Fort Pickens
One of the lessons our country learned during the War of
1812 was that our key naval ports were not well defended. So the US government
started a campaign to build forts to protect vital ports. Thus Fort Pickens was
built on Santa Rosa Island to protect the important Naval Ship Yard in
Pensacola, Florida. It was constructed from 1824 to 1834 and was one of three
forts that were built for this defense.
Fort Pickens went through periods of time when it was
totally abandoned. It was typically occupied and used when the county was in a
war. During the Civil War, Union soldiers got to it first so they utilized it
against Confederate forces. Later in the war, the 25th Regiment that
was made up of freed slaves guarded Confederate soldiers at this fort –
justice, as this fort was built by slaves.
After the Civil War (1865), the fort was abandoned again until
1886. This was when Chief Geronimo an Apache Indian along with 15 of his
warriors were captured in Arizona and imprisoned at Fort Pickens. Tourist began
to visit the fort to see Chief Geronimo. A year later the Chief was relocated
to Oklahoma where he died.
Fort Pickens remained in use until 1947. During WWI and WWII
many changes were made to the fort including adding additional weapon batteries
as well as replacing old cannons with modern capabilities. After WWII the fort
became abandoned once again. The fort became a Florida State Park and in 1971
was included with the Gulf Island National Seashore under the National Park
Service.
Beautiful Beaches
Santa Rosa Island is covered with beautiful white sandy beaches. This sand drifts across the small two lane road like a snow storm. The beaches on the gulf side of the island are larger and the water is more aqua blue than the bay side. It's a beautiful place to enjoy both a sunrise and sunset from the same beach. If you are in the area, it's definitely worth a stop.
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