May 5
- Florida Keys History Center
- May 4
- 2 min read
1907 – Professor John B. Watson of the University of Chicago visited the Keys as a representative of the National Audubon Society. He stayed on Bird Key at the Dry Tortugas to prevent the rookeries from being disturbed during the nesting season.
1952 – Senator Estes Kefauver, campaigning for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president was in Key West, and made a speech at the Elks Club Annex.
1957 – A ground-breaking ceremony was held for construction of the Key West Moose Lodge on Eisenhower Drive. The organization had recently purchased the lot for the club’s new home.
1962 – Keys commercial fishermen were protesting what they called “rigged” prices being offered for their catch by local fish houses. Fish was averaging 22 cents per pound and was expected to drop to 18 cents in the coming days, versus the 28 cents being paid two months earlier. Buyers blamed a glut caused by the end of tourist season.
1970 – Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Aquilino Lopez Jr. ruled that the Club Jerezano on North Key Largo could train, breed, and sell fighting chickens provided there was no gambling, and the birds were not fitted with steel spurs.
2000 – The Mote Marine Center for Tropical Research opened on Summerland Key. The new facility would focus on the development of coral and finding the most effective ways to restore the reef.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Loyal Order of Moose Lodge No. 1760, 700 Eisenhower Dr., ca. 1965. Tract 7, Sqr 1, Pt Lot 1. Photo taken by the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
