Draft:History of Key West

Constructed in 1845, Fort Zachary Taylor was a significant location for an American coastal fortification off of the Florida Straits and Gulf of Mexico. Granted $3 million for installation by the Army Corps of Engineers and United States Congress, the forts construction represented the government’s recognition of the island’s economic and geographic value.

Thousands of years before European discovery, the island of Key West was largely occupied by the Calusa and Tequesta Native American tribes. Brief settlements by transient Seminoles in the late 18th century introduced temporary trade in the region; early fishing and wrecking revenues became notable amongst passing Natives in the region. The island's first documented discovery by Europeans occurred in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de León while attempting to reach Florida's Gulf Coast. The island soon adopted the Spanish name, Cayo Hueso, literally meaning "bone cay", referring the scattered bones believed to be left behind from warring natives. Although ownership was claimed by the Spanish explorers, no permanent settlement had been established, and possession of the island was briefly asserted by the British in 1763.

Following Spain's secession of Florida to the United States in 1819, the first permanent colonization of Key West began with American possession in 1821. Legal claim of the island occurred with the purchase by businessman, John W. Simonton, in 1822, in which federal property was asserted only three months later with the arrival of U.S. Navy Lieutenent Mathew C. Perry. After being designated as an official Port of Entry in 1828, Key West's wrecking industry became a significant factor in the island's growing economy. By the 1830s, Key West was the wealthiest city in the United States per capita. With the outbreak of the American Civil War and Florida's seccession from the Union in 1861, Key West and its naval base remained part of the United States. Shortly after Florida's succession, Union soldiers seized Fort Zachary, securing their position in Key West as a stronghold for the duration of the war. The East Gulf Blockade Squadron, established by the Union Navy to limit the import of supplies to Confederate port cities along the Gulf of Mexico, was a key influence in the outcome of the Civil War.

With the completion of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway in the early 1910s, Key West was connected to the Florida mainland with Flagler's extension of the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). The devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 caused significant damage to the Overseas Railway and resulted in the death of hundreds of residents. In the 1938, an extension of U.S. Route 1 to rebuild the rail route as an automobile highway was known as the Overseas Highway. With the onset of World War II, more than 14,000 ships were brought into the island's harbor; an almost doubling population soon came with arrival soldiers, sailors, laborers, and tourists. In the years prior to the Cuban Revolution in 1953, frequent transport existed between Key West and Havana. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the island later became a strategic position for installation of missile defense systems and military personnel in the event of a sudden attack from Cuba. In his speeches regarding Fidel Castro, President John F. Kennedy often used the phrase "90 miles from Cuba" in reference to Key West's close proximity to Cuba.

Early history

Possible native occupation of Key West can be traced back to 3000 B.C.E, with groups related to Calusas, Matecumbes, Tequestas, and late Seminoles possibly settling in more than 800 islands in the Florida Keys. It is relatively agreed amongst historians that the dominant inhabitants of the Florida Keys were the Calusa, however, the discovery of pottery fragments later indicated the presence of Tequesta and possibly evidence for Caribbean Island Natives. Amongst archeological debates, the possible occupation by the Calusa may have existed as a confederation composed of smaller tribes such as the Tequesta, Ais, or Jeaga. Primarily Hunter-gatherers, the island's abundant source of fish, turtle, lobster, shellfish, and manatees provided native settlers with copious staple foods and even the installation of temporary trade outposts by later Seminoles. Spanish documents record a "Chief of the Key Bones", referring to a possible tribal leader or early chiefdom on Key West. During the island's period of Spanish control, many of Key West's native groups adopted aspects of the Spanish language, customs, and surnames, with evidence of the use of Spanish titles such as "captain-gener-al" "bishop," and "king" by Native leaders.

A 1770 portrait painting of Major General James Grant, the the first British governor of East Florida from 1764 to 1771. While the Spanish saw little value in ownership of the island, he was among one of the first Florida officials to recognize Key West's strategic military and trade position in the Straits of Florida.

Upon sighting Key West during his voyage south along the keys in 1513, Ponce de Leon and his Spanish fleet adopted the island's original name of Cayo Hueso (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaʝo ˈweso]). Dried bones were discovered along the islands beaches, believed to be remnants of several battles fought between rivaling tribes. Upon discovery, Ponce de León soon claimed the island on behalf of Spain, with possible evidence of trade between Spanish vessels and Key West natives appears throughout the 17th century during Spanish colonization. However, Key West was considered to be of little value to the Spanish Empire, and with the exchange of Florida control from Spain to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763, the island fell under English possession. Possible Anglicization during British authority may have altered the name of Cayo Hueso to a butchered Key West in following years.

With the onset of British control of Florida, Key West become mostly uninhabited. In 1766, Major General and East Florida governor, James Grant, proposed the idea of establishing a military base on Key West in order to further regulate any activity in its surrounding waters. Grant often urged that a post or settlement on Key West would be ideally situated for trade with Havana and have a strategic advantage point in the case of a war, however, nothing came of his plea. After observing fleets of about 30 Cuban and 14 Bahamian fishing vessels in the Florida Keys, Grant became insistent on preventing the intrusion of foreign vessels, as he feared their presence could threaten British control of Florida. Grant consisted of no means to prevent the situation.

For much of the 18th century, smugglers and pirateers often used the island to conceal valuables; Bahamians and Cubans often visited for fishing and other various forms of resource manufacture. British expansion westward in the Thirteen Colonies prompted the immigration south by many of the Creek Indian Nation in the early 1700s. These migrants, who settled much in Florida, came as far as Key West in 1770. Raids by foreign natives in the early 1700s, supported and sometimes led by the British, resulted in the destruction of several Spanish missions in Florida. As a result, many of the remaining natives of Key West fled to Cuba.

19th century

Key West was officially incorporated as United States property in 1828. Key West saw extensive growth beginning in the late 1820s, particularly in 1825 with the Federal Wrecking Act prescribing that all property wrecked in U.S. waters be taken to a U.S. Port of Entry.

In 1823, Key West was ruled under martial law by Commodore David Porter of the United States Navy. By request of the United States military, Key West later became a strategic position for anti-piracy in the West Indies. Among the first people to immigrate to Key West, the island saw an increase in Bahamian population during the mid 19th century. Their successive involvement in Key West's labor force were contributing factors in the island's growing maritime industries, particularly fishing, sponging, turtling, and shipbuilding. After years of government lobbying for the establishment of military installations in Key West, the historic Fort Zachary Taylor was constructed in 1845 for the purpose of defending the southeast coast of the United States.

After being suspended by the Union for the remainder of the war, the industry was later destroyed by a 1876 hurricane and never recovered. During the unsuccessful Ten Years' War for Cuban independence in the 1860s and 1870s, Key West became a major site for Cuban refugees. The island's subsequent rise in Cigar manufacturing with the relocation of factories from Cuba was the lead cause in Key West's devastating fire of April 1, 1886. 12 years later, the USS Main left port from Key West and arrived in Havana where it was sunk on January 25, 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.

References

Sources

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