An Unauthorized (and largely accurate) History of the Keys

In 1513, while searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth, Ponce de Leon discovered the Florida Keys. On viewing them from a distance, he decided they were worthless and declined to visit. Instead, he sent some scouts, who were inhospitably greeted by a group of Caloosa Indians who had already discovered the Florida Keys a considerable number of years before. This greeting took the form of stone-tipped arrows, and those scouts who actually returned decided one visit was enough.

For the next 300 years, ownership of this troublesome piece of real estate was traded back and forth between the Spanish, English, and French, until they finally handed the problem off to the United States government in 1821. By this time, the Keys had become a well-established outpost for various and assorted smugglers, pirates, rumrunners, and seagoing salvagers. While part of the populace contented themselves with capturing and looting passing ships, a more sedentary segment devised a clever system of stringing lanterns in the mangroves, thereby luring unwary ships onto the reefs and allowing the cargoes to simply float to shore on the next tide.

In its first official act, in 1822 the new government established the U.S. Navy Pirate Fleet in Key West. While addressing part of the problem, the unofficial salvage operations continued well into the following century.

The next significant event in Upper Keys history was the 1840 Indian Key Massacre. During a nighttime raid, a group of 125 or so native Americans, led by Chief Chekika, managed to sneak ashore, burn, loot, and kill a few settlers, including a renowned botanist named Dr. Perrine. Actually, their target was the rather disreputable but wealthy salvager, Jacob Housman, who had offered to eradicate the Indians for a modest fee of $200 a head. Housman and his wife escaped the massacre, but Chief Chekika wasn't quite so lucky. Shortly thereafter, he and his small band were hunted down and killed by the U.S. Army.

In 1874, the Upper Keys were officially opened for settlement. This attracted a small number of budding entrepreneurs who decided that farming these overgrown, mosquito-infested chucks of coral debris was a good idea. They proceeded to clear some of the land and plant a variety of unlikely crops, including pineapples, key limes, breadfruit, and tamarinds.

Through the late 1800s, civilization in the Keys mainly consisted of a group of isolated communities, and travel was accomplished by shallow-draft boat. Thinking that this would be a dandy place to put a railroad, a man named Henry Flagler came up with a plan to do just that. Needless to say, many considered him some kind of nut, but since he had something like $50 million at his disposal, they decided to go along with the project.

Construction on the Overseas Railroad began in 1905 and moved downward through the Keys for the next seven years. The Keys residents were mostly delighted, especially the Key Westers who made a lucrative business of supplying the railroad workers with rum and other recreational beverages.

Nevertheless, construction moved along slowly as the engineers learned how to make bigger islands out of smaller ones, and build bridges that allowed hurricane flood surges to pass through instead of knocking over the trestles. In 1912, the first train pulled into Key West, along with the first trainload of tourists.

The railroad's days were short-lived. On Labor Day, 1935, the worst hurricane ever to come ashore in this hemisphere struck the Middle Keys, wiping out a section of the rail line. Since Flagler had died some years before, there was no one to work up enough enthusiasm to repair the damage. Instead, the rail line was sold and a road was built in its place, following the same route and using the existing railroad bridges.

The 1920s and early 1930s had brought a number of tourists to the upper islands. In Key Largo (then called Rock Harbor), the North Carolina Fishing Camp was established, and the area became known as a fisherman's paradise. Travel down island to Key West was still difficult, owing mainly to the fact that the only road sported a 40-mile gap between Islamorada and No Name Key. County ferries carried 20 cars at a time across the gap at a stately 12 miles per hour.

Prohibition was largely ignored by the enterprising islanders. In fact, the proximity of the Keys to Cuba and Bimini, coupled with the rail route established by Flagler, insured that the accomplished rumrunning islanders prospered. Few officials had the stomach to try closing Key West, where trunks and coffins gurgled suspiciously when being transferred from P&O steamships to the Havana Special baggage cars.

By 1942, the first water pipeline had been completed, bringing fresh water from Florida City. The water took a week to travel the route from the mainland to Rock Harbor. In that year, the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative was also established. Electricity was in, wood stoves and kerosene lanterns were out, and land was selling for $110 an acre.

The late 1940s and early 50s brought more changes to the Upper Keys. In 1948, the movie Key Largo was released, boasting a few scenes filmed at a local watering hole, the Caribbean Club. In 1952, real estate promoters, seeking to cash in on the success of the movie, petitioned postal authorities to change the name of Rock Harbor to Key Largo. The request was granted, and the town of Key Largo was born. According to the reasoning of the time, if Key West had Hemingway, why shouldn't Key Largo have Bogart?

In 1953, the first class graduated from the newly-consolidated Coral Shores High School. The class consisted of 14 youngsters.

The following years brought new subdivisions and a surge in population. By 1970, Key Largo had grown to 2866 souls. The Monroe County Commission (which governed the entire Keys) went on record as considering a master plan to guide the swelling population. A new airport opened at Port Largo, bringing in a whopping 6,000 tourists by air in one year.

Tourism had become big business in the Upper Keys. Drawn here by the world-class fishing and laid-back ambience, thousands of sun-seekers flocked to the new resorts, dive shops, and souvenir stores of Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada.

Meanwhile, Keys residents fostered a reputation for independence and island eccentricity. Nothing exemplifies this better than the Conch Republic uprising in 1982. Protesting a roadblock which had been set up by the U.S. Border Patrol at the entrance to the Keys, the Conch Republic was established and declared its secession from the Union. Immediately afterwards, the new Republic declared war on the United States, surrendered, and demanded foreign aid. The roadblock was removed, but the Conch Republic survives. A celebration marks the anniversary each year, and the motto "We Seceded Where Others Failed" rings out.

So, what exactly is a conch? Originally, the term referred to an early Keys settler, but the modern usage is more general, encompassing all the Keys residents. Pronounced conk, you'll discover that being one is more a state of mind than a matter of location.

In March of 1988, a fortuitous gust of wind caused the bridge at Snake Creek to jam open, halting the Spring Break traffic in both directions. Locals declared this an act of God and, for the next seventeen hours every wheelbarrow for miles around was recruited to convey beer to the stranded motorists. A typical Keys reaction to a potentially unpleasant situation, it was the wheelbarrows that made the moment conch.

The Florida Keys remains an area rich in history, as well as its own peculiar brand of folklore. But the modern-day Keys have been forced to deal with more contemporary issues, too. Rapid growth has led to the feeling that paradise is about to be lost. As in other parts of the country, the battle lines between developers and environmentalists have been drawn. Keys residents maintain a tenuous balance between the two factions.

In 1975, the state of Florida designated the Florida Keys an Area of Critical State Concern. This designation set forth boundaries and principles for guiding the growth of the Keys. Land use management became an important issue, and guidelines were put in place to protect tidal mangroves and shorelines, marine resources and Keys wildlife. One of the many ramifications of these guidelines is the restrictions placed on construction and renovation. Only a few hundred new building permits are issued each year for the entire county, and county botanists are employed to protect the plant and animal life here in the Keys.

This is a divisive issue, but most Keys residents would agree that protecting our environment is not an entirely bad idea. When you get down to it, it's the reason most of us are here. However, the battle still rages. In future years, as the amount of buildable land decreases, the real estate market is bound to react. Properties may become harder and harder to find, and prices will, in all probability, reflect this trend.

But for now, at least, the Upper Keys are enjoying a buyer's market. Many homes are available in price ranges starting below $100,000 and extending on up into the millions. Strangely enough, you may even find a few of each on the same street, with a scattering of mid-range prices in between. It mostly depends on the water, the view, and the type of construction. (For more information about housing in the Upper Keys, link on over to the Video Tour.)

In the meantime, we welcome you to the Keys and hope that you'll join us in calling this incredible piece of paradise home.