The Dry Tortugas were first named “Las Tortugas” by spanish explorer Ponce De Leon in 1531, it was changed on mariners charts to “dry tortugas” to let them know they had no fresh water. A lighthouse was build in 1825 on Garden Key to warn sailors of the rocky shoals. The United States knew come 1829, they could control the Gulf of Mexico and protect the Mississippi river trade by fortifying the Tortugas. Fort Jefferson construction began in 1846 but was never completed.
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