Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Defending US Commerce
Fort Jefferson
— Dry Tortugas National Park —
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, May 4, 2023
1. Defending US Commerce Marker
Inscription.
Defending US Commerce. Fort Jefferson. Look around you. From this vantage point, the sea seems to go on forever. Fort Jefferson appears to be in the middle of nowhere. But it is really at the gateway to some out-of-sight landmasses. To the south, 106 miles away, is Cuba. To the east, 68 miles away is Key West. To the north, about a half mile away, is a critical deepwater harbor, the main reason the fort was built here, and shipping routes leading to major ports around the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula. Today you are more likely to see cruise ships and freighters than military ships using these crossroads., See if you can use this 200-degree panorama to determine the direction of important ports., (captions) , Deepwater Harbor , 0.5 mile , (800 km), Key West , Florida , 68 miles , (109 km), Havana , Cuba , 108 miles , (174 km), Cancun , Mexico , 345 miles , (555 km), Fort Jefferson seen from Bush Key about 1884
Look around you. From this vantage point, the sea seems to go on forever. Fort Jefferson appears to be in the middle of nowhere. But it is really at the gateway to some out-of-sight landmasses. To the south, 106 miles away, is Cuba. To the east, 68 miles away is Key West. To the north, about a half mile away, is a critical deepwater harbor—the main reason the fort was built here—and shipping routes leading to major ports around the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula. Today you are more likely to see cruise ships and freighters than military ships using these crossroads.
See if you can use this 200-degree panorama to determine the direction of important ports.
(captions)
Deepwater Harbor
0.5 mile
(800 km)
Key West
Florida
68 miles
(109 km)
Havana
Cuba
108 miles
(174 km)
Cancun
Mexico
345 miles
(555 km)
Fort Jefferson seen from Bush Key about 1884
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
24° 37.77′ N, 82° 52.33′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. This marker is located within Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Key West FL 33040, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Dry Tortugas National Park. (Submitted on June 3, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, May 4, 2023
2. Defending US Commerce Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 46 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 3, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
