Key West, FL – Dec. 2022 – Jan. 2023
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
Highlight: Cuban Queen Coffee shop ☕️
The early history of Key West, Florida is marked by a long and illustrious variety of personalities, both famous and infamous. These individuals included explorers and entrepreneurs, artists and privateers, smugglers, and military leaders.
Florida, or La Florida, was discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513. His crew nicknamed the island of Key West "Los Martires" (the martyrs) because of the thick and twisted mangroves along the shores of these Florida Keys' southernmost islands. European charts and maps listed Key West as "Cayo Hueso" (Bone Key) because of sun-bleached bones found on the island.
Control of the Keys alternated between Spain and England for many years until all of Florida was ceded to the United States in 1819. U.S. businessman John Simonton purchased the island of Key West. Realizing its deep-water potential, he divided it into four parts, kept one for himself, and sold the other three to businessmen Fleming, Whitehead, and Green. These four names live on as Key West street names.
Simonton then convinced the United States Navy that Key West would make a great Navy base for the northern Caribbean region due to its easy access through the Gulf of Mexico. In 1822, Lt. Matthew C. Perry sailed the USS Shark to Key West to scope out the island as a commercial port and military base. He reported back favorably and claimed Key West for the United States.
Southmost point in the continental USA
During World War II, several German U-boats sank cargo and military ships in the Gulf Stream, especially around Key West. The Naval Station became home to the Fleet Sonar School, Underwater Weapons Development, and Underwater Swimmer’s School (later called Scuba). Following World War II, President Truman needed rest and a warm climate to recover from a cold. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz recommended the Key West Naval Station. Truman rested and relaxed there in November 1946, returning for a total of 11 working vacations lasting 175 days until March 1952. Details of these trips are found in the presidential logs. Key West was an integral part of anti-submarine warfare throughout the Cold War period from 1946 to 1974, with numerous American and Allied sailors trained here.
Presidents Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy used the Key West Naval Station for important summits during their terms in office. In 1974, changing technology impacted the base as the newer, larger nuclear submarines could not use the harbor, leading to the Naval Station's disestablishment.
In the 1980s, Key West was redeveloped as a tourist destination. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton relaxed at the Little White House. Old Town Trolley was established to provide sightseeing tours, along with its sister company, the Conch Tour Train. Cruise ships began to make regular visits, and today Key West is recognized as a global tourist destination. In 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell led international peace talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The U.S. Naval Station, due to its mild climate, has become a major training center for pilots.
