January 31

Trumbo Point railroad yard and docks in January 1921.

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

1926 – The Key West Realty Board heard a proposal by Hilliard Hammerschlag for a sight-seeing bus to be operated from Trumbo Island to points throughout Key West. Hammerschlag said between 200 to 600 visitors were arriving via train and steamer daily, and the proposition would be a profitable one.

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 had been built in six weeks, drew an opening-night crowd estimated at 4,000.

1989 – Commander William H. Westray, USN retired, died at age 70. He had served as executive officer of the Naval Air Station and had been an activist in local government after his retirement. He wrote the Key West Comprehensive Plan and had led the movement to cap island building heights at 40 feet.

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.

2006 – Some 200 Lower Keys homeowners whose houses were flooded by Hurricane Wilma packed Key West’s Old City Hall to learn about a federal program that would pay to elevate homes above the floodplain or purchase them for demolition. 

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

Image: Trumbo Point railroad yard and docks in January 1921. The Heritage House Collection, donated by the Campbell, Poirier, and Pound families. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.