Port Tampa Bay
$250.00
Tampa Bay has been used as a wide, safe harbor ever since it was first mapped by Spanish explorers in the 16th century.
Scottish schooner skipper Captain James McKay Sr. arrived with his wife in Tampa in 1849; he is often credited as the person who truly made Tampa a port, first with a sailing ship calling at Tampa, Mobile, and New Orleans, and then with two steamers transporting cattle to Cuba. McKay would later serve a year as Tampa’s mayor.
Tampa’s cattle trade with Cuba accelerated after the Civil War, led by rancher Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes, who went on to found the Lykes shipping empire, which included the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company. A major player in the evolution of Tampa’s maritime history was a railroad tycoon, Henry B. Plant, who brought to Tampa’s wharf area a rail connection to Jacksonville in 1884. By 1888, tracks ran all the way from Tampa to New York. Around this time, Plant expanded his empire to include hotel properties and steamships.
In May of that 1898, Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt and hundreds of his Rough Riders, plus their horses, departed Tampa on a Cuba-bound steamer. Indeed, Tampa’s pivotal role in the short war helped boost the city and port into the national spotlight.
Port Tampa Bay over the past decade has impressively advanced its container‐handling capabilities and seen rapid growth. Virtually every imaginable commodity, including vehicles and oversized cargos, comes in from all corners of the world. Top trade partners include Brazil, Trinidad, Mexico, Honduras, Canada, India, Japan, Colombia, China, and Venezuela.
Today Port Tampa Bay is the largest port in the state of Florida, and one of the busiest in the nation. Tampa is also one of America’s most popular departure ports for western Caribbean cruises, and the port welcomes hundreds of thousands of passengers every year.
The 36"x24" (includes 2" border) archival giclée is printed by a local atelier on acid-free watercolor paper and features rich, saturated colors, deep dark tones, and finely nuanced details. Each museum quality print is inspected and approved by Tim Boatright before being signed and sealed with his embossed artist’s “chop.”
Please note: each piece is printed to order and may take up to three weeks to ship. The print is ready for framing.
