December 26

Part of a haul of marijuana found on beaches from Boca Chica to Sugarloaf Key on December 26, 1975.

1905 – Dr. John B. Maloney of Key West was promoted to chief surgeon for the Second Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard.

1907 – Commander Beehler of the Key West Naval Station received a letter from superiors expressing concern that a large force of aliens was employed at the station, to the exclusion of American citizens. Beehler said he did not know of a single example of such employment.

1954 – The 53-unit Southernmost Motel at the corner of Duval and South streets in Key West was under construction. The owners Ben and Aron Mazur planned to be renting rooms by January 1.

1966 – The Navy reported that the military community in Key West was composed of 8,582 Navy personnel, 663 Air Force, 570 Army, 37 Coast Guard, 1,180 military students, 1,294 civilian employees and 10,002 military dependents.

1975 – Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies, Navy personnel, and volunteers were working to remove 6,000 pounds of baled marijuana that washed ashore along Boca Chica and other keys. One bag was labeled “Bogota,” but there was no evidence of a boat that dumped the $2.5 million haul.

1975 – The Florida Statistical Abstract for 1975 showed that in 1974 Monroe County had the highest cost of living of any county in Florida.

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Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Part of a haul of marijuana found on beaches from Boca Chica to Sugarloaf Key on December 26, 1975. Photo used in the Miami Herald December 27, 1975. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.