In the Middle Keys, between Curry Hammock State Park and Key Vaca, is Fat Deer Key. Historically, it is a small group of islands.
In an 1861 report, Alexander Dallas Bache, American physicist, educator, superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey, and the great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, noted the island as Fat Deer Key. He also reported finding the remains of a settlement on the island.
In his 1873 survey of the Keys, Charles Smith identified the small group of islands as the Fat Deer Keys. They and Key Vaca are part of the collection of islands known as Marathon.
Marathon has something that many other islands in the Keys cannot claim — easily accessible beaches. Sometimes, locals are hesitant to share island secrets, and I won’t reveal any super-secret spots here. However, I will point out Coco Plum Beach.
It is not difficult to find. Turn toward the oceanside at Coco Plum Drive and drive slowly down the road until signs direct you to the beach. These are not beaches like those found on mainland Florida or on barrier islands like Sanibel and Captiva. The Keys are not known for their sandy beaches. The islands were built on the backs of ancient limestone coral skeletons.
Also, they are surrounded by seagrass beds. The limestone and seagrass are two reasons the water is so clear. First, there is not a ton of sediment in the water because, unlike barrier islands like Sanibel and Captiva, they are not composed of sand and subject to erosion. Second, one of the jobs of seagrass is to trap sediment in the tangled mat of their root systems. They might be underwater, but plants still require sunlight to thrive, and cloudy, mucky water is no place for seagrass to grow.
As for the local sand, you might be surprised to learn how some of it gets here. Parrotfish are a colorful species of wrasse with beak-like mouths they use to munch on coral. Parrotfish chew on the limestone houses that corals build to get to the tasty coral morsel inside. When snorkeling or diving, a parrotfish feeding on coral sounds a lot like someone chewing on a celery stalk. Parrotfish digest the coral. The limestone is ground down, passed through the alimentary canal, and pooped out as sand. Some of that sand washes up onto local beaches.
Coco Plum Beach is not a great swimming beach, as the water is quite shallow. It is an excellent lounging beach and a great dog beach. However, be cautious of the sand spurs. They hurt to step on and are a pain to untangle from your dog’s coat.
Continuing west down the highway, after Coco Plum Drive, the turn to the Sadowski Causeway presents itself. It is named for Phillip Sadowski, who developed what was once a 90-ish-acre island called Shelter Key into the 285-acre Key Colony Beach. A separate municipality from Marathon, the city of Key Colony Beach was incorporated in 1957. It is home to one of two golf courses in the Keys.
The bridge to Key Vaca crosses Vaca Cut, which has an unexpected and curious story to tell. Before Henry Flagler’s men arrived, water coursed through the creek known in some circles as Pull-and-Be-Damned Creek. When railroad workers were done building the right-of-way, it did not. A stretch of the creek was filled in with rocks and marl, a project referred to by those doing the work as Hell Hole Fill.
In the 1950s, the decision was made to restore the creek to its natural state, which is how it appears today. On the other side of the cut is Key Vaca. It is one of the oldest place names in South Florida. According to testimony presented in the Archive of Seville, Spain, in 1677, the island was identified as Cayo de Bacas. On a Spanish chart identifying the location of ships wrecked by a 1733 hurricane, the island is recognized as Cayo de Baca.
In William Roberts’ 1763 work, First Discovery and Natural History of Florida, the group of islands was referred to as Cayos de Vacas. The 1772 DeBrahm chart used the name Vacas Islands. In 1849, Gerdes wrote in his pamphlet, “Reconnaissance of the Florida Reef and all the Keys,” “the large island W. of the Grassy Ids. and E. of the Cow Harbor is called the Vaca or Cow Key.”
In a 1935-36 U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey, the writer stated: “The spelling of the name of this key is uncertain. All local authorities agree that a final ‘s’ should be added and this checks the local pronunciation. Opinion is divided as to whether the key was named ‘Vaccas’ by the original owner, (Don Francisco Ferreira, who named it after a friend) or ‘Vacas,’ Spanish for the cattle which local legend has grazing on the key at a distant date. Authority 1 (Charles Pinder of Key West) who must have had some good information from the inhabitants of Conchtown on the Southeast section of the key gives the name ‘Vaccas’ and the name is recommended.”
John Lee William wrote in his 1837 work, “The Territory of Florida,” “The Vacas or Cow Keys are ten or twelve in number, and extend about 15 miles in length. Some of them are four miles in length, while others are scarcely half a mile long; some are covered with tall pines, some with hammock trees, and some almost entirely with grass. On the north side of the group they are generally rocky, and bear many small palmetto trees. There are from 10 to 15 families scattered over them. Knight’s Key, the southwest key of this cluster, has a good house and cleared field, that appears to great advantage from the water. Most of these keys possess good springs and wells of fresh water, and turtles are abundant in the neighborhood.”
Key Vaca represents the heart of Marathon. Buckle up; there is a lot to explore before we reach the Seven Mile Bridge.
