Dry Tortugas v. 61

 Key West is not the end of the Florida Keys- it is just the end of Highway 1!  The Keys go 70 more miles to the Dry Tortugas.  What an interesting place!  We arrived via seaplane. 



 As we boarded the plane, the pilot asked Rebecca to co-pilot :).  She had the best view!



We had some snorkeling and beach time.

Ft. Jefferson National Park is on Garden Key.  It houses the largest masonry building in the Western Hemisphere- built of over 16 million bricks!  It even has a moat.  We were trying to imagine the ships bringing in loads and loads of bricks.  Construction started in 1846, but the fort was never finished- the weight of the structure collapsed the freshwater cisterns built underneath!  Just a little engineering flaw...

 

At its height, the fort housed up to 2000 people. I can't imagine- this is a small place. It was considered strategically important to protect shipping and control piracy and any invading naval force.
The space under the cannon is about arms width.

I do like to read those historical markers!

 This is a big place.  Seems to on forever.

In 1865, when the fort was used as a prison, the men sentenced to prison for conspiracy in President Lincoln's assassination served their time in Fort Jefferson. It was not a hospitable place.



President Andrew Johnson pardoned inmate and convicted Lincoln conspirator Dr. Samuel Mudd for his service to Ft. Jefferson residents and inmates during a yellow fever outbreak.


The take off in the seaplane was cool- the water was rough and we had some wind.  On the flight back the pilot waggled "hello" to some friends on another key.  What a great day!