November 23

An aerial view of Marathon looking eastward down the highway, toward the airport.

1897 – George B. Patterson assumed duties as Postmaster Key West, relieving Harry McClintock who had been acting for some months. 

1899 – Thanksgiving Day was observed by all churches which held services. In the afternoon the bazaar was held at La Brisa. The bicycle road race was held at 4 p.m. with 24 entries. The best time was 9 minutes and 54 seconds by Carl Stockins, a champion rider. There were thousands of people along the track to witness the race. A dance was held at 8 p.m.  

1899 – The County Road (today Flagler Avenue) was cut through to the eastern end of Key West. 

1900 – Key West’s streetcar system was completely and indefinitely shuttered because of a strike by the motormen and conductors. The island’s cigar workers met and endorsed the work stoppage, while promising to give financial aid to the strikers. 

1971 – Charles River Breeding Laboratories bought Loggerhead Key (aka Key Lois) two miles off Cudjoe Key with the goal of raising rhesus monkeys there. 

1985 – The widening of U.S. 1 to four lanes through Marathon began with the stretch between 105^th to 122^nd Streets. The entirety of the road, from 41^st Street to Coco Plum Drive, would eventually be done across multiple phases.

2010 – An annual count of bonefish in the Florida Keys showed a 25 percent decline in population compared to the eight-year average. It was not clear if the decline was due to a severe cold snap earlier in the year or if there were broader ecological forces at play.   

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

Image: An aerial view of Marathon looking eastward down the highway, toward the airport. Photo taken by the Federal Government on October 7, 1987. From the Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.