marine
life, snorkeling, history, bird spotting, white beaches and more.
Morning, Afternoon and full day tours.
Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson
 Dry
Tortugas: Many believe the Florida Keys end in Key West.
However, this is just the end of US1. The chain of the Florida Keys
continues for a further 70 miles west. The very end islands being
the Dry Tortugas.
The Islands were first discovered by Spaniard Ponce De Leon in
1513. He named them Las Tortugas (The Turtles) due to the abundance
of sea turtles. The word ‘Dry’ was soon added to mariners’
charts to warn of the lack of fresh water. The first construction
on Garden Key, in 1825, was a lighthouse to warn sailors of rocky
shoals.
 Fort
Jefferson, the largest brick building in the western hemisphere:
After the war of 1812 the United Sates of America began construction
of a chain of coastal defense forts stretching from Maine to Texas.
Construction of Fort Jefferson began in 1846. The United States
knew it could control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect
Atlantic bound Mississippi River trade by fortifying the Tortugas.
Construction continued for over 30 years but the Fort, which covers
11 of the key’s 16 acres, was never finished.
During the Civil War the fort was a military prison for captured
deserters. It also held the 4 men convicted of complicity in President
Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, the most famous being
Dr. Samuel Mudd. The Fort was plagued with construction problems
and Yellow Fever epidemics. The invention of the rifled cannon made
the Fort obsolete, as its thick walls could now be penetrated. The
Army finally abandoned Fort Jefferson in 1874.
 In
1908 the area became a wildlife refuge to protect nesting birds
from egg collectors. In 1935 Fort Jefferson was proclaimed as a
National Monument but it was not until 1992 that Dry Tortugas reached
its current status as a National Park. Today the park is staffed
by a team of about a dozen park rangers. They live year round in
accommodations built into the casemates of the fort. It is an isolated
duty and many do not stay more than a couple of years. Their jobs
include law enforcement, maintenance and basic support and protection,
above and below the water, of the 100 square mile park.
There is a self guided tour of the Fort set up by the National
Park Service.
Tour time is approx. 45 minutes.
An enhanced audio/visual tour of the fort is offered by www.gogpstours.com
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