Fort De Soto Park

Fort De Soto Park occupies five connected keys south-southwest of St. Petersburg and combines major natural recreation with a long human history. The area was home to the Tocobaga from about 1000 to 1500 ACE, then saw Spanish exploration by Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernando de Soto. Mullet Key was reserved for military use in 1849, and Fort De Soto was built from 1898 to 1906 to help defend the entrance to Tampa Bay, with coast-defense mortars, support buildings, and rail facilities. Military use declined after 1910, the site later briefly opened to visitors, served as a World War II bombing range, and became a public park in 1948, preserving visible remains of its layered past.

Florida · United States