Port Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan
Photographed by John C. Carter, April 3, 2026
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 US 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 P. 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 5.5. 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 limited space on invasion fleet ships, almost half of the 30.000 U.S. Army troops in Tampa and approximately ⅓ of the Rough Riders were unable to embark, remaining in Tampa for the duration of the Cuban campaign.
Erected 2025 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 is
this page online
Location. 27° 51.641′ N, 82° 32.8′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is in Port Tampa. It is on Picnic Island Boulevard west of Commerce Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7423 Picnic Island Blvd, Tampa FL 33616, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Tampa Bay. 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 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); (Formerly) Jules Verne Park (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
Other markers no longer nearby. The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan (has been replaced with this marker); Picnic Island (was approx. Ό mile away but has been confirmed missing); Gandy Bridge (was approx. 2.6 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Related marker.
Photographed by John C. Carter, April 3, 2026
2. The Rough Riders Embark the S.S. Yucatan Marker after being replaced.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2026, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida. This page has been viewed 21 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on April 5, 2026, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida. 2. submitted on April 4, 2026, by John C. Carter of St. Petersburg, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
