Key West Back in the Day: Missing squirrels & demon frogs
Some people consider Key West a paradise, but I believe it needs one more element to make it perfect: squirrels. When I arrived on the...
Keys History: The origins of the Conch status
Many names get passed around in the Florida Keys. Some of them are more respectful than others. One of the most esteemed to be...
Keys History: The island chain’s scares
With Halloween just around the corner, it might be fun to highlight some of the scary things that call the Florida Keys, and the...
Keys History: Sunken ships and buried treasure
The Nuestra Señora de Atocha was the almiranta of the fleet departing Havana on Sept. 6, 1622. The almiranta provided flank support to transport...
Fantasy Fest flashbacks: The shaved dog & the purple mortgage banker
Many years ago during Key West’s Fantasy Fest celebration, a local doctor friend of mine went crazy. Renowned for healing people in pain, Doc...
Keys History: Fort Paulding’s two Islands and one fort
Military forts have long stood in the Florida Keys. The four prominent ones, Fort Zachary Taylor, Fort Jefferson, Fort East Martello and Fort West...
Keys History: The origin of Fantasy Fest
Key West’s 1978 summer tourist season was one of the best on record. When the summer of 1979 rolled around, people hoped the trend...
Keys History: Cutting through Key Largo
Two excellent places to see the limestone underbelly of the Florida Keys are Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park and the Marvin D....
Keys History: Henry Flagler’s island legacy
Henry Flagler and the Key West Extension of his Florida East Coast Railway altered the history of the Florida Keys. Before his train came...
Keys History: The curious case of the Key lemon
When it comes to buying bags of birdseed, peanuts are a common ingredient. Blue jays love them. Squirrels do, too. While I am not...
