Ariel W.
Yelp
Fort De Soto Park is made up of a series of offshore keys which include Madelaine Key, St. Jean Key, St. Christopher Key, Bonne Fortune Key and the main island, Mullet Key. The five keys encompass 1,136 acres making it the largest park in the Pinellas County Park system. Admission is $5 per car. More than 2.7 million people visit the park every year.
The land that makes up Fort De Soto Park was once the home of the Tocobaga Native Americans from 1000 to 1500 A.D. They lived on Mullet Key and other barrier islands and lived off of fish, clams, conch, oysters and whelks, along with animals they hunted and plants they gathered.
In 1529, the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narvá navigated the barrier islands after landing somewhere between St. Pete Beach and Clearwater. Ten years later, Hernando De Soto came ashore somewhere near the southern part of Tampa Bay and began what would become the conquest of Florida for Spain.
In 1849 Union troops were stationed on Mullet and Egmont Keys during the Civil War to blockade the Tampa Bay. The Egmont Key lighthouse served as an observation tower. In 1889 Hillsborough County established a quarantine station on the eastern side of Mullet Key to inspect people coming in from foreign ports.
At the turn of the century the government opened Fort De Soto (active from 1898 to 1910) on Egmont Key. They named it for Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and it was built to protect Tampa Bay from an invading forces. The fort contained 12-inch coast defense mortar batteries, Batteries Laidley and Bigelow. The fort had twenty nine buildings including large barracks, a hospital, a guardhouse, a blacksmith and carpenter shop, an administration building, and mess hall with kitchen, a bakery, and a storehouse. On May 25, 1923, the forts were officially abandoned and subsequent hurricanes and tropical storms destroyed most of the buildings.
In 1938 the federal government sold the land that makes up the park for $12,500 to Pinellas County. They in turn leased it to Percy L. Roberts who operated a sightseeing and fishing tour on the boat Hobo that took people out to Mullet Key where guests could stay at the Mullet Key Lodge. In 1941 the property was sold back to the government for $18,404 because the War Department wanted to use it as a gunnery and bombing range during WWII. In 1948 the land was purchased back from the government by Pinellas County who designated it Fort De Soto and opened it to the public as a recreational area. In 1962 the Pinellas Bayway, a toll road was completed allowing cars to enter the park. On May 11, 1963, Fort De Soto Park was officially dedicated.
Today people flock to this park for it's large number of amenities. There is a family camping area, 15 picnic shelters, restrooms, playgrounds, seven miles of paved trails connecting North Beach, East Beach, the boat ramp, and the camping area, two large swim centers, two fishing piers, three nature trails, a dog park where dogs can run on the beach, a snack bar and a souvenir shop. On Mullet Key the quartermaster storehouse has been turned into the Quarterhouse Storehouse Museum. You can also tour Fort De Soto. In 2005, "Dr. Beach," named the beach at Fort De Soto the nation's #1 Beach and in 2009 Trip Advisor named it the Top Beach for that year.
The parks natural ecosystem is made up of beaches, mangroves, wetlands, palm hammocks, and hardwoods covered in native plants. More than 328 species of birds have been documented here over the past 60 years by ornithologists. It is a great place to watch wildlife and you can take the ferry to Egmont Key where you can enjoy swimming, fishing, wildlife viewing and picnicking.
I came to the park because it is one of the best place to photograph the Skyway Bridge. Unfortunately it was hazy the day I came but I had so much fun exploring this park. Th beach looks amazing and I saw so many birds. I want to come back and take the ferry. This is the kind of park you can easily spend several days at. If you are in the area don't pass this park up.
