Collecting Conch and sea urchins in the 1970s.
1842 – The barque Alasco, sailing from Havana to St. Petersburg, ran ashore at Conch Key with a cargo of 2,200 boxes of sugar. The crew threw over some of the cargo to try to refloat the vessel to no avail, so wreckers were asked to assist. After successfully delivering Alasco to Key West, it was expected the wreckers would receive about $12,000 for their efforts.
1854 – A ship passing Sand Key observed wreckers burning a grounded vessel there to extract the iron and copper fittings from the hull.
1884 – The plant on Emma Street in Key West for manufacturing gas from coal for home and street lighting was completed.
1897 – Key West was on the verge of a “race war,” after two attempted lynchings of Sylvanus Johnson, a Black man. Johnson had been accused of assaulting a White woman. Florida Governor Bloxham requested Federal troops be employed to restore order.
1933 – Fishermen discovered some 75 “round headed” whales beached at Cape Sable on mainland Monroe County. Further investigation revealed that at least 250 of the creatures were stranded on other keys and beaches throughout Florida Bay. None were saved.
1938 – The grand opening of the new Overseas Highway was held on the Bahia Honda Bridge. The new highway used some of the old railroad bridges to eliminate the auto ferries.
1942 – The merchant vessel Edward Luckenbach was sunk when it strayed in the U.S. Navy minefield north of Key West. The Luckenbach was sailing from Kingston, Jamaica for New Orleans with a cargo of tungsten, zinc, antimony and tin. One man was killed in the accident.
1949 – The Parker Drilling Company announced they would be drilling an oil well for Gulf Oil Corporation on the bay side of Plantation Key near Tavernier Creek.
1969 – The new Card Sound Bridge was opened. The bridge was built with $2.1 million in bond money to be repaid with tolls.
1985 -The queen conch (Strombus gigas), the symbol of the Florida Keys, was declared an endangered species and could no longer be harvested.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A man catching conch and urchin during the 1970s. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.