History of the Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are NOT about sandy beaches!! The Florida Keys are actually living coral, pushing up out of the ocean over hundreds of thousands of years. You are standing on coral, the edge of the island is coral, you swim in the coral. It is VERY cool for swimming and snorkeling.During the earth's last ice age, the water receded so much that the Florida Keys became a peninsula of land with forests. But then as we returned to warmer times, the water returned, and the keys were islands again.
Many explorers visited the Keys, and many ships were wrecked on its coral reefs. The US finally bought the land in 1818 and wreck explorers set up shop shortly afterwards. It was a land of wild fishermen until 1904, when the railroad connecting the keys was begun. It was done in 1912, and brought many vacationers to the keys, until 1935. In 1935 a MASSIVE hurricane hit the keys, killed hundreds of people, and wiped out 40 miles of rail.
By 1938 a new highway was built where the train tracks once stood, and a tourist boom began in earnest. Over the years, each island has taken on its own particular flavor. Islamorada is the sports fishing capital of the world, Pine Key is the home of the famous tiny pine key deer, and Key West is known world round for its partying and wild music.
Be sure to visit each of the Florida Key islands, and explore for yourself what makes each one special!
Florida Keys 1998 Travelogue
Florida Keys 2003 Travelogue
Main Page on Florida Keys Hotels