5 Fun Facts About Dry Tortugas National Park

This is our last podcast episode of 2023, and we are Florida dreaming! Today we are sharing our favorite fun facts about Dry Tortugas National Park.

This park is incredible for many reasons and might be one of the most exciting fun facts episodes we’ve ever done! This national park has a colorful history, and even though it can be challenging to get to, it’s well worth the trip.

Join us as we discuss:

Florida’s fascinating origin story
How biology is actually the geology of this park
The story of how Dry Tortugas was discovered
Why there is a surprising number of sunken ships in this national park
The history behind why you can find the largest masonry fort in the Western hemisphere in this park

Dry Tortugas is definitely one of the most fascinating parks we have been to, and its history is rich with pirates, ships, and treasure.

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode:

Dry Tortugas Overview

Are you dreaming of playing in the snow like me, or are you thinking about escaping to warm, sandy beaches? Dry Tortugas National Park is the perfect destination if you’re looking to escape the cold and dive into warm water and rich history.

Dry Tortugas National Park is among the smallest in the National Park System but packs a lot into its tiny key islands. I’ve never been so excited to share fun facts with you!

Make sure you catch the full podcast episode to hear all the details on how explorers, pirates, and coral reefs made the Dry Tortugas a must-stop on your travel bucket list.

Dry Tortugas Fun Facts

1: Florida was once part of Africa

There is no Dry Tortugas National Park without Florida. Let’s go back in time to explore why that is! *Harry Potter spoiler alert* Much like Harry harbored a piece of Voldemort’s soul, Florida once belonged to Africa. There’s a reason North America has alligators, crocodiles, and snakes. A part of Africa lives inside it!

As the supercontinent Pangea broke up, Florida latched onto North America as it drifted to its present-day location, a whole ocean away. We know this because the bedrock in Florida is so different from the rest of the United States yet remarkably similar to Africa.

The geography of Dry Tortugas National Park and Florida has much more to tell us, covered in the full Episode 59 of Exploring the National Parks!

2: Florida and Dry Tortugas National Park grew from coral reefs

Unlike Hawaii and other coastal areas, Florida and the Dry Tortugas weren’t formed by lava or tectonic clashes. Do you remember the scene in Finding Nemo where Mr. Ray names all the species of the coral reef? Imagine if that scene lasted for hundreds of miles.

That high species diversity in the coral reefs and the vast area they covered formed what’s known as the Florida Platform, a distinct geographical feature that rises like a cliff from the ocean.

Millions of years of growth of coral reefs on top of each other eventually piled so high and packed so tightly that it formed a plateau from carbonate rock, the compressed version of coral. This piling of coral and other sea-life skeletons reached an incredible 15,000 feet where it stands today.

When you visit Dry Tortugas National Park, you can see the third-largest living barrier reef in the area. The coral reefs you see will eventually become part of the 15,000-foot stack that forms the Florida Platform.

For help planning your trip to Dry Tortugas National Park, check out Episode 58: Exploring Dry Tortugas.

3: The Dry Tortugas were discovered in 1513

Are you ready to have your mind blown? We are closer in years to the founding of the United States than the Founding Fathers were to the discovery of the Dry Tortugas. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon first discovered the Dry Tortugas in 1513, which was 263 years before the United States came to be.

The history of the Dry Tortugas is vibrant and full of folklore. Five-hundred years have passed since his death, but people still tell the legend of Juan Ponce de Leon dedicating his life to seeking the Fountain of Youth, though the facts around this are as shaky as the boat ride to the Dry Tortugas.

The Dry Tortugas were, in many ways, the center of trade and commerce. In the first 60 years after their discovery, Spain shipped 100 tons of gold back to Europe, or the modern equivalent of between 5 and 6 billion dollars. The Dry Tortugas shone as a landmark for these ships moving riches.

When ships needed to catch a current or enter a port, they would look to the Dry Tortugas. The area between Florida and Cuba was an oceanic superhighway similar to the Silk Road.

Pirates and other treasure seekers were drawn here, knowing ships full of gold were bound to pass by. Here, pirates made their name alongside traders and privateers, racing to see who could amass the most wealth during this economic boom. Modern stories like Pirates of the Caribbean and Treasure Island drew heavy inspiration from the legends of the Dry Tortugas.

4: There are more than 200 shipwrecks in Dry Tortugas National Park

Between pirates and the forces of nature, many ships never returned from the New World with their chests of gold. Despite its small size, there are more than 200 shipwrecks in Dry Tortugas National Park. As if snorkeling with vibrant sea life weren’t enough, you can snorkel to shipwrecks like the Windjammer.

The wrecks around Dry Tortugas National Park and beyond draw in people worldwide. You’ve heard of pirates, but have you heard of wreckers? Since the end of the era of pirates, people have sought the riches that put the Florida Keys on the map – literally.

In 1985, Mel Fisher found 40 tons of gold and silver valued at $400 million in the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha off the coast of Key West! Wouldn’t that be a great way to spend retirement?

5: Fort Jefferson is the largest masonry fort in the Western Hemisphere

When Spain finalized the sale of Florida to the United States in 1822, America began to build a fort to flex its power as a relatively young nation. Given the Dry Tortugas’ key (no pun intended) location for trade, protecting the area was a must.

Fort Jefferson was built from 16 million bricks and could house 1,500 soldiers running 450 cannons. Today, you can still see cannons at Dry Tortugas National Park. Luckily for the United States, the intimidation of the imposing Fort Jefferson worked, and it was never used in battle.

Links mentioned in this episode:

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