1828 – The U.S. mail packet schooner Stranger was advertising to carry freight and passengers from Charleston to Indian Key and Key West on March 1. “If sufficient inducement is offered, the Stranger will proceed to Havana,” read an addendum.
1929 – U.S. Navy tests of the Momsen Lung conducted on the submarine S-4 near Smith Shoals ended and were declared a success with men able to escape from the submerged submarine using the portable air supply.
1935 – William Ellsworth, manager of Key West’s First Title and Guarantee Company, expected that over one million acres would be available for a proposed Everglades National Park.
1950 – The newly discovered shrimp beds near the western Keys were quickly proving quite lucrative. There were now 150 boats operating out of Key West, and they each averaged 3,500 – 4,000 pounds of shrimp per run, which they sold at 50 cents per pound.
1971 – Astro City playground at Higgs Beach was dedicated. The park was a project of the Junior Woman’s Club.
1974 – Cmdr. J.H. Pelletier told Monroe County Commissioners, “The Navy strongly feels that all residential development at East Rockland Key should be prohibited,” noting its proximity to Boca Chica NAS and that the area was at highest risk of an accident.
1994 – Producers of two local, gay-oriented television programs, “Network Q” and “The Open Closet,” claimed their shows were dropped by Keys station WEYS due to pressure from a high-spending Christian network. The station owner denied the accusation.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Shrimp boats Green Marie, Atlantic, Nomad, and others in Key West Bight, ca. 1950. Photo by Harry James Mitchell. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.