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On June 21, 1513, explorer Ponce de Leon and his shipmates discovered a group of islands they named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) for the scores of sea turtles they harvested there. Today, 500 years after that discovery, modern explorers can follow de Leon's lead and visit the seven tiny coral-and-sand islands now known as Dry Tortugas National Park.
Lying 68 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dry Tortugas can be reached by both ferry and seaplane excursions that depart from Key West.
The secluded and pristine area, one of America's most remote national parks, is home to rare migratory birds and a wealth of marine life. Visitors to the Tortugas can observe wild birds, snorkel amid beautiful coral formations and tropical fish, sun and laze on the sandy beach and tour Civil War–era Fort Jefferson, the park's awe-inspiring centerpiece.
In part to mark the 500th anniversary of de Leon's discovery, a Key West museum recently opened that showcases the history and natural wonders of the Tortugas.
To follow in Ponce de Leon's footsteps, click here.
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Shipwrecks, Cigars, and Seafaring Spirit
Florida Keys history has been shaped by a blend of Cuban cigar makers, daring shipwreck salvagers, sponge harvesters, fishermen, writers and artists, presidents and probably even a few wandering pirates. Learn more about the exuberant multicultural medley by clicking here.
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Sites Offer Glimpse of Keys' Unique Heritage
From Key Largo to Key West, visitors can explore intriguing sites — including the world's first undersea park and a tiny island housing a restored railroad work camp — that offer vivid insights into the Keys' heritage. Chart a course for some highlights here.
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ARTS & CULTURE
While the late Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost no longer stroll Key West's streets, scores of literary landmarks still recall their presence. Open the book on the island's most creative sites here.
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DIVING
World renowned as a dive destination, and located parallel to the continental United States' only living coral barrier reef, the Florida Keys also are the site of a museum spotlighting the sport's centuries of history. Dive into the details here.
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FISHING
Western novelist Zane Grey arrived in the Florida Keys during the early 1900s and soon penned a pamphlet introducing worldwide audiences to "Gulf Stream Fishing." Click here
to learn about the "cowboy author" who championed Keys angling.
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"PROFILES IN PARADISE"
From 1945 to 1953, Harry Truman spent 11 working vacations in Key West — taking brisk morning walks, playing poker, swimming, fishing and making some of the most important decisions of his presidency. "Meet" the president who loved Key West here.
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Discover an historically significant attraction, event, person or place in the Florida Keys.
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From an insider's perspective, this blog uncovers the hidden Keys.
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1513
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Ponce de Leon discovers the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas.
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1824
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A shipwrecked William Wall founds the first cigar factory in Key West. By 1888 the island's cigar factories are producing 100 million stogies per year.
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1828
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Legislation is passed by the U.S. Congress requiring salvage from shipwrecks in U.S. waters to be brought to an American port of entry, helping Key West become the wealthiest city per capita in the U.S.
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1831
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Jacob Housman buys Indian Key, which challenges Key West as a wrecking center. Housman reconditions the small isle into a busy port, building a store, hotel, residences, warehouses and wharves. This prosperous community comes to a violent end in 1840 when the town is attacked and burned by Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War. The remains of stone foundations and cisterns can be seen today on walking trails.
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1871
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The San Carlos Institute is founded in Key West to preserve Cuban culture. In 1892, Cuban patriot Jose Marti launches his drive for Cuba's independence in a speech at the institute.
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Early
1900s
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Western novelist Zane Grey arrives in the Upper Keys and stays at the Long Key Fishing Camp. He reportedly misses only two Keys angling seasons from 1911 through 1926.
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1908
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President Theodore Roosevelt creates the Key West National Wildlife Refuge to protect and preserve a breeding ground for migratory birds that were being killed for their colorful feathers.
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1908
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The first regularly scheduled Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad train travels from Miami to Knight's Key (Marathon) and the railroad is a half-finished dream.
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1912
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Marking the completion of Henry Flagler's Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, the first train journeys from mainland Florida throughout the Keys to Key West on Jan. 22. The railroad operates until 1935.
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1928
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Ernest Hemingway first visits Key West, later acquiring a home on Whitehead Street where he lives and writes until late 1939. Depression-era Key West becomes the setting for "To Have and Have Not," his only novel with a U.S. setting.
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1929
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Lower Keys landowner Richter Clyde Perky completes the Bat Tower, supposedly to house bats to eat the mosquitoes plaguing his fishing resort. Today the tower draws visitors intrigued by Perky's "batty" idea.
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1938
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On July 2, the Florida Keys Overseas Highway officially opens as the highway route through the Keys.
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1941
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Internationally renowned playwright Tennessee Williams first visits Key West. In 1949 he purchases the Key West house that becomes his home until his death.
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1945-
1953
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Harry S. Truman spends 11 working vacations, nearly six months of his presidency, at the Key West residence that becomes known worldwide as his Little White House.
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1957
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The Lower Keys' National Key Deer Refuge is established to protect the diminutive Key deer that range from 45 to 80 pounds fully grown. Once nearing extinction, the deer subsequently rebound to a healthy population.
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1963
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To protect a portion of the Florida Keys' living coral reef, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is established off the Upper Keys as America's first underwater preserve.
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1982
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To protest a Border Patrol roadblock set up at the head of the Florida Keys, the Keys "secede" from the U.S. and the Conch Republic is born.
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1985
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After a 16-year search, treasure salvor Mel Fisher and his divers discover the $500 million treasure of the sunken 1622 Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha in the waters off Key West.
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1990
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The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, widely regarded as a national treasure, is established by the U.S. government. The sanctuary surrounds the entire land mass of the Florida Keys.
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2002
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The 510-foot Navy landing ship dock Spiegel Grove is sunk off Key Largo, becoming one of the largest ships ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef for divers.
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2009
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The Florida Keys Overseas Highway is named an All-American Road, the highest designation a U.S. roadway can earn, under the National Scenic Byways program.
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2012
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Key West's 130-foot Schooner Western Union, launched in 1939, is designated the official flagship of the State of Florida.
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