1983 Map of Dry Tortugas

About this map

Fort Jefferson stands as the central landmark of this remote island group, surrounded by the waters of the Dry Tortugas. In the early 1980s, the area was managed as the Fort Jefferson National Monument, encompassing a cluster of coral keys including Loggerhead Key with its Lighthouse, and smaller islets like Garden Key, Bush Key, and Hospital Key. The maritime geography is defined by deep-water passages such as the Southwest Channel and Northwest Channel. To the east, the map reveals the Marquesas Keys and the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, where the landscape transitions into the Boca Grande Channel. Red protraction lines from the Minerals Management Service overlay the vast reaches of the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida, illustrating the administrative partitioning of the Outer Continental Shelf during this era of offshore resource management.