January 31

Sand Key Lighthouse and Weather Station, ca. 1915.

1887 – The population of Key West was 17,000.

1911 – The Ross Company was building the east jetty in the Northwest Channel near Key West.

1925 – At midnight, the U.S. Weather Bureau station at Sand Key was closed. Its instruments and equipment were removed and transferred to the Key West station.

1929 – The Navy towed the submarine S-4 into port at Key West. The submarine had sunk in an accident in 1927, killing 40 sailors. It was to be converted for use in safety tests, particularly in the development of the “Momsen Lung,” a submarine escape device.

1953 – The new dog track on Stock Island, which was built in six weeks, drew an opening-night crowd estimated at 4,000.

1998 – The Coast Guard seized three fishing boats and three tons of shrimp for violating fishing laws. The shrimp catch was sold for $16,600 and money turned over to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

2000 – Red tide killed thousands of fish near Boca Grande and the Marquesas Keys. The affected area was estimated to be 10 miles long by 10 miles wide.

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

Image: Sand Key Lighthouse and Weather Station, ca. 1915. From the Key West Art and Historical Society Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.