Only in the Keys: Dry Tortugas HD

Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the most remote parks in America, lies about 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. A cluster of seven tiny coral-and-sand islands covering 100 square miles, Dry Tortugas is accessible only by seaplane or boat. On Garden Key stands the 19th-century fort. Its construction was begun after American leaders realized that fortifying the Tortugas was essential to control navigation in the Gulf of Mexico. A Union military prison during the Civil War, it was abandoned by the Army just a few years later. In 1908 the area was designated a wildlife refuge. Named Fort Jefferson National Monument in 1935, it was later proclaimed Dry Tortugas National Park to protect its environmental richness. Florida Keys resident and adventurer Christina Wilson explores.