We have put together a short hostory of our Keys:

The Early Years:
The Florida Keys are over 100 thousand years old. The large majority of the Keys have grown out of the ocean from living coral. Over the last 20,000 years, the Keys area has gone through many changes. The ocean has receded and advanced, turning sea bottom into dry land then back to sea bottom. During the last ice age, the water had receded so far that the Florida bay became a large forest with the Florida Keys being the highest hills in this ancient forest. It was during this period that the first humans occupied the Keys area. These people lived along the shore and depended on the ocean for survival. As the ice age ended and the glaciers melted, the ocean level began the rise. The ground around the Keys became sea bottom. The old shoreline is now over 100 feet under the surface of the ocean.

Europe comes to the Keys:
Ponce de Leon found the Keys on his trip home from St. Augustine. The islands soon became a stopping spot for water. Florida and the Keys traded owners until 1818, when the United States purchased the territory from Spain for 5 million dollars. The first permanent settlers came to the Keys soon after in the 1820s. Most of these first individuals were shipwrecked on Key West. These settlers launched the ship salvage business. Wrecking was the main business in the Keys for most of the 1800s. The reefs, which protect the east shore of the Keys, made the Florida straits very treacherous. Many ships have bashed themselves apart on these reefs. The first lighthouse was not built until the 1853. During the 1800s, people of the Keys became prosperous through fishing, hooking sponges, growing pineapples, melons and of course Key limes.

Flagler's railroad and the Great 1935 hurricane:
In 1904, the only way to reach the lower keys and Key West was by ferryboat. Henry Flagler "Florida's Empire Builder" proposed a new way of traveling to Key West. He supposedly uttered the famous words "Gentlemen, the railroad will go to sea". This started the greatest railroad building project in American history. Over the next 7 years Flagler's railroad jumped from island to island. The longest span became the now famous "7 Mile Bridge" between Vaca Key and Bahia Honda. On January 22, 1912, A special train carrying Henry Flagler arrived in Key West. The "Florida East Coast Railroad" carried passengers to the Keys until September 2, 1935. On Labor Day, the greatest hurricane in American history hit between Long Key and Tavernier. It had winds of 200 miles an hour and a storm surge of 18 feet. This massive storm destroyed Islamorada and killed 700 people. It also wiped out 40 miles of railway and the train, which had stopped to take on more passengers in Islamorada. The Hurricane monument in Islamorada was dedicated to the victims of the Labor Day hurricane in November 14, 1937.

The Recent Years:
After the 1935 Hurricane, the railroad was never able the regain the popularity it once had. The trains stopped rolling during the great depression. The bridges and right of way were sold to the state of Florida for 1 cent per dollar of the original cost. This made the making of the overseas highway possible. Many of the railroad bridges were converted to automobile traffic. The highway opened in 1938. This allowed cars to drive to Key West for the first time. The highway brought a large number of tourists to the Keys. This started the explosion of hotels, restaurants, marinas and other accommodations. The Keys have continued to grow and prosper despite other hurricanes. The Florida Keys have a unique blend of old and new with a mixture of man made and natural wonders.