February 10
- Florida Keys History Center
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
1763 – Florida came under British control, and the last of the indigenous people of the Florida Keys left for Havana with the Spanish.
1931 – Key West was determined to be the third-busiest port of entry in the U.S. with 38,391 passengers cleared by immigration authorities in 1930. Only New York and Boston had more arrivals.
1946 – A new diesel-powered system was being installed at Marathon’s aqueduct pumping station. The equipment would increase the flow of water to Key West by 300,000 to 500,000 gallons per day over the existing 900,000 gallons.
1959 – The Kerr-McGee Drilling Company of Morgan City, Louisiana, began testing for oil strata in an area 14 miles northwest of Key West.
1964 – Ground was broken for the 20-acre, $1 million Searstown shopping center on North Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West.
1971 – The final 1970 census figures for Key West showed a population of 29,312.
1986 – Monroe County Commissioners approved the construction of a new 150-seat restaurant at the site of the existing Driftwood Luncheonette on Higgs Beach in Key West. Local architects were asked to submit plans for the new eatery.
1995 – Rear Admiral William Leahy, Commander of the 7th Coast Guard District, presented the Coast Guard Unit Commendation to the Coast Guard Group Key West for its work during the Cuban refugee exodus of 1994.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Driftwood Luncheonette & Bath House at Higgs Beach, 1000 Atlantic Blvd., ca. 1970. Pt Tract 27. Photo taken by the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
