Fort DeSoto Park

Tierra Verde, Florida: At the mouth of the Tampa Bay lies a barrier island known as Mullet Key. Mullet Key has been a prominent site of Tampa Bay history and is the current home of Fort DeSoto Park, a 1,136 acre park built around the site of the historic fort.

Like much of Florida, the first inhabitant to the island were Native Americans. The Tocobaga Indians resided on the island from 1000 to 1500. The location at the mouth of the bay was ideal to the Tocobaga lifestyle. The waters provided an abundance of shellfish and fish provided plenty of food for the tribe as well as a means to trade with other tribes and eventually the Spanish conquistadors.

The first Spanish explorer to reach the island was Panfilo de Narvaez in April 1528. Narvaez landed in the region and began searching for riches. As the confrontation with the local tribes became more violent, Narvaez and his group of explorers headed further north.

The next major explorer to reach the region was possibly the most popular of them all, Hernando De Soto. De Soto reached the area a little over a year after Narvaez but the De Soto conquest was much more successful. De Soto’s expedition went as far north as present day North Carolina and as far west as Texas.

In 1849 the region was discovered by the US military. The Army engineers were looking for locations to use as part of the coastal defense structure when they sailed up on Mullet Key. They made recommendations to use Mullet Key in conjunction with nearby Egmont Key as part of the coastal fortification.

By the time of the Civil War, the military had yet to begin construction of the forts. So the Union troops used ships to run a blockade between the two island.

The fort still was not in operation by the next major military conflict, the Spanish-American War. At the outcry of local citizens fearing their safety, Henry Plant helped persuade the government in getting the construction of the fort started. The construction of the fort began in November 1898.

The fort was completed in stages over several years. It officially became a defense post in 1903 when the weapons were installed and test fired. At its completion, the fort contained several large pieces of weaponry, post building, and watch posts.

During its operation, the fort house about 125 soldiers. The fort remained in operation until 1909 when its troops were relocated to Alabama and the fort was deactivated by the Department of Defense. There was a little bit of activity during World War I when several soldiers were reassigned to Fort DeSoto but that did not last long as the Secretary of War official closed the base in 1922.

An attempt to auction of the base in 1926 was unsuccessful, so the property remained vacant and subjected to the harsh Florida weather. Several hurricanes had resulted in severe deterioration of the unmaintained structures of the fort.

The fort return to action with the military in 1940 as a bombing range. The fort was reactivated as an outpost to MacDill Air Force Base and operated in that capacity until the end of World War II. In 1948, the base was once again closed and this time sold to Pinellas County. Several years of planning and renovation resulted in the opening of Fort DeSoto Park in 1963.

Today the park houses the last remaining pieces of Fort DeSoto as well as beaches, nature trails and a campground. Remnants of the fort’s battery can be seen as well as the last remaining mortars. Sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico can also be seen from the top of the fort’s walls. The park also boats six miles of beaches, 238 site campground, two fishing piers and miles of hiking trails.

Fort DeSoto Park is the largest park within the Pinellas County park system and entertains over 2.7 million visitors yearly. The white sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico has lead to numerous awards including being names the number on beach in the nation by Dr. Beach in 2005 and also being named the Top Beach for 2009 by Trip Advisor.