Pigeon Key

. . . AND THE LEGACY OF HENRY FLAGLER

Yesterday, Valentine's Day, we biked with Sid and Bonnie, Fiu, and Walt and Pat, Waves of Grace, to the ferry that took us to nearby Pigeon Key. On the National Register of Historic Places, Pigeon Key housed as many as 400 workers who built the Overseas Railroad to Key West in the early 1900s. The small island has served several purposes since that time, including being the most highly rated highway rest stop in the 1950s and an historic attraction today.

Bonnie, Sid, Kent and Jane on the ferry to Pigeon Key.

Walt and Pat sat across from us as we ferried in.

Henry Florida

It seems to us that's the gentleman's true name. The museum at Pigeon Key focused on the life of the Overseas Railroad builders and the man that made it possible: Henry Flagler. After he made his fortune as a founder of Standard Oil, he visited St. Augustine and became charmed by the city. He built grand hotels, lesser hotels and a railroad to transport people to the city. He was the first to see Florida as a tourist mecca – the American Riviera – and that had the money to invest in its development.

From St. Augustine, he moved down the East Coast to Palm Beach, extended his railroad and proceeded to develop that city, as well. However, his crowning jewel was Miami. He is known as the father of Miami, totally building the city from the ground up, laying out streets, building schools, churches and hospitals, and creating a seaport.

Flagler’s dream was to extend his railroad to Key West. He spent $80 million to build the 156-mile extension, known at that time as the 8^th Wonder of the World. In his 80s and blind, Flagler lived long enough to ride the train to Key West in 1912.

Although he had a business interest in developing Florida, Henry Flagler also had a strong social conscience, often helping the people of Florida in need, asking that his help be anonymous. He believed that showing Florida’s potential was his purpose in life and what he was meant to do with his money.

Life on the Construction Crew

Henry Flagler learned much from the construction of the publicly funded Panama Canal that was going on at the same time. His laborers were paid $1.50 a day in gold and lived in good conditions for the time.  They lived in one of four barracks that housed 64 men each; all but one were torn down after construction ended. Even though they had to deal with the heat, storms, bugs and long hours, yellow fever was not a problem on Pigeon Key as it was at the Panama Canal.

One thing we all found interesting was that the workers doused themselves in diesel fuel to prevent mosquitoes from biting. 

The original Seven-Mile Bridge to the left and the new bridge to the right, 

seen from the water.

The Overseas Highway today

The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane wiped out the middle section. It was rebuilt and the entire railroad to the Keys was converted to a two-lane Overseas Highway for cars. In 1982, a new highway to the Keys opened, and the Seven-Mile Bridge section of Henry Flagler’s dream became a two-mile walking/biking path.

Bonnie and Jane biked the Old Seven, as it's called. The new Seven-Mile Bridge

 is in the background, as is Pigeon Key and its remaining buildings.

To us, it's an amazing story of how one person's vision and wealth could positively change the lives of people in Florida, creating recreation and employment opportunities for millions.


Next Blog: The Miami Boat Show