Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Defending US Commerce

Fort Jefferson

— Dry Tortugas National Park —

Defending US Commerce Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 4, 2023

1. Defending US Commerce Marker

Inscription. 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.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 24° 37.77′ N,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

82° 52.33′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. It can be reached from Fort Jefferson - Key West. 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.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Keys.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Keeping Powder Dry and Safe (within shouting distance of this marker); Catching Rain (within shouting distance of this marker); Traverse Magazine (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Parade Ground Panorama (about 300 feet away);

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 4, 2023

2. Defending US Commerce Marker

Soldiers' Barracks (about 300 feet away); Rifled Cannon (about 300 feet away); Red-Hot Cannonballs (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key West.

Also see . . . Dry Tortugas National Park. (Submitted on June 3, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

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 149 times since then and 21 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.