Port Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan
Photographed by John C. Carter, March 30, 2024
1. The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan Marker
On the morning of June 9, 1898, the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, The Rough Riders, disembarked from an empty coal train (approximately 1 mile east of here) joining 16,000 U.S. Army troops mobilizing in Port Tampa for the invasion of Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Due to a shortage of transport ships and rapidly changing plans, Colonel Leonard Wood, Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and a small group of cavalrymen quickly made their way to the port where they found a chaotic scene, making the orderly loading of troops, equipment, and supplies impossible. Colonel Wood, identifying the empty S.S. Yucatan along the pier immediately boarded it. After securing the ship he tasked Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt to bring up the regiment and its equipment on foot and board the Yucatan. Once aboard, the Rough Riders were joined by four Companies of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Due to limited space on invasion fleet ships, almost half of the 30,000 U.S. Army troops in Tampa and approximately 200 Rough Riders were unable to embark, remaining in Tampa for the duration of the Cuban campaign.
Erected 2023 by The 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (Rough Riders) Inc. of Tampa, Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council, and Port Tampa Bay.
Topics. This historical marker
this page online
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 27° 51.641′ N, 82° 32.8′ W. Marker was in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It was in Port Tampa. It was at the intersection of Picnic Island Boulevard and Commerce Street, on the right when traveling south on Picnic Island Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 7423 Picnic Island Blvd, Tampa FL 33616, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was on Florida’s Tampa Bay. It was also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found 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 5 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan (here, next to this marker); Liberty Tree Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); Tampa as Port of Embarkation for Spanish American War (approx. 1.3 miles away); The Rough Riders Arrive at Port Tampa (approx. 1.4 miles away); Palonis Park (approx. 2.3 miles away); Port Tampa Cemetery (approx. 2½ miles away); Battlefield (approx. 4.3 miles away); The Bayshore Boulevard of Dreams (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
Other markers no longer nearby.
Photographed by John C. Carter, March 30, 2024
2. The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan Marker
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced with the linked marker, which has a slightly different inscription.
Additional commentary.
1. Marker is missing
I drove through this area today for the first time in a long time, and the historical marker is completely gone. :-( I'm guessing it may have been damaged or blown over in last fall's hurricanes, and am hoping it's going to be replaced. But for now, it's no longer there. This is depressing, as it was my very first historical marker uploaded.
— Submitted October 12, 2025, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 30, 2024, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida. This page has been viewed 648 times since then and 62 times this year. Last updated on April 4, 2026, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 30, 2024, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
