May 25 & 26, 2017
Oh My Gosh, when you are retired getting up at 6 AM is hard to do anymore...at least for some of us!!! Mom and dad were scurrying around and I was totally confused??? They had to be at the Ferry Terminal by 7 AM ready to go. (If you take the Yankee Freedom Express out to Ft Jefferson, make sure you book reservations well in advance. We got lucky with a cancellation a week ahead of time...)
I was just happy to go back to bed after they walked and fed me!!! Too early for me!!! So, I'm letting mom tell the story from here.
The Yankee Freedom crew was led by a small guy who looked like and acted a bit like David Spade, but who's name was Hollywood. He kept repeating that it was going to be a rocky ride out, so to please take precautions. Like an idiot, I who rarely get seasick, took some dramamine which knocked me out for the trip over. I was bit loopy at first, but once out into the open air I came around. Mike had visited the Tortugas and Fort Jefferson before with his dive buddies and couldn't believe this fort!!! The sheer size of it out in the middle of NO WHERE is mind blowing to say the least!!! It is the largest masonry fort ever built and is seventy miles west of Key West in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. No roads, no water, no electricity, nothing!!!
Ponce de Leon first chartered these islands back in 1521. Since the islands had an abundance of sea turtles, he named them Los Tortugas. (It turns out sea turtle meat was a favorite among sailors because it's delicious and they could keep the turtles alive on board for awhile before eating them.) As the sailors explored the islands they discovered that there were 11 keys or islands. They were located on a big river in the ocean (the Gulfstream) and when headed back to Europe the Gulfstream increased their speed. Therefore all shipping from south and central America had to pass through the area near the Tortugas. The Tortugas also provided a number of safe anchorages. The Florida Keys, of which the Tortugas are at the western end, are part of a third largest barrier reef system in the world. Because none of the Tortugas had any fresh water the name was changed to the Dry Tortugas.
After the War of 1812, the US discovered it desperately needed fortifications along their coastlines to prevent another Navy/Army coming in and burning down our coastal cities. Having a fortification in the Dry Tortugas was a great location for protecting the Gulf of Mexico cities and the eastern seaboard. The first lighthouse was built here in 1826, but the fortifications for the fort weren't started until 1846 and worked finally stopped on this massive fort in 1875 with parts still not completed.
When the initial work was completed, the fort was so impenetrable, that the Army/Navy could have withstood an attack for months, if a foreign Navy was even able to last that long??? Which would have been unlikely given the forts long distance guns (2-3 miles), the thickness of the fort, and the wooden sailing armada itself.
Needless to say, the fort was never attacked. The biggest issue that the Army wasn't able to surmount and still remains a problem today is fresh water. They had designed the fort with an intricate series of collectable cisterns (Over 100). Not only did all building materials have to be shipped in, but all water, foods, fuel, livestock, feed and so forth needed to be shipped in also. Given that the ships back then weren't quite as reliable as today, the resupplying of goods became a major issue... Even today for the dozen or so Park Rangers that maintain and live at this park, getting supplies is a must!
Here's the website for Fort Jefferson; that has much more information about building the fort, living here, it's famous residents (Dr Samuel Mudd, who set James Wilkes Booth's leg having no idea who he was) and much more.
https://www.drytortugas.com/fort-jefferson-history/
Since it is a National Park, if you have a park pass, they will honor it.
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Our first views of the Fort through the ferry's windows
From the website to give you an idea of the sheer size of this Fort
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It remained overcast with a quick shower while we were there but it would have been brutally hot had the sun been hot
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Note the primitive camping located on the left, everything & I mean everything that you bring must leave with you!!!
We talked to some of the campers who weathered the bad rainstorm the night before. They couldn't stop commenting about the number of rats and crabs the storm brought out...No Thank You!!!
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There is only one entrance in and out of the fort
The fort even had a moat which I honestly thought was overkill...pun intended!!!
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| Loved these story boards because they really helped you envision what it used to look like |
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| Thought it was interesting how many regiments were sent here and from where... |
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| Instead of the 11 keys or islands in this original grouping we are now down to 7. Right now if the park allowed you can walk to Bush Key by a natural land bridge, but with the next BIG storm it might be gone... |
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| Had heard of Boobies but not Frigatebirds |
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| Hollywood talking to us outside the entrance to the Fort, |
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| Inside the sallyport with Hollywood standing behind the bracing that they put on either side of the entrance to make sure a wagon didn't go sideways...also notice the slits for artillerymen to shoot you if you even got inside the first door??? Oh did I mention there was a second door too??? |
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| Looking out one of the cannon openings. What you are seeing below is the slots that the Totten Metal Shutters fit into when the cannon wasn't firing...an interesting invention. |
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| One of the 303 or so casements for the canons built on top of greywacke, a type bluestone, a very heavy, durable slate that could support the weight of the canons and the building. |
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| You can see the remnants of the canon tracks giving the canons the ability to swivel |
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| Mike taking it all in once again |
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| The overcast day added to the sense of isolation you had out here |
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| I never got to ask what this was, so I will leave it to everyone's imagination...one of the sallyport door's hardware??? |
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I was amazed there was even this much vegetation on the island
These breezeways seemed to go on forever |
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| One of the few items they were trying to repair |
The size of each of these 6 casements was simply immense and finding these items left behind was an added bonus
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Part of the rainwater system that went down to one of the many cisterns
Looking down into a cistern, not terribly appetizing, but I guess if you are thirsty enough?
Remnants from a Cuban refugee boat that landed here. Cuba is 106 miles away and that would take more guts than I have to come across in this boat! |
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| The crumbling foundation here was once the soldiers barracks |
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The long view back over the Soldier's Barrack foundations
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The remnants of the arched building was the powder magazine
Inside the Powder Magazine
Looking inside into the vaults
Looking into one of the storage vaults
The outside view into one of the series of staircases to the top levels, prisoners were kept on the second level. |
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I took one look at the closeness of these winding stairs with no handrails and said, "Thanks, but no thanks!"...Mike had the cool shots from topside which I still can't get to upload???
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What remains of this structure today
The contrast with the soldiers barracks was the officers' quarters pictured here and the next photo
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| The remnants of the Officer's Quarters now |
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More officer's quarters remnants along with a Rodman canon still up on top
Mike took this photo of the Rodman up close
You can see how Garden Island where the Fort is located is connected to Bush Island for now
Gives you a better idea what it was like to walk up there, I was happy to let Mike do it!
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Underneath the canon was where Dr. Mudd was imprisoned on the second floor
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| Despite the low rain levels, flora and fauna were blooming |
Mike shot this one as he walked around the outside moat walls
Returning was a lot smoother and easier for some thanks to the ferry bar opening at two o'clock
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| After walking and feeding Lily, we walked down to Turtle Kraals for dinner...delicious!!! |
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| The colors and light were so intense this morning...had to take a photo of this beautiful neighbor |
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| Here is one dock over from us at Key West Bight |
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| Thought this sentiment found on the Historic Harbor entrance walkaway about right... |
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| You can see Harpoon Harry's Restaurant in the far left corner, the bright pink, corner building |
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| Harpoon Harry's Interior |
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| She just made me smile, then laugh!!! |
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Found this homegrown neighborhood hardware store, "Los Cubanitos Hardware Inc.", our favorite kind! Love the smells alone & the incredibly helpful owners & patrons!!!
Another one of our favorite restaurants Pepe's Cafe, 1909, it's had 3 owners in the past 40 years
Interesting trivia from 1909. Lily was very excited upon my return since my fish dinner was so rich, I couldn't eat it all...Yummy leftovers for her! I'm in her good graces again!!!
Anyone know what this is? The design hasn't changed much over time
The Captain decided to end our Key West visit with a booze cruise on the T/T Sovereign
I'm so bad at taking selfies but here is the best of them
We got back to Moondance shortly after this photo; and as Mike was attempting to tie down our dingy, something nibbled at his feet (they were dangling in the water)...Oh My Gosh!!! I was freaking, so we are finishing that job tomorrow before we leave for Marathon...
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