1832 – In the previous year 290 ships entered the port of Key West. Of this 172 arrived from foreign ports and 118 from American ports.
1853 – The ship Nathaniel Kimball, sailing from New Orleans for Liverpool with 2,400 bales of cotton, went aground at Eastern Dry Rocks. The vessel bilged and went on its side; the decks were cut open to access the cargo. The vessel was a total loss, but the recovered cotton, despite much of it being wet, was valued at $102,000.
1906 – Seventeen labor leaders who had organized the recent cigar workers strike were forcibly expelled from Key West by an armed “citizens committee.” After first being held against their will by the vigilantes, the men were put on board the steamer Olivette and sent to Havana.
1928 – President Calvin and Mrs. Coolidge returned from the sixth Inter-American Conference held in Havana on the cruiser Memphis. Key West Mayor Leslie A. Curry gave them a tour of the Naval Station, Army Barracks, Meacham Airport and concluded with a ride along Ocean Boulevard (today North and South Roosevelt Boulevards.)
1933 – With exception of New York, there were more passenger arrivals in Key West than any other port in the United States. The number of arrivals for 1932 was 18,051.
1933 – Calls placed to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office would now be answered at night via the number 13. The daytime number was still 239.
1953 – The Navy formally dedicated the baseball field at the Naval Station as Walker Stadium. Sergeant Norris A. Walker, whose mother lived in Key West, was killed on February 19, 1945, on Iwo Jima.
1961 – The United States banned all tourist travel to Cuba. The loss of the air and ship traffic to Cuba had an adverse impact on the Key West economy.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: President Coolidge and party on the rear of the train in Key West on January 17, 1928. Gift of Dr. William R. Warren. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.