History of Key West

Calusa Indians and other tribes first recognised the islands as hunting grounds, both on land and in the warm seas abundant with shellfish, turtles and other marine life. Generations later, the Spaniards, who discovered and settled most of Florida, arrived. Among them was adventurer Ponce de Leon, who first set eyes on the Keys on 15 May 1513. He and his sailors named the islands Los Martires, the martyrs, in acknowledgment of the rocks, which, from a distance, looked like men in agony.

However, no record exists that anyone from their ship went ashore, and for centuries the island chain was left mainly to the pirates. They were eventually chased away by a fledgling U.S. Navy pirate fleet set up here in 1822.

Sharks, pineapples and looters

The native Indian inhabitants gradually died out, while early settlers established orchards of Key limes, tamarind and breadfruit. Pineapple farms thrived in the Lower Keys and a large pineapple factory which supplied canned pineapple to most of eastern North America was constructed.

A flourishing shark processing factory was later set up on Big Pine Key. Amid the deserted farms, workers were employed to catch and skin sharks. The hides were salted to preserve them and then sent north to the home factory in New Jersey, where they were processed into sturdy leather called shagreen.

Other settlers in Key West and in Islamorada became looters who recovered cargo from ships that ran aground on the reefs nearby. Some claim the wreckers intentionally lured vessels onto the shoals. True or not, Key West turned into the richest city in the United States. Later, sponge gatherers hit upon a good market for the sponges they harvested in the waters off the Keys. Later still, cigar makers from Cuba set up factories in Key West. Railroad tycoon Henry Flagler constructed his unfeasible railway that went to sea, and well-off visitors travelled to holiday in the Keys.

Rising from the depths

With the Great Depression all this came to an end, and the Keys seemed destined for a bleak future. The city of Key West went bankrupt. But then Keys officials decided their islands still had a lot going for them, namely sea, sun and a good year-round climate. In the 1930s, a fierce hurricane destroyed the railway and the idea for a highway to take its place was born. The eminent Florida Keys Overseas Highway was opened in 1938, but the start of WWII ruined any prospects of tourist riches.

The U.S. Navy, which a century before had chased away the pirates, again came to the rescue by establishing a submarine base in Key West. In 1949, commercial shrimp harvesting came to the Keys for the first time. This quickly earned the title pink gold. Tourists finally began to arrive in earnest. Today, over three million visitors arrive every year.